The Bestseller She Wrote by Ravi Subramanian #BookReview

As a wannabe writer, any book about writers is bound to catch my eye. Now imagine a romantic thriller woven around this concept and you have my undivided attention. No wonder then, that I read The Bestseller She Wrote cover to cover in a day! Did I like it? Well… read on to know 🙂

Plot of The Bestseller She Wrote

The story revolves around Ravi Kapoor – a banker, an IIM Alumnus and an extremely successful author. Shreya Kaushik is a young IIM pass out who enlists his help to become a bestselling author herself. The book is about their relationship and has elements of romance, drama and even mystery.

The Bestseller She Wrote – What I Liked

1. The book is very well paced. At no point does it slack, at no point does the author meander. There is always something happening and I was enticed to turn the pages. Yet, it does not move at the dizzying speed of a typical thriller. I was able to enjoy the read thoroughly due to the well balanced pace.
2. The main characters are extremely well defined. In fact, the book for me is a study in character development. Ravi Subramanian reveals a few character traits early on and reinforces them throughout the book. Both the protagonists are etched very clearly. I might call Shreya Kaushik’s character as one dimensional, but I bet that is intentional and allows her to focus on her key agenda – to become a bestselling author.
3. There are no unnecessary explanations. A man met a young woman, was attracted to her and knowing it was not right, he still got physically and emotionally involved with her. The author does not try to justify this on the back of a loveless marriage or anything else. He makes a mistake, faces the consequences of it and goes on to rectify it as much as possible.
4. I liked the story the best. Ravi Subramanian has come up with something very believable. These characters – A successful middle aged married man, a good wife and a young ambitious girl – would work in any setting. He could be a businessman, an architect, a lawyer and the story would still hold. The elements of mystery and the way it has been revealed in the end is something I liked a lot. I can definitely read this book again 🙂

The Bestseller She Wrote – What I Disliked

1. The character profiling is cliched! Aditya Kapoor is Ravi Subramanian, Chetan Bhagat and Amish Tripathi all rolled into one. Right from meeting bollywood stars at discos to invitations of judging reality shows, he does it all. Whether the author was taking digs at his fraternity or trying to make Aditya more believable, I do not know. However, to me, it seemed unimaginative.
2. I felt that the supporting characters were not as well defined as the two leads. Aditya’s wife Maya is central to the story and yet, we don’t see what drives her. Her relationship with her husband before his involvement with Shreya could have been better explained. The author gives us only get a glimpse of it as if to explain that he had a happy married life and no real reasons to stray.

Final Thoughts on The Bestseller She Wrote

To sum it up, I would say that this is an easy read that engages the reader in the lives of the characters completely. You empathise and sympathise with the protagonist and feel his turmoil, his pain. The fast paced book keeps you hooked and you want to know how Aditya gets out of the mess in his life. In the bargain, you learn about prejudice, about betrayal and even about finding strength and support in unexpected places. I would give it 3.5 stars on 5

I am reviewing The Bestseller She Wrote by Ravi Subramanian as a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. You can also participate to get free books!