Half Love Half Arranged

by Itisha Peerbhoy

Rhea Kanwar is thirty, unmarried and tending to fat, who one morning realizes that it is high time she did something about her life. She despises her mom’s best friend, Bubbles Auntie, who always has something nasty to say about poor Rhea, and to top it all up she is invited to all the family functions. To avoid further questions from the rest of her family, Rhea decides to plunge into the marriage market. She meets several guys and every new guy she comes across seems perfect to her for the initial few days. But after a while she starts finding them weirder than the last. Vyash, one of her prospective suitors, freaks out when he realizes Rhea is not the pill, Jay has a super cool tattoo, Mazher is a perfect gentleman and Sid is atrocious in bed, but almost perfect on the outside. But Rhea has been in love with her best friend for the longest time. What will Rhea do now? Will she settle for an arranged marriage or find her true love?

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2014

Reviews

[Janhvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half Love Half Arranged looked like a really cute and fun read and that is why I picked it up. I enjoy reading a good chick lit from time to time and Rhea's quest to get married sounded fun. While I have to say that I enjoyed parts of this book, I do think it could have been better. Half Love Half Arranged was an okay read.

Rhea is thirty and is feeling the pressure from all sides to get married. And so begins her journey to find the perfect someone who loves her. It is filled with more misses than hits but that's the way it was. I really liked Rhea as a character. She was a sweet woman who only wanted to live happily with a better half. I did find her to be too naive at times and the way she instantly fell in love with every single guy was a little unbelievable.

The parts I really enjoyed in Half Love Half Arranged were Rhea's thoughts and Rhea's mother's dialogues. They were hilarious and actually made me laugh out loud. But that was kinda where my enjoyment ended. I knew that Rhea goes through a bunch of guys and each one was more weird than the last but I got a feeling that she lost herself in the way.

It is safe to say that the first half of the book was much more enjoyable than the second. I kept expecting Rhea to learn from her experiences but she kept going back to her old ways. That made it seem a bit repetitive and dragged the book for me. Plus for a thirty year old, Rhea really couldn't make up her mind about any guy and that was irritating.

I really liked Rhea's entire family and her group of girlfriends. The whole cast of characters just adds in to the hilarious situations Rhea finds herself in. Half Love Half Arranged was not a bad read by any means but I wanted a little more from it. I would recommend this one to anyone looking for an average short chick lit read.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by Random House India in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

Find more of my reviews at The Readdicts- http://thereaddicts.blogspot.in/

[Simran Khurana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book for a change of flavor. Chick lit is not my go to genre, so it must have been a crazy moment when I decided to try out this book. Here's an Indian writer who has the funniness of Sophie Kinsella and the quirkiness of Anuja Chauhan. It's not your typical romantic love story that keeps you reaching out for tissues or a tub of ice cream.

I must confess: I completely loved it! From the first page, I enjoyed the biting wit, the bold humor, the crazy characterization, and the Indian tadka. No complaints! This book is a winner. You'll love Rhea's character for being so funny inside her head. You'll love her mad girlfriends. And most particularly, you'll love her card playing, silk kurta and sneaker wearing, out and out Punjubby mom who strikingly resembles your own mother. So many little details -- vipassana, Ganpati pictures on wedding cards, Pammi Aunty.. there are so many things lifted right out of middle class Indian family life that you can't help not feeling as though you know this babe.

At many times, I wondered what's the matter with this thirty something, desperate to get hitched, loser. Why could she not be happy with the one dream guy who was completely smitten by her? Her constant yo-yoing between different men made me want to pull my hair. But from what I have seen little of unmarried girls, I know that Rhea's plight was not overdramatized. As Arf constantly tried to remind her to stop being desperate, I could understand where Rhea came from. It was not a pretty place to be.

Full marks to the author for keeping the story moving to its nailbiting finish! I admit, I couldn't guess the ending would be so good. In fact, I kept trying to outguess the author for her final choice. But the writer keeps you dangling from a thin rope till the end of the book. That was the best part! A fantastic read. Kudos!

