Bindi Babes, Bollywood Babes, and Bhangra Babes

I first saw Bindi Babes by Narinder Dhami in a bookstore at Gatwick Airport on my way back home from visiting my brother in London. I almost bought it and Bollywood Babes, the sequel, right then and there but I was already over my luggage weight limit, and it would have ended up being cheaper in Canada. Luckily, the library had them on order so I didn't have to spend a cent! I really enjoyed them though, so I just might go out and buy them as well as the third book, Bhangra Babes.

Bindi Babes is about three Indian-British sisters who try to be perfect in every way, to try to prove to everyone (themselves included) that they're coping well with their mother's death. Their father is obviously not coping all that well, and is hardly ever home. He buys them anything they want, which just adds to their perfect appearance. But then their nosy aunt arrives from India, and wrecks everything! In the end, the girls find out that they don't need to be perfect, that it's ok to grieve, and that the important thing is to be themselves.

In Bollywood Babes, the sisters find out that an ageing Bollywood star, who left the film industry amid scandal, is living in a town very close to them. The school is putting on a Bollywood night, so the sisters decide to try to convince the star to make an appearance. When they go to her house, they realize that she is destitute, so they invite her to live with them. They could never have predicted the effect that act of charity would have on them, their friends, their community, and their school.

In Bhangra Babes, the three sisters try to get the attention of the hot new boy at school, Rocky, who is into bhangra and has his own recording studio. They hire Rocky to be the DJ at their aunt's wedding, but when they hear his work, they realize they've made a BIG mistake.