We all know that girls love boys who love girls, and then they turn into women who love men who love women. And no matter how much one would like to clutter their life with work or distract themselves with friends or treks or travels, at the end of the day it is the matters of the heart that take control of our deeper senses.
Forget algebra. Love can be the hardest, most complicated thing on earth.
This is a book about growing up, of learning and un-learning, losing and receiving, crying and smiling, but most of all loving.
From the first awkward teenage days to discovering boys to falling in love and getting your heart broken, Juhi Pande tells you the Things Your Mother Never Told You About Love.
Guaranteed to lift the spirit and add a spring in your step, this book tells us everything us girls need to know to get us through the rough seas.
~Synopsis from goodreads
I realized I wasn’t the right audience for this book when I saw the author Juhi Pande is introduced in the bio as a TV VJ/hipster/blogger, but I had never heard about her.
When I accepted this book for review, I did so only because it sounded like it would be interesting and well-written.
It is definitely well-written, and I like Ms.Pande’s effervescent writing style but I can’t say that this book worked for me. You see this book is written for her audience which I think comprises of mid-teens struggling with life/love issues. This is not a book that a grown woman with two kids is going to need to read. She would have (hopefully) learnt these life lessons already.
A teenager would find this book useful I think and would appreciate the casual writing style. The advice in the book is good and possibly more palatable coming from a VJ/cool gal than from a girl’s mother.
I particularly liked this little snippet and thought she brought out a valid point in a very nice way:
When you chase the idea of love while paying little or no heed to where it comes from, then love stands on shaky ground. It gets passed around and has little to do with finding its roots. It is a choice you make and if you’re clear about that choice, know what it comes with.
For me personally the writing was a bit too casual, kind of like a series of blog entries than an actual self-help book/memoir. There are some nice and interesting snippets and some useful worldly wisdom, but some of the topics (like first love and first heartbreak) were a bit too childish for me.
Overall, I found it a mildly useful book for young girls but not a serious enough read for older people.
Huge thanks to Penguin Random House for sending me this book for review consideration.
You can also purchase a copy of this book from Amazon
I’ve had that happen to me, where I’m just not the target audience. Mostly, unsurprisingly, this happens with YA and even some New Adult fiction. (Weirdly, I don’t have this happen as much with Middle Grade titles…) I actually had a hard time telling from the blurb whether this was a novel or something else. Thanks for clearing it up in your review. 🙂
Thanks for linking up with Spread the Love!
@aprilthesteadfastreader:disqus Yeah, the book blurb is confusing. Somewhere in small print, it’s written non-fiction but I think the book should be described a little better.
I think, along with the blurb, publishers should also mention the targeted age group and genre. Sometimes I too read books that are not targeted for my age and don’t like it, but others for whom the book is intended, may like it.
People often don’t understand what they are getting into, when they ‘fall’ in love. It’s good that someone chose to write what movies don’t bother to show. The thing is, how many girls in that age will read it and accept what is written?
@Destination Infinity They might if the author in question (a Channel V VJ) appeals to them, maybe?
I would recommend this book to young girls though. It’s easy reading, not very preachy, and fun also and if it helps them think a little bit through the love process, then what’s not to like about it 🙂
I’d definitely be the wrong audience for this book too.
@bermudaonion_kathy:disqus yeah, this is a very audience-specific book, like most non-fiction I guess.
thanks for the review, I think I will give it a miss
@dreamzandclouds You’re welcome. She is a good writer though so I am curious to try something else she’s written.