While We Wait

by Durjoy Datta

An unusual love story that will find a way to your heart!
It’s not love—It’s not hate.
It’s as tough as hell—It’s unending.
It’s a longing—It’s a yearning.
It’s pleasure—It’s pain.
It’s friendship—It’s aloofness.
It’s weird—It’s real.
But, we’re still there . . .
Two broken souls.
Together—Yet alone.
Yet together.

When life takes the call for Aditi and Raghav and turns their worlds upside-down, they have no other choice but to hold on to each other; to find solace in shared pain. What emerges is a new pattern and they find a way—not just to cope but to keep that heart-shaped hole in their chests safe from further destruction.

While We Wait is a gripping story that gives love and togetherness a new emotional note.

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 24, 2025

Reviews

[Rounak · Rating 4 out of 5]

While We Wait is an emotional unraveling wrapped in gentle words and shared silences. Imagine Bollywood heartbreak, but without the dramatic rain scenes, just two people struggling to breathe under the weight of their own sorrow.

Aditi and Raghav aren’t here to rescue one another, they’re just trying to survive together. Their connection is quiet, slow, and heavy, no fireworks, no grand gestures. Just two broken hearts sitting in the same room, pretending that the outside world isn’t quite so painful.

Reading this book feels like listening to a sad song at 2 AM, with your phone dimmed and your thoughts drowning out the music. The writing takes its time, allowing the sadness to settle in. At times, it may seem like nothing is happening, but emotionally, everything is unfolding.

Durjoy Datta doesn’t sugarcoat pain here, he lets it exist, raw, unfiltered, and almost uncomfortable. It’s the kind of pain that doesn’t shout but lingers.

Aditi isn’t a whimsical heroine, and Raghav isn’t a gallant hero. They’re just human, confused, weary, and still trying to make it through.

The story doesn’t offer neat closure, it presents reality. Sometimes, love isn’t about fixing one another, it’s simply about being there when everything feels too heavy to bear.

If you’re looking for drama, this isn’t the book for you. But if you want something that feels genuine, quiet, and painfully relatable, this story will linger with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

Pick it up when your heart feels loud and your life feels silent.

[Heemadri · Rating 5 out of 5]

While We Wait by Durjoy Datta: Grief, Hope, and Chosen Family Magic

4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

If you’re ready for a book that yanks every emotion out of you tears flooding your eyes one chapter, quiet hope creeping in the next, grief that feels too real, and those rare bursts of happiness that make it all worth it.🛫💕

It’s about two strangers thrown together by a life-shattering tragedy at the airport, both having ditched toxic families, now with zero support. They become each other’s everything ....grief buddies "Colletral damage" who fight like crazy, share deep cuts that heal slow, laugh through the pain, and drag each other toward moving on (or not). Friends like Sumrit and Tejal add that extra layer, but the real magic? Friendships portrayed in the most beautiful, messy way .....bonds stronger than blood when you’re at your lowest.✨🫶

And the core message wrecked me❤️no matter how bad life crashes (plane-level bad), you can rebuild it all. That unexpected trip flips everything, resentment builds when one heals faster, love confessions drop… but the twisty ending? 🍃
Genius, not what you expect. It’s hope over grief, friendship over romance, and proof that chosen family sticks harder than the one you’re born into.

If you’ve ever lost someone close, you’ll connect so deep this story mirrors that ache and shows light on the other side.Grab your copies now "Because the tea, really, is excellent"🫶

"The cruellest cuts come from those who once knew how to heal you."

[Onamm Dhwan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quiet, emotionally heavy read about waiting—waiting for clarity, for healing, and for life to move forward. It shows how grief can bring people close and how, over time, that closeness can start to feel uncertain. The book captures emotions in a very realistic way, especially the confusion that comes with change. What stays with you is not the story itself, but the feeling that some relationships exist to help you survive a phase, not define your future.

[Simran Agicha · Rating 5 out of 5]

While We Wait - Durjoy DuttaWhile We Wait

While We Wait isn’t a love story in the conventional sense it’s a story about timing, emotional survival and the fragile line between attachment and love.

Durjoy Datta beautifully explores what happens when two broken people find shelter in each other, not to be saved but simply to survive. The bond at the heart of this book is built in quiet moments shared silences, emotional availability and the comfort of not having to explain your pain. It’s tender, messy and painfully real.

What truly stands out is how the story treats healing. It doesn’t move in a straight line and it doesn’t arrive at the same time for everyone. The book gently reminds us that just because someone is present during your darkest days doesn’t always mean they’re meant to stay in the same way forever. Sometimes, people come into our lives to hold us steady until we can stand on our own again.

The writing captures jealousy, fear of abandonment and emotional confusion with honesty without villainising anyone. Every character feels human, flawed and driven by their own unfinished healing.

