He Fixed the Match,She Fixed Him by Shikha

Title:He fixed the Match,She Fixed Him
Author:Shikha
Pages: 282+
Source: Publisher
Publisher:Vitasta
Price:175 INR/-

Image:GR

                     I do like reading chick-lit once in a while.Believe me,good works belonging to this genre are genuine fun reads.These days,there is a brand new desi (wannabe) chick-lit  hitting the bookstores every other day! Almost all of them have the same old desperate-oversized girl in the wrong side of twenties-looking for a boy formula but not many of them end up selling more than a few hundred copies! So now,when a new chick-lit work reaches me for review,I think twice before accepting it.This new work by debutant author Shikha,came to me for review a couple of weeks back.Anyways,here I am,reviewing this desi (Mills and Boons inspired) romantic tale!
              I picked up 'He Fixed the Match,She Fixed Him' by first time author Shikha expecting it to be a quick,fun read.Well,the book turned out to be fun in parts,but again,if you are looking for something new in it,you will definitely be disappointed.It's the same old 'brash boy-marries-goody goody girl-only to fall in love with her in the climax- story,served in a new format! 
             So,'HFTM:SFH' tells the tale of Shreya,an ambitious,highly qualified Dilli girl and Kunal, a young entrepeneur.Kunal tricks Shreya into an arranged marriage and how Shreya fights back and make the crooked Kunal fall in line is what this book is all about.As you might have figured it by now,the plot of this book is wafer thin and what makes it work to some extend is the writer's minty cool approach to her debut work.Shikha has made sure that the tale is peppered with entertaining one liners and interesting incidents though one gets the feeling that there were more of them.A little more imaginative plot with interesting  twists might have made this book a far better work.
             Coming to the characters,apart from the protagonists,the book has got a couple of likeable characters in Vineet(Kunal's Cousin) and Jyothsna(his love interest)but it's a pity that the Shikha hasn't bothered to give them more space in the narrative(may be she wanted to focus more on her protagonists!).Anyways,it's a good thing that there aren't too many characters cluttered in the narrative.The book is written in quite plain,conversational English and is not entirely devoid of typos and grammatical errors.The couple of ads (the prominent one being that of a popular matrimony site) which creep up in the narrative also sticks out like a sore thumb.The length of the book is also a big negative(for a wafer thin plot,282 pages is too much)

Verdict-On the whole,'He Fixed the match...' is a passable affair.I'm giving it a 2.6 out of 5.

-nikhimenon

The One You Cannot Have, by Preeti Shenoy

Some authors leave a mark on your reading. Though the stories aren’t absolutely amazing, they still have those drops of brilliance that linger after the read; something that makes you eager to pick up the next novel of that author and read it. One such author, in my opinion, is Preeti Shenoy.

The One You Cannot have is a love story. The story mainly follows Aman, Anjali, Shruti and Rishabh. There are other characters too, each with their own importance but I feel it is these four who make the tale. Like the title says, it’s a story about the one person each cannot have. And the storyline I feel does that justice. Aman and Shruti were once inseparable, but when the latter left suddenly, the former, to recover, goes abroad. So what will happen when Aman returns to India years after? There are two girls in his life… Anjali, who is in love with him, and Shruti, who he has a hard time letting go of, even though she is already married. Throw in characters like the flirting friend Mark, and the husband Rishabh, and you know you’re in for a quick, yet enjoyable read.

What makes this book worth reading? It’s the characters. To me, they feel real. The way they react seems real, like hiding an old suitcase or jumping at the chance of finding love again. Or even the way they accept certain things. The book also has some subtle humor. The narration is simple, yet has the pace to keep the reader hooked. The alternating character narration helps to get into the skin of the character too.

What doesn’t work? The ending is predictable. I suppose the genre is one that doesn’t necessitate unpredictability, but still, I’d have liked a little suspense. Another thing I didn’t like was that once the story of the main characters is completed, the book ends with an epilogue. Some things end suddenly with that epilogue, and some aren’t ended at all. In a series, that’s kind of acceptable, but not in a standalone book.

The book is one that will take hardly a few hours to finish, and it is a one-time read. But like I said earlier, it was an enjoyable read. And would pick up her next book when it releases as well.

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Book: The One You Cannot Have
Author: Preeti Shenoy
ISBN: 978-93-83260-68-3
Publisher: Westland Books

Ultra short review of Sophie Says by Judy Balan

          

                   I had found Judy Balan's first book (2 Fates) to be genuinely entertaining and that was why I decided to give her second work(Sophie Says) a try, overlooking the few not-so-encouraging reviews for 'Sophie' which I had come across.But after going through it,I should admit that Judy's follow up to her debut work(which was good fun as long as it lasted) is a huge let down.It's neither funny nor intellectually stimulating!
                   The plot itself is wafer thin.Sophie Thilakam is a single,independent,(almost thirty),commitment-phobic female who has just resigned her well paid job as it's too mundane and un-exciting .Sophie's best friend is Yatan,an adventure loving NRI .She doesn't mind remaining single,but thanks to the 'blah-blah aunty brigade',decides to find herself a 'fake' boyfriend-(Ryan).Things get complicated when she slowly develops a liking for him but pretty soon  realizes that she still has feelings for her ex-turned-BFF,Yatan .The rest of the story is about the choices she makes in  life and how she comes out of her commitment phobia.There is a parallel track involving Sophy's life as a break up coach (which comes as 'blog posts' every now and then,irritating the reader eventually)
                 There is nothing remotely charming about this work.Blame it on  the bland characters or the totally un-funny situations in which they find themselves in,'Sophie Says' never works even as a light read.The reader neither 'feels' for the protagonist and her moral dilemma nor will he relate to her impulsive decisions in life.Infact,by the time she decides to choose between Ryan and Yatan,you actually stop caring about her.On the whole,this book is a disappointment.

