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Title and Author: A Change of Heart by Sonali Dev
No. of Pages: 352
Publication Date: September 27th 2016 by Kensington
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ARC Book Review:
A Change of Heart by Sonali Dev is the story of Nikhil ‘Nic’ Joshi who is drowning in grief after losing his wife two years ago. Jess Koirala received Nikhil’s wife’s, Jen’s heart in a transplant and claims to talk to her who wants to send him a message!
Caught between disbelief and a heartbreaking hope of connecting with his dead wife, Nikhil is soon caught in a web of lies and danger.
“Sometimes I feel like this isn’t happening. That I’ll wake up and she’ll be here and all of this will have been a nightmare.”
I read Sonali’s previous book, The Bollywood Bride and absolutely loved it. So when I heard about this one, I jumped at the chance to read it pre-release.
The cover of this book is mysterious and captivating and it will definitely catch the readers’ eyes. The blurb is engaging and intriguing and had I been a first time reader of Sonali’s books, I would definitely pick up this one to try after reading the blurb.
The plot sounds cliched and I thought I knew what would happen but boy! Sonali had me stumped at each and every turn in the story. The plot is tastefully developed and the story leaves a lasting impression.
The world building is superb and I was sucked in all the drama, mystery and emotional upheaval. This book takes you places and shows us the dark and unpolished reality of the poor areas of the sparkling Mumbai city. The scenes change like in a movie and this story definitely will make a great film.
The quotes from Dr. Jen’s diary at the start of each chapter is again a touch a loved and feel this made me connect with the characters and story better.
The characters are normal, flawed people dealing with their own demons. The author proves that life is not all black and white but shades of grey. I loved Nic and enjoyed reading his story. I had met him in Sonali’s previous book, The Bollywood Bride and he had been this deliriously happy groom then. The contrast between this Nic and the Nic of the previous book is huge and had me feeling sad. I also loved meeting Ria and Vikram from the previous book again and felt happy watching them living happily-ever-after. Although characters from previous book make an appearance here, this book is a standalone story.
But the character that has made me fall more in love with Sonali’s writing prowess is Jess. She is this enigmatic, strong woman and mother who hides a scarred, broken soul. I felt awed by her and also sad for her. The chemistry between Nic and Jess is emotionally charged and had me engrossed totally.
Inspector Rahul is also a strong character, devoted to catching the criminals behind the illegal organ trafficking ring and I would love to read his story too. The book gives us a happily-ever-after but still leaves an opening for another book that may feature the continuation of the organ trafficking mystery.
All in all, A Change of Heart by Sonali Dev is a gut wrenching story of loss, recovery, bravery, standing for what is right against all odds and most of all, hope for a second chance at a better and happier life. The writing is superb and this book is amongst one of the best books that I have read this year. 4.5 out of 5 to it and strongly recommended to all adult lovers of romance with intense emotional play, strong characters and a good suspense.
I received an ARC from the publishers, Kensington Books and the author, Sonali Dev via Netgalley and I am very thankful to them. The above is my honest and unbiased opinion and in no way influenced.
A few quotes from the book I liked:
1) “Just like in life, it was the stillness that made all the motion meaningful.”
2) “I glimpsed madness today. Evil so complete has to be insanity.”
3) “Sometimes I feel like this isn’t happening. That I’ll wake up and she’ll be here and all of this will have been a nightmare.”
4) “The baby would not have changed anything. We could have gone on doing what we wanted to do. A lot of couples manage to do what they love and raise children fine.”
“Actually, a baby changes everything. But they would have been changes you wanted to make.”
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