Review of 'Of Course, We Are Best Friends' by 'Sonia Bansal'

Blurb:  Aditya and Aditi, both bid adieu to their sheltered existence and walk in the world loaded with challenges.
When they began to sketch their perfect ending laden with joys and smiles then all of a sudden…
BOOM!!
Destiny gifted them another picture.

Have you ever fallen in love with your best friend..??
If yes, then fasten your seat belts and get ready to experience the most thrilling ride of your life, ride from the love to out of it, from school corridors to college campus blended with a maze of swirling emotions.

A true yet unusual saga of Aditya and Aditi imbued with traces of pleasure crunchy moments of happiness and togetherness.

Beaware!! It may change your definition of love and friendship.

Verdict: ‘Of Course, We are best friends!’ is the debut novel of author Sonia Bansal. The book is yet another tale of friendship and love in the backdrop of high school and college.

The cover looks very simple to me but goes with the title. The cover is not gorgeous enough to drag the reader’s eyes and I feel the book can easily be lost in the crowd of numerous romantic novels by Indian authors. The name sounds good but not intriguing and doesn’t help the book to stand out from the rest. I would say the first appearance of the book is pretty ordinary and nothing remarkable.

As the blurb suggests, the book starts on a regular note with the Aditi (the female protagonist) joining a new school and soon finds out a good friend in Aditya (the male protagonist). Without understanding the depth of the emotion, it was love at first sight for Aditya. An introvert guy at nature Aditya, can feel butterflies in his stomach whenever he talks to Aditi. Soon they became friends and started sharing every tiny details about each other. Like always, after few days Aditi starts to like him and soon they were dating. Their relation faces the problem when they were promoted to college and have to part ways. Can their relation survive the long distance? Can Aditya, who was more involved in the relation, find a solution to save his love? All these answer lies inside the story.

The narrating style is the main force behind the story which will keep the readers engaging. The author seriously got some skills to narrate a story but she have to work on framing a better plot. The narrating style is simple and very much in the trend. The narrating style helps the readers to understand the point of view of both of the protagonists which I like the most. Apart from Aditi and Aditya, the other characterization is not that impressive and would not be able to create any effect on the readers.

The book has few silly spelling mistakes and few grammatical mistakes too which disturbs the flow of the story. The story is not new and very much similar to the high school romance book available. The narrating style is remarkable for a debut writer. I will definitely be looking forward to read from this author in the future. Those who have experienced a school crush or teenage love, can enjoy this story. I would recommend this book to those who are in search of a light and refreshing read after a tired day. 

Final Words: This is a teenage love story with a sweet and simple narrating style. Kudos to the author for her wonderful skill of describing emotions. A light read.

Title: Of Course, We are Best Friends!
Author: Sonia Bansal
Publisher: Blackbuck Publishers
Page Count: 200
My Rating: 3.5/5

Available at –

Flipkart – http://www.flipkart.com/course-best-friends-english/p/itmdyz7gegzyrncf

Review of 'A Tug of War' by 'Yashika Nayyar'

Verdict: A very simple cover of two hands pulling a rope from both ends resulting in the rope to break in a light blue background makes for the cover of Yashika Nayyar’s debut novel A tug of war. Among the so fancy covers available in the market these days, the author choosing for this cover makes this book special in its own way. The first thing that caught my eye in the book was the quality for the paper that is chosen for the book.

For a non-fiction book of this genre the cover seems to be the perfect accompaniment. Coming to the story, the author has chosen a very new format of writing the book by giving story examples to her non-fiction book. I won’t call it a non-fiction book, it is more of a self help book. The author has done her best in writing about life and the several intricacies involved in it.

The poems used in the book as accompaniment gives this book a very lifelike feel. The narrative was also very fresh because it has been written in a very colloquial language. The author has been very kind with her words that the readers should know on his/her path of life. The way that she has described the situations one might face on his/her life is really thought enhancing. One is forced to sit and think about he has just read while reading the book.

