96 Words for Love

Contributors

By Rachel Roy

By Ava Dash

Foreword by James Patterson

Read by Soneela Nankani

Formats and Prices

A modern retelling of a classic Indian legend, 96 Words for Love is a touching coming-of-age story that reads like Eat, Pray, Love for teens.

Ever since her acceptance to UCLA, 17-year-old Raya Liston has been quietly freaking out. She feels simultaneously lost and trapped by a future already mapped out for her.

Then her beloved grandmother dies, and Raya jumps at the chance to spend her last free summer at the ashram in India where her grandmother met and fell in love with her grandfather. Raya hopes to find her center and her true path. But she didn’t expect to fall in love… with a country of beautiful contradictions, her fiercely loyal cousin, a local girl with a passion for reading, and a boy who teaches her that in Sanskrit, there are 96 different ways to say the word “love.”

“A beautifully crafted, truly feminist coming-of-age story featuring nuanced characters in a unique setting.” —Kirkus, STARRED Review

  • Praise for 96 Words for Love:
    A Junior Library Guild pickA Girls Life Chloe's Book Club pick

  • "A universal love story as fresh, vibrant and stunning as the back drop of India it is set in. I loved the message, the journey and the self discovery at the root of this epic love story."

    Kim Kardashian West
  • *"Raya's candor and self-reflection infuse the narration with the perfect balance of insight and momentum. A beautifully crafted, truly feminist coming-of-age story featuring nuanced characters in a unique setting."

    Kirkus Reviews, starred review
  • "This book is a feast for your soul. How our inner lives and yearnings govern the adventure we call life is part of every lore in every tradition. This story by Rachel and Ava will energize you and fill you with the longing of a love that stirs within us as a spark that can turn into a raging fire and without which life stays barren and dry."

    Deepak Chopra MD
  • "A witty, warm, compelling coming of age story from my friend, fashion superstar Rachel Roy and her daughter Ava. 96 Words for Love is a story that will capture your heart and leave you feeling empowered to go after your dreams."

    Brian Grazer, Oscar-winning producer of Empire, Friday Night Lights, Arrested Development
  • "With heart and hope, 96 Words for Love is a vivid story of one girl's mission to unravel the forty-year-old mystery of her grandmother's past at an ashram. Roy and Dash have written a beautifully crafted homage to Bharat (India) and expertly explore the meaning of cultural identity, love and the lengths we'll go to find truth in our lives. A must-read!" -

    Nisha Sharma, author of My So-Called Bollywood Life
  • "A majestic coming of age story about family, first love, and self-discovery....From the moment Raya boards a train into the Himalayas, 96 Words for Love will completely sweep you away."

    Sara Saedi, author of Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card and The Never Ever series
  • "Appealing, funny, and authentic."

    Donna Scanlon

On Sale
Jan 15, 2019
Publisher
Hachette Audio
ISBN-13
9781549197581

About the Authors

NOVL - Headshot photo of Rachel Roy and Ava Dash

Ava Dash is the daughter of fashion designer Rachel Roy. She attends college, works and lives in Los Angeles. Ava works with young adults that have aged out of the foster care system as well as former sex trafficked girls in India. Inspired from her travels with her mother, Ava hopes to start a give back business that provides critical resources to educate and empower the girls she has met on her travels to India.

Rachel Roy is the daughter of an Indian immigrant father and Dutch mother. She is mother to Tallulah and Ava. Rachel is the founder & creative director of her eponymous brand and a tireless activist for using your voice to cultivate change in the world and to design the life you wish to live. Rachel founded Kindness Is Always Fashionable, an entrepreneurial philanthropic platform to help women artisans around the world create sustainable income for their families and communities. In 2018 Rachel was named a United Nations Women Champion for Innovation, and works for the UN advocating gender equality and other critical women’s issues. In 2015, Rachel published, Design Your Life.

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#96WordsForLove

Image of Rachel Roy and Ava Dash next to each other

Rachel Roy

About the Author

Rachel Roy is the daughter of an Indian immigrant father and Dutch mother. She is mother to Tallulah and Ava. Rachel is the founder & creative director of her eponymous brand and a tireless activist for using your voice to cultivate change in the world and to design the life you wish to live. Rachel founded Kindness Is Always Fashionable, an entrepreneurial philanthropic platform to help women artisans around the world create sustainable income for their families and communities. In 2018 Rachel was named a United Nations Women Champion for Innovation, and works for the UN advocating gender equality and other critical women’s issues. In 2015, Rachel published, Design Your Life.

Learn more about this author

Image of Rachel Roy and Ava Dash next to each other

Ava Dash

About the Author

Ava Dash is the daughter of fashion designer Rachel Roy. She attends college, works and lives in Los Angeles. Ava works with young adults that have aged out of the foster care system as well as former sex trafficked girls in India. Inspired from her travels with her mother, Ava hopes to start a give back business that provides critical resources to educate and empower the girls she has met on her travels to India.

Learn more about this author

James Patterson

About the Author

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Effing Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Princess Diana, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, told the story of his own life in James Patterson by James Patterson, and received an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Learn more at jamespatterson.com

Learn more about this author