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Anything Else But Love
I loved you even before I knew it,
The scent of your skin still lingers on my senses,
I can see that we are blinded by our natural magnetism towards each other,
We are dancing to each others' tunes, rhythmic beats,
And still you say that between us there can be 'Anything else but love!'
Shewali Singh is a simple, sweet and appealing girl who cares for family and its values. She has just moved to Bangalore to head a project. Always engaged in work, somewhere she has imagined a list of qualities her guy should have. But as her fate would have it, she bumps into a guy who works in the same office as hers. And not only that, he's a flirt, a prankster, who calls himself the Avi Malhotra, who not only misfits the list, but also manages to get a rise out of the generally very easy going Shewali.
What follows is, daily fights, gradual friendship, sudden likeness, and then–? All the rules of the artist's sketch of their better half are thus broken.
But, what rules do you follow when you start falling in love? Will the phrase "Opposites attract" hold true for them?
The scent of your skin still lingers on my senses,
I can see that we are blinded by our natural magnetism towards each other,
We are dancing to each others' tunes, rhythmic beats,
And still you say that between us there can be 'Anything else but love!'
Shewali Singh is a simple, sweet and appealing girl who cares for family and its values. She has just moved to Bangalore to head a project. Always engaged in work, somewhere she has imagined a list of qualities her guy should have. But as her fate would have it, she bumps into a guy who works in the same office as hers. And not only that, he's a flirt, a prankster, who calls himself the Avi Malhotra, who not only misfits the list, but also manages to get a rise out of the generally very easy going Shewali.
What follows is, daily fights, gradual friendship, sudden likeness, and then–? All the rules of the artist's sketch of their better half are thus broken.
But, what rules do you follow when you start falling in love? Will the phrase "Opposites attract" hold true for them?
- GenresRomanceLoveContemporary
304 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2011
79 people are currently reading
2951 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 5, 2014
A sweet love story that has come straight from the heart of the author. If you are fond of reading books which has loads of romance then Anything else but love is ‘The’ book for you. I am sure you will love the characters of Avi and Shewali. Avi, the flamboyant and naughty boy loves to tease Shewali, a sweet, innocent, good natured and dutiful girl but in the process falls in love with her whom he fondly addresses as Teacher. There are many twists and turns in the story and Avi stands by Shewali like a rock, always supporting her whenever she needs him. I found the character of Shewali adorable. Frankly speaking, at my age it is rather difficult to relate to a storyline which is full of romance but still I couldn’t help loving the character of Shewali and it appeared to me that the inherent goodness in the character of Shewali is a reflection of Ankita’s self. A well written fiction by an author who is just 21 years old. Congratulations Ankita.
June 17, 2015
Shewali Singh is a simple, sweet and appealing girl who cares for family and its values. She has just moved to Bangalore to head a project. Always engaged in work, somewhere she has imagined a list of qualities her guy should have. But as her fate would have it, she bumps into a guy who works in the same office as hers. And not only that, he's a flirt, a prankster, who calls himself 'the' Avi Malhotra, who not only misfits the list, but also manages to get a rise out of the generally very easy going Shewali. What follows is, daily fights, gradual friendship, sudden likeness, and then - all the rules of the artist's sketch of their better half are thus broken.
If i am given one word to describe this book, it will be - Bollywood. I cannot think of any other debut novel in recent times which packs in so many plot points from Hindi movies as this one does. Sample these - There is a bride running scene from Na tum Jano Na Hum, there is an Achla Sachdev type dadi moment from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge, there is a Mohnish Behl-Salman Khan marriage confusion between brothers scenario from Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, there is a fake proposal scene at the airport from Hadh Kar Di aapne and there is a midnight dinner scene from...well, you got the drift, right!
It is unpretentious in its approach, a kind of book which makes no bones about the kind of environment it is setting itself into or even minutely flinching away from its target audience. The chemistry between the two main leads - Avi and Shewali is undeniably good, it oozes warmth and affection. However, the basic flaw here is that author can't seem to decide the tone in the book. So characters either over react on simple situations or does not react in complex situations, making things worse and giving us predictable twists and turns based solely on misunderstandings in relationships. The conflicts are superficial in nature because there is no issue in the narrative which can't be solved if people give a few seconds to explain their point of view. It's the kind of screenplay in which every obstacle in the characters' lives could be overcome by having one sensible conversation which for some strange reason, they never have since everyone here is ready to snap at each other at the drop of a hat.
One plot point which i particularly found offensive is the background of a corporate world, which is far away from the reality. There are files being stolen under the eye, boss accuse you of theft without any proof, women are being arm-twisted and verbally attacked, employees being accused of incompetence without giving a chance to explain themselves and sexual accusations thrown in like a routine event. All these bewildering acts make up for some pretty unconvincing reading and leave you unattached to the pain of the characters.
The book would have still worked better if it was a short, breezy read. But at 300 odd pages, it is long to the point of boredom. There are too many reference of the Avi and the teacher; too many falling-in-the-arms and twisting-the-arm moments. All this cumulatively leads to emotional repetitiveness and chaos, which does the book more harm than good. In the end, what is left with you are few tender moments between the characters which the author has created with craft. Unfortunately, these moments are few are far in between but nevertheless, makes you smile once in a while.
I am going with 2/5 for Ankita Chadda's debut novel, Anything else but love. There is a sincerity attached to each of the characters, but there is very little originality in any of the plot points or the story as in whole. Ironical it may sound, and quite anti-spirit to the theme of this blog but i guess i am getting a little old for these bubble-gum romances. This book, however, is strictly for the die-hard romantics!
If i am given one word to describe this book, it will be - Bollywood. I cannot think of any other debut novel in recent times which packs in so many plot points from Hindi movies as this one does. Sample these - There is a bride running scene from Na tum Jano Na Hum, there is an Achla Sachdev type dadi moment from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge, there is a Mohnish Behl-Salman Khan marriage confusion between brothers scenario from Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, there is a fake proposal scene at the airport from Hadh Kar Di aapne and there is a midnight dinner scene from...well, you got the drift, right!
It is unpretentious in its approach, a kind of book which makes no bones about the kind of environment it is setting itself into or even minutely flinching away from its target audience. The chemistry between the two main leads - Avi and Shewali is undeniably good, it oozes warmth and affection. However, the basic flaw here is that author can't seem to decide the tone in the book. So characters either over react on simple situations or does not react in complex situations, making things worse and giving us predictable twists and turns based solely on misunderstandings in relationships. The conflicts are superficial in nature because there is no issue in the narrative which can't be solved if people give a few seconds to explain their point of view. It's the kind of screenplay in which every obstacle in the characters' lives could be overcome by having one sensible conversation which for some strange reason, they never have since everyone here is ready to snap at each other at the drop of a hat.
One plot point which i particularly found offensive is the background of a corporate world, which is far away from the reality. There are files being stolen under the eye, boss accuse you of theft without any proof, women are being arm-twisted and verbally attacked, employees being accused of incompetence without giving a chance to explain themselves and sexual accusations thrown in like a routine event. All these bewildering acts make up for some pretty unconvincing reading and leave you unattached to the pain of the characters.
The book would have still worked better if it was a short, breezy read. But at 300 odd pages, it is long to the point of boredom. There are too many reference of the Avi and the teacher; too many falling-in-the-arms and twisting-the-arm moments. All this cumulatively leads to emotional repetitiveness and chaos, which does the book more harm than good. In the end, what is left with you are few tender moments between the characters which the author has created with craft. Unfortunately, these moments are few are far in between but nevertheless, makes you smile once in a while.
I am going with 2/5 for Ankita Chadda's debut novel, Anything else but love. There is a sincerity attached to each of the characters, but there is very little originality in any of the plot points or the story as in whole. Ironical it may sound, and quite anti-spirit to the theme of this blog but i guess i am getting a little old for these bubble-gum romances. This book, however, is strictly for the die-hard romantics!
January 13, 2018
A sweet and enjoyable read. Loved Shewali and Avi characters both so different yet they complimented each other so well. “The Avi” is flamboyant and some of his antics just to tease Shewali had me in laughing. As they say opposite attracts Shewali is sweet, simple girls where as Avi is naughty and flirt and as the story progressed how these two become from frenemy to friends and fall for each other is a beautiful journey. I really enjoyed the story.
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March 17, 2012very borin....usual stuff n told in so damn cold lang...hv left in betwen
March 4, 2013
I rather found it quite interesting in some sort of an eagerish way of going along while reading. Not too much to mention but a nice pass out
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August 31, 2013nothing........................
June 29, 2015
Yet another modern love story with some twists. What a nice way to end!i feel like watching a movie while reading this book.
February 7, 2016
The love that we feel for each other is not about the worldly things, those materialistic possessions, or great looks either.
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March 16, 2019nice but not so good
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews