Oh-kayyy. So well even though I hadn't started this book with a lot of expectations, I was gravely disappointed. But then maybe the thing is that it was my fault only to expect anything at all from Indian romance novels. I am not being judgemental but I always find myself disappointed by Chetan Bhagat, Nikita Singh, Durjoy Datta etc etc. But that doesn't make me stop giving up on them.( Anuja Chuahan excluded in the list since I absolutely love her! )

So first what was the story all about -

So we have our protagonist, the beautiful Suhani Aggrawal, who is living an awesome life abroad, with an awesome job, an awesome friend circle and a double triple awesome boyfriend. So everything is just perfect in her life. Until she loses her job.
And that's where after which everything in her life goes crazy and un-awesome . She is forced to return to India to find herself a new job and when she finally joins a decent company she finds that the suitor her parents had found for her, who was described initially as ugly, hideous, and a gorilla faced person was her new boss who then somehow suddenly and magically becomes a sexy, girl pulling magnet. (LIKE WHAT!? -_-)
And then the same thing you expect, she starts feeling attracted towards him and then is conflicted between Jay (her bf) and Deepak (the boss).

The story was goddamn predictable, highly weird and considerably annoying.

Even giving this one star was me being generous.

, firstly, I just couldn't stand so much of Bollywood reference. Just no. Too much of songs, filmy dialogues, it was a huge turn off. I swear.
I saw a lot of people loved that but no, not me. It was just horrible. Every two seconds, someone would start singing... -.-
And then the jokes, oh my god. They just made me want to puke everywhere. Forced jokes everywhere.. And so were all those highly lame and unnecessary puns used. Especially those "Deep" puns. Everytime I would find one of them, I would be literally seconds away from smashing my screen.

And then what even was wrong with this girl. , seriously, why on earth she had to kiss him in order to reject him. Her plan to reject him after leaving him all high and dry was first off highly cruel. I would never enjoy doing such a thing. And then when he rejected her first, what was all that drama about. Bro, please.

The book was not smooth but I somehow managed till the end which was a miracle. Okay, I admit I would get interested and curious in knowing what was about to happen next at times. Maybe that's ehy I didn't give it one or two stars. It wasn't a horrible book.
The end was okayish. I had expected a little more. But then again, my fault for doing so. All I would say that this could have been wayyy better.boring not-my-thing romance5 s Pooja Jeevagan149 112

So well, this happens to be the one final Indian author written novel, which has been amazing with a regular day-to-day, thousand-novel-on-the-same-issue subject...

I won't compare her with Ashwin Sanghi or Amish Tripathi...they are complete different Genre..but I do put her in place for competing with Chetan Bhagat, Ravinder Singh, Sachin Garg, Nikita Singh or so on...and man, she beats them all hands down!!

A simple predictable story, which still can glue you to reading...an unexpectedly good vocabulary (even if she has played a lot with words...a little too much I would say)...nice editing (I believe I should thank Penguin Metro for that), and right dose of peppiness (the novel has some real naughty and double meaning sentences...actually lot of them, and still, they won't be the ones to leave a bad taste...even if you are usually averse to such talks, read me..)

I d the say she writes...I d the way she could put life in a overly used and abused topic...and I definitely am planning to buy her first (though she herself has claimed that her second is better than the first :) )3 s Yesashwini181

Totally wacky!I loved very single word of this book,espcially when guys are compared to cars and bikes and Neha's advice to suhaani that "to seek love,sex and marriage in one specimen is lokking for a car with luxury(love),speed(sex) and mileage(marriage)." so,if you are a person who has a wacky,crazy,streak in you,my boy you'll love this!!
3 s Aneesha226 48



Better than Parul's first book and very aptly for the current fb generation. A really fun read. It was reading a great romance and so modern and yet so Indian, with a smattering of Hindi songs, all that we right here could identify with. A must read, funny, insightful and witty3 s Abhilash Ruhela584 62

The 6th book of this year is done reading in a single sitting. This is what happens when you get your hands on a very interesting and heart-gripping book. Even when I am suffering with epic-kind-of-stomach-pain, it was hard for me to go to sleep/rest by keeping this book aside without turning the last page of it. :-) Finally, I am done. "Arranged Love" which also has the tagline of "Can it get more complicated?" published by Penguin Books. The cover page of book is soothing and once you'll be done reading it, you will realize that it matches perfectly with the story. This is 2nd book of Bestseller Authoress- PARUL MITTAL whose first book is famous by name "Heartbreaks and Dreams" which is story of Girls @ IIT. Parul Mittal has mentioned it during her first book's release that she turned writer just to tell the story of IIT from a girl's view after her batchmate- Chetan Bhagat got Super Success by writing about the same from a boy's view. And I disd her first book extremely. With this book, she has categorized herself in those section of authors who got fame by Srishti Publication but opted a Major Publication House instead of Srishti for 2nd venture. :-) And I am happy to tell all that I have loved reading "Arranged Love".