[Pearl Khurana · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating: 2.35/5 (star rating pr mat jana, nor did I feel like giving it just 2)
Okayy, it exceeded my expectations. I wish the pacing could've been the same throughout the novel. It wasn't as funny as it was sold to be. It was okay. Kaafi rushed at the end. But I'm always glad for epilogues lol. The title made sense and the ending surprised me. Good, good. Hmm but the built up could've been better, ya kuch aur de dete yaar, some angsttttt ahh! Anyway, read it on archive.org, go complete your reading goals if you're faring behind.

[Swati Daftuar · Rating 2 out of 5]

A complete review of this book appears on my website, The Booklegger =)
Full Text Here

When I started reading this book, it was all right (I have an instagram update to prove this). I quite liked that it was suddenly funny when I least expected it, and that the conversations were just that-- fairly conversational, but not to the point that grated. I don't like too many abbreviations in my messages (none, but I can relent), so it stands to reason that I don't like them much in my books either. The problem with Indian chick lit is that many of them stop just short of striking that balance. We speak a strange kind of language...English? I don't know. Hinglish isn't that close to the truth either, and frankly, quite an annoying word.

So when Half Love Half Arranged managed to toe this line well, it was good, great even, at least at bits. I knew I wasn't going to fall in love with this book, or even have the good old arranged relationship, since that usually happens when I am the first few pages in, or not at all. (Do you believe in love at first page? Yes, yes I do.) But I also continued reading, and with a healthy does of 'what-happens-next', so I was fully prepared to at least adjust and compromise with this book. Love isn't always necessary.

[Priyanka Gupta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up Half Love Half Arranged hoping for a fun, relatable take on love vs. family expectations. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me.

The premise is promising — a thirty-something woman juggling arranged marriage setups while secretly nursing feelings for her best friend. But the execution felt repetitive: meet a new suitor, get briefly excited, discover the flaws, move on. After a point, the pattern stopped engaging me and I found myself skimming.

Rhea, the protagonist, could have been a strong, witty, modern character, but her voice felt uneven. At times she came across as confident and self-aware, and at other times almost naïve, repeating the same mistakes without much growth. That inconsistency made it hard for me to connect with her.

I will say the humour in family conversations and some side characters did make me smile — those bits felt authentic. But overall, the book leaned too heavily on clichés and melodrama for my taste.

Not a book I enjoyed much, though it may still appeal to readers who like light chick-lit with lots of family drama and matchmaking humour.

⭐️⭐️ (2/5)

[Hira · Rating 4 out of 5]

a kickass chicklit for the women of today who still have families that worry about marriage more than careers... Rhea and her super crazy punjabi family made me laugh out like insane on each page...people with moral compasses pointing north but with a sense of humor will love it... it is a book like tamarind juice... refreshing and light... no philosophical diarrhea just pure fun and yes a happy ending too ;)

[Sameera Kamulkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Made me chuckle. Made me angry. Kept me awake. I read it in two days. And then when it ended it made me think. I am still thinking. Read the book. I recommend.

[Sia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say even though it’s a love story still it has touch of reality and climax of something that I can actually see happening. Girls can relate to Rhea while hunting got perfect groom! But I am not sure in the process of that we end up having so much of sex with every guy we meet and also parents having blind eye to it. I thought the story will be stereo type but no it isn’t! She marries the right man at the end. After meeting Vyas, Jay, Mazher and knowing finally she has a thing for Arf her long time friend. She ends up marrying the last guy who treats her right. Well they say it right lost things are always found at the last place we look and here for her it was Sid!! The way the story has been written it was fun reading and it totally deserves the stars that the book is getting! It’s a fresh write, isn’t like typical romantic story which I really like as it was reality based!!

[Swati G. Ranganatham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book as I had watched the Amazon mini to webseries which was based on this book. As the web series season 1 had a cliffhanger ending, and season 2 was taking its own sweet time, I was eager to know what happens in the end.
I found the book to be repetitive in several places. I could relate to few things - like the societal and familial pressure to get married before 30, or being looked down upon as a rejected piece incase the marriage is delayed beyond 30 for some reasons.
It is a quick timepass one time read.

[Ni M · Rating 1 out of 5]

**No star**

The series which adapted this book has completely changed the digestibility of this book. It is Half love Half arranged on amazon prime India.