The Tug of war has been used intricately in the book. One of my favorite quotations of the book is- “The choice is in your own hands, it’s your turn to choose the road now” The end to the book leaves every reader with a zeal to survive this world and with a smile on their faces. As far as the mistakes are concerned, I felt that there were a few grammatical errors in the book which slows the pace of reading at places.

Apart from that, if the book had been written in a different narrative, it would’ve suited the book to another level. There were a few articulated words which the readers might stumble upon while reading a very friendly written paragraph. A bit more compact version of the book could’ve been the masterstroke for the book. But still the book has potential enough to be a rage among every reader who reads it at least once.

Final Words: The book has the power to change the mind and educate its readers to the fullest. Kudos to the author for penning down such a book in her debut attempt. Waiting for a better version of the book to come up.

Title: A Tug of War
Author: Yashika Nayyar
Publisher: Sanbun Publishers
Page Count: 107
My Rating: 3.5/5

Review of 'It's for you... Mihi' by 'Md. Asif'

Blurb: Have you ever fought for a friend who was bashed badly while running nude on the way?

Have you ever climbed up a building through a mango tree, just for getting her glimpse?

Do you have a romantic girlfriend who follows your words as that of the God?

Have you ever surprised your girlfriend on the bank of a pond outside the town at 12 am?

Have you ever travelled around 1000 km for a girl who broke up with you around 270 days ago?

Have you ever got caught stealing diary of your berth mate in a train?

Have you ever gone under so much influence of a trauma that you tried to attempt a suicide?

How would you react when the reason of that trauma proves to be a fake one?

It’s for you MIHI will take you the journey filled with such overwhelming love story where the pit of your stomach will be sacked by all the emotions known to human world. Your skin will be filled with goose bumps and as you will feel the joys and sorrows you will eventually become the invisible part of this romantic saga.

Let’s join Asif in his encounter with the love of his life and the listless experiences that came along with the package.

Verdict: ‘It’s for you… Mihi’ is the debut novel of MD. Asif. As the name suggests this book Is a love story and a tribute by the author to his love.

The cover looks elegant and gives the book a perfect look. The font style suits the cover and the two gorgeous and shinning rings dangling from a chain completes the look. The name goes easily with the story. The two rings holds a very important role in the storyline and I would appreciate the author for placing those on the cover. The blurb gives an outline of the story and doesn’t mislead the readers.

The book starts with Asif traveling to Calcutta to find his lost love Mihika. While travelling in the train the protagonist encounters a fellow passenger and soon ends up narrating their love stories to each other. Asif has fallen for Mihika aka Mihi from his school days and the love blossoms throughout the school. There were lots of unanswered questions which will force the readers to turn the pages. Like every second love story in the list, this story too has different sides to enlighten, like Asif’s school friends, his family. What made Asif and Mihi part the ways, why he was traveling to Calcutta to find her, why he wants to apologise to her and what is the significance of the two rings in the cover? The readers will find all these answers towards the end of the book.

The narrating style was simple and ordinary. The chosen words are good but not up to the mark. The author has a good story to tell but if the author have concentrated more on the narrating style this book would have definitely touched the readers heart. The narrating style was very much to the point without describing necessary things which will not help the author visualize scenes.

The characterization is good and almost every characters hold a prominent role in the story but the same problem arises here too. The lack of description makes the characters invisible to the readers. The author has focused a lot on telling about Mihi and the rest of the characters somehow lost the lime light. The conversations are also quite regular and I was unable to find anything new and engaging.

I have spotted few editing errors here and there which needs the author’s attention. The language and the narrating style remains the main downfall of the book throughout the end. The author has penned down quite a beautiful story but the language takes the essence from the book and this book can’t be separated from those numerous Indian love stories. I would recommend this book to all those who are looking for a light read with a good storyline and would not care about the sappy language.

Final Words: The author has a nice story to tell and has framed it in a nice way. The way he has shown his feelings and the meaning of love, will surely attract the readers.