Coming to the story[I am not writing it in my language as Synopsis is exactly what the book is about without any mirch-masala added]- Suhaani is enjoying her independent status in the US and her sexy Indian American boyfriend, when suddenly she loses her job to recession. And she's forced to move back to India where her father has selected a 'boy' for her from his guitar class. Suhaani doesn't know how to tell her Internet-savvy dad and Farmville-addict mother that she's not interested in an arranged match, especially to an IlTian. She decides to dis the guy. Except that he's not too thrilled about her either. Even when they end up working together, Suhaani decides she will not fall for this guy. But before she can turn him down, he rejects her! Find out what happens next in this racy comedy of relationships that is Arranged Love!


Parul Mittal's first novel disappointed me a lot because I just found a simple narration about her college's life in it and I felt that she didn't have that flick of writing. But I am totally surprised to see her in a totally new Avatar in this book. Now I know how Penguin accepted her honorably. :-) All the female authoress (mostly those are married) opts to write about Arranged vs Love Story based Fiction because they give their best shot in it. Mrs. Parul has done the same. She has finally touched the nerves of what people wants from an Author with a Biography hers. :-) The way she has connected the story by keeping the protagonist of "Arranged Love"- Suhaani the younger cousin of the protagonist of "Heartbreaks and Dreams"- Tanu is something that is a BIG WOW!!! Hats Off! The whole story right from 1st page to 232nd is interesting and not a single page bores you. I can easily claim that I will look forward to future works of Parul Mittal.

Coming to the review- The first five pages itself notifies that the book is going to be fast paced and entertaining. Suhani's interaction with her sister Tanu as soon as she comes back to India is surprisingly entertaining. The introduction of her childhood friend- Neha is also naughty and witty. Then, her conversation with her parents especially with mother is funny and typical Indian Mother-Unmarried Daughter talk. :-) Her mother's addiction towards Farmville is funnily narrated which is really fun to read. Haha. Also, later on her mother spying the account of Suhaani's boyfriend- Jay is god damn funny. Its amusing to imagine a mother stalking her daughter's boyfriend's Facebook profile. :-) Rejection moment with Deepak is wonderfully scripted. The real story begins from there. The way Jay keeps a normal gesture while bombarding minor bombs over her through conversation that keeps on screwing her mind is another good part of the book.

The way Authoress has described the feeling of a girl for boy's physique is what I would appreciate because in India, it is always shown as if only boys are physically attracted while girls are quite controlled. But this book gives a real insight. Second- As some of the recent events movies, songs etc are mentioned, it refreshes our mind because we feel as if all the characters are true and living somewhere near us. :-) Third- One Liners in the book are funny. Some of them really made me laugh.

Coming to the drawbacks- Jay's character is boring and does not entertain. Even when Author shows that Suhaani is in love with him, all the events described with him right from start is just about lust, physical attraction and love-making. That's something off-track. Then, when the word "nipple-hardening" is used for the first time, I d it but later on when authoress kept on talking about hardening of nipples, it irritated. Even males don't talk about erection for so many times in their book. It should have been avoided. That's all.

Overall, I would rate this book 3.75/5. I would have given it more if I would not have read other stories related to the same topic from female authors. And Yes, this book is a WRITTEN version of the movie "NAMASTEY LONDON". Almost. :-) Go, get the book. It's worth.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU2 s Sarika PatkotwarAuthor 5 books65

Actual rating- 3.5

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of Arranged Love from author Parul A. Mittal in exchange for an honest review. We thank Parul for the book!

Arranged Love is author Parul A. Mittal's second novel. Her first book, Heartbreaks & Dreams! The Girls @ IIT was the story of Tanu, cousin sister of the protagonist in Arranged Love, Suhaani. I haven't read the author's first book yet, but after reading Arranged Love, I'm so eager to know more about the early days, the development and the dissolution of the unceasing relationship between Tanu and Rahul.
Arranged Love was a very preppy and sweet read that made me laugh out loud and kept me entertained throughout. The summary of the book aptly describes everything that one needs to know about the story and it really makes no sense for me to put it all down again.
The book tries to answer the question that all Indians love to ask- arranged marriage or love marriage? Suhaani is forced to come back to India when recession hits the US, leaving behind a hot American/Indian boyfriend, Jayant Guy and a blooming career. On her return to India, Suhaani encounters Deepak Goyal, a guy her dad has picked as a potential suitor for her. This is when Suhaani faces the dilemma between marrying the guy of her choice or the guy of her parents' choice.
As a protagonist, Suhaani was alright. She was carefree and chilled out. Her confusion and concerns about marriage were understandable. Her family was really lovely. I loved her relation with her dad, which was more friendly rather than filial. Her mom's obsession with Facebook and Farmville was hilarious. Both her parents were worried about their daughter and it was so easy for me to relate to Suhaani's family life. Her cousin Tanu and her best friend Neha were also very important for her and it showed.
As for the two guys, Jay's comments and comebacks were boisterous and made me laugh out loud. He was a great guy and I d him. Deep, on the other hand, was the quintessential Indian man that every Indian girl would to get to know. Suhaani's relation with both the guys was fun to read, albeit difficult to understand.
Parul A. Mittal's Arranged Love is a very enjoyable and highly entertaining read.
In spite of certain editorial mistakes, a few negative that I previously read, the IIT set-up (which is so common in books by young Indian authors), the typical commonalities that it shares with other novels, and the happy yet rather abrupt ending, the book is really really very enjoyable.
Of course nothing is perfect and neither is Arranged Love but whatever it is, it is really very good.
People have said that the new generation will be able to relate to it. I don't know that if, as part of the "current or new generation", I can relate to it, but without doubt, I can say that it is a good book, and the IT, IIT , Facebook and Harry Potter references (which I was SO excited to see!) is something quite cool.
I absolutely enjoyed reading Arranged Love. It was a fresh, fun and flirty read. 2 s Jaasindah MirAuthor 2 books50

A graduate at UMich, Suhani is head over heels in love with her Indian-American boyfriend Jay aka Jayant Guy. A painter at heart, Suhani is all set to make money out of a nude painting of her boyfriend. Looking at this American Adonis and getting the features of his exposed body on the canvass, all the accumulated libido is vanished into the air when Suhani’s father calls her up from India and asks her to check her email only to find the photo of a guy from her father’s guitar classes. A potential suitor for Suhani.
Things aren’t getting better when she even loses her job to recession and is compelled to fly back to India. She calls herself lucky when she finds a job at iTrot. But of course, she doesn’t know the boss is the Potential Suitor- Deepak Goyal.
The Chick-lit by Parul A Mittal is the story of So-Honey, as Jay calls her. Suhani is an average Indian girl anyone of us. The only child, spoilt by her parents and loves unconditionally, she is one of the bubbliest characters I have come across in any Indian novel.
Soon after you are through a few pages, you will immediately fall in love with Ms. Mittal’s quirky and witty humour. Though the plot can be very flimsy at times, you will find yourself giggling really very often. Humour used by Ms. Mittal is truly a thing worth Kudos to her. I loved the way she made me giggle.
For the people who loved Heartbreaks and Dreams: Girls @ IIT, Arranged Love is going to be a treat, undoubtedly. You will find the protagonist of Heartbreaks and Dreams, Tanu, treat you after every few pages.
Just the highly well developed characters, the dialogues are exceptionally amazing. It is as if you are hearing the conversation of two people sitting next to you. Very real and crisp dialogues and sentences respectively were my favourite part of the book.
Another thing about the book that I absolutely loved was the mention of different songs at appropriate occasions. I could almost play them all in my mind.
The thing that irked me a little was that the author has portrayed the characters in a way that give more than necessary importance to physical pleasures. I do not think the girls today, or even in the past would have been that sex crazy as Ms. Mittal shows them to be. No doubt that our protag, Suhani is a virgin until the end, but I don’t think that could justify her or her friends being lewd at several instances.
The author has nicely pulled of Tanu’s story hand in hand with that if Suhani’s. But at places, I hated the mention of Tanu. I wanted to concentrate on the tragic comedies of Suhani’s life, and Tanu’s life barely meant anything to me for I had not read Girls@IIT. But I said, for the ones who wanted a sequel to Heartbreaks and Dreams, this one is a must read for them.
The ending became predictable a little before the book finished. But it could certainly have been something better. I personally was expecting an ending I would cherish, but sadly it was given a little less crunch than that it deserved.
Overall, this is a totally gripping read. If you are looking forward to a breezy, quick weekend read Parul Mittal’s Arrannged Love’s got to be at the top of your list.
I am eagerly waiting for her upcoming works.

Originally from my blog: http://jrlovesbooks.blogspot.in/2013/...review-copies2 s Karan Chowdhary1 review1 follower

Hi Parul

I have just finished reading your new book, and wanted to write to you about my thoughts. I would just want to admit that I have been straight and blunt with my language and understanding of life lately after experiencing its realities in an different enlightening way, please bear with me and my thoughts as they are in no way to either criticize or bring down the effort of you writing a book and then managing to get it published too !!! For me this moment is a great achievement in itself and I can feel the JOY one gets after realizing a dream come true in form of a book which you allow people to read and ponder in to themselves to relate to the characters and situations beings captured by the writer…

About the book, it’s a onetime light hearted read and a good masala mix for those who to read fiction and want to visualize life relating to Suhaani and Neha having already dreamt to have a life Tanu Di, and end up with an entirely different sequence of life thereafter ?. At times I was confused and got lost in the reading matter and then I had to read again certain passages to get the grip again.