Rating:I'm giving it a 1.5/5

-nikhimenon

The Deliberate Sinner by Bhavna Arora

Title-The Deliberate Sinner

Author-Bhavna Arora

Publisher-Shrishti

Pages-168

Price-120/-

Source-blogadda book review program

       I will be lying if I say that I hate reading chick-lit s.Infact, I love well written,hilarious works belonging to the afore said genre.I feel they are the ideal choice for a light read.Had just finished quite a  heavy book and naturally, I thought it would be foolish of me to waste  the opportunity to review this new (supposedly chick-lit) book listed in the blogadda book review program.So,I am here reviewing the debut work of Bhavana Arora, 'The Deliberate Sinner'.

Plot-First things first.The book offers what you expects out of it.There are lots of passionate love making scenes and a heavy dose of infidelity with the sex scenes quite decently written.The plot is something like this-Rihana fell for Veer not knowing how insensitive and self centered he actually was.Only after becoming her wife,she got to know the 'real' Veer.The poor thing wants to get out of her 'failed' marriage but is unable to do so,thanks to the 'familial pressures' and 'goodwill' of her parents.Unable to cope up with the familial pressures and the accompanying mental and emotional trauma of a bad relationship,Rihana takes a drastic step in life.'TDS' is more or less a life sketch of Rihana and her attempts to stay relevant in this society which is largely male dominated.

Characters:The protagonist is Rihana,a rich,modern,independent woman with 'progressive thoughts'.Her husband is Veer,an ambitious,dominating,and sexually hyperactive person who is a bit too self-centred.Then,there is Raj ,Rihana's friend and 'true love'.Though the characters aren't too many,the basic problem is that none of them have been developed well.I found it difficult to empathize with Rihana who comes across as  too 'confused' and impulsive.Many of her actions appeared irrational and I still don't know what made her stick to Veer for such a long time.The same is the case with the two men in the story,Veer and Raj (though Veer gets a slightly better treatment,I don't know why 'Raj' has been treated so shabbily by the author).Somewhere towards the middle of the book,Raj disappears only to appear later for a brief period and that too in the most cliched of the situations.

The Writing-One of the good things about Bhavana's writing is it's rawness.It is lacking the faintest hint of literary pretension which is a good thing,considering the target audience of this book.Since the language and  writing have been been kept deliberately simple,the reader is never over burdened with heavy duty lines and 'philosophical' insights.

The good things about 'TDS'- The attention grabbing cover.One of the prime reasons for me showing an interest in reviewing this work was it's 'attractive' cover! The book has it's heart in the right place and the issues which it discusses (hypocrisy,gender bias,marital rape;to name a few) are quite relevant in the present times.There are a couple of thought provoking,intelligent lines are placed well in the narrative.'TDS' is not a very 'heavy' or over-long book.At just about 168 pages,Bhavana wraps up the story without stretching it too much.

The not-so-good things-The plot itself is quite cliched (it's actually,'Balaji Telefilms' material).C'mmon,haven't we seen(and read) all these things before?The underdeveloped characters and un-intentionally funny behaviour of their's (in more than a couple of situations) is not helping the book in any way.If you aren't very comfortable reading graphic sex scenes,then this one is definitely not your cup of tea!

Verdict-The Deliberate Sinner is an okay read.I'm giving it a 2.5/5  

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books! 

-nikhimenon 

Review of Love is Vodka, One Shot Ain’t Enough By Amit Shankar

Alcohol has never been my cup of tea or a glass or even a shot.  So I lose the analogy of why one shot ain’t enough. But then as I started reading the book and the characters were introduced, I realised that most of the book is like Vodka, there is the high you get and the hangover that follows.

The book is about a young teenage girl, Moon (I loved the name as it was different and stuck with me even after I have finished reading the book). She is a daughter of an Indian mother and French father. Her father soon left as he already had a family in France and his wife was ill. Moon has his presence only through Facebook and the gifts her sends.

Her mother is the one she wants the love of but Moon’s mother is too busy to notice. There are string of boys and men coming in her life and giving her a taste of love. From being an intern in an Ad-agency to being a model and then face of a mass protest, she does it all but love is the only thing she wants. 

Amit Shankar has chosen a female protagonist to tell his story of teenage romances and how much love is wanted in our lives but is it that easy or it is always enough. Moon’s boyfriends and her choices in boy friends always leave you with a sense of why? Why she chooses them apart from the character of Devil, her boss in the Ad-agency and her mother’s boyfriends, most of her boyfriends have the typical teenager written all over. Her romance with the guys she meet and the stories they create, get convoluted as Moon jumps from one romance to other.  

Coming back to the review, the book is a travel read. If you are looking for just something to pass your time as you go on your journey. It may not leave you with a high but it will be no hangover either. The portrayal of the main character Moon is praise worthy and the story of romance between the devil and her are the highlights of the book. It is a good effort by a serious writer to enter the world of click-lit but it could have been more.