In a story that’s Gilmore Girls meets New Delhi, Noreen and her mother, Ruby, rely on their close relationship as they navigate family expectations, romantic complications, culture clashes, and their own personal truths in this thoughtful and hilarious new YA novel by Sheba Karim.

“The Mirza girls hit Delhi—that’s a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.”

To cure her post–senior year slump, made worse by the loss of her aunt Sonia, Noreen is ready to follow her mom on a gap year trip to New Delhi, hoping India can lessen her grief and bring her voice back.

In the world’s most polluted city, Noreen soon meets kind, handsome Kabir, who introduces her to the wonders of this magical, complicated place. With Kabir’s help—plus Bollywood celebrities, fourteenth-century ruins, karaoke parties, and Sufi saints—Noreen begins to rediscover her joyful voice.

But when a family scandal erupts, Noreen and Kabir must face complicated questions in their own relationship: What does it mean to truly stand by someone—and what are the boundaries of love?