“If I wanted things to change, didn’t I need to change? I decided to find out.”
Serena Singh is a strong, independent, smart, and ambitious Indian woman in her 30s who has always been sure about what she wants in life: a successful career, meaningful, and long-lasting friendships, and a good relationship with her family. She also knows what she does not want in her life: marriage and kids. We meet her at a stage where she is content with her accomplishments in life. She’s got a new job at one of the biggest advertising firms in Washington DC, she has her own apartment, and her little sister is getting married; which means that maybe her parents will stop questioning her life choices. But not everything’s coming up roses.
Things start to go sour for Serena after her sister’s wedding, and she starts to feel like she’s running behind. First of all, her relationship with her sister, who she thought was her best-friend, starts to weaken. And all her other friends are at a different stage of life than she is. They are prioritising their family and kids whilst Serena is prioritising her job and her friendships. This is why when her sister also announces her pregnancy, she feels like all the promises to meet up and hang out will fall through just like it happened with her other friendships. It’s sad to see the close bond they had fading. And, as if that wasn’t enough, her new job is not as wonderful as she thought it would be because her team isn’t exactly on her side. Then there’s the relationship she started with a man she met at her sister’s wedding? Not so perfect either, although she opened up to him quite a lot. In the midst of it all, she’s also reconnecting with an old flame and dealing with her family’s past.
In order to be happier, she decides to take the lead and find new friends. After some failed attempts, she finally manages to form a meaningful friendship with a new co-worker, Ainsley, who makes her see that she’s too focused on her career and that maybe she also has some part of blame for the way her friendships and relationships have not turned out that well. This is where we start to see her growth and how she “flips the script”, how she starts to learn that being a bit more open, and letting people in can bring more happiness into her life. This was a very good storyline. It is extremely hard to forge new and meaningful friendships as an adult, it’s hard to form that bond with someone you have no history with and it also requires time and effort. The one Serena starts with Ainsley offers two different perspectives as well as showing that a friendship grows and gets stronger when the people involved are willing to put work into it.
The book starts off very strongly, however it sort of starts to drag in the second half. The pacing is slow and some parts of the story don’t really add to Serena’s journey. At the same time, the second chance romance with an old flame seems a bit forced at times. And, whilst by the end of the book, Serena still kept her beliefs of not wanting any kids of her own (which was very nice to see, just like the fact that her not wanting kids wasn’t treated as something she had to “overcome”), it would also have been good to see her come into her own without ending up with a partner.
With that said, there are some very strong points though. Lalli portrays perfectly the expectations that are placed on women by society and the stress they bring. Of course, there are differences and each woman goes through life differently due to numerous variances, but, at its core, the universal experience is the same: the pressure to get married and have children is always there and sometimes it seems that if one does not go down that path, their life must be sad and pitied, which is not true. Everyone’s decisions are valid and should be respected equally.
The cultural aspect also played a big role in this story and the portrayal of different cultures was so well done. Serena’s parents are immigrants who brought up their daughters in America; this prompts for some friction within the family as the sisters’ views aren’t as traditional as those of their parents. Whilst they still want to honour their parents and make them proud, they want to accomplish their dreams and live their life however they want. The cultural background of the family was very interesting to read about; oh, and there is also a lot of Indian food mentioned, which will have any reader who isn’t familiar with them constantly Googling all the delicious meals and salivating over them!
There is a dual perspective throughout the book where the author offers us Serena’s point of view in first person and Sandeep’s (her mother) in third person. This helps the reader understand the reality that first generation immigrant families experience and how different it is for parents and kids; it portrays all the hardships they go through and how they make them feel. There is a main conflict in the family (that sort of made Serena the way she is) which we only discover at the end, and whilst the resolution is well done, it would have been nice to get more insight into Sandeep’s back story because it would’ve been very interesting to have her voice heard a bit more! But overall, the characters are a great bunch!
All in all, Serena Singh Flips the Script is a reflective, hopeful, and light-hearted read. It shows the story of a woman with strong beliefs and who is sure of what she wants to get in life, whilst still portraying her flaws and how she is determined to grow and be a better version of herself.
Serena Singh Flips the Script is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of February 16th, 2021.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Serena Singh is tired of everyone telling her what she should want–and she is ready to prove to her mother, her sister, and the aunties in her community that a woman does not need domestic bliss to have a happy life.
Things are going according to plan for Serena. She’s smart, confident, and just got a kick-ass new job at a top advertising firm in Washington, D.C. Even before her younger sister gets married in a big, traditional wedding, Serena knows her own dreams don’t include marriage or children. But with her mother constantly encouraging her to be more like her sister, Serena can’t understand why her parents refuse to recognize that she and her sister want completely different experiences out of life.
A new friendship with her co-worker, Ainsley, comes as a breath of fresh air, challenging Serena’s long-held beliefs about the importance of self-reliance. She’s been so focused on career success that she’s let all of her hobbies and close friendships fall by the wayside. As Serena reconnects with her family and friends–including her ex-boyfriend–she learns letting people in can make her happier than standing all on her own.