Title: It’s for you… Mihi
Author: Md. Asif
Publisher: Parlance Publishers
Page Count: 217
My Rating: 3.25/5

Review of 'When We Clicked' by 'Yash Pawaskar'

Blurb: Two strangers, one city, four days, one night, one lie and a fantastic journey. 'When We Clicked' is my twisted love story. I am Akhil Parlekar, a Mumbaikar in my early twenties. Like every other Mumbaikar I love my city, consider Sachin Tendulkar a God fantasize about Katrina Kaif, but I am about to die.

Before I was dying, I lived my life in four days, when we clicked. It was love at first sight for me, but not for her. I spent the four days with her wandering in the city, thinking that she would fall in love with me, but the night that followed the fourth day, changed everything.

This journey is about emotions like humour, lust, hatred, betrayal, heroism, friendship and the biggest emotion of them all; love. I am letting you in my heart as well as my brain, you be the judge if this is a love story or not.

'You are the protagonist of your life's story, the central character around which all the other characters and incidents occur. When the protagonist of your story changes to someone else, you are in love. That person becomes the central character of your story and everything else revolves around the person you love.’

Verdict: ‘When We Clicked – A twisted love story?’ is the debut work of Yash Pawaskar. This author has got some wonderful story telling skills and the way he has presented the whole plot makes it a show stopper.

The cover looks bright with red all around it. After giving it a close look the readers will find there are few scenes from the story fitted as a puzzle inside a heart and I have found this concept interesting. While reading the book, I kept on checking the cover to see which scene I have already read and which are about to come. The name is not that unfamiliar and gives a feeling that this is going to be another chick-lit novel. The question mark at the end of the title is tempting though. As far the story is concerned the name fits for this story and the tag line too.

The story starts with Akhil (the main protagonist) reciting his life’s last four days, which he claims to be his life’s most sparkling days, spent with a girl named Tamanna. He bumps into her in the Mumbai Airport and ends up introducing himself as a travel agent after knowing that she is here to explore Mumbai. The story goes around Akhil and Tamanna going to various tourist spots and exploring Mumbai. But when the readers have started anticipating the end after completing maximum of the book, there comes the twist which will lead the audience to such an end which they can never expect for a story like this.

The story line was ordinary but which makes this book special is the authors command over the language and his unimaginable sense of humor. From the very first half the author had shown that this book is going to be an interesting journey because of his witty conversing style. Sometimes it was funny scenes, sometimes it was the one liners or sometimes the name of the scenes which made me laugh out really loud. There are authors who can bring smile, but there are very few authors who can bring out laughter from his readers and Yash is definitely one of second group. The narrating style, the Light- Camera-Action style, the stereotyping style, everything was so fresh that it came like a cool breeze. It is definitely a light read but it is one of the best I have read in recent times.

I would have rated this book a bit more if the end was different. The author has presented the book wonderfully to the readers from the very beginning and there were no loop holes in the story but the end was not what was expected from the author. To create the trill the author lost the charm of the book. The end lacked the most important thing that was entertaining them throughout the story, the witty humor of the author. A bit editing errors are also spotted.

Final Words: This is such a book which can change your mood and you will laugh even after closing the book recollecting the scenes. The author has proved, it’s the presentation which matters. A perfect entertainer.

Title: When We Clicked – A Twisted Love Story?
Author: Yash Pawaskar
Publisher: Leadstart
Page Count: 225
My Rating: 4.25/5

Available at –

Flipkart – http://www.flipkart.com/when-we-clicked/p/itmdut9czvnrnrqv?pid=9789383562909&otracker=from-search&srno=t_1&query=When+we+clicked&ref=2b8bcb6c-67ef-4a94-a579-47d4f73e83ce

Amazon – http://www.amazon.in/When-We-Clicked-Yash-Pawaskar/dp/9383562900/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415378021&sr=1-1&keywords=When+we+clicked

Review of 'Dancing with Demons' by 'Nidhie Sharma'

Blurb: Karan Pratap Singh is on the brink of winning the Amateur Boxing Championship, when in a moment, he loses it all. His fall from glory seems fuelled by ruthless arrogance and an out-of-control anger management problem. That, however is just symptomatic of a deeper issue. Buried under layers of his fractured subconscious lies a childhood secret he cannot come to terms with.

