_askthebookbug's Reviews (1.34k)

Wake up, girl!
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Thank you for the review copy @niharikatheauthor :)
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Most of the Indian women have heard outrageous things ever since they were kids. 'Don't laugh out loud', 'Sit properly', 'Always be presentable', 'What will people say', and what not. We have all been there and this is why I personally found this book quite relatable.
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Naina Bansal moves to Boston to get her degree because her parents forced her to. Being naive and living alone for the first time, she discovers the beauty of exploring the City. She makes friends and also falls in love with a handsome boy called Ayaan. Everything is rosy for two years as she lives her life in the USA and her relationship only strengthens with time. When Naina's mother becomes aware of her daughter's love life, she immediately tells her to call it off. Being a timid girl, Naina let's Ayaan slip from her fingers.
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As a typical Indian family, her parents start looking for a perspective groom for Naina as soon as she graduates. Inspite of saying no, she gets entangled in an arranged engagement which turns out to be an utter disaster. All these incidents transforms Naina into a stronger version of she ever was and she decides to get her life back on track. Will Naina ever find her calling in life? Will she ever meet the right guy? Pick up this book to know how she spins her life around.
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This book is honest and extremely lighthearted. Yes, it does have its intense scenarios but it was witty and humourous at the same time. Naina is the girl next door, a girl we all were or are, a girl who has been bound by society's constraints more often than once. Though I did find few bits in the story leaning towards Bollywood movies, it does the job of keeping the readers amused.The author has done a splendid job in bringing the characters together including the pestering aunties to the parents.
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I would rate this book 3.8/5.

The River Widow.
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Thank you so much for the review copy @annhowardcreel.
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Let me start off by saying how excited thriller genre makes me feel. I started reading this book in the morning and I'm done by 6 in the evening. I guess it speaks for itself :)
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The River Widow is the story of a young woman named Adah, who gets orphaned at a very young age. After being left on her own, she learns how to use Tarot reading and starts making a meager living out of it. She gets lured in by a handsome man during one of her readings and before she knows, they are married. Lester, her husband starts showing his true side very soon after their wedding. Adah lives under the care of her abusive husband for three years, taking care of her stepdaughter, Daisy.
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Things turn for worse when a flood engulfs their farm and Adah accidentally kills Les in self-defense. Now Adah has no option but to go back to Les's family before they can hurt Daisy. Les's family, the Branches are known for their mean tricks and conniving behaviour. As Adah struggles to live amongst the Branches after being mentally and physically tortured, she eventually finds a plan to escape from their clutches. But it isn't so easy to deceive a family that's so powerful.
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Luckily, Adah finds a confidante and conjures up a plan. But will she be able to escape once and for all? Will she defeat the Branches? This story had me in its grip from the very first page. The plot, the anticipation of where the story is heading had be baffled. The characters are masterfully worked on. It truly felt amazing to read such an amazing thriller.
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I would rate this book 5/5.

The Expedition.
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Thank you so much @realchrisbabu for sending the review copy.
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The Expedition is sequel of The Initiation and I was sure that I'll come to love it like I did the first part. And I wasn't let down. The Expedition is an adventure filled book which had me gripped with excitement till the very last page. The story of Drayden left me in a daze and now I cannot wait for the next part.
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Just when Drayden and the gang thought the trauma of Initiation was over, a new horror was awaiting them at the Palace. Surviving the Initiation wasn't easy and when Premier Holst briefed time about the next task that they have to undertake, the teenagers are left in anguish. Drayden struggles to find out the truth about his mother's exile and picks up few clues. His relationship with Catrice turns to be fragile than ever. Will Drayden survive the Expedition?
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When the group is pushed to leave New America and move to Boston in search of life outside their city, they are met with many shocking sights. Drayden, Catrice, Sidney and Charlie who are barely adults are accompanied by four guardians who are ruthless as they expected. When things turn sour on their Expedition and as they split up with the guardians, Drayden assumes the role of the leader as he guides them to the destination.
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This book talks about their journey to Boston as they discover life and people outside their premises. They are faced with a harsh reality that the New America hid from their people. Pick up this book to know whether Drayden and others reach Boston or not. Will they survive the deadly Aeru virus and beat the guardians to the destination or will they perish on the way? I'm keeping my fingers crossed hoping there's a next part to it. The characters are exceptionally written and felt quite real. The plot strengthened from the very first chapter.
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I would rate this book 5/5.

