Wouldn’t it be nice if we could use the stars to predict our destiny? It’s not nice for 17-year-old Madhuri Iyer. After an astrological reading prophesies mass failure during her senior year, Madhuri resolves to prove the existence of her free will by devising a plan guaranteed to work: She plans to avoid falling for her best friend since childhood, Arjun Mehta, by keeping him in the friend zone in their purely experimental romantic relationship. Meanwhile, Arjun’s reading predicts a year of good luck. With their contradicting destinies now inextricably linked, whose fortune will win out?
Madhuri has to decide if defying her own destiny is worth breaking Arjun’s heart — and her own.
That’s how we meet the leading characters of Ananya Devarajan’s YA romance debut, “Kismat Connection” (June 13, 2023). Through the novel’s dual POV structure, the audience can feel the determination, defiance, and pining from both characters who still have their own unique personalities and backgrounds. From Madhuri’s Bharatanatyam past to Arjun’s relationship with his mother, “Kismat Connection” is Indian American representation, without tokenization, on the second generation acceptance of culture.
Aside from being a debut author, Devarajan is studying to be a doctor. Graduating from UC Irvine with a major in neurobiology and a minor in English, Devarajan knows what it’s like to exist in two worlds. On TikTok, Devarajan prepared for the release of her first novel — from unboxing her advanced reader copies to creating a “Choose Your Own Adventure: ‘Kismat Connection’” edition — to build anticipation. She also confirmed her acceptance to medical school in New York. Many congratulations are in order!
Mochi Mag caught up with Ananya Devarajan to chat all things “Kismat Connection” which led to conversations on books, astrology, and representation.
In her downtime as an avid reader, Devarajan says her favorite tropes are second chance…
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