Heartbreak Unfiltered-Milan Vohra

Book: Heartbreak Unfiltered
Author: Milan Vohra
Publisher: Rupa Publications

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

True stories. Hard truths. And a gentle plan. Everything you need to get over that ex. No platitudes. No sugar-coating. Just the honest truth and understanding you need but were never given about the messy reality of heartbreak – the other side of love. Heartbreak touches us all, regardless of age, gender or geography. With her signature wit, warmth and grounded wisdom, Milan Vohra, India’s bestselling romance author, turns her gaze to what follows after love leaves. Heartbreak Unfiltered: Things nobody told you about love, loss and letting go helps you make sense of what happens when love doesn’t end happily. Through 20 raw, real, deeply moving and inclusive stories from around the world, Milan paints a vivid picture of heartbreak in its many forms – from betrayal and ghosting to gaslighting and the unravelling of once-beautiful relationships. Each story brings not just catharsis but also clarity. Beyond storytelling, the book helps you understand the psychology of heartbreak-attachment styles, red flags, love languages and why we’re hardwired to fall into love. And then, it offers a plan-firm yet gentle guidance. Heartbreak Unfiltered will challenge your perspective, shake you out of your apathy, push you to face your feelings, use your pain to do something constructive with it and help you laugh through your tears. Milan Vohra’s now-tender-now-tough love will hold your hand and kick your ass to get you through it.

When I read the blurb of Heartbreak Unfiltered, I thought that it would be a usual non-fiction self help book that gives you a lot of advice, without understanding the ground reality of what happens. When I started reading the book, I realised the depth of research that had gone into the book. The book not only talks about heartbreak and grief, it explores various facets of love and relationships. Milan starts off with the basic idea of heartbreak and she goes on to talk about how heartbreak can actually manifest physically and can literally cause a “heart break”. As we move on with the book, you feel like talking to a group of friends who are telling you their own stories, some very close to home and some across continents. What worked for me in the book was that Milan has kept the voices in the stories authentic and that is what keeps the storytelling alive in this book. Each of the 20 stories in the book is unique and it is not just heterosexual relationships that she has explored, but the book also explores heartbreak across genders and gender identities. Another aspect of the book that I really liked is that there is no judgement and the author understands the emotions that go through the mind of the people living those stories and presents them here. Even with one-sided relationships, Milan presents a structured manner of dealing with it.

There is a second aspect to the book, which are the exercises and the key messages that she wants to send across. Each section of the book gives you small exercises to deal with the situation you are in, and to walk away from something you were holding back with a positive mindset. The activities she proposes, and gives you the guide to, are easy to do, and quite helpful as well. Personally, I feel that the ideas can help you walk away from not just romantic relationships, but toxic workplaces and friends as well, adapting the concepts to your scenario. The sections where Milan is explaining the ideas, concepts and the exercises, you feel as if a friend is talking to you, comforting you and admonishing you. That, I believe, is one of the best aspects of this book. The writing is easy to understand, and while the book has psychological aspects, it is free from jargon and infact, uses quite a bit of slang and colloquial words to keep it relatable.

The last aspect I would like to highlight are the two playlists that Milan has added to the book. Both Side A and Side B have some wonderful selection of songs that would suit either mood you are in, and do refer to the author’s instructions for listening to them. I am sure you will find some old favorites, and some new ones to add to that never-ending playlist.

Overall, Heartbreak Unfiltered does not break by heart. The book scores a 5/5 for me.

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