Book Review : 'Love, Rosie' by Cecelia Ahern

My Rating

Book Name : Love, Rosie (Also known as 'Where Rainbows End')
Author : Cecelia Ahern
Genre : Fiction

Blurb : Rosie and Alex are destined for one another, and everyone seems to know it but them. Best friends since childhood, their relationship gets closer by the day, until Alex gets the news that his family is leaving Dublin and moving to Boston. At 17, Rosie and Alex have just started to see each other in a more romantic light. Devastated, the two make plans for Rosie to apply to colleges in the U.S.
She gets into Boston University, Alex gets into Harvard, and everything is falling into place, when on the eve of her departure, Rosie gets news that will change their lives forever: She's pregnant by a boy she'd gone out with while on the rebound from Alex.
Her dreams for college, Alex, and a glamorous career dashed, Rosie stays in Dublin to become a single mother, while Alex pursues a medical career and a new love in Boston. But destiny is a funny thing, and in this novel, structured as a series of clever e-mails, letters, notes, and a trail of missed opportunities, Alex and Rosie find out that fate isn't done with them yet.

Book from my eyes : So lucky is a person who's best friend remain a best friend forever and nothing changes between them. That's how were Rosie and Alex. Childhood best friends who always had each other's back at any situation. But destiny always had something else planned for them, though nothing could take them away from each other,
but destiny never let them be together also. This book is a completely different type of a novel because of the writing style. The entire book is written in the form of e-mails, letters, notes which make it more interesting to read and not monotonous at all.

Thumbs Up:

• This book has a very fresh storytelling style. Not a single line was written in a descriptive way and everything was in the mode of conversation or emails which really attracted me. 
• The ease language and flow always flowing story kept me glued until the end. 

Thumbs Down :

• The book is written in multiple POV which demands a way of all the protagonists speak in their own way. But here everyone seems to speak in the same way as other which is a major drawback for me.

Verdict : I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. And I can say that I am now a fan of Cecelia Ahern. 

Book Review : 'Your Dreams are Mine Now' by Ravinder Singh

My Rating

Book Name : Your Dreams are Mine Now
Author : Ravinder Singh
Genre : Fiction

Blurb : ‘It can’t be love . . .’ he thinks and immediately his heart protests. 
They are complete opposites! 
She’s a small town girl who takes admission in Delhi University (DU). An idealist, studies are her first priority. 
He’s a Delhi guy, seriously into youth politics in the DU. He fights to make his way. Student union elections are his first priority. 
But then opposites attract as well! 
A scandal on campus brings them together, they begin to walk the same path and somewhere along, fall in love . . . But their fight against evil comes at a heavy price, which becomes the ultimate test of their lives. 
Against the backdrop of dominant campus politics, Your Dreams Are Mine Now is an innocent love story that will tug at your heartstrings.

Book from my eyes : Your dreams are mine now is a novel which is claimed to be against the backdrop of campus politics, from the prologue itself it was very clear that this novel is based on the brutal Delhi gang rape of 2012. And if you see from my eyes, this novel failed to do any sort of justice to campus politics or the gang rape. Rupali, a young and ambitious girl from Patna comes to DU, her dream university to study commerce. She encounters with a respectable professor, Mahajan, of the same college who is involved in molesting a lady peon. Being a girl of strong morals, Rupali couldn't keep herself as a distant spectator and gets adamant to punish the culprit. In this process, she meets Arjun, a senior and presidential candidate for college opposition party. They work hand on hand in getting Mahajan behind the bars and gradually they got involved in a relationship. They spent some great time, personally and in growing Arjun's party. But Mahajan took his revenge.

Thumbs Up: 

• I personally didn't like the book and there are many reasons behind the same. However, the thing I liked the most was the prologue has again been repeated in the chapter called '42 hours later'. Because most of the time author leaves the prologue at the very first page and then never bother to connect it back. But Ravindra Singh has taken a good move here.

Thumbs Down : As I already told I didn't like the book and there are many reasons behind the same. I would start from the first page or rather I should say, from the cover of the book,

• As it is claimed in the blurb, the book is against the backdrop of campus politics, however, from the cover of the book, its looks all about romance. Also, the image which has been used are of real humans. I believe, real images should only be used as a cover of any book only if the book is a biography or if the cover is from the movie. But none is the case here. The heart-shaped pendant, which has been mentioned again and again in the story, is not same as the one in the cover picture.


• Storytelling is very poor, it seemed more like a direct translation from Hindi to English. And in this course of the same, depth and feelings good moments have lost. 