At times it made me felt I was reading an erotic adult manual of a female trying to educate a male as to how to interpret her distinct behavioral patterns in need of sex being misinterpreted as love, yet in other instances it felt as if Suhaani is herself exposing the hidden female psyche which male have not yet been able to decipher at times.

Although at certain instances it felt obvious to understand what was coming next, but at some instances you have managed to create a suspense for the new reader !!! Which I appreciate. Some situations reminded me of Sex and the City and others reminded me of a typical Hindi Serial being run in front of my eyes. Though I am not a fiction reader at all, but yes reading it felt fine, a lot of content was seen by me already in different versions in the past but yes a consolidated view in a story was worth reading…

You had asked me for a spiritual message, I don’t know but I could not find any. You can blame my inexperience of spirituality or my naïve understanding of the subject so far…

A Suggestion, you ended your story with a million dollar question still unanswered “What is Love all about…”. An ending note describing LOVE as you have felt it in your life might had assisted readers to relate themselves with you and get connected with you for a long-long time to come, what say ? / or on the other side are we looking at a third book from you on the prime subject ?

In the end it made references to your last book which created a bit of un-settle for those who have not read your previous book…

One thing more, all the chapters of the book had a hands-up image and at the back cover it has a hands-down image ? Any particular reason’…

Thank you for your patience in reading my mail.

Regards
Karan Chowdhary 2 s Vibina Venugopal158 22

Chick-lit genre is slowly expanding its horizon through the country and Mittal has come up with an interesting pot pouri through her latest novel..
Suhaani's life is a bliss with an independent life as a master's student in the United States with a handsome boy friend and an alluring career ahead of her..Though she misses India somehow she has chosen to fit in the US penning down a future there...Going steady with her half Indian boy friend Jay she is not ready to open up with her family.. But Alas her parents are all set to bring her back home and marry her to someone of their choice..Their choice being Deepakan IITian ..From start their frequency seem to be antagonistic with each other..But funny twist of fate bestows upon her in the form of recession and she finds herself on the couch of her home with no job a long distant relationship and a freaked out attitude..With much pursuasion from her father she calls Deep for career advice and ends up in Deep's project to her utter astonishment... Worst to come she finds him quite interesting and a great guy to get along...Trying hard to cope up with Jay's western culture she suddenly questions her own choice on Jay...

Suhaani's mother's farmville love was quite hilariously portrayed... FB forms a mention all through the book showcasing the everyday life of every Indian..For Suhaani FB status depicts her state of mind...But Suhaani's current issue is that she is working under the prospective groom to whom she is strangely aligned or attracted to...To put a full stop she decides to reject him with a poison dose of love to her astonishment he rejects her taking it all well...Read on to know what further happens in the Jay-Suhaani-Deep triangle..

Though the protagonist was Suhaani , I was in awe with Tanu di...In her thirties she believed in true love while having successful career and a strong sense honesty... When she reunited with Champ or Rohan sir it was high cheers moment for me..On the other hand Neha her best buddy is all vivacious and highly flirty creating lively aura all around...Though Suhaani's dilemna was well done I couldn't stop myself from being irritated with the lack of sensibility while dealing with Deep's emotions...Though she grows up as the novel progresses, her benchmark of honesty is something I couldn't handle on...Suhaani's mother comes through as a charmer with her Fb love and a fondness on its application, while her father and she shares a wonderful father daughter equation...

Overall I loved the whole treatment of the plot with Hinglish slang, love for Rafi, Gibran...The company of iTrot.com has all extremes of characters with every hue and colour painting very different perspective on love and relationship...This book is a sure scorer on lively read..2 s Hashma108 10

As I am going for an arranged marriage, Now I can try an arranged love also. Thanks Parul for the inspiration.2 s Bharat44

After reading a lot of heavy books of late, “Arranged Love” by Parul Mittal caught my eye at the Mumbai airport. Browsing through it generated some interest and the price point just demanded an impulse purchase from me.

Was it worth it? Read on.

Arranged love is a very common concept in India where arranged marriages thrive and everything from the shaadi ka mandap, baraaat, khana, peena and rona dhona can be arranged, including love.

The plot? Well, it is one more in the chic lit series without much of a plot and which more looks an autobiographical account of the author.

Actually, I think, the genesis of all such books is aspirational. Every individual has this dream version of his/ her own life and because that is not happening in the real world, a book is written on the same. Obviously the usual masala of sex, love and some rona dhona is added to make it saleable or rather publish worthy. Penguin ain’t picking you otherwise.

