Love Is A Verb: Review

 

BLURB

As Manav opened his eyes, he saw Madhu sitting beside him, trying to wake him up. Her body fragrance and her damp hair suggested she had taken a shower. Manav's eyes struggled to fully open, still heavy with sleep. He looked towards the window, and darkness still lingered outside. Glancing at the clock, he realized it was twenty minutes past three in the night. "What's the matter, Madhu?" "Get up, wash your face, and freshen up. I'm heading to make tea. Then we'll go for a walk in the park." "It's still nighttime, Madhu. It's only three-twenty in the morning," he checked the clock again. "Nighttime? I'm already up and have taken a shower. I thought it was morning."

MY THOUGHTS

Just the right cozy novel I needed this time of year. A nice, little romance story with a meaningful ending.

"Love Is a Verb" by Pramod Rajput transports readers to the many stages of life, love, and the enduring strength of relationships. From chance encounters to the challenges of distant love, the narrative deftly captures the complexity of human emotions. I was reminded by the book of how crucial it is to demonstrate love by deeds as opposed to just words.

Manav, the protagonist of the story, is a guy who has persevered through many hardships in life with steadfast patience and tenacity. The beginning of his tale with Madhu is a fortuitous meeting. Once more, fate steps in as they cross paths at a train station en route to the same wedding. Compared to what we see in contemporary stories, they were so different in their purity and intensity for their love. Despite all of the disagreements, Manav and Madhu were able to settle down, make plans for the future, and eventually tie the knot. The author adds surprising turns and twists as the plot develops to keep the reader interested and invested in the characters' fates.

This story is told in a smooth narrative one that easily pulled me in from the first chapter. I liked the interaction of characters and how the story fed off them. I mostly focused on the entertaining parts and the well-established structure of the book.  I really enjoyed some parts and I was rooting for the main characters! However, I can honestly say that the romance part of the story didn't make me as giddy as some of the recent books I've devoured. The pacing was irregular at times. I felt like there is so much mundane details about everything.

Overall, the ideas and execution are really well done. I wish I could have related more to the characters so I could give it five stars, but it's still an entertaining and good romance read that I enjoyed. I'm looking forward to reading other books by the author in the near future.