Isha, Unscripted

By: Sajni Patel

Narrated by: Mehr Dudeja

Unwilling to yield to familial expectations, an aspiring screenwriter attempts to pursue her dreams during an unforgettable night of chaos in this hilarious and heartfelt novel by Sajni Patel.

Isha Patel is the black sheep of the family. She doesn’t have a “prestigious” degree or a “real” career, and her parents never fail to remind her. But that’s okay because she commiserates with her cousin, best friend, and fellow outcast, Rohan.

When Isha has a breakthrough getting her script in front of producers, it doesn’t go according to plan. Instead of letting her dreams fall through the cracks, Rohan convinces her to snag a pitch session with an Austinite high-profile celeb: the one and only Matthew McConaughey, who also happened to be her professor at the University of Texas years ago—he has to remember her, right?

Chasing Matthew McConaughey isn’t easy. Isha needs a drink or two to muster up courage, and she gets a little help from the cutest bartender she’s ever encountered. But when the search for the esteemed actor turns into a night of hijinks and unexpected—albeit fun—chaos, everything falls apart. Isha’s dreams seem farther than ever, but she soon realizes who she really needs to face and that her future may just be alright, alright, alright.

Credit Refund please.

I was excited to read this book because I’ve read a couple others by this author and really enjoyed them. This book, however, did not deliver. I found myself skipping chapters to get to something good but it never happened. The self-loathing, parental disappointment, and drunken behavior of the main character was overkill. The ending was a huge let down and quite unfinished. I wanted to like it but couldn’t.

Juvenile Young Adult Drama

The protagonist is supposed to be 28, but at times this reads like a late teens drama.  I don't enjoy "hot mess" characters. I loved The Trouble With Hating You and First Love, Take Two.  However, I gave this 3 stars because I think a young adult audience (late teens to early 20s) could enjoy and connect with this. It did make me laugh out loud three times. The thing I enjoyed most about this novel was the connection between the cousins!