Coming back to the book, it is about a female protagonist who is studying in the US and dating an American. She comes back to India due to the recession where the whole drama part starts. Her Dad wants to set her up and her mom wants her to settle down – both want her to get married to the IIT boy they have selected. Lot of happenings, office romance, Drunken stupors later we come to an end of the story. What happens in the end is anyone’s guess, but well I would not want to spoil the suspense.

One thing that I loved about the book is the characterization of each of the characters which has been etched in detail that you feel that you start relating to them.

Different frustu characters in the office and the male protagonist being shown as a superstud, the elderly sister who has complete clarity in life and the completely opposite cousin who wants to experiment with everything sex on it. At the end of the book you feel you have known them all for sometime now.

The whole treatment of the plot with Hinglish slang again makes you feel completely at Home.

Would I recommend this book? Well, if you fly frequently and hate sleeping during the flight, this book can make for good company.

By the way is the next book called “Love Arranged!”. Would make for an interesting read.

This review was first published at http://bharatjhurani.com/2013/02/arra...own-books1 Ajith Rajan6 7

http://artvsaccounting.tk/review-arranged-love

The back blurb pretty much summarizes the entire story, which is said from Suhaani’s point of view. Usually I get into the narrator’s shoes and become the ‘I’ of a first-person-narrative, but here I became more of a listener, listening to Suhaani say her story. She reveals her innermost thoughts, feelings and experiences (uncensored—I got turned on at several places!), and it was great to see a girl’s thought-processes (I was left confused in many instances).

The story addresses the age old Arranged vs Love question in the context of the current ‘facebook- generation’, and does so quite successfully. The simplicity of language, play with words—metaphors & anglicized pronunciations (— slightly excessive?) and jokes of the Farmville-addict mother, with the occasional Harry-Potter references, make the book really interesting. But I have to say it’s very predictable, particularly after reading the back-blurb. I knew the ending in advance; I just wanted to know he how part.

I really enjoyed reading the book, and am inclined to pick up the author’s first book, Heartbreaks and Dreams!- The Girls @ IIT. So if you sexy chick lit fiction, or if you want more perspective on the Arranged vs Love issue, AND if you’re eighteen-plus ( Ms. Mittal warns her children, in Acknowledgements), go grab this book.first-reads1 Indiabookstore184 28

Losing one’s job, that too at Lehman Brothers is nothing unusual when you think about the late-2000s global financial crisis, but will surely strike the right chord for you as a reader (as it did for me) when our girl takes the centre-stage along-with her Indo-American so-called the eternally true lover and a disgusting-at-first-sight prospective typical IITian suitor.

As the story progresses, it would not be hard to speculate that it’s just going be yet another previously-known narration by an IITian (the author here I mean). But the moment I went through the ‘Acknowledgements’ chapter i.e. the last one, the very first thing which struck me (regarding this book titled "Arranged Love" by Parul A Mittal), was an idea of asking Mrs Mittal to go for making a movie based on this book. Yeah, am seriously admitting it.

The different chapters, arranged as a beautiful queue to take me in-&-out through 'So-Honey's Gemini' type character was one wonderful journey....

For the full review, visit IndiaBookStore.1 Mansi Verman1 review1 follower

A young and fun book, I specifically enjoyed the humour and light tone that the story displays. Although predictable towards the end, I think there was good effort in trying to show how such questions about chosing your life partner does not really have one correct answer - at the end you have to just trust your gut!1 Vinitha161 60

The book is fun and filled with reasons to LOL - it was the perfect weekend read till the author decided to start stereotyping. I had this image of the Deep and Suhanni in my head and the last couple of chapters the author completely changed it around. WHy should Indians (especially single and eligible ones) be stereotyped? 1 Priyanka5 22

Nothing more than an Indianized version of MnB.. 1 Indra95 1 follower

A light read book. Parul has woven a story using humor and her knowledge of the corporate world. Some of the analogies used are interesting. Parul, this could be a plot of a Bollywood movie. 1 Saheli Roy1 review

Highly recommend it..will make you laugh and sigh.
A roller-coaster ride.ENJOYED IT!1 Crestless WaveAuthor 1 book15

“Hey do you know something about chick-lit novels?” texted a friend of mine.
“Chick lit: Chick lit is genre fiction within women's fiction which addresses issues of modern women often humorously and lightheartedly, ” I forwarded her this web-definition.
“What else do I need to keep in mind before reading one?” She texted back.
“Feel a Girl!” I replied with excessive use of :biggrin smilies.
I haven’t told her that I’m reading one currently. And how hard I tried to focus; I couldn’t stop myself from wondering about the hidden secrets being told in the story. So here I have another light romantic chick lit fiction, ‘Arranged Love’ by Ms. Parul A. Mittal. Ms. Mittal is an IIT-Delhi graduate and did her Master’s in Computer Science from UMich, Ann Arbor. She has twelve years of rich experience in the corporate world and now she is running an e-venture called RivoKids. Its the second book by Ms. Mittal and comes with a tagline “Can it get more complicated?”.
Let us find out how complicated it is.