Watch the series but do not read the book. The book did not age well from 2014 and might trigger some people.

[Smita · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5.
Series better.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, chic-lit book

[Jane De Suza]

We’ve arrived, we Indian women! Or so we’d like to think. We can live alone, crack bawdy jokes, tilt back our beers and take home anyone we think is cute – just like the guys do. Can’t we? Which is why it’s so refreshing when we read about a woman out there who’s living this dream. Rhea Kanwar, the heroine of this book, walks the talk. She is the emancipated, independent (though as humane, anxious or confused as any of us) Millennial, this Delhi girl; suffocated though she is by a well-meaning family, and a marriage broker who will get you rolling around with the carpet’s dust-mites and sneezing well into the next morning.
So Rhea goes through her prospective grooms and we get to share some of her thoughts, as well as those of her sisters (one married, one gothic) and friend, each identifiable characters on their own. We are horrified, bemused, frustrated at the strange whims of these Indian bachelors she meets – the lousy lover, the perma-best-buddy. Will Rhea ever meet Mr Perfect, or has she already discarded him, or does she have to settle for someone in between?
Itisha Peerbhoy gets under the skin of the Indian urbanite; getting Dhe Dhelhi-isms pitch-perfect and the characterizations sometimes so uncannily true, you think she’s writing about someone you ditched yourself. Look at this book as a romp, funny at time, hitting at others. A voice to watch, a sense of humour slipping in and out and a brave expose of our farcical societal norms. The next time someone tells you her marriage is ‘Half Love Half Arranged’, you’re guaranteed to break out into a guffaw.

[Priyanka Desai · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started off on a promising note...in fact reminded me a lot of Anuja Chauhan's writing style. The characters had the right amount of quirkiness and as chick lit's go...was quite engrossed till mid-point.
But then, the protagonist just seemed to lose the plot....pun intended...it seemed like all she needed was a man...any man...to get married to....
For a seemingly intelligent, independent woman with a strong sense of self-identity (at least that's how she started off as), she quickly spiraled down to someone whose sense of self was defined by how the man/men in her life perceived her....no matter what songs played in her head! That was kind of disappointing....
And then when you think that she finally has seen light, she again goes and does volte-face....the ending once again reveals her desperation and willing to make do rather than wait it out on the strength of new found wisdom and conviction...

[Ritu Arjun · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I read the cover of the book I was looking forward to reading the story of a modern young woman who finds her life partner on her own terms. While the book starts of well, it loses course midway and ends up being all about a woman desperate to get married. It seems to become the only purpose of her life so much so that when that she loses her job but doesn't seem to care much about it!!!
Disappointing

[Sush · Rating 1 out of 5]

I keep trying to find good Indian romantic comedies (which I believe is now the PC term for chick-lit and I think it's a fairly good replacement) and commercial fiction, but my search has yielded very little so far. Despite having read promising reviews, Half Love Half Arranged is like most other books in its genre - cliched, implausible and really not funny. Don't bother wasting a couple of days on this.

[Mahesh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Immature and Too girly.. too much detailing on unwanted parts.. For example The author writes one paragraph just to describe what the central character Rhea and others are wearing, the colour of their dress and blah blah. Since it is about a 30 year old Independent Woman I expected a bit more mature plot. Lost interest halfway.. disappointed

[Divya · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book did start off on an interesting plot.. However half way through it just began to get really monotonous.. It really feel like single women who have hit their thirties are really desperate to get married and settled down.. Anyway it was funny in parts but i would rate it as an average book. It could have been kept short and sweet though in my opinion

[Kuki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didnt go as well as it looked like.

[Reena Fernandes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written & hilarious! The spirited Delhiite has been portrayed brilliantly.
Loved it from start to finish. A good light weekend read that will make you smile in the end..

[Audrey Coutinho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious. Fell in love with this book from the opening line. Little too much drama and exaggeration but it just added to the fun.

[Aditi Dutta · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an okay read, definitely not comparable to Anuja Chauhan. Some parts of the story and characters are caricatures and don't seem real.

[Samarpita Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars