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Summary
Summary
Opal Mehta is a young woman with a laser focus: getting into Harvard. Since her birth, Amal and Meena Mehta have raised their only daughter with Harvard emblazoned on her pajamas, her walls, and her brain. Everything she does is meant to add up to only one thing: the perfect Harvard application. There have been flowcharts, diagrams, and endless checklists. At seventeen, Opal is valedictorian, president of three honor societies, and founder of the Science Bowl team. She even took welding classes to appear well-rounded. With SAT and AP scores to die for, getting in looks like a sure thing.Then, at her interview with Harvard's Dean of Admissions, he sets aside her resume and asks her the single question she never prepped for: "What do you like to do for fun?"For once, Opal is at a loss. The interview screeches to a nightmarish halt. The Dean says she still has a chance-but only if she can show that she is more than just another 4.0 GPA. And so the Mehtas turn their ingenuity and determination to a whole new plan: getting Opal a life. Dating, partying, and popularity are the new subjects of late-night cramming, and Opal's study guides are now MTV and the WB, Vogue and InStyle. The girl who wore high-water cords and hung out with her cat for fun is now rocking Manolos, cutting class to shop with the Queen Bees, and winning the attention of her longtime lust object.When Opal finally faces the Dean again-this time in a Diane von Furstenberg blouse and Theory pants-she is more confused than ever. Does lip gloss actually matter? Does life have to have a crimson theme? What-and who-does she really love?For anyone who's ever sweated a crisis, How Opal Mehta Got Wild, Got Kissed, and Got a Life is a hilarious and painfully real novel about family, love, and daring to push your life to the limit.
Reviews (1)
Kirkus Review
A Mean Girls clone with a neurotic Indian-American heroine determined to get to the top. Opal Mehta's parents are so focused on getting their daughter into Harvard that they have created a full-blown plan, complete with an acronym--HOWGIH or "How Opal Will Get Into Harvard." But when she goes for her on-campus interview, the dean of admissions tells her that her numerous accolades are not enough. He wants her to delay her application and find friends, romance and fun. The Mehtas, entirely out of their element, hatch a new plan, HOWGAL, or "How Opal Will Get A Life." After a full-blown makeover, thousands of dollars' worth of new clothes and an absurdly organized crash course in pop culture, Opal is on her way. She becomes one of her high school's "it" girls, she skips class to go shopping and she even seems to be getting closer to the boy of her dreams, student council president Jeff Akel. But, of course, popularity comes with complications, and after an electronic mishap leaves her alienated, she begins to realize that there are compromises between the two Opals--and, even better, that she'll be able to explore them with other smart, well adjusted kids as a freshman at Harvard. Viswanathan's writing shows promise, and some of the satirical moments with Opal's parents are priceless. But the plot is far-fetched (Harvard is concerned about an applicant's love life?), predictable and often seems plucked from a teen movie. Once Viswanathan, currently a Harvard sophomore, figures out how to integrate her lively voice into a more original story, she'll be on her way. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.