First I would to tell about cover jacket. Flashy yellow background and red heart symbols with many icons of the e - world are screaming loudly that the book is for Facebook-generation (Ones who know Facebook as the only way to socialize, 16-to-28 especially), and is able to register the attention of the readers. Back blurb is well written and gives a faint idea of the story. And later I found that the faintest idea I got, is the actual story!
The story revolves around Suhaani, the protagonist, her half-American boyfriend Jay, her family, and her arranged suitor Deepak, the IIT guy. Suhaani hates IITians because of a bitter experience related to an IIT guy in her past. And when she saw Deepak’s picture forwarded by her father, she hated him instantly. And considered him as a closed chapter. But destiny had something else in mind and she lost her job due to recession, and was forced to come back to India. And to complicate her life, she joined a company, iTrot.com, and Deepak was her manager!
Before I could start reading, the first thing that irked me was font-size. It’s smaller than the usual size, and considering my good-habit of reading in low light it was really troublesome. It seems to be kept intentionally to reduce the number of pages (232 pages), while same pages could have been reduced by keeping the chapter titles in the same margins. However good page quality is a plus point, and made up for the font size.
Ms. Mittal’s narration is not what most people expect from an IITian author. Her narration is simple, plain, but with vivid details. Every movement registers in your mind effortlessly, and that’s the beauty of the language. Sometimes it was a little irritating to read too-much detailing that sounds explanation to every action. Some parts are self explanatory, and could have been the best parts if kept that, but an explanation below them spoiled the mood a bit. Ms. Mittal has used first-person narrative for ‘Arranged Love’, and since it has a female protagonist; it was hard for me to imagine everything. But I d the way characters are crafted to justify the context they appeared. Apart from Suhaani, I d Tanu and Deep’s character, while Suhaani boyfriend Jay was quite Ashutosh of movie Jab We Met (Clueless and Useless). (PSST: Remember I’m a boy, reading a story written from a girl’s perspective)
A well edited book makes up for everything, and 'Arranged Love' scores nine in ten in the editing department. No noticeable spelling or grammar mistakes, but a few punctuation errors, rest is just good. Ms. Mittal’s sense of humor is overflowing in this novel, and some of the incidences are so common that I couldn’t stop imagining the person who’d been in the same situation. Whenever the narration seems to be dull, a punch is being delivered to force me to turn the page to read next. I’ve read quite a lot books that start with a moving narration and becomes dull chapter-after-chapter, but Ms. Mittal has maintained the same pace throughout the two-hundred-thirty-two-pages! This makes it one sitting read. Even if you are reading it in parts, there is nothing to worry about, just flip back a page or two and you are back to the track.
Enough of goods, time for some bad.
1. Page 32: Suhaani claimed to be a systematic person who followed a step-by-step approach after a thorough analysis. But on page 62, while comparing herself to her mother, she suddenly became a cluttered, careless and go-with-the flow girl. How?
2. Page 82: Suhaani was to learn the meaning of a term KS, but its meaning is explained right there. It spoiled the moment when she learned the meaning of it on page 131 and the incidence on page 126.
3. Chapter 20, Page 203: Could have been the best chapter if it hasn’t broken the First-Person narration. I still have no clue how Suhaani heard the minute details of the conversion between Rohan and Tanu, while she was performing on stage?
4. Metaphors and anglicized pronunciation of some words made the dialogs funny in most places, but their use in narrations is irritating and gives no space to reader’s imaginations.
To sum up my review, I would say that Ms. Mittal has done a good job with ‘Arranged Love’ and the book has potential to reach readers’ hearts. She chose a perfect plot and incorporated Facebook as a character itself, which makes it generalized to a whole generation. Out of all characters I d Tanu’s character, while Suhaani’s Farmville addict mother and Sex-Addict friend Neha were in my Hit-List (Ignore their appearance at everywhere). The book is light to read, and is not much complicated, but it would be hard for male readers to connect with the story. So I will suggest it to any girls for age 16 to 30, and to boys who are suffering from “You don’t understand me” Syndrome, if you know what I mean.
I’m sure Ms. Mittal would write another novel soon, so I give her my best wishes in advance.
Dhawal JoshiAuthor 3 books21

Initially I thought it would be one more bollywood influenced story but as it progressed I was far too engrossed in it that I forgot about my initial impressions. It is total entertainer. I thought it would lack on the story part but the plot was really deep enough and engaging as well. I finished the whole book in one sitting and to be honest, I was laughing in most of the later half until the climax.

This isn't a very serious book but a total entertainer for sure. A light happy read, which will entertain you and keep tickling your ribs with the silly banter. I enjoyed the double meaning talks, the stereotypes, the twists which I didn't expect, and the suitable end.

