Book Review #43 : There's Something About You

Title: There's Something About You

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 268

Genre: Chick-lit, Fiction, Romance

Blurb:

This is not your typical boy-meets-girl story. Okay, they do meet, but there are some complications.

Trish is twenty-eight. She’s unemployed, overweight, single and snarky. She knows all that. And if one more person – just one more person – tries to fix her, she might explode. Sahil is thirty-five. He has superpowers. Well, kind of. He seems to think so, anyway. He’s also hot (okay, in a geeky kind of way, but still). And he plays the guitar, helps the underprivileged and talks about his feelings. Aren’t guys like that supposed to exist only in fantasies?

When Trish and Sahil meet, magic happens. Real magic, you know, like fireworks, electricity, that sort of thing. But here’s the problem. Trish doesn’t want anyone in her life. She has enough to deal with – dependent parents, flaky neighbours, bitchy editors, the works. And yet, Sahil is determined to be in her life.

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This book is a pure joyride. Believe me! The cover is beautiful and colorful, making you want to pick up the book instantly.

It begins as the story of Trishna whose life is a maze of monotonous days. To aggravate it, are her problems - she is overweight, she just lost her job, her father is a patient of Alzheimer, and so much more. She can be called a 'loner'.

This novel is such a refreshing one - a methodically etched plot of chick-lit, a bit serious towards the end!

Funny, hilarious, heart-warming, positive and quirky – a perfect monsoon read.

Trish is a very relatable character. It’s easy to identify with her fears and insecurities. Trish’s father's character is the high point in the book. Yashodhara does a fantastic job of portraying the father-daughter relationship. Shades of this book reminded me of the recent popular Bollywood film, Piku.

It is largely a rough ride for Trish who is just hurtling from one disaster to another in her life. But Sahil is her solace. He knows her secrets and who ensures she knows his secrets too. Fireworks. Magic. Humor. He seems to have the answers for most of her dilemmas. 

I also enjoyed Lal’s depiction of the corporate workplace, made complete with the snooty editor and the obnoxious boss.

The book is a light read. At the same time, you can almost read your life as you flip the pages. The story is fast-paced and what I liked is that the secondary characters play big roles too.

The author has beautifully added romance into the story. She has beautifully dealt with relationships, friendships on and off the job, selfishness of people, etc.

The characters, apart from Trish - are regular people, a plump girl, a geeky guy, a hi-fi friend, an irritating colleague, a pestering mother, you feel very connected throughout and the characters seem like just next door people.

The most interesting point I liked in ‘There’s Something About You’ is that the female protagonist is not beautiful, slim or attractive like the heroines of other romantic novels. That connects!

The conversations between the protagonists are the most enjoyable. The book also touches upon serious issues, such as caring for an Alzheimer's patient, problems that arise because of lack of communication in a family, etc.

The ending is also superb as it shows how unpredictable life can be and that there is a rainbow at the end of the dark clouds. 

I enjoyed this book a lot.

There’s Something About You is quirky, witty, highly entertaining and a light engaging read, packed with many sub-plots. All in all, a worthy tale of our middle-class life and the struggles that we go through almost daily!

Rating: 4/5

P.S: Many thanks to Yashodhara Lal for the thoughtful note that was sent along with the book. It felt very personalized.

This book was reviewed for Indiblogger's Get Published Column