by 
No. of Pages: 352
Publication Date: 29th September 2015
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Indian Author
Language: English
Book Review:
The Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev is the first book by the author that I have read. That being said, I was attracted towards this book when I heard about it from a friend who had read it and was all praise about it. This recommendation added to the simply beautiful cover and an engaging blurb, I knew I had to read it.
This is the story of Ria and Vikram. Best friends since childhood turned lovers who are then separated by fate and Ria’s turbulent past, this story sounds familiar but wait till you read it and it is then we notice all the differences.
This is not a simple story in any sense. The plot is complex, the characters multi dimensional and the situations abound in drama. The author’s writing style is simple, engaging and full of colour. She paints the scenarios vividly and creates a movie like picture in the readers mind. At the end of the story, I felt like I had known all these people all my life. They were so real!
Sonali dabbles in serious issues like mental disease, personal relationships, people’s concern of looking good in society, privacy issues of celebrities etc. All these and more are so beautiful brought to life in this book and I could sympathize and understand the effects such things have on a person.
The characters are developed admirably and the author manages to make them real in our minds. Ria has had a traumatic past but she finds happiness with Vikram which is then taken away from her due to certain circumstances. She is a character that has faced so much and still stood strong and I admired her for it. However, in the second half of the book, I started feeling like she was not developing any more. While Vikram evolved into a mature and more patient man who knew what he wanted in life and ready to overcome anything to get it, she stayed trapped in her misery and fears.
The relationship between Vikram and Ria is passionate, sweet, heartfelt and of the forever kind that had me rooting for them, then sighing in contentment and then swooning over Vikram. LOL
The Indian marriage is shown in all its grandness and each ceremony brought a happy little smile on my face, watching all the familiar marriage drama unfold before my eyes with only one difference that this drama was taking place in a foreign country! The laughter, celebrations and gaiety felt real and was beautifully brought to life was the author. A second chance at first love amidst all this happiness will leave you celebrating love and life, no doubt about it.
This book is all about fighting for something you believe in and acknowledging that we deserve the freedom from all our fears, dilemmas, doubts and any other kind of shackles that we often bind ourselves in.
All in all, The Bollywood Bride is a story that makes us laugh, cry, feel blessed and then determined to fight for our happiness. A through and through entertaining book, I give it 4.5 Bollywood Stars out of 5 and recommend it all romance lovers. You’ll love it!
I liked Sonali’s style and look forward to reading more from her in the future.
I received an ARC from the author and the publishers, Kensington from NetGalley and I am very thankful to them. The above review is my honest and unbiased opinion and in no way influenced.
Buy From:
Amazon IN: Kindle Book
Amazon US: Paperback
