12 Years: My Messed Up Love Story-Chetan Bhagat

Book: 12 Years: My Messed Up Love Story
Author: Chetan Bhagat
Publisher: HarperCollins India

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

How do you know when the person you are in love with is “The One”?

He's 33. She's 21. He's a struggling stand-up comic. She's a rising star in private equity. He's divorced. She's never had a boyfriend. He's Punjabi. She's from a conservative Jain family. They shouldn't be together. But they can't stay apart. Welcome to 12 Years: My Messed-Up Love Story. Saket and Payal couldn't be more different—age, background, beliefs. Yet, they're drawn to each other in ways they can't explain. Is it just chemistry, or something deeper? Is it madness and lust, or is it love? Unputdownable and thoroughly entertaining, 12 Years tries to answer the eternal question: How do you know if someone is the one—especially when everything says they're not? From India's top-selling writer Chetan Bhagat comes a powerful new love story that will make you laugh, cry and rethink everything you know about love.

Chetan’s interpretation of love and romance is something I have always admired. Right from his first book to this one, I have always liked the relatability and the simplicity in the way he presents the idea of love. 12 Years as a book has his signature writing that is simple, yet catchy. When the book came out, I thought that the title of the book references the age gap, and that this is an “age gap romance,” and I went into the book with that thought, but the actual context of the title comes to light in the climax, and that, for me, is why I still choose to pick up his books even after all these years. The plot is simple and straightforward, and is told from Saket’s eyes. The story explores his life as he experiences lows and then how he rebuilds his life overseas. The storytelling is easy to comprehend and while there are some aspects of the plot that I did not like, especially Saket and his lifestyle in Dubai, but then that gave the context to the climax as it plays out. Another thing that did not work in the book was the fact that it was a lot from Chetan’s perspective, and not a lot from Payal’s perspective. In hindsight, you feel a lot for both characters, but while reading the book, you sort of get tired of Saket after a while. I loved the serendipitous meetings that he arranges between the two, just to show context and the timelines. The climax was something I really enjoyed, mainly for two reasons. Firstly, the whole circle of life aspect that comes out from the story, and second the growth that you see in Saket is something that is commendable.

Coming to the characters, I really liked the way Chetan has sketched Saket’s character. A guy in his mid-30s, recently divorces, pursuing his passion, jumps out perfectly in the way he pens him. The character descriptions are vivid and it was quite easy to visualize him. Similarly, Payal’s character is also wonderfully penned, but I did feel that we saw a bit less of her to make more deductions about her. Mudit as the devoted and dedicated friend was again penned perfectly.

If you love to read a nicely written romance, the it comes highly recommended. The book scores a 4.63/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or a Bookstore near you!

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Happiness Happens-Robin Singh

Book: Happiness Happens
Author: Robin Singh
Publisher: Penguin India

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

What does happiness mean to you?

Robin Singh had everything he wanted and more—well-settled in the US, financial freedom, married to the love of his life—except he was not happy. It was in his pursuit of happiness that he stumbled across purpose. It eventually took giving up on happiness and pursuing purpose before he realised that he had finally found what he had been looking for. This is a book about what happened between him exiting his tech company and starting Peepal Farm—an animal rescue centre. It is a compilation of all the answers he got along the way and the questions he asked to get those answers. He still can't tell you what is life or why is life . . . but he can answer why to live and how to live. Happiness Happens is ultimately an exploration of what really makes us happy. It is Robin’s journey told simply, with the hope that it will reach people who are dissatisfied with how they have been living but haven't yet been able to answer how else to live.

Happiness Happens is a book that is quite different from the usual self-help books that are currently available. Robin does not impart a lot of jargon or tips to achieve happiness, rather he explains his journey of self-realisation and how in his quest in finding the answer to the question of “What is happiness” he explores various things and finally arrives on the concept of Peepal Farm. The book is essentially his story of what he did through the years and how his perspective on life changed as he started looking at it from a completely different lens. What I loved about the book was that there is nothing right or wrong that is classifies, rather his idea is only to understand what is your own understanding of happiness, and then how you chart your way towards it. Another thing I really liked was that he does not deal in absolutes. His writing does mention that as an individual, you get to choose how you pave your way towards your own happiness. One of the key takeaways from the book for me was to ask the right questions, and to have the courage to take actions once you decide what you want to do with your life.

This book might not give you the answers to what you are looking for in life, but at the same time, it does help you find the right perspective towards life, and how to walk towards your own definition of Happiness. The writing in the book is simple and easy to understand. There is no jargon or words coined to explain the meaning of life, but rather it is the story of the experience of Robin as he goes through life. The book is a simple read, and the focus is on the message which makes it even more interesting.

