Deepti Vempati was a contestant on season 2 of the Netflix series “Love is Blind”, a reality show in which contestants date sight unseen through a “pod”, get engaged, then have 30 days to see if they can make it in the real world before getting married. Her story took a dramatic turn when the participant she become engaged to, Abhishek ‘Shake’ Chatterjee, revealed he viewed her as more of an aunt than a potential romantic interest. This lack of attraction and disrespectful behavior ultimately led her to break up with him in the season finale. The drama continued as she and another cast member attempted to data after the show’s conclusion, which again got broken off.

Synopsis

Vempati’s book, “I Choose Myself,” gives readers an overview of her life story, starting with her experience as one of the few (if not the only) Indians in her high school. Deepti discusses in depth her relationship with food and how it became an escape for her when she felt alone in high school. The latter half of the book turns to her time on a reality show and exactly how she connected with Shake around their shared experience as Indians living in America.  Ultimately, Deepti comes to the conclusion that choosing herself is what led to her leaving Shake at the altar.

Most revealing confession

At 16 Deepti catfished another student. This section was a shocking and poignant example of not choosing herself. Being a minority and feeling as though she fell outside the standards of traditional American beauty Vempati decided to try flirting online and picked a profile picture a girl she thought high school boys were looking for. The ploy worked so well that Vempati’s catfish invited her to prom. Since attending as herself would be impossible, in an attempt to break things off she stopped talking to her crush.  Confused and concerned, the crush called inn a detective, who ultimatly figured out Vempati’s true identity.

Is it worth your time?

Delving into the details of her time spent on ‘Love is Blind, basically, the reason for reading the book is the most interesting section, but is woefully too brief. Starting on page 108 of a 173-page book, the lead simply gets buried. Vempati does a fine job of giving a behind-the-scenes look at the show’s process and why someone would want to take part in a reality TV series and continue to invest in a relationship that seemed to outsiders to be a clear mismatch. The other stories are far less intriguing. 

When reading the later half of, ‘I Choose Myself’ Vempati’s stories come off as a list of rote actions without really being taken on a journey with her. When recalling her time spent with Kyle, the other contestant she dated, after the show the author remarks:  

“We were invited to amazing events and saw incredible performers in concept. We explored new restaurants with our friends. It was an exciting time in both our lives.”

For a person who openly shares their life on Instagram with over 1MM followers, her experiences come across as surprisingly opaque. There were insights into her history and choices, but the impersonal way she writes keeps the reader at a distance making for a difficult book to engage with. Vempati’s catfishing escapes and time on ‘Love is Blind’ were entertaining. The rest of her story can be skipped.

Title: I Choose Myself
Author: Deepti Vempati
Published: September 2022