KISMAT CONNECTION

In this charming YA debut, a girl who's determined to prove her star chart wrong ropes her longtime best friend into an experimental relationship - not knowing that he has been in love with her for years.

Seventeen-year-old Madhuri Iyer is doomed. According to her astrology-obsessed mother, Madhuri's upcoming senior year will be a total failure. To make matters worse, she's also the victim of a family curse that sentences her to a happily ever after with her first boyfriend whether she likes it or not. In an attempt to prove the existence of her free will, Madhuri devises an experimental relationship with Arjun Mehta, a boy she's convinced will never escape the friendzone. Arjun Mehta is also at the mercy of the stars, but he isn't complaining and he can't help but agree when Madhuri approaches him. To him, it feels like the universe is finally granting his wishes. As their prophecies slowly become true and real feelings emerge between the two childhood best friends, Madhuri faces an impossible choice. She must decide if destroying her family curse in an act of self-determination is worth breaking Arjun's heart. KISMAT CONNECTION will appeal to readers who love the family dynamics of Never Have I Ever and the whirlwind romance of When Dimple Met Rishi. Ananya Devarajan is a second-generation Indian American who attends the University of California, Irvine. She's part of an anthology, Study Break, being published by Feiwel and Friends in Summer '23, has been a featured author on Wattpad, and won first place in TeenPit 2019.