The book is a definite recommendation and scores a 4.81/5 for me.

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

The Daughters of Shantiniketan-Debalina Haldar

Book: The Daughters of Shantiniketan
Author: Debalina Haldar
Publisher: Readomania

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

What happens when tradition suffocates love and freedom? Shantiniketan is the abode of one of Kolkata’s most revered aristocratic families, where Rabindranath Tagore's legacy is upheld as a sacred doctrine, untouched by modern thought. However, patriarchal ideals reign supreme and the men of the family dictate the rules, women's voices are suppressed, controlled or punished. But when the obedient granddaughter falls in love with a Bohemian singer who dares to modernize Tagore’s work, a storm of rebellion brews. Love clashes with tradition, and the family’s perfect façade begins to crack, revealing dangerous secrets and hidden truths. Will the daughters of Shantiniketan break free, or will the weight of the past crush their hopes? The Daughters of Shantiniketan is a riveting tale of forbidden love, generational struggles, defiance, and the fight for self-expression in a world defined by tradition.

Debalina’s book is wonderful insight into what happens when tradition becomes suffocating and to maintain the façade of being “honest” to a belief, we start expecting everyone to fall in line, regardless of what the individual wants in life. Through Charulata’s eyes, we see how each member of the Roy family struggles with their own ambitions against maintaining the image, purity and the traditions that the family stood for. Right from Gora not being able to pursue his dream of being in a band, to the daughter-in-law of the family not being able to write, just because she wanted to use her maiden name, each of the members have their own stories to tell which come to the fore. I loved how the author uses Charulata as a metaphor for the change that happens in Shantiniketan and how her clothes signify the change that takes place in the house over the course of the book. The storytelling is quite engaging and keeps you hooked. While in the initial part of the book, one might feel that the stories feel a bit disconnected, the climax brings each of them together in a wonderful fashion. The use of Rabindra Sangeet to express emotions in the book is a very nice touch and is perfectly in sync with the theme of the book.

Coming to the characters, I loved how the author creates this family that looks perfect from the outside, but is just as dysfunctional from the inside, and each member of the family is struggling silently from the inside. Charulata as a young member, who is technically a conformist tries to justify the actions in the first part of the book, but comes to realise the injustice of it all as the stories come to light. Her transition is extremely well written, and the climax scene perfectly completes the story arc. While Nikhilesh is a character that comes in the very end, I liked how he turns the entire story around with his actions. Bolai as a fresh voice in the book was something I really enjoyed reading.

Overall, a book that is a definite recommendation for its themes and ideas. The book scores a 4.63/5 for me.

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

Tents and Trails: Wild Camping Chronicles-Ratheesh Menon

Book: Tents and Trails-Wild Camping Chronicles
Author: Ratheesh Menon
Publisher: Bluerose India

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

Have you ever done a trek or camped under the stars?

Tents and Trails is an evocative journey into India's untamed wilderness, blending adventure, discovery, and the spiritual essence of nature. Through the eyes of a passionate traveler, trekker, and explorer, the book transports readers from the dense jungles of Karnataka and Kerala to the rugged terrains of Uttarakhand and Himachal. Each expedition unfolds extraordinary encounters-wolves lurking in shadows, elephants crashing through the undergrowth, tigers moving silently, and cobras gliding along moonlit paths. Under star-lit skies at each campsite, survival skills intertwine with lessons from the forest, revealing the rhythms of animal behavior and the profound silence of nature. Beyond thrilling adventures, this collection captures the healing, teaching, and transformative power of the wild. Rich in wonder, mystery, and raw experience, Tents and Trails invites readers to feel the pulse of the jungle and rediscover the timeless bond between humans and the natural world.

Tents and Trails is a collection of 8 stories from Ratheesh’s camping and trekking journeys through Karnataka, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Written as a travelogue, Ratheesh tells us the story of how he decided to plan the trip, how to reach that location, and some interesting trivia of the place. He also weaves in the flora and fauna that are found in that location and how his camping got interspersed with the call of the wild. Ratheesh’s writing is fresh, engaging, and honest, and it presents an interesting perspective on how connecting with nature can help us maintain a balance in our lives which are quite heavy with the city life that most of us are accustomed to. I loved the uninhibited way he tells us the story of meeting different people, connecting with them and making friends. Another aspect that shines out is the bits and pieces of facts that are sprinkled across the book where he covers the wildlife that he encounters. His love for nature also shines out from the fact that he has mentioned about collecting plastic for disposal on his treks, which I do believe is a very good practice to have. His photography skills also come out very beautifully in the way he talks about cameras and settings, but I would have loved to have seen some coloured inserts of the photos for each of the treks which would have elevated the overall reading experience.

