Book Review: The Bestseller She Wrote

Name:The Bestseller She Wrote
Author: Ravi Subramanian
Publisher: Westland
M.R.P: Rs. 295
My Rating: 2.5/5












I was quite obsessed with the whole subtitle of the book: Love. Betrayal. Redemption.
This is what caught my eye because I am a sucker for such things. I was quite looking forward to reading this book but I was a little bit disappointed, may be because I was hoping for something which I did not find in the book.

Basically, the book is about this about Aditya Kapoor, a banker and an over-the-top famous author who is also very handsome and hot and has a wife and a kid. Well, I think all these things went a little far. And not to forget, he has this hamartia ( a fatal flaw) which forces him to have an extra-marital affair with this stupid-ambitious girl Shreya Kaushik who only wants to use him to get her book published.
Let's start with the first word of the subtitle:
Love.
Aditya loves his wife, Maya and his kid but at the same time he starts to fall in 'love' with Shreya. He is not sure whether it is love in Shreya's case or just lust. Despite knowing the repercussions of his extra-marital affait, he continues his relationship with Shreya.

Betrayal.
Maya is betrayed by Aditya (yes, she gets to know that he is cheating on her simultaneously battling with Ebola, like seriously?!). Aditya, in turn, is betrayed by Shreya who used him to get to her book published. Aditya is also betrayed by his so-called best buddy who wants to see his downfall.

Redemption.
It comes towards the end, when Aditya realizes his mistake, gets to know that it was his best-friend who wanted to destroy his personal life and his literary career. he apologizes to Maya ( yes, she is miraculously saved by a vaccine for Ebola) and then they live happiy ever-after.

Things I liked:
1. There were some one-liners that were like really good.
2. The characters well- sketched except Shreya Kaushik.

Things I didn't like:
1. The theme of the master-student love affair is way too common.
2. It was boring in the first part but in the next half it gathered pace.
3. There were events which just seemed way far from reality. I know it is fiction but then, things like Shreya turning up for every effing event which Aditya was a part of seemed irrational. And then comes the miracle of Maya getting saved by this mysterious vaccine for Ebola.
4. The character of Shreya was beyond my grasp. Like literally! She was such a bitch- if I may use this one word to define her.

Mostly, at every point, I was like "Oh really, now I will have to digest this?!"

To sum it up, it definitely wasn't what I was expecting.
I will give it a 2.5/5

This was the first book I ever read by Ravi Subramanian and I am not at all looking forward to read the others.

What are your views about the novel?

Love,
The Bibliopagist.

Picture from: http://www.amazon.in/The-Bestseller-Wrote-Ravi-Subramanian/dp/9385152386

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Book: The Selection (#1 in The Selection Series)

Author: Kiera Cass

Published by: Harper Collins Publishers 

Price: 350 INR (Paperback) 

My Rating: 4/5

"No I am not choosing him or you. I'm choosing me." 

So, yesterday night, after coming home from college (I had my English Novels' paper), I decided to read something light, something which will pull me out of my classic-novel-coma. I picked up The Selection and boy, I had no idea how time flew by and I finished that book. I started reading around 11 at night and finished it by 3 in the morning. I was mesmerized by the story. I know that it is YA but hey! even 19+ people like me like reading YA.  In fact, everyone needs a dose of YA novels. 

(YA as in Young Adult Fiction, if you had no clue) 

The story is very simple. There is this country Illiea in which people are categorized by their castes. The Ones are the Royal family. Twos and Threes include the well-earning and reputed families while The Fours and all below them ( till Eight) are the working class. America Singer( the protagonist) belong to the Fives and works as a singer. She takes part in this competition The Selection. Now, this competition is a platform where girls aged between 16 to 20 are asked to submit a form. Thirty five girls from across the country are selected and taken the palace. Out of these thirty five girls Prince Maxon has to choose one and gradually eliminate others. The One will be his wife and the future Queen of Illiea. America Singer gets selected and goes to the palace. 

America was forced to take part in this competition by her boyfriend, Aspen and her mother. America belonged to the Fives and all those who were below Fours had to work really hard and earn the money. Everyone in the family is supposed to work and earn. Aspen belonged to the Sixes and it was looked down upon if you marry a rank which is below yours. America's mother pestered her to take part because if she got selected the family will be getting a check as long as America stayed at the palace and America would get elevated to the rank of Threes. 

America, as described in the novel, was very beautiful. Due to some things, Aspen breaks their relationship before America goes to the palace. 

All this happens in the 1/3rd of the novel.

The rest  of the novel is just a whirlwind of her stay there, her meeting with Maxon, their building relationship  and the return of Aspen to the palace as one of the palace guards. 

I have given a brief of the story, i.e, the beginning. I loved the book. I don't know if I am being partial because I love stories which have a royal setting and this one was refreshing. I can't wait to read the next one, The Elite. 

The language is very simple and easy to understand. I just finished it in 4 or 5 hours. I was so engrossed in it. First, I wanted to know whether she will get selected or not and then when she got selected, I wanted to know about Maxon (the prince *swoon*) and then I wanted to know whether America has fallen in love with Maxon or not. I am dying to read the second one and I have ordered it online. 

If you have read the novel, I would love to know your views. You can either comment on the post or e-mail to me at : bibliophile.beingnerdy@gmail.com

You can follow me on my Instagram page too:The Bibliophagist

Until next time,

much love

The Bibliophagist. 

xoxo

Picture courtesy:theselection.wikia.com