Too Good To Be True-Prajakta Koli

Book: Too Good To Be True
Author: Prajakta Koli
Publisher: HarperCollins India

Have you ever dreamt of meeting the love of your life in a bookstore?

Avani's favourite thing to do is bury her nose in romance novels, but, honestly, life can't be trusted to make the stories real, right? But in the bookstore where she works, a man walks in, straight out of the pages of her favourite love stories. Aman is hot, successful, seems to know what she's going to say before she's said it, and just cannot get enough of her. In short, he's perfect. Then why is Avani losing her mind, ignoring the advice of her BFFs and trying to convince herself that he's just too good to be true? Will Aman ever be able to figure her out? And will Avani allow him to? Wickedly witty, tender and utterly relatable at every turn, Too Good to Be True by Prajakta Koli is the sparkling, true-blue, will-they-won't-they love story you've been waiting for!

Too Good To Be True is a book that uses the girl-meets-boy trope in a contemporary setting in a wonderful manner which makes it a fun and interesting read. The writing in the book is quite good and you are held by the story to keep turning the pages. Prajakta introduces our protagonists and their meeting a very fun manner and I loved the fact that she used a bookstore as a premise for the characters to meet. The storytelling is lovely and there are moments where you feel quite a bit for the characters. One aspect of the book that I really liked was how the power of relationships has been explored in the book. For both, Aman and Avani, the people around them are quite important and their reactions are what becomes an important plot point in the story. The small red herrings that the author has left in the story serve as nice comebacks and you are pleasantly surprised when that happens. My experience reading the book was that of a constant smile that was there because of the wonderful Aman and Avani moments that are put forth in the story and as a reader, this is a book that one can pick up whenever you are feeling down and want to just feel good. Something that was troubling me about the plot though the entire time I was reading it, especially after the second half. The plot and the scenes felt familiar, when I realised the similarities between the book and the basic plot of Fifty Shades of Grey, minus the graphic intimacy. Anyone who has read the series and this book would find the similar theme eerie. The climax is wonderfully executed and the call back to a scene in the initial section of the book was good to discover.

Coming to the characters, Avani’s character was wonderfully written and I loved how layers of her self were revealed bit by bit, keeping the central aspect of her character hidden right till the end. Her interactions with Rhea and Martin were quite lovely and helped paint a wonderful picture of the character. Aman’s character as a billionaire in love was fun to read. The way in which he tries to woo Avani was well written and you are engrossed in seeing what he would do next. I also loved the characters of Aman’s parents and how they steer a part of the story in the second half of the book. A special mention is required for Gagan. He appears only thrice in the entire book, but all those moments are powerful and pivotal to the storytelling.

Overall, TGTBT is a book that is a feel-good contemporary romance that will giddy up your heart as you read it on a day when you need to smile from the inside. The book scores a 4.69/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or your nearest bookstore!

Rediscover Your Midlife Mojo-Nandita Kaushik

Book: Rediscover Your Midlife Mojo
Author: Nandita Kaushik
Publisher: Nu Voice Press

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What is you were having an existential crisis and need to pivot?

Are you slowing down? Do you feel invisible? Are your deeply buried dreams threatening extinction? Do you feel you are having an existential crisis? Welcome to the new paradigm - midlife - but all is not lost, there is a mojo waiting in the wings. In the sandwich years, where the youth questions your relevance and the elderly grapple with your middle age, Rediscover your Midlife Mojo liberates you. The book gently guides you through ageism, confusing technology, body challenges, financial turmoil, and empty nests, urging you to sail forth. It philosophises amid your ramblings and imparts wisdom on patience, vouth connections, mini-drama handling, and belief challenges, convincing you to reclaim lost territory. Get ready to take risks, start adventures, rediscover friends, and create those bucket lists. But, before you ride into the sunset, any words for the youth and the elderly? Read on; you'II know what to say!

As the years pass by, each one of us starts questioning various aspects of our lives. This book is a wonderful compilation of the learnings that anyone in their 50s, or approaching the big 5 needs to know. The book starts by exploring the definition of mid-life and then goes on to understanding the changes in one’s life as you age. The latter half of the book, however is where the book really shines. The second half of the book helps you with some wonderful nuggets of wisdom that one can implement in their lives. But again, the book is not just for the people looking for guidance during a midlife crisis, but the book has some valuable guidance that can apply to people of all ages. Nandita condenses the learnings and presents them in an easy-to-understand manner that helps you relate to the lessons in the book. The title of the book might seem to cater to the people in the fifties, the concept of the book will appeal to readers across ages. While reading the book, I could relate to the concepts, and some of them were quite easy to implement. The writing is easy to understand and the concepts that Nandita explains have been presented in a manner that is cheeky, funny and non-patronising. The book has tidbits of knowledge, introspection and activities that help you look within to understand the intricacies of life and to keep yourself motivated as you age. Nandita’s writings and letters are a fresh perspective on how to age gracefully and to accept changes in our lives with grace.

This is a book that I would recommend to anyone who is looking for motivation to explore in their lives. It is a wonderful guide to life that will motivate you to look at the brighter side of life. The book scores a 4.81/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book from a bookstore near you or on Amazon India.

Shameless In Stilettos-Ell P

Book: Shameless In Stilettos
Author: Ell P
Publisher: Tara India Research Press

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What do you do when you are on the clock to solve a crime?

Anant ‘f***ing’ Reddy is dead. A simple suicide is ruled a murder when the coroner finds something sharp embedded in his eye. His business tycoon father wants answers, so Inspector Meenakshi Rao has been ordered not to sleep, eat or drink till she finds the killer. Her suspects – 3 women who live in the complex where his mangled body was found. A desperate mother turned dominatrix. A woman with baby fever whose husband can’t get a rise without masturbating. A devout Christian and closeted lesbian with a voyeur fetish. With her own marriage in shambles, all that Meenakshi wants is to get stoned so that she can communicate with her dead son. Can she find the killer?

Shameless in Stilettos is a story that explores the primary plot of a crime thriller, but at the same time also explores the pointers of sexuality as well as fetishes from the eyes of the people in the storyline. The writing in the book is quite gripping as well as descriptive which helps you stay glued to the pages. What worked for me in the book was that the sub-plots of the book run parallel to the primary investigation, and each of the sub plot explores a distinct concept that the author wanted to bring forth. The graphic details of the BDSM fetishes, while might be disturbing for some readers, help the reader understand the psyche of the characters and the reasons behind the actions of each of our protagonists. The entire sub plot of Meenakshi’s life is also explored and it weaves in and out of the main story, but for me that was an important aspect which set the tone for her state of mind as well as her motivations for solving the case. Another thing I liked about Ell’s writing was the social messaging and the idea conventional idea of sexuality that forces people to resort to secrets and subterfuge. The climax of the book was a fitting closure to the story; however, I would have loved a bit more of a detailing in the climax.

Coming to the characters, I really loved the way in which Meenakshi’s character was developed. The complexity and the mental state in which she was operating was explored in detail. I liked the spunk and the persistence that was built into her character. Another set of characters that I loved were that of Nisha, Rachel and Mia who were created in such a distinct manner, but the crossing of paths that is revealed was interesting. Through these characters, the author also manages to wonderfully highlight the social lens which is trained on people who do not conform to the society’s expectations of “normal.”

Overall, this is a book that is recommended to anyone who loves to read a good crime thriller; however, it is suitable for people ages 18 and above because of certain themes in the book. The book scores a 4.63/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or your nearest bookstore!