I am quite inspired by the book, and having taken note of the locations, I might just plan a few trips taking his recommendations. The book scores a 4.69/5 for me, and is recommended for people who love to travel, trek and camp.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India.

The Secret of Secrets (Robert Langdon #6)-Dan Brown

Book: The Secret of Secrets (Robert Langdon #6)
Author: Dan Brown
Publisher: Penguin India

What if a secret was so powerful that it could change the world of it was revealed?

Accompanying celebrated academic, Katherine Solomon, to a lecture she’s been invited to give in Prague, Robert Langdon’s world spirals out of control when she disappears without trace from their hotel room. Far from home and well out of his comfort zone, Langdon must pit his wits against forces unknown to recover the woman he loves. But Prague is an old and dangerous city, steeped in folklore and mystery. For over two thousand years, the tides of history have washed back and forth over it, leaving behind echoes of everything that has gone before. Little can Langdon know that he is being stalked by a spectre from that dark past. He must use all of his arcane knowledge to decipher the world around him before he too is consumed by the rings of treachery and deception that have swallowed Katherine. Against a backdrop of vast castles, towering churches, graveyards buried twelve deep and labyrinthine underground passages, Langdon must navigate a shadow city hiding in plain sight, a city which has successfully kept its secrets for centuries and will not readily deliver them.

Dan Brown’s books have already kept me interested, especially the way he blends the mythology, science, and secrets in all his books. The Secret of Secrets stands out in its writing which keeps you gripped till the last page. The storytelling is classic Brown and you are kept guessing the intentions of the characters as you see them in action. I loved how the author uses the city of Prague and its local legends as a plot point and introduces you to some hitherto unknown elements of the city. Another aspect of the book that I really loved was its science, and how Dan reveals it piece by piece, till you realise the enormity of the secret in the climax. The entire story arc taking place in the Penguin Random House Office was a wonderful surprise, and honestly, I loved that Dan breaks the wall between the reader and the publisher, giving us a peek into the publishing aspect. The plot moves at a decent pace and as a reader, you have enough time to read, absorb and contemplate the events as the occur in the book. Having read his previous books, The Secret of Secrets is almost at par with The Da Vinci Code with the level of thrill and intrigue that it brings to the fore. The climax is well written, and does full justice to the ride that the 600 odd pages in the book take you through.

Coming to the characters, Robert Langdon in this 6^th rodeo is the same old professor who manages to get himself into tight spots but is also able to get out of them. Dan retains the charm for Langdon that was there in the previous books, and keeps his problem-solving ability intact. Jonas Kaufman was a wonderful surprise, and I must say his character was very well written, and the sub-story that runs in the PRH office was wonderfully captured. Ambassador Nagel’s character arc was nicely written, and I liked that there was a complete curve in the way her character was written. The other characters were also wonderfully plotted and did complete justice to the story.

Overall, a definite recommendation if you are looking to pick up a thriller, and if you are a Dan Brown Fan, then do not miss the title. The book scores a 4.88/5 for me.

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

Bloodbath (The Empress of Indraprastha #4)-Sonali Raje

Book: Bloodbath (The Empress of Indraprastha #4)
Author: Sonali Raje
Publisher: Vishwakarma Publication

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

Discover the science of war. Be enthralled by intense political debates and failed negotiations. Understand battle strategies from the mastermind, Krishna, and indulge in his philosophical and psychological mind-games with comrades and combatants alike. Explore the tenuous skill of intelligence-gathering and providing critical logistical support to the soldiers, along with the royal women of Indraprastha. Uncover the glories and horrors of war, of despicable cowardice and magnificent valour, of ethics and morals. Continuing with themes of women's empowerment, gender equality, and maternal support for married daughters, in this installment, recognize the importance of the inclusivity of differently abled individuals. Appreciate the unique skillset they bring to a task, in this modern-day fictional recreation of the Mahabharat, with lessons for current times. Continue the journey with the indomitable Empress of Indraprastha, as the warriors assemble at Kurukshetra in an annihilatory - Bloodbath.

