To You, With Love-Shravya Bhinder

Book: To You, With Love
Author: Shravya Bhinder
Publisher: Ebury Press (An Imprint of Penguin Random House)

Do you think Forever exists or is it a mirage?

To You, With Love by Shravya Bhinder is the story of Sahil Malhotra and Ayra Sharma who met in school and are completely opposites. Sahil has “new money”, is careless and carefree, whereas Ayra is a sensitive and reserved girl. Their story blooms slowly as the years pass. Though they get separated. Life gives them a second chance when a chance encounter happens. As the story unravels, Sahil discovers something about Ayra’s life that explains the reason of her behavior and they work towards overcoming it when another storm hits their coast and almost tears them apart. This is a story of love, loss and emotions.

The story of the book is something that one would have read before but the manner in which it is presented is quite fresh. The way in which it is present with alternating timelines is quite interesting and that is what gives this book its flavor. Shravya has taken up multiple points in the book that she addresses and each of them form a critical part of the story. The manner in which Ayra’s story is told is almost something that would send shivers down a reader’s spine when one reads it. With moments that would make one smile are peppered across the book, this story is a roller coaster in itself. There is an emotion of love that is primary, but the book also addresses loss in an interesting manner. The short notes from Ayra to Sahil make the book even better! The climax of the story is heart wrenching and would bring the reader close to tears if one is completely immersed in the story.

Coming to the characters which are one of the critical elements of this book. I usually start with the protagonists but in the case of this book, I would love to talk about Sahil’s parents who are almost like a solid foundation holding up the lives of Ayra and Sahil. The way they handle the situations is something I got truly inspired from. Coming to Ayra, the author has beautifully created a character that had a past that was full of horrors and a painful present, yet the hope never left her. Sahil portrayed a character who was capable of unconditional love and as we go through the story, one cannot resist falling in love with both of them. A special mention is needed for Bhanu & Pathak, the LGBTQ characters of the story, who are not just there for the sake of being there but are an integral part of the story.

Overall, a wonderful book that encapsulates multiple emotions and themes into a story making it unique.

The book scores a 4.31/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book here.