10 Books To Read If You Love ‘Never Have I Ever’

Written in collaboration with youth librarians Christy Lau, Chatham Square Library; Crystal Chen, Woodstock Library; and Michelle Lee, Riverside Library.

When Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher’s snappy teen comedy-drama series Never Have I Ever hit Netflix, it was a given as teen librarians that we would spend five plus hours watching it from start to finish. 

After the death of her father and the sudden recovery of a mysterious illness that caused temporary leg paralysis, Devi Vishwakumar, a Tamil Indian American teenager, has a plan for sophomore year. The plan? Boyfriends for her two best friends, Fabiola Torres and Eleanor Wong, by the year's end and upgrades in their social statuses. The ultimate prize, however, is hooking up with the hottest guy in Sherman Oaks, California—Paxton Hall-Yoshida—and nothing is going to get in Devi’s path. Unfortunately, things don’t exactly go as she expects. 

Narrated by tennis star John McEnroe, Kaling and Fisher’s series explores relevant topics such as grief, mental health, mother-daughter relationships, friendships, coming out, and Indian American identity. 

Never Have I Ever is smart, funny, and unexpectedly emotional in all the right places. While we wait for a second season, here’s a NHIE-themed list of our favorite young adult and middle-grade books to fill the Devi-Vishwakumar-sized hole in our heart.

Young Adult

Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier

Devi doesn’t consider herself “super Indian” and she wavers in how much she wants to connect with her cultural roots. Similarly, in this coming-of-age novel, Dimple Lala, an ABCD (American born-confused Desi), feels conflicted about, and at times, embarrassed by her heritage at her suburban New Jersey high school. Dimple’s social and emotional life becomes more complicated once she meets “suitable boy” Karsh Kapoor, a hot New York University student and the son of a family friend. Then, Dimple’s best friend, Gwyn, takes an interest in Karsh and asks her pal to teach her more about Indian culture in order to get closer to him. A love triangle and identity crises ensue.

Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

Darius has never really fit in at school or at home. He is half Persian—but feels disconnected from his mother’s heritage— and is half white—but doesn’t exactly get along with his father. The only commonality he shares with his father, the “Ubermensch,” is the medication they are both prescribed for their clinical depression. When Darius’s grandfather receives a terminal prognosis, Darius and his family take a trip to Iran to be with his grandparents. While there, Darius learns more about his Persian heritage, his father, and his own self-worth. This is a coming-of-age story that realistically portrays the intersection of mental health and cultural identity. This intersection can be found in Devi’s therapy sessions as well as her mother’s conversation with the therapist.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo

Desi Lee is at the top of her game. She is the student body president, varsity soccer star, valedictorian-to-be, and expert at power stances. The only thing she doesn’t have is a love interest. But no worries, she has a plan. All she has to do is follow the K-dramas she and her father watch obsessively to figure out the steps to getting her one true love. Nothing could go wrong, right? As a rom-com that highlights an endearing father-daughter relationship, Goo’s novel draws comparisons to Devi’s complicated relationship with her mother.

I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir by Malaka Gharib

Drawn in bright blues and reds, Malaka Gharib's graphic novel memoir depicts her experience growing up as a first-generation American and the daughter of a Catholic Filipino mother and Muslim Egyptian father. As Malaka moves from a richly diverse high school to a predominantly white university, she struggles to adapt while still remaining true to herself and her mixed cultural heritage. Like Devi, Malaka negotiates her teen years with humor and chutzpah, and readers will find her story instantly engaging.

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

Fabiola Torres is the captain of the robotics team, one of Devi’s best friends, and not quite out yet. It’s going to take some time to sort through her emotions before having conversations with her family and friends. Much like Fabiola, Rukhsana hasn’t exactly told her parents that she’s queer… or that she’s very much in love with her girlfriend, Ariana. To say that her conservative Muslim parents would not approve is an understatement. She only has three more months before college to finally be her true self and out under the chafing rules of her traditional Bengali household. Living with half-truths, however, is hard, and a chance encounter forces Rukshana to Bangladesh for an arranged marriage against her will. She must find the courage to stand up for herself and her identity even if that means the possibility of losing the ones she holds close.

A Match Made in Mehendi by Nandini Bajpai

It’s the beginning of sophomore year, and like Devi, Samran “Simi” Sangha and her best friend, Noah Siegal, just want a fresh start, preferably with boyfriends and a little more popularity. After making a surprise romantic connection for her cousin at a local furniture store, Simi’s convinced that she should follow in her mother and grandmother’s footsteps and become a “vichole,” a matchmaker. Simi, her brother Navdeep, and Noah take information from the Sangha family’s matchmaking business and turn it into a dating app targeting their suburban New Jersey high school. Complications follow once the Matched! app goes viral, leading to a wide variety of teen pairings and other repercussions.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Dimple Shah cannot wait to go to college and move away from her family and their Indian traditions—specifically, her mother’s insistence of finding the ideal Indian husband for her. The technology camp at Stanford is a breath of fresh air from her mother’s scheming ways and offers Dimple the opportunity to potentially meet her dream mentor. Too bad her mother may have one more plan up her sleeve. Much like Dimple, Kamala also chafes against finding the ideal Indian husband. She is expected to marry after attaining her PhD from Caltech, but she wants love and romance, not approval and rules.

You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins

Perkins's multi-generational story follows five Das women as they move from India to London to Queens. They navigate their racial identity, cultural differences, and familial duty in a new world while attempting to discover their best selves. This is reminiscent of Devi’s relationship with her mother and her struggle to unite her Indian heritage and American identity.

Middle Grade

Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood by Varsha Bajaj

Thirteen-year-old Abby Spencer lives a comfortable life with her single mother but longs to meet the father she never knew. After a potentially hereditary allergic reaction, Abby travels from Houston, Texas, to Mumbai to meet her father, who is now Bollywood’s biggest film star! While Abby, like Devi, doesn’t consider herself “super Indian,” she’s learning quite a lot about India and exploring her Indian heritage. Now, if only Abby can get to know her father without the celebrity drama and find out where she fits in on both sides.

Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani

Priyanka Das has more questions than answers when it comes to her family. When she’s given a chance to travel to India and reconnect with her mother’s past (and possibly discover the identity of her father), she jumps at the chance. Along for the trip is Pri’s magical pashmina, a shawl that transports the wearer to a fantastical, colorful world where not all is as it seems. Like Devi’s encounter with the coyote, Pri’s journey to self-discovery manifests in magical and mysterious ways, but ultimately leads to stronger familial bonds.

For more reading recommendations, check out these blog posts:

• 17 Read-Alikes for "To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” by Anne Rouyer
• Drawing Outside the Lines and Stereotypes: Six Amazing Asian American Graphic Novels by Michelle Lee
• 7 Gal Pal Lit Picks by Amanda Pagan
   

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you'd recommend. And for more recommendations, check out our Staff Picks browse tool!