Sonia Kapoor is a beautiful, volatile young woman with a secret that torments her at night but a secret that she feels no guilt for.

When fate throws Karan and Sonia together in Mumbai, their personal demons and pasts collide and stir up trouble in their fragile and uncertain present. But, is redemption possible without forgiveness?

Dancing with Demons is a fast-paced action drama of love, loss and resurrection.

Verdict: ‘Dancing with demons’ is the first work of fiction by Nidhie Sharma. This book is a combat sports novel where romance will linger at the back of the readers head.

The cover is designed to perfection. It has every element to catch the eyes of the readers and to describe the contents of the book. The boxing ring, the couple walking with hands wrapped around each others are the indication of the mixture of combat sports and romance inside the book. The most interesting thing which I think will surely make a mark is the badge on the front saying ‘soon to be made into a Bollywood movie’. The blurb is interesting and gives the book a good first impression.

There is no introduction or starter, the author has chosen to jump into the story from the very first page which will not give the readers any room to settle down. The book is divided in short and crispy chapters which is very much in the trend these days and keeps the readers hooked. The first chapter is written wonderfully and will definitely mesmerize the readers by the narrating style and the change of events. The author has a skill of describing scenes with perfect words which will attract the readers to read more.

The story starts with Karan Pratap Singh (the main protagonist) a prominent boxer and an uprising star in a combat sport fighting one of the most important fight of his life and the readers will witness, how that fight and the inner demons of Karan will change his fate. The author has efficiently changed the scene to introduce Sonia Kapoor. The story moves on with the lives of these two, fighting their past and taking a stand against their fate. This is a Harlequin book and the readers will not get disappointed by the way the romance is injected in the story, it matches the standard. The swift juggle between the scenes, the lucid narrating style, the witty conversations and the dark characters will keep the readers engaged till the end.

One more thing that will mesmerize the readers is the characters. The characters has different shades and a very creepy past to fight with which makes them unique. The describing style of the author makes them visible to the readers and the readers will woo over the protagonists.

The book has a lot of drama, from the very beginning to the end. At some part I felt the drama was crossing the limit and dropping the speed of the story. The tiny chapters are not helping the drama to unfold either. There are some scenes where the effort of the author to keep the suspense alive by hiding some facts, was visible to the readers. The first half of the book is better than the second half and I felt the story has ended in a jiffy and lacks the expected drama.

Final Words: The characters of this book has a come alive by the author's description skill and will leave a lasting effect among the readers. The fancy story with the speedy narrating makes this book a hit.

Title: Dancing with Demons
Author: Nidhie Sharma
Publisher: Harlequin India
Page Count: 289
My Rating: 4.25/5

Available at –

Flipkart – http://www.flipkart.com/dancing-demons-english/p/itmdy8edcuf3qeau?pid=9789351064930&sid=bks&affid=INAmanblo&query=935106493X&q=935106493X

Amazon – http://www.amazon.in/gp/product/935106493X/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=goodreads_in-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=935106493X&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

Fraudster by R V Raman

Title:  Fraudster

Author: R V Raman
Category: Fiction

 Publisher: Hachette
Date: 2014
Price: Rs. 250
Pages: 272

ISBN: 9350098008

Fraudster : The Story of Corporate India’s Black Sheep:

Fraudster is a suspense thriller from R. V. Raman set in the world of corporate finance.

Summary of the Book

Some people will do anything to silence anyone they think are obstacles. They won’t stop at anything, not even murder. In this thrilling novel, a young banker deposes before a commission investigating large-scale financial fraud. She is found dead the very next day. Meanwhile, a leader of corporate India falls to his death from his South Bombay flat. In a multinational accounting firm, the high-security server room is hacked. The hackers want more than just company secrets. Illegal finance, high-profile crimes and brutal manipulation combine in this tale of greed, treachery and corruption amidst corporate India’s worst members.