I totally d both the main characters, Suhani and Deep. Although, I skipped those song lyrics and other lines in midst. But If you are looking for a rom com, and a total entertainer I would surely recommend you this one. Amith Ghosh101 4

in general, it is a moment of accomplishment for any person to finish a book in one go.... well it holds the same tone in my case too, except I want to get rid of it..... I think I made myself clear as far how much I regret for having selecting this one.....
a stereotypical love story with dragging-the-patience-out-of-you narration, insignificant details of every stupid and unrelated affairs is totally what the novel comprises of...... just don't go into a deliberate attempt of facepalms by taking a regrettable decision of giving it a go...indian-love-stories Sceret_of_chambers1 review

Nice story Saloni Gupta248 9

Just hated this book soooo much.
The story was typical and the characters were pathetic. Dipali56 20

A VERY INTERESTING AND HEART-SEIZING BOOK WITH THE TAGLINE OF CAN IT GET MORE COMPLICATED ?…
This is a novel by Parul Mittal… This is a story about love, dreams, passion destiny and most importantly a girl’s prospect towards arranged marriage,till she finally is able to figure out a goal in her life

This is the story about Suhaani who is a painter by hobby and s to enjoy her independent status in the US with her sexy Indian American boyfriend. Due to the sudden loss of her job she has to return back to India where her family has arranged a suitor Deepak, an IIT guy for her. In the first place Suhaani hates IITian’s because of a bad experience with an IIT guy in her past. When she saw Deepak’s picture forwarded by her father, she instantly started hating him. And took it is as a closed chapter. However, destiny had something else stored for her and she lost her job due to recession, and was forced to come back to India. And to complicate her life, she joins the same company, iTrot.com, where Deepak was working as her manager!


The story moves on with Suhaani and Deepak, Tanu – Suhaani’s cousin and her school friend Neha. The narration of the story is good. The conversation of two sisters and the conversation between Suhaani and Neha is something which is interesting and makes the reader glued The way the story takes a turn after the intimacy between Deepak and Suhaani is well written and narrated.

Now my Positive viewpoints:

This is a novel by Parul Mittal … who has done a remarkable job and justification to this story.
Very well narrated and written, the climax has been portrayed well.

Suhaani’s mother’s addiction to farm Villa and the small little tiffs between her parents also add up to some humor in the story.
Some suggestive points:
Overall the story line is good indeed and very well expressed, but just as a suggestion too much of attention is given to the character of ‘Jay’.
Repetition of words too often in the same paragraph or on the same page leaves a poor impression
Explicit words denoting sexual objects need to be avoided if the book is meant for family. Detailed description of the human anatomy in this case leaves a poor taste in the mouth.
A good writer with imagination will convey the meaning without offending anyone.
Final words:

Overall if asked I would say...this is a good job done by Author…( Parul Mittal )This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review Smitha417 20

Suhaani is enjoying her independent status in the US and her sexy Indian American boyfriend, when suddenly she loses her job to recession. And she¹s forced to move back to India where her father has selected a boy for her from his guitar class.
Suhaani doesn¹t know how to tell her Internet-savvy dad and Farmville-addict mother that she¹s not interested in an arranged match, especially to an IITian. She decides to dis the guy.
Except that he’s not too thrilled about her either.
Even when they end up working together,
Suhaani decides she will not fall for this guy.
But before she can turn him down, he rejects her!

It would have made for an interesting story had it been better treated. In this case, the story gets predictable, and the main characters are so inane. Suhaani comes across as someone obsessed with the idea of a 'love marriage' and Facebook. Nothing else seems to matter. The whole manner in which she deals with her boyfriend, is just unbelievable. And every character, absolutely every character puns, plays with words, which would have been fun, had it just been one of them, but when every single character does it, it gets a bit much and way too predictable. For a book that was supposed to be romantic fiction, the romance, well, to put it lightly, did not come across as very romantic. It might just be me, though, with a very different idea of romance.

None of the characters seemed well developed, and most if them came across as either silly or shallow.

In my opinion, this would be a book, I would happily give a miss. From the constant Facebook presence, it might have been targetted to appeal to a younger audience, but if you ask me, I am not sure that even a generation that lives their lives on Facebook, might find it all that very appealing.

This is a author requested review.india indian-author review-copy Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws1,610 250

After all the recent campus stories and other stories about IIT/IIM stories, I absolutely wanted to read this book because the summary states that the girl decides reject the IIT-ian. Oh don’t blame me… there’s been just too much written about the ‘difficult years’ that these students go through and the pressures of being an IIT/IIM graduate, I just wanted to read about one getting rejected!