• Characterization is very poor. Sometimes, I was feeling if I am reading a novel or watching a daily soap where guys are just silent spectators and girls do everything. Arjun was called youth icon, but there was not a single big thing which Arjun did, instead it was Rupali was driving every situation, starting from filing FIR against Mahajan to proposing Arjun to finding out the flaws in Arjun's party have to identify the course of action. Arjun was always a silent admirer of Rupali, nothing more, nothing less.


• Though it is claimed campus politics is the backdrop of the story, but campus politics has always taken the back stage. There was not even any name of the political party Arjun and Rupali belonged to, it was always 'Arjun's Party' even for the opposition as well. Mahajan, who was out on bail for supporting campus politics, had not much contribution over there than plotting to rape and murder attempt of Rupali.


• Also, there are many flaws like, it was never cleared what was the source of income for Arjun's family, from the nation of his mother it seemed they are not wealthy but Arjun owns a personal jeep. I am not well aware of the girls hostel of DU, but it did seem to me quite awkward at a guy can have access to the lawn right next to the hostel anytime including 5 a.m. in the morning. The masturbating part of Rupali just ruined the art of masturbation. And there are much more...


• Last but not the least, a novel should be unique in its own way but using a brutal real incident as plot is something didn't go well with me.

Verdict : I wouldn't recommend anyone to read this novel. There are lots of scope to improvement and research.

Movie Review : One Night Stand

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My Rating

Movie Name : One Night Stand
Directed by : Jasmine Moses D'souza
Produced by : Pradeep Sharma, Furquan Khan
Written by : Niranjan Iyengar
Cast : Sunny Leone, Tanuj Virwani, Nyra Banerjee, Khalid Siddiqui, Ninad Kamat

Plot : After a steamy night filled with passion, Urvil (Tanuj Virwani) and Celina (Sunny Leone) return to their regular lives. He is a typical young achiever with a lovely wife by his side, who has no idea about his sexcapades. Celina is devotedly married to a top-notch businessman and has the most picture-perfect family. But, Urvil cannot get her out of his mind. He becomes an obsessive stalker who wouldn't settle for anything less than either having her or destroying her.
*Plot is mostly copied*

My take on the movie: I watched the tailor of 'One Night Stand' in Youtube in between one of the music videos and it really caught my attention and I was kind of waiting to watch this movie. Finally, when I got a chance to watch, I was optimistic about watching a real life projection on the screen. Urvil a young achiever in event management world often ends up having one night flings and like many other men, he is proud of his achievement and always a loving, caring and romantic husband at home. But then there comes a lady in his life, Celina, during one of his work related trips to Thailand and they have a great time together including a hot, steamy and passionate night. But this time it was not like other trips of Urvil, he actually falls for this girl and keeps hunting for her, who turned to be devoted wife a diamond tycoon and their starts the journey of Urvil's revenge and going down to the ladder of his successful career.

Thumbs Up:

• Apart from songs for this movie, I actually couldn't find anything else which could be considered as thumbs up. Songs are really good.

Thumbs Down:

• One night stand, a very common thing our society always been undercover and never given its due importance and potential damages it causes in one's personal life. With a movie, being completely on this script, it was expected to be more focused on this subject but the movie failed terribly.
• Sunny Leone seemed to be very artificial, as Ambar, As Celina, as a mother, as a girlfriend, she always seemed to be acting and not for a moment she seemed to be real.
• Most importantly, the movie failed miserably to deliver any sort of message or make any point. As a normal audience, I wouldn't even think about this movie for a second after coming out of the theater.

Verdict : 'One Night Stand' is not at all worth watching and if you don't want it, definitely you won't lost anything but definitely you can save time, money and energy.

Book Review : 'Who Do You Love' by Jennifer Weiner

My Rating

Book Name : Who Do You Love
Author : Jennifer Weiner
Genre : Fiction

Blurb : Rachel Blum and Andy Landis are eight years old when they meet late one night in an ER waiting room. Born with a congenital heart defect, Rachel is a veteran of hospitals, and she's intrigued by the boy who shows up all alone with a broken arm. He tells her his name. She tells him a story. After Andy's taken back to the emergency room and Rachel's sent back to her bed, they think they'll never see each other again.
Rachel, the beloved, popular, and protected daughter of two doting parents, grows up wanting for nothing in a fancy Florida suburb. Andy grows up poor in Philadelphia with a single mom and a rare talent that will let him become one of the best runners of his generation.
Over the course of three decades, through high school and college, marriages and divorces, from the pinnacles of victory and the heartbreak of defeat, Andy and Rachel will find each other again and again, until they are finally given a chance to decide whether love can surmount difference and distance and if they've been running toward each other all along.
With honesty, wit, and clear-eyed observations about men and women, love and fate, and the truth about happy endings, Jennifer Weiner delivers two of her most memorable characters, and a love story you'll never forget.

Book from my eyes:
'Who do you love' is a novel about two childhood sweethearts, Rachel and Andrew, met first time at a hospital at an age of 8 years, one with a broken heart(as the author has picturised the hole of Rachel's heart) and other with a broken hand, became friends in no time and shared some special childish moments. As happens to every patient in any hospital, they went apart from each other with no contacts to meet again after another 9 years. Slowly, they became sole mates over decades. The love between Andrew and Rachel has been crafted so nicely that everyone, at least every girl, will definitely dream of having the same love story as them. But as life is never a bed of roses; things started falling apart from Andrew and Rachel as well. Their priorities changed and misunderstanding created a wall between them, throwing each other away. Again sooner or later the cloud vanishes and they again unite and over multiple break ups and patch ups, finally to come to an 'All's well that ends well' end.
In parallel to the love story, the book has also fabricated the rise of a young boy through all thick and thins and making it a grand to Olympics and the fall from the top.

Thumbs Up:

• Though the novel is another love story but not a very normal one. It has been crafted very nicely. The love story of a rich girl and a poor boy is an eternal thing, but the author has been successful to give it a new dimension and been successful in keeping intact it until the end.
• The rise of Andrew from being 'Zero to Hero' and falling from being 'Hero to Zero' along with the mills and boons which come as parcel of this journey, has been written flawlessly.
• A man's psychology behind every extra-marital affair or cheating seemed to be so real; I personally could feel that I am going through the same.
• Last but not the least, the book cover is too perfect. When I picked the book, I didn't like the cover but then along with the story, when I learnt the meaning of book cover, I am sure nothing could have been a better cover for this book.

Thumbs Down:

• First few chapters seemed to be too prolonged and dragged. Prologue didn't add any value to the story.
• The twist about Andrew's father was barely needed as it didn't add any value to the story than increasing couple of page. So were few details about Mr. Sill and Rachel's job and sorority.

Verdict : This book is a decent read and the happy ending definitely adds feel good factor upon finishing the same.

Movie Review : Nil Battey Sannata

My Rating

Movie Name : Nil Battey Sannata 
Directed by : Ashwini Iyer Tiwari 
Produced by : Ajay G Rai, JAR Pictures 
Written by : Ashwini Iyer Tiwari, Neeraj Singh, Pranjal Choudhary and Nitesh Tiwari
Cast : Swara Bhaskar , Ria Shukla, Ratna Pathak, Pankaj Tripathi, Sanjay Suri, Vishal Nath 

Plot : Apu (Ria Shukla) is a Class 10 student and is giving up on studies, because she knows her mother Chanda (Swara Bhaskar), a house-help, will not be able to provide for her higher studies. Her mother tries hard and even enrolled her for maths tuition but Apu thinks only children of rich parents become doctors or engineers and believes she'll end up being a maid too like her mother. To change her perspective of life Chanda herself gets enrolled into school. 
The rest is journey of a mother from transforming a girl with no dream to an achiever. 
*Plot is mostly copied from Wikipedia* 

My take on the movie: Nil Battey Sannata is another movie which proved that, to make a great movie, there is no need of a star or great locations. A good story and good actors are more than enough. Nil Battey Sannata is a mother-daughter story, where the mother is a maid but doesn't want her daughter to become one. She works as hard as possible to make her daughter educated. But when all her efforts just didn't work she took a major step, got admission in the same school and same class as her daughter; learnt maths and challenged her daughter to learn. This movie has lots of things to offer to audience and society, 
first and foremost is feminism. Yes, this movie shows the purest form of feminism; not the one which is mostly misunderstood as 'being anti-male' but the feminism which talks about women empowerment, works for women empowerment. Secondly, it's not always necessary to be rich to achieve something in life; if one have dream and passion and dedication to fulfil that, nothing can stop them from being successful. Third and most importantly, it is not about what is the degree you hold, it is about how much educated you are in your heart. 

Thumbs Up: 

• Story is the main hero of this movie. Nil Battey Sannata is a story which has been flawlessly told to touch everyone's heart. 
• Swara Bhaskar, though I always had a special liking about Swara since TWM and TWMR, I am a big fan now. She is splendid as Chanda Sahay and Ratna Pathak never fails to impress me to any role she does. 
• Dialogues are awesome in this movie, my personal favorite being


• Insan do chezon se banta hai, ya to kismat ya mehnat! Aur garib ke pass agar kismat hota to wo garib thode hi hota! To bachi mehnat, wohi karna padega!! 


• Garib wo hota hai jiske koi sapne nehi hote hai!


• iss desh me to bachchon ko apna carrier decide karne ka koi freedom hi nehi hai!!

Thumbs Down: 

• There is no thumbs down if you ask me. 

Verdict : This is hands-down then best movie of 2016 so far and definitely a must watch.