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96 Words for Love

By: Rachel Roy, Ava Dash, James Patterson - foreword
Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
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Publisher's summary

James Patterson presents a modern retelling of a classic Indian legend: 96 Words for Love is a touching coming-of-age story that reads like Eat, Pray, Love for teens.

Ever since her acceptance to UCLA, 17-year-old Raya Liston has been quietly freaking out. She feels simultaneously lost and trapped by a future already mapped out for her.

Then her beloved grandmother dies, and Raya jumps at the chance to spend her last free summer at the ashram in India where her grandmother met and fell in love with her grandfather. Raya hopes to find her center and her true path. But she didn't expect to fall in love...with a country of beautiful contradictions, her fiercely loyal cousin, a local girl with a passion for reading, and a boy who teaches her that in Sanskrit, there are 96 different ways to say the word love.

A modern retelling of the classic Indian legend of Shakuntala and Dushyanta, 96 Words for Love is a coming-of-age story about finding yourself in unexpected places.

©2019 Rachel Roy and Ava Dash (P)2019 Hachette Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
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Critic reviews

A Junior Library Guild pickA Girls Life Chloe's Book Club pick

*"Raya's candor and self-reflection infuse the narration with the perfect balance of insight and momentum. A beautifully crafted, truly feminist coming-of-age story featuring nuanced characters in a unique setting."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This book is a feast for your soul. How our inner lives and yearnings govern the adventure we call life is part of every lore in every tradition. This story by Rachel and Ava will energize you and fill you with the longing of a love that stirs within us as a spark that can turn into a raging fire and without which life stays barren and dry."—Deepak Chopra MD

"With heart and hope, 96 Words for Love is a vivid story of one girl's mission to unravel the forty-year-old mystery of her grandmother's past at an ashram. Roy and Dash have written a beautifully crafted homage to Bharat (India) and expertly explore the meaning of cultural identity, love and the lengths we'll go to find truth in our lives. A must-read!"—Nisha Sharma, author of My So-Called Bollywood Life

What listeners say about 96 Words for Love

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Bland

3.5 stars

This was a quick, easy read but really just a lot of fluff. There wasn't anything 'deep' or resonating with this book. The story had so much potential but seemed to fall flat.
The premise was intriguing & I was eager to learn more about India but we didn't get a lot of the culture or anything. We ended up getting Raya instantly falling in love and then sneaking around with a boy and having sex in a holy place.

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Shallow all around

There was not one thing about this story that I enjoyed. The MC's voice came across painfully immature and I could not stop rolling my eyes every time she came across like a spoiled brat, which was nearly the entire book. The narrator's voice did not match the character voice so that also caused me to strongly dislike this story. No world building, no character arc, and no real plot.

Do yourself a favor - skip this. The execution of the story fell very short of the intended goal.

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