Book Review - "Finding Juliet" by Toffee

Theme

"Finding Juliet" is a realistic fiction that identifies with the lives of youngsters in modern times. The genre of the book is a mix of romance and erotica. The story looks inspired by the no strings attached kind of relationships that doesn't carry any emotional baggage and is merely a series of sex encounters.

Main Characters

Arjun is an incredibly nice guy and believes in true love. However after three heartbreaking encounters he starts to lose faith in love and considers himself the biggest loser.

Krish, a flamboyant in nature and a rockstar enters Arjun's life as a saviour and gradually becomes his only well wisher, a guiding source and eventually a best friend.

Anjali is another very important character in the story who is Arjun's childhood friend and always stands by him no matter what.

 Plot

Finding Juliet is a story of a simple boy Arjun who lives in Hyderabad. Like any other guy he enjoys the attention from girls but wasn't an expert when it came to winning their hearts. He befriends girls, and just when he thinks everything is going great in his life and he has found the true love... his heart breaks and he goes through the misery of being left alone, sad and broken.


Soon after, another tragedy hits him hard and he is left with no choice but to leave the city and his past behind to try his luck in Bangalore.

Krish, a good looking flirtatious kinda guy meets Arjun at work and understands his plight. Krish is no less than a love guru and understands what women want! The questions that's been haunting Arjun all this while regarding his break ups gets answered and Arjun's outlook towards women and relationships changes. He transforms from a geek to a handsome hunk in town with a changed personality and boosting confidence.

The new lifestyle, attention and fame gives him a big high and he is all set to rock the world of his romance and fulfill his desires with a new outlook.

Life was treating Arjun well! just the way he wanted..... right then a hard-hitting reality smack him in the face and life takes a 360 degree turn.... making him feel like a scumbag once again..What happens next is a mystery?

Does he Jeopardise his life for lust or gets lucky to find his true love ?

 Review

I must admit "Don't judge the book by its cover" doesn't hold true for "Finding Juliet" . The book has a nice colourful and catchy cover that sends a happy and positive vibe about the story. In fact I decided to read it at the very first instant I saw the cover.

The story line is good and pretty much justifies the characters that comes along as it progresses. Author writes through a perspective of young and vulnerable who gets in the journey of love and lust at a age when love is difficult to find and lust is purely enticing, however he ends the book with a message for youngsters to realise the secret to happiness lies in fulfilling the soul not ego.

The narration of the scenes and the pace of the story is good to keep the readers engaged.... However I felt the author goes a little over board with the sex escapades and the repetitive description of girls in stereotypical manner got me bored after a while.

Finding Juliet is an entertaining book for young readers looking for romance. For someone like me who likes romance with substance, the book didn't really had much to offer. I failed to connect with the characters personally. The authors pre conceived notions of girls and and few statements like  " women, if dealt with deftly can be your greatest source of pleasure" were a put off. The writing style is simple and will make for a good read for youngsters looking for a mix of soft romance, friendship and lust that is very much relatable at their age.


Quotes & One liners from the book

* Problems in your life are like the weights in the gym. You can either get weighed down by them or turn them to your advantage and become stronger.

* I am fine is the most popular lie ever told.

* Of all the lies she told me, "I love you was the sweetest".


About an Author 

Toffee a.k.a. Taufeeq Ahmed is another Engineer turned Author whose debut book was "An Idiot, Placement IntervYou". He loves narrating interesting stories with subtle insights. Currently he is pursuing his Masters in Business Analytics from the University of South Florida. His passion for writing lies in heart warming stories that touches people's lives. "Finding Juliet" is his second book written especially for India's Y generation and is published by Srishti Publishers.


' I received a copy from Writersmelon  in exchange for an honest and unbiased review '


My review of the book Finding Juliet can also be read at Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review - 'A Walk In The Rain' by Udai Yadla

Love is elixir that keeps you alive. Love is poison that kills you. Unreciprocated love keeps you alive but kills everyday.

A tale of love and redemption "A walk in the rain" takes its readers through a journey of romance and action packed thriller which is no less than a film experience. Though the title and the book cover gives a very pleasant and romantic feel, it would actually surprise you as the story unfolds.

Surya alias 'Sunny' was a lonely, timid boy who lives a reclusive life. Fear of rejection and low self esteem restricted him to solitude. His world of imagination and memories from past was the only doorway to his happiness where he seek peace and pleasure.

On the other hand Sandhya alias 'Sandy' is a bubbly girl, full of life who befriends Sunny but leaves him unannounced.

Saloni is bold and an intelligent girl. Circumstances force her into the trade of flesh but she still tries to hold on to her values, dignity and self respect regardless of her profession of prostitution.



Sunny was a loner due to his deserted childhood. Sandy came as a ray of sunshine in his life but soon he was left heartbroken as she leaves unannounced. Sunny's 14 yr old heart had endured lot of grief, but the departure of Sandy was unbearable for him and the shock pulled him back to emotional hibernation.


While Sunny was still trying to come to terms with the depart of the only person he ever loved. Imran, his friend makes a surprise visit on his birthday and promises to change his life for good but least did he know that his spoken words "tonight's going to be the life changing night for you" will soon turn into an ugly reality. Imran gets killed that night and vengeance becomes the only mission of Sunny' life. Misogynist Sunny hated even the sight of the prostitute Saloni who he thought was the reason for his bad fate but she agrees to help him in exchange of money.

This sets the two on the journey of life and death. Will they survive or perish in the pursuit of vengeance? Both are bound to a common goal with different motives, but destiny has its own motive.



A walk in the rain is an intricate tale of intense emotions which keeps you guessing with each twist and turn. I felt the elaborate narration of the action sequences and characters involved bored me a bit.
The book makes a good read for young readers who enjoy reading relationship drama, romantic adventures or action thrillers.

Being a debut author Udai Yadla has done a great work with his simple way of writing. He keeps the  story moving with engaging characters and beautifully brings out the intense emotions of love, pain and hatred. My reading experience would have been more enjoyable if the story didn't move back and forth (in past and future) every now and than as I felt it interrupted the flow a few times leaving me confused as a reader.

My overall experience of reading and reviewing 'A walk in the rain' was good and I am glad I chose a book by a debut author for my debut book review from watermelon.

Quotes from the book

"People may not be strong enough to resist the fate, but it is the test of character to retain the quintessential purity of soul. Don't be hasty to judge people with their appearance, profession, association or for that matter any incidents that convict them.... For, first look can be deceiving"

"Separation is the most painful test to measure the sustainability of love"

I found the above quotes very inspiring and meaningful as it very much relates to our real life situations.

About the Author

Udai Yadla is a writer by Passion, Mechanical engineer by education and Software engineer by Proffession. He has been associated with TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) for over 10 years and has been nominated for Forbes India Celebrity 100 list for year 2015. "A Walk in the Rain is his debut fiction novel published by Kyron publications.


' I received a copy from Writersmelon in exchange for an honest and unbiased review '

My review of 'A walk in the rain' can also be read at- Goodreads and Amazon