While You Were Dreaming

A Phenomenal Book Club Pick!

It’s a classic story: girl meets boy, girl falls for boy, boy finally notices girl when he sees her in a homemade costume. At least, that’s what Sonia Patil is hoping for when she plans to meet her crush at the local comic-con in cosplay.

But instead of winning her crush over, Sonia rescues him after he faints into a canal and, suddenly, everything changes. Since she was in disguise, no one knows who the masked do-gooder was . . .but everyone is trying to find out. Sonia can’t let that happen—her sister is undocumented, and the girls have been flying under the radar since their mother was deported back to Mumbai.

Sonia finds herself hiding from social media detectives and trying to connect with her crush and his family. But juggling crushes and a secret identity might just take superpowers. Can Sonia hide in plain sight forever?

• Secret Identity Romance: Sonia rescued her crush in cosplay, and now the whole world is looking for the mystery girl. But revealing herself could expose a secret that would tear her family apart.
• High School First Crush: She’s been crushing on James from afar. Now, after his rescue, she’s closer to him than ever—but the lie between them is growing bigger every day.
• Heartfelt Coming of Age: Juggling school, work, and a viral secret is hard enough, but Sonia is also carrying the weight of her family’s safety on her shoulders after her mother was deported.
• South Asian Main Character: Perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon and Nicola Yoon, this story explores the complexities of family, identity, and first love with humor and heart.