So, the story starts with Suhaani’s life in US. With a degree under her belt and a promising career, she is thoroughly enjoying her status with her American-Indian boyfriend. That is until the recession hits and loses her job. She then moves back to India and to the world of Facebook, Guitar lessons and matchmaking. Apparently, fathers’ always know what is best for their daughters and Suhaani’s father is busy pushing his daughter towards an IIT-ian guy taking guitar lessons with him. To top that, she ends up working in the same company with him as her Boss!

The best part about this book was its characters. They are all fun and lively and each equally important to the story because of their roles in Suhaani’s Life. But the most interesting character was that of Suhaani’s cousin Tanu. Farmville addict mom and a hip dad who spoke freely about sex with their daughter, best friend test driving point view all played onto depicting a change – change in each generation’s attitude and relationship dynamics.

The plot as such is nothing out of the ordinary. With a slow start, things start to pick up once Suhaani lands in India. But what the plot effectively does is communicate about the changing relationship between parents and their child, about the confusion of the present generation about love and marriage. And all dealt with a liberal amount of humour on the side.

Overall, it turned out to be a highly entertaining read that I finished in one sitting!
books-i-own iwe-2013 review-copy Devina Dutta108


Parul Mittal's maiden book Heartbreaks and Dreams was a novel that I found realistic and touching. Sadly, Arranged Love could not match up to those expectations. Free spirited, bold bindass heroines have always been a favorite, however, I could not warm upto Suhaani immediately, nor halfway through the book and tragically enough, even after I was done with it. The hero or rather heroes Deep and Jay do not make up for a tough suitor swayamvar as both are extremely weird and irritating and....cliche!
Yes! the word for the storyline is definitely cliche. Although, I had hoped Mittal could dabble well with the storyline, the novel lacks a certain kind of personal touch and warmth.
Now..to the good points! I loved the segments with Tanu Di and her cousins. There were lot of laugh aloud moments which I found myself smiling about later. The novel has a lot of masala in it but the dish it will make only depends on the various tastes of the readers. Heartbreaks and Dreams made such an appealing book just because of the simple truth and reality attached to it. A piece of advice would be to write something that really touched your heart rather than following masala trade tricks to woo the audience.
Readers who are expecting something new will be disappointed as 'Arranged Love is just a regular Indian chick lit about finding true love. However Parul Mittal fans who loved her first book could give this a try because it surely deserves a shot. :) Will definitely try more Parul Mittal books in future but would have wished to give this a miss. Arti635 104

Arranged Love by Paul A Mittal is the story of Suhaani Agarwal, a twenty something girl, the only child of her parents, who is in the US. She loves to paint and wants to put up a painting in an art gallery. She has an Indo-American boyfriend, Jayant Guy, and plans to marry him. Her father, who is more of a friend than a parent, calls her up to check her email where he has sent the biodata and picture of Deepak Goyal, an IITian, who he has selected as a potential suitor for Suhaani from his guitar class. Then, suddenly, recession strikes, she loses her job and is back in Gurgaon at her parents place. Her mother is a facebook and Farmville addict.

Her father tells her to talk to Deepak and take his advice on job hunting, finally. she gets a job in iTrot and the boss is Deepak. She decides that she will reject him but he does so before she even starts the conversation. But their work relationship does not suffer.

Tanu di, also an IITian is her older and favourite cousin, an entrepreneur in her own right, she still pines for Champ, whom she has loved and lost. Suhaani seeks advice from Tanu di for everything. Neha, her best friend from childhood, is also someone she confides in.

There are old Hindi songs which have been added very generously at the appropriate places which make the book all the more interesting. Arranged marriage or love marriage was going on through Suhaani’s mind and I feel this is a very common feeling in India. I d the book very much, it was a very refreshing read.
Gemini R1 review

1. Disappointed! The plot seemed to have so much potential. This really could have transformed into the arranged to love thing that Indian TV serials do(and sometimes succeed at). But no.
2. Suhaani, oh this girl, she first off, is unrelatable. Except for the fact that she lives in Delhi and loves her parents there is nothing in her opinions or actions that I could relate with.
3. The book is just not smooth. Opinions and relationships change so quickly and weirdly I felt my book was missing a few (lot of) chapters.
4. The lack of chemistry. Deep and Suhaani don't have a lot of chemistry. What they do have are shared interests or compatibility. But they both don't do anything to utilize that. I still don't understand when exactly did all people in this book fall in and out of love.
5. One good thing though, are the stories happening on the side, i.e Tanu di-Champ, MD-Sanjeev. And it's a fairly funny read with enough puns and Bollywood references to last you a lifetime.
6. Oh and Suhaani is just yet another cliche heroine who is clumsy and slow to understanding things. So many times she couldn't put one and one together and I would be facepalming. The story hence is quite predictable.

Some people though seem to have d this book., and I too don't hate it, but there isn't anything worth falling in love with, just Suhaani and Deep.rom-com Nupur Gupta4 1 follower

Autor del comentario:
=================================