book-reviews

Why Not Me? by Anubhav Agrawal

Why Not Me? by Anubhav Agrawal
Why Not Me? by Anubhav Agrawal

Blurb:

A hopeless romantic, Anubhav had been looking for the love of his life. When Zoya accepted his online friend request, he felt an instant connection. Soon, he was falling deeply in love with her.

For four years, first as friend and then as boyfriend, Anubhav waited for the day that Zoya would fall for him too. It never came. He had fallen in love with a person who had never really cared about him. He thought that if Zoya ever left him, he would be devastated. Turns out, it was the best gift ever.

In Why Not Me? A Feeling of Millions, Anubhav looks back on his roller-coaster ride of being crazy in love to heartbroken, expressing in words what countless others have felt. His message? A broken heart can make you a stronger person.

Already a national bestseller, Why Not Me? is a story of learning to love yourself again. ___

My Review:

I can understand why this book is supposed to be “A Feeling of Millions”. In the time of online dating, it is very easy to fall in love with someone without even meeting them. Anubhav’s story follows a similar plot, and he falls in love with Zoya.

According to the author, it’s his real-life story. So, I am at no place to be the love guru and tell what should or should not have happened throughout the story.

But putting myself in the place of a reader and reviewer, the following is my opinion about the book.

Anubhav is a lonely guy, desperate to find love. When Zoya accepts his friend request, it is like finding treasure for him. They start chatting. While Zoya has made it clear since the beginning that she is not interested in a relationship, Anubhav is a hopeless romantic. He keeps pushing her to trust him and love him back. After some time, when she does confess her interest in Anubhav, she still appears to be distant and unemotional.

Anubhav’s character is like any other teenager, who thinks of life as a bed of roses. They think that other person loves them as much as they do and puts as much effort as they do. But that’s not true and they must put in front their self-respect before anything else.

The writing style is easy to understand, but I felt it lacked emotional depth. The fear, the desperation, of losing one’s love is not visible even though that’s what the author has tried to present to the readers.

There or not many moments of sidelining from this story; there is no focus on career, friends, or family. There is no character development throughout the story. The story is cliché and predictable. I was able to read it in around 3 hours.

The blurb states, “He thought that if Zoya ever left him, he would be devastated. Turns out, it was the best gift ever.” However, in the book, we never reach that point. The “moved on” stage is there, but the “moving on” stage is not there. It feels like the purpose of the book was not met.

The book is able to resonate with millions of people, but HOW are they supposed to “move on” or “prioritise their self-respect”. In the end, the author provides tips to the young ones, whatever he has learned from this experience and many others. But doesn’t everyone know it? Isn’t the major concern about HOW to implement it?

I would recommend it to you if you are looking for a light read or if you think you might be in a relationship that is not worth your efforts. If you are looking for someone to give words to your situation, this is your book.

Happy Reading!!