About R. V. Raman

R. V. Raman is an Indian writer and the former head of KPMG's Consulting Practice and the co-head of their Risk Advisory Services. He was also partnered with A.T. Kearney and Arthur Andersen, and boasts an experience of over three decades and covering four continents. Currently a faculty member at the Indian Institute of Management, Trichy, he teaches Business Strategy. He is based in Chennai and this is his first book.

Copies Available at all online stores:

1.      Flipkart: http://www.flipkart.com/fraudster-story-corporate-indias-black-sheep-english/p/itmdzwremrxkzpga?pid=9789350098004&otracker=from-search&srno=t_1&query=fraudster+by+RV+Raman&ref=aa380f32-7bd9-474b-9aec-6be0feaa924b

2.      Amazon:  http://www.amazon.in/Fraudster-Story-Corporate-Indias-Black/dp/9350098008/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415539773&sr=8-1&keywords=fraudster+by+RV+Raman

3.      Infibeam: http://www.infibeam.com/Books/fraudster-r-v-raman/9789350098004.html#variantId=P-M-B-9789350098004

      Know More Inside Stories, Connect with The Author:

Twitter: RvRaman_

Read the book? Write a review on Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22585967-fraudster

Review of 'Who told men, not to cry' by 'Azar'

Blurb: Raj, a typical school boy from a middle class family, who was also born unlucky.

Living with his aunt, he had a good life at school and great friends.

But everything changed when a girl entered his life. Everything changed and he himself believed he was unlucky.

His school life no more to be great and his friends no more trustworthy.

His love..?

After years of tragedy he meets his love and life doesn't stop being crazy.

But how crazy is it going to be for Raj?

Verdict: ‘Who told men, not to cry?’ is the first work of fiction by Azar. This book is a light read which the readers might consider as a one-time-read.

The cover looks good and bright. The yellow color is bright and would definitely attract eyes. The name is good but not that impressive. The author could have put some more effort in choosing a more appealing name for this book. The blurb seems to be a bit dull to me and I can’t say that all readers will go for the book after reading the blurb. The blurb indicates that the book has nothing surprising and new. Which I liked about the book is its size and quality. It fits perfectly in the hand and the readers will feel comfortable holding this book.

The story starts on an ordinary note with the main protagonist Raj recalling his story. The story moves on with Raj being a nerdy, studious guy spending some good time at school with his few friends until that fateful day when Keerthi, the female protagonist enters the story and every one of his friends started drooling over the new girl in the class. The story goes on Raj leaving his old school and friends after some incident and shifting to a new school to begin a new journey. In the new school, the readers comes to know that Raj is a good athlete too. The competition among the students and the loose ends left by the author at the beginning of the book will make the readers complete the book. For me, the best part of the book was the end. The end was unanticipated and came with full drama. The readers will love the end and will close the book in a happy note.

The characterization was not so good and the direct narrating style had only made the matter worse. The characters were missing necessary description and the narrating style lacked the focus on the supporting characters. The author was so busy with Raj and Kreethi, that maximum of the characters lacked the limelight.

I always believe if the book starts well, it will create an instant effect on the readers. The very first sentence of the book has grammatical errors which brings the readers down. Not only the first sentence, but the whole book needs a round of editing badly. One more thing I didn’t like about the book is the author’s consistent effort to inject laughter through the conversation which wasn’t working. It is the end that will make the readers feel good about the book. I hope the author will come with a better novel next time.

Final Words: The author has tried to pen down a light read and somehow has succeeded to do so. A simple narrating style and a twisted end is what this has in store for the readers.

Title: Who Told Men, Not to Cry?
Author: Azar
Publisher: Blackbuck Publication
Page Count: 249
My Rating: 2.75/5

Available at –

Flipkart – http://www.flipkart.com/told-men-not-cry-english/p/itmdyz7g4zhb6h4g?pid=9781630414306&otracker=from-search&srno=t_1&query=who+told+men+not+to+cry&ref=f8cd4906-7b4e-4e21-8c62-18a3cffa50df