Part 1 starts with 'A hundred days ago' and that very moment I knew that something was amiss. Messed up but all for love is about a married couple, Neil and Gauri who seem to have run out of any romantic spark. Gauri takes over the role of being an adult while Neil turns out to be the irresponsible one. The story also involves their friends who stick to them throughout.
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When Neil and Gauri head out to Cuba with all their friends, things take a turn for the worst. Gauri ends up having a tiff with Neil's fitness consultant, Srinya. During their vacation, Neil bumps into a TV reporter Drishti and her husband Somesh who turns out to be a cop. Trouble seems to be sailing in their marriage just like in Neil and Gauri's.
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When they return back from their journey, Drishti gets abducted and somehow Neil gets entangled in it. He is then framed for the abduction and Gauri walks out on him. Is Neil really guilty or is he being a mere pawn in the crime? Will Drishti be saved in the end? And would he salvage his marriage with Gauri? Read this book if you'd like to know what happens.
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The plot was very weak from the beginning and I literally had to struggle to read it till the end. The writing style is least impressive and was such a letdown. The characters needed more work rather than being shown in such a fickle manner. The language and dialogues failed to impress me. To conclude, this book needed to be more refine. There were too many Hindi words being used which could have been cut down a bit.
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I would rate this book 2/5.

You begin where I end.
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Thank you for the review copy @powerpuffwords :)
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You begin where I end is a concoction of two love stories that are set times apart. The modern day love story is of a girl Nafisa, who moves to Pune for her studies, away from her family. The second love story is of a woman called Tamanna which is set during the '90s.
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Young Nafisa who usually takes life head-on, faces her first heartbreak and decides to give dating app a chance. She stumbles upon a handsome man who goes by the name Amar and immediately starts dating him. Days pass by and while Amar falls in love with her, she strays away from him. She discovers Quora at the same time and starts penning her thoughts down. Here, she meets Kiaan and they become penpals and she starts developing feelings for him. Then tragedy strikes.
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When Nafisa's mother Tamanna dies in an accident, she can't help but blame herself. She starts spiralling into depression and distances herself from Amar. When she finds a diary of her mother while clearing out her things, her perspective about love changes. Tamanna talks about her love story back when she was studying. She meets Jai and falls in love with him and soon realises that her wedding is already fixed with Kailash.
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As fate would have it, Jai breaks her heart and Kailash picks it up. She marries Kailash and never regrets her decision. That diary opens Nafisa's eyes about the definition of true love and sacrifice. She starts connecting the dots and finally makes up her mind about whom she is in love with. Pick up this book to know whom Nafisa will choose in the end.
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The story is witty and humourous while being relatable to most of the adults in this era. It talks about harsh realities about addition to phone, lust and every other distraction. The author has done a wonderful job in creating this plot by being utterly honest.
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However, there were few things that held me back. The vocabulary was a bit crass and I wasn't too impressed about Nafisa's character on the whole. She could have been a bit more refined. The characters could have used a bit more development and the book a bit more formal.
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I would rate this book 3/5.

Circe.
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"We are sorry, we are sorry.
Sorry you were caught, I said. Sorry that you thought I was weak, but you were wrong." - Madeline Miller.
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Born to the mighty sun Helios, Circe was not a beautiful child. Her keen yellow eyes and sharp chin revolted her mother and her father was least interested in her. Craving for love ever since she was a child, Circe gets entrusted with taking care of her younger brother Aeetes. As they grow up, she realises that Aeetes never truly loved her either. It is then that the life of Circe truly starts.
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A nymph by nature, she always had immense love and kindness towards mortals and hence discovers her magical powers while converting her beloved fisherman (mortal) into a God. When her lover desires another nymph, Circe grows wild and does something unthinkable and gets punished into exile by her father. She walks alone in an abandoned Island and weaves magic amongst nature. She walks amongst lions and wolves, grows berries which are not in the season and fiercely protects her home.
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The story talks about how Circe falls in love many a times but realises that she can never win that game. She meets mighty Gods and faces their hatred for being a witch. She defies Gods and guards her son like a lioness. It shows courage of a woman who has never had any support from her family, with a heart as big as a never ending ocean. She does good by everyone only to be casted out.
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Circe is a character that I have truly come to admire for her strength, mistakes, love and struggle. The book gives a very detailed insight about the Gods and the legends that surround them. I was in a daze as I put this book down and after, I did my research about the characters involved in the book. I haven't come across such a marvelous read about Greek mythology till date.
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I would rate this book 5/5.

Day and night on a milestone.
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Thank you for the review copy @anandkrishnapanicker :)
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This is the second book by the author and in this he talks about his personal experiences when it comes to friendship and love. He starts the story by taking instances of his highschool. How from being a shy boy, he turns into a carefree teenager amidst his new friends.
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Being young, Anand decides not to fall in love and creates an Anti lovers group in Orkut when it was still in trend. His friends actively take part in it and have daily night conference calls to celebrate the joy of being single. He enjoys life the way it is and moves on to pre-university. His life turns upside down when he finally meets a girl.
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Melissa reaches out to Anand via Orkut and they instantly start texting each other. As much as he tries to resist, he cannot help but fall in love with her. He then faces the usual tantrums of being in a relationship where she demands attention every so often. He even ends up getting in fights while trying to defend her. Inspite of his friends warning him about her, he still continues to love her the same.
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A tragic event occurs and Melissa decides to distance herself from Anand. A disturbed Anand meets with an accident and falls into depression without her around. A series of downfalls take place and he finds himself alone and away from her. This story talks about how it feels to be in love and the pain it comes with.
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I strongly felt that the book could have been constructed in a much better way. The story was common with not many strong points to take notice of. I personally found Melissa's character to be annoying. A little improvement on the characters and plot would have done this book a better job.
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I would rate this book 2.3/5.

Oleander Girl.
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I often end up picking books because of their pretty covers and this book was no exception. And as I read along, I knew I made the right choice of choosing it.
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Oleander Girl is the story of a young woman called Korobi who was named after the pretty and wild Oleander flowers by her dear mother. Korobi grows up with her grandparents when her mother dies during childbirth and also when they inform her that her father died in an accident. As the years pass, she grows into a beautiful woman in the household of traditional Bengali family while following all the rules set by her grandparents.
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Rajat who comes from an affluent family falls in love with Korobi at the very first sight and courts her until she says yes to marriage. The grandparents are then thrilled for having received such a rich and classy matrimonial request while Rajat's parents are a little skeptical about their son's choice. When Korobi's grandfather dies of illness, she learns the hard truth that her father was never dead and also learns of her mother's death which was not a childbirth accident.
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A deeply hurt Korobi decides to go in search of her father to America which then puts a strain on her relationship with the future in laws. Rajat's ex, Sonia doesn't ease things either. What follows next is how Korobi longs to see her father in America while Rajat's family face the problem of going bankrupt. Doubts arise if Korobi will ever come back to India after being lured by a man in America. The story takes us on an emotional rollercoaster as it unfurls the truth about her father, about Rajat and then comes a point where she has to choose Rajat or her temptation.
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This book is beautifully written and I couldn't help falling in love all over again with @divakarunichitra's writing. It's so elegant and bold while she talks about strong women and standing up for one's own choice. The characters are moulded perfectly though I did feel that the story was slow in the middle. The ending was something that I'd never have guessed. A beautiful book on both inside as well as the outside.
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I would rate this read 4/5.

Exit West.
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"The end of the world can be cozy at times." - Mohsin Hamid.
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Many novels have been written about refugees and my favourite remains Khaled Hosseini without a doubt so it was only natural for me to expect that level of clarity when I chose this book. Although I read this book few weeks back, I'm not adding it to the previous year's reading challenge because now we're beyond that.
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Nadia and Saeed are poles apart but what brings them together is their very nature. Saeed is thoughtful, quite and shy while Nadia rides motorbikes with her black robe still on. They were two people who were unlikely to fall in love but they did. When things got worse in their country, they decided to flee together. Saeed leaves behind his father with a heavy heart who was still mourning his mother's death and Nadia, having cut off ties with her family, joins him on the tiresome journey.
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The author then takes us through the turmoil that the refugees had to face to procure work or any other basic amenities. They break their backs to earn few coins but they do so silently to fill their stomachs. Rest of the book is about their journey and the author paints a clear picture of their relationship. Don't take me wrong, there are many parts that I actually liked in the book. The love that burns fierce, slowly wanes over time like any other normal relationship. They have their arguments, moments of disgust and rage which is often what happens when you stay in a confined relationship.
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Then there were parts that didn't seem convincing to me. When the author talks about thousands of doors through which the refugees pass, I only wish that he had taken the time to explain their actual journey rather than end the topic right there. I also hoped that there would be some sort of connection between few characters that he seemed to occasionally mention all over the world.
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The author however has a flair for writing and has done a splendid job in adding his own touch to the story. How he chose to keep the country that Saeed and Nadia were from anonymous was a very imaginative thing to do.
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I would rate this book 3.5/5.