Chick-Lit Over Christmas

The weeks leading up to and post-Christmas have whizzed by in a swirl of activity. I started reading J by Howard Jacobson sometime mid-December because I wanted a thought-provoking leisurely read (and because I was hoping to squeeze in one more Man Booker shortlist before year-end >.< ), but things started getting too festive, and something light and frothy seemed more seasonal. I ended up putting J aside for a while, and started reading:

• He Fixed the Match She Fixed Him by Shikha Kumar
• Games Girls Play by Aastha Atray Banan

Both books were good. Light-hearted and fun and perfect for the party mood I was in.

Here are my brief thoughts on each book.

He Fixed the Match She Fixed Him

Shreya – I’m a highly qualified Delhi girl earning an enviable salary. My parents are having a tough time finding a suitable groom for me. However, recently they have a proposal from this very interesting guy from Mumbai. I almost get mesmerised when he starts talking to me. I think I like him very much.

Kunal – I’m owner of a textile company in Mumbai. My Mom wants me to get married. Again. She has recently suggested a suitable girl from Delhi. What my Mom doesn’t know is that I’ve met Shreya before once in my life and I’ve been looking for her ever since. I have a vendetta to settle.

The author takes you along on a journey via roads of revenge, agony, remorse, attraction, titillation, tantalisation and romance. Do Shreya and Kunal make it, or do they fall prey to their past?

Synopsis from goodreads

This book is the début work of author Shikha Kumar. This is a conventional romance where the hero and heroine hate each other and have to work through their issues before they find a happy ending. I found the premise a bit clichéd and unrealistic. I mean who actually marries anyone for revenge? I don’t know why romance novels are so fond of this type of plot, considering the difficulties of a divorce, and the mental stress of living with someone you are harassing to settle a vendetta.

Anyway clichéd and unrealistic aside, the book ends up actually being quite fun. The hero is a bit of an ass. There’s one section in the book where he insists that his bride get laser treatment as he does not want his wife to get glasses. Grr! I really wanted to beat him up at that point. But in spite of his being an ass, the book works. The chemistry between the hero and heroine is smoking, and there is quite a bit of romantic and sexual tension throughout the novel. The secondary characters are also really nice and well-written and round off the lead pair quite well.

Overall, it was very enjoyable, and I found myself racing through the book towards its happy ending.

Huge thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this book for review consideration.

You can also purchase a copy of this book from Amazon

Games Girls Play

In a nutshell, this book is about two girls, opposites of each other who are enjoying the single life in Mumbai. When they become roommates, they learn from each other, finding love, and becoming best friends in the process.

The two girls are Natasha – a photographer who leads a very open lifestyle. She has tons of friends, a party lifestyle, and is totally into casual sex. Siya is a bit of a prude, a virgin at 30, she dreams of finding her one true love just like in a romance novel.

When these two girls get together, it’s a clash of cultures. Will Natasha learn a little self-restraint from Siya? And will Siya get a life? Can two such dramatically different people actually be able to get along?

Well, that’s what the rest of the book is about. And because this is chick-lit, there are a couple of handsome dudes as well to make sure these girls get their happy ending.

I liked this book too, I probably liked it a tad better than the first one, primarily because it shows a quite unlikable girl Natasha who sleeps around with people without a whole lot of discrimination. In one section, she even sleeps with her friend’s boyfriend. But she is portrayed without judgement, and without disrespect. In most such books, a girl like this is the bitch and her point of view is never known, but that’s not the case here. Not only is she portrayed sympathetically, she is not considered unworthy of love, or shown as some kind of bitter woman-hating kind of person.

So yeah, I liked how this book played a bit with the conventional stereotypes a bit. The romances in the book were a little blah and unconvincing. Neither couple seemed like they would last beyond a few months, and I am glad that the book doesn’t even attempt to show that. It ends on a happy note without making too many promises of the future.

The best part of the book is actually the friendship, and how the two girls learn to accept and appreciate each other’s viewpoint, and eventually come to be good friends.

Very satisfying read overall.

Huge thanks to Rupa Publications for sending me a copy of this book for review consideration.

You can also purchase a copy of this book from Amazon