“You Never Know” is a phrase which instantly catches your eyes. It kind of seems true. You never know what is going “You Never Know” is a phrase which instantly catches your eyes. It kind of seems true. You never know what is going to happen in your life or who you are going to meet and what secrets they are hiding. One such story is this book written by Akash Verma.

Dhruv is the main protagonist who is a marketing professional at C&M. He is happily married to his wife Shalini, a psychiatrist, and have two kids. He got promoted as branch head in C&M. Soon he meets Anuradha, a new joinee in C&M and was instantly attracted towards her. This attraction was mutual. Soon they start seeing each other and were deeply in love in spite of the marital status of Dhruv. He hides his relationship with Anuradha very well from his family and colleagues. Anuradha had a dark past because of his ex-boyfriend Sid who committed suicide. Little did Dhruv know that Anuradha’s dark past was going to haunt him too and would create havoc in his world.

The plot really looks interesting when you just read the blurb. But I would say here that I expected much more from this book but it disappointed me. So let’s talk about the basic points here:

+ The beginning is fast and intriguing that’s a good point for it because I generally find it hard to indulge in the story from the beginning. The first chapter mentioned Dhruv in a deep and secluded forest of Dehradun and that scene instantly attracts you towards rest of the story.

+ There is extramarital affair which I just despise. I don’t know how people even think of infidelity. Being in love is another thing and being unfaithful to your partner is another. Dhruv was in a relationship with Anuradha, physically, though he claimed throughout the book that he loves her wife too. He talks about not living without her. I can’t understand this conflict of mind. Can you be in love with two persons at the same time? I think yes, for those people who are scared enough to show their real face to the society. This extramarital affair plot hasn’t worked for me (because I don’t like it personally?). All the characters felt simple and unrealistic. Akash Verma has portrayed almost all of them as a terrible person. Dhruv was not guilty aout his affair with another woman most of the times and neither did Anuradha. I couldn’t understand their love for each other.

+ The suspense of the story is good but I was able to guess the actual suspense before the end. The author has maintained good voice throughout the story and it makes the readers stick to it. There are no extra talk or exaggeration in the plot, which I really appreciate. So in a way, it was a fast-moving story but nothing close to a psychological thriller, as it claims.

+ Shalini’s side of the story was not shown at all which I really wanted to know. I wanted to know if she even doubted a little on Dhruv? I wanted to know what would have been her reaction when Dhruv was for most of the time and was coming late at home? I wished the author has presented her part also, as he had explained the story from all the other three characters POVs- Dhruv, Anuradha and Sid.

+ Through this extramarital affair plot, the author does want to show a fact. Though the author hasn’t managed to prove the worth of these characters, he sure managed to capture the essence of the plot. It awakens us that we have still people like Dhruv and Anuradha in our society who can go to any extent for “claiming” the love. I guess it is lust more than love actually? It is horrifying to see that how love can turn a person into something else and can change their world. The title fits perfectly here: You Never Know…Sometimes love can drag you through hell..

+ And one important thing that I always consider first – The cover of the book. I didn’t like the cover at all. I felt that given the title, it could have been better but it was just like no real work was done for creating a good cover. It felt FLAT!

Final thoughts
Though the story is relatable to some extent, it is not a kind of book that I would pick by myself. The language is simple and easy to read and the author has somewhat justified the plot. It is the lack of character building that makes this book a low rated one. This book is perfect if you are looking for a light and breezy read or if you like to read the stories similar to dramatic Bollywood masala movies