Blog Tour - Review + Giveaway : Beauty and the Besharam by Lillie Vale

Beauty and the Besharam by Lillie Vale

Genre : Young Adult, Own Voices
Publisher : Viking Books for Young Readers(Penguin Random House)
Publication Date : May 10th, 2022

Heated competition leads to even hotter romance in this YA summer rom-com for fans of Sandhya Menon, Emma Lord, and Wibbroka.

Seventeen-year-old, high-achieving Kavya Joshi has always been told she's a little too ambitious, a little too mouthy, and overall just a little too much. In one word: besharam.

So, when her nemesis, Ian Jun, witnesses Kavya’s very public breakup with her loser boyfriend on the last day of junior year, she decides to lay low and spend the summer doing what she loves best–working part time playing princess roles for childrens’ birthday parties. But her plan is shot when she’s cast as Ariel instead of her beloved Belle, and learns that Ian will be her Prince Eric for the summer. [Cue the combative banter.]

Exhausted by Kavya and Ian’s years-long feud, their friends hatch a plan to end their rivalry by convincing them to participate in a series of challenges throughout the summer. Kavya is only too eager to finally be declared the winner. But as the competition heats up, so too does the romantic tension, until it escalates from a simmer to a full-on burn.

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This was such an adorable YA read and I'm surprised by how much I ended up loving it! I haven't read any of Lillie Vale's books before but I was really curious about this one based on that blurb alone! Childhood friends turned rivals-to-lovers is my jam and add in a feisty, unapologetic heroine, I was hooked!

Kavya Joshi is used to being told that she's too loud and 'besharam'(basically translates as shameless in Hindi and in this context refers to Kavya being a bit too outspoken). It doesn't bother her much anymore, but she does have a vulnerable side as well. When her longtime rival Ian witnesses her public break-up, it brings back memories of embarrassment that she's not comfortable with. And just when she thinks that she can spend the summer quietly, she finds out that she'll have to work with him lol. 😂

Their friends end up making a plan to have these two participate in a series of challenges to end their rivalry and this rouses Kavya's competitive spirit(of course)! And as Ian and Kavya spend more time with each other, Kavya ends up discovering more things about him and herself as well, which brings them closer!

The relationship between these two was so adorable! Ian was the sunshine to Kavya's grumpy, competitive personality and I loved how they brought out the best in each other! It was so cute watching their relationship grow and having them be there for each other! We get to witness Kavya's character growth as well, as she navigates personal and familial relationships! Kavya is Indian American while Ian is Korean American, so there's lots of Asian rep that made this book so relatable!

She's also got an amazing group of friends that were such great characters honestly! All of them were so unique and such well-developed characters, unlike the typical cardboard cutout supporting roles.

In the end, this was a great read that left me with a goofy smile on my face! Would definitely recommend if you are looking to read something different this summer!

*I was provided with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

We’re teaming up with ColoredPages and PenguinTeen to give away 5 (FIVE) finished copies of Beauty and the Besharam by Lillie Vale! 

Follow the link to enter this US ONLY giveaway! You must be 18 years or older, or have parental permission to share your address if you win. The giveaway ends on 30th May at

11:59 EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lillie Vale is the author of books for both teens and adults, including The Decoy Girlfriend, Beauty and the Besharam, The Shaadi Set-Up and Small Town Hearts, an American Library Association’s 2020 Rainbow Books List selection. She writes about secrets and yearning, complicated and ambitious girls who know what they want, the places we call home and people we find our way back to, and the magic we make. Born in Mumbai, she grew up in Mississippi, Texas, and North Dakota, and now lives in an Indiana college town.

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