3.5 Stars

Ajay Anthonipillai has followed the rules all his life. However, his desire to make friends with Jacob, the famous kid in school leads him to steal and lie. Worse, the Mercury chocolate bar he stole is special. It has the Twenty-fifth Anniversary Grand Prize offered by the company – a million dollars! 

But how can Ajay claim the prize when he stole the chocolate? As his lies spiral out of control, Ajay needs to reevaluate his actions and decisions. 

The story comes in Ajay’s first-person POV. 

I was curious to read a book about a Sri Lankan immigrant family in the US. Their struggles, the desire to do their best at the cost of interpersonal relationships, the racism they face, etc., are well presented and appropriate for the age group. 

It was easy to empathize with Ajay’s situation in school even though he managed to irritate me a few times. But it only proves a point so I can see it as a part of character and story development. 

It was a bit of surprise to see Ajay’s family as Christians but it shouldn’t have been. What I didn’t expect was the extent of faith in the content. Nothing against it but I don’t think I’ve read an MG book where the main character talks often about god. Just not what I was expecting. That said, Father Freddie sounds cool! 

As you can guess from the official blurb, the MC’s parents are typical Asian tiger mom and dad. That’s something I don’t particularly relate to. Yeah, I had friends whose parents were like that. Luckily, mine were and are cool with what I do. I didn’t have to be a topper (I wasn’t either). 

A couple of side characters had potential (Mindy and Al). However, they don’t get enough development. The light shines on Ajay almost throughout, and sometimes, reading his first-person POV felt a little exhausting. 

A part of this is maybe because the book feels heavier than the blurb. I hoped it would have some fun lighthearted moments or heartwarming ones. There might be a couple but not enough to feel the warmth. The heaviness remains. This may not work that well for the target age group. 

Still, I liked how the ending was handled. Some good luck but no real miracles, which is good. I’d have liked a conversation or two between the family members at the end. 

There’s a glossary at the end (not necessary for most Indian readers) which will be helpful to understand the native terms. 

To summarize, No Purchase Necessary is an interesting read, though I think it will work better for adults than kids. 

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

#NetGalley #NoPurchaseNecessary