Sonali’s retelling of the great epic continues and in this book, we see the events as they happen in Kurukshetra. Picking up from where she left off in Book 3, Sonali presents the story of the war in her own words. Throughout the book, we see the idea of ethics and morality being presented and questioned, repeatedly as the war progresses. Sonali’s writing is powerful, and the visuals that she presents are so intense that some of them bring literal tears into your eyes as you read them. Abhimanyu’s death scene is one of them. The sheer description of the scene and how Draupadi reacts to it was something I can never forget. Another scene that stayed with me was when she describes the tax Panchaal was supposed to pay to Hastinapur, and how she presents the payment in kind. Another aspect of the book that stood out for me was how Sonali writes the pettiness of the characters, and while this might seem like an odd part in a book review, that pettiness makes the book enjoyable. While the first half of the book was focused a bit more on the war, I loved how the second part of the book focusses on the horrors of war and how it impacts the people left in the aftermath of such a conflict. This book also features a few call backs to the previous books in the series, and the scene where Karna’s birth is revealed is one such scene which stands out as a brilliantly written one, specially with the emotions it draws out from the reader. Coming to the climax, the last line of the book is chilling, and knowing how Sonali is surprising with her writing, Book 5 promises to be even more gripping than this one.

Coming to the characters, we have met most of our primary characters in the previous books, and as an extension of the previous books, there is not much to talk about character development, however there are few instances that do deserve a mention. Abhimanyu’s character arc is something that has been told and retold many times, but I think the way Sonali’s presents his character was truly exemplary. Vrushali’s character arc also takes a wonderful turn in the book, and I think her presence in the scene under the tree was wonderfully penned!

Overall, Bloodbath is a wonderful addition to the series, and presents Sonali’s writing as one of the best retellings of the great epic. The book scores a 5/5 for me.

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

Check out my review of the previous books in the series:

Call It Coincidence-Nona Uppal

Book: Call It Coincidence
Author: Nona Uppal
Publisher: Penguin India

Meet Naina: a twenty-five-year-old with big dreams and a sceptical heart, searching for love that lasts and a job that doesn’t make her dread mornings. Enter Vatsal: a charming, unpredictable twenty-eight-year-old lawyer-to-be, interning in Delhi before jetting off to London for his master’s degree. Their worlds collide unexpectedly, leading to a whirlwind first date. Naina feels an instant connection, like fate brought them together. In days, they go from strangers to friends, best friends and then something more. Everyone thinks it’s just a matter of a few days until they make it official, call it love. How could they not, when it feels this right? But then comes the Diwali party―the best and worst day of Naina’s life. A devastating event shatters their bond, and they don’t speak. For three whole years. As fate would have it, Naina and Vatsal meet again. This time, Naina is cautious; Vatsal overfamiliar. Everything feels just as intense as it once did―but can Naina handle the pain that took her years to overcome, if at all? And can Vatsal fight his fears and stay to watch Naina overcome it?

Call It Coincidence is a story that explores the experiences we have growing up impact our perception of reality and our reactions to situations in life. The book explores the story of Naina and Vatsal, and how their paths keep crossing even after 3 years of being apart. Nona’s storytelling is quite gripping, and it is not difficult to imagine yourself in the shoes of either character. The writing is simple, easy to understand and contemporary in the way we see choice of partner, career and life choices. The romance between the leads is wonderfully written and the spark is nicely captured. What works in the book is the to and fro between Naina and Vatsal the first time around and how it ends, specially how it ends. When their paths cross again three years later, Nona recreates these meet-cute moments drawing parallels from the first time around. While Naina is cautiously optimistic, the author keeps Vatsal’s emotions a bit hidden till the very end. Another aspect that I loved was how Nona writes the relationship between Naina and Sarina. The climax was predictable, but the execution was interesting and I could feel a lot of inspiration from Yeh Jawaani hai Deewani in the climax.

Coming to the characters, Naina is wonderfully penned and her anxieties, character traits and relationships come out quite nicely. I loved how she is frank and her honesty come out with each scene. Vatsal’s character was also something I really enjoyed reading. A guy battling his own demons yet has the space to love unconditionally was quite refreshing to read. I also like the fact that until the reveal is done, you are mildly annoyed at Vatsal, and I think drawing emotions like that from a reader exhibits good reading. The best-friend-cum-big-sister relationship between Naina and Sarina is wonderfully penned. The one scene where Sarina and Nipun are sleeping, and Vatsal is the one waiting for her was quite visual, and that I think, established quite a bit of the relationships for me.

Overall, Call It Coincidence is a story of falling in love, falling out of love, and how you need to keep falling in love with the same person day after day for a relationship to work. The book scores a 4.75/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or a Bookstore Near you.