The story asks uncomfortable but important questions:
Is love always romantic?
Can companionship be mistaken for permanence?
And what do we do when one heart heals faster than the other?

While We Wait is soft yet powerful, comforting yet unsettling. It doesn’t give easy answers, but it leaves you with clarity the kind that stays with you long after the book ends.

A quiet, mature and emotionally resonant read that understands that sometimes waiting itself is the story 🤍

[Anwesha Kundu · Rating 5 out of 5]

First thing first I love love this book. If there is one thing this book teaches us, it is that healing is not a straight line. It reminds us that it’s okay to take your time to moving on—everyone’s pace is different, and you shouldn't blame yourself for that. This isn't your conventional love story; it is a raw exploration of grief, jealousy, family trauma, and the messy reality of life in short life happening in my language.

The narrative begins with a heartbeat of anticipation: 2 People waiting for each other's love so they can finally be together. But do they actually make it? Does life intervene? I’d love to tell you, but the truth is, you’ll have to experience the journey yourself to find out what really happens.

I really appreciate how Durjoy, draws a thin, necessary line between love and attachment. We often confuse the two because being with someone is "comfortable," even when it isn't right. Choosing not to settle for "easy" isn't selfish—it’s an act of listening to your heart. Finding the love of your life is a pursuit you should never feel guilty about. If people say so let them, but listen to your heart at some point too .

What truly appreciating is that the author didn't show healing as a straight line as it shouldn't be, it arrives differently for individuals, writing captures fear of left out, jealousy, emotional confusion.


Writing perfectly captures the fear of being left behind and the fog of emotional confusion. It doesn't offer easy answers, but it forces you to ask the hard questions:
• Is leaving someone for yourself selfish? if yes then thinking about yourself is too , shouldn't we think about us first?
* Are we obligated to fall in love with the person who helped us through our darkest days?
* What happens when one heart heals faster than the other?
* Can companionship be mistaken for permanence?
* Is love always romantic?

In the end I would say it's such a refreshing book to read on healing, grief, moving on, this book is soft & powerful, comforting yet unsettling ,
leaving you with a clearer perspective rather than just simple answers. Above all, it reminds us that sometimes, waiting is simply the hope required to see a brighter day.

[Garima Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review may contain spoilers. If you hate knowing things in advance, now would be a great time to stop reading.

So, if you’re grieving, this book doesn’t comfort you, it confronts you. "While We Wait", pulls up the quiet, suffocating parts of loss, the kind that don’t heal on schedule and don’t make you stronger overnight. It leaves you with a blunt truth: people can sit with your pain, but they can never replace the person you lost.

I fully expected the usual trope: two broken people, shared trauma, accidental love story. And I was ready to scream, absolutely not. Grief is not romance, and heartbreak is not a meet-cute. friendship. Not love. Just presence. But there were moments where it looked like that’s where this was headed, and I was internally yelling, “NO. Absolutely not. This is grief, not romance. Please step away from the emotional cliff.” Instead, we get something far more honest: two people grieving together without a relationship badge.

And that epilogue? That felt less like fiction and more like life quietly nodding at you and saying, “Yes. This is how it actually happens.” You don’t need to name everything to make it real. You don’t need to turn pain into a promise. Sometimes, being there without forcing the future, is enough.

Durjoy Datta does something deeply respectful: he doesn’t romanticize grief. He doesn’t rush healing. He doesn’t confuse proximity in pain with love. Instead of forcing a hopeful surrender of trauma, he lets the relationship exist in that uncomfortable in-between space. Not friendship. Not love. Not a label Instagram would approve of. Just two people grieving together.

[Shalini · Rating 5 out of 5]

💌🥀 BOOK REVIEW:-
The exploration of grief in While We Wait is just so well written. Each line, each quote that mentioned grief was so real, was so relatable, and just really tugged at my heartstrings. I think this book is so beautiful. The stages the characters go through that represents how people process grief differently and everyone takes their time to come around and the fact that grief is always a part of you but the world doesn't stop. This book just portrayed everything so well, so beautifully. This book is JUST SO GOOD and the end was just so wholesome. The found family aspect of it, finding family in people who aren't even related to you is just something a lot of people go through. Absolutely loved it ♥️
💌🥀BOOK DESCRIPTION:-
It’s not a choice; it’s just what happened.
It’s not a conversation; it’s shared silences.
They don’t heal each other; they just make it bearable.
And, they’re still there . . .
Two broken souls.
Together―yet alone.
Yet together.

When life takes the call for Aditi and Raghav and turns their worlds upside-down, they have no other choice but to hold on to each other; to find solace in shared pain. What emerges is a new pattern and they find a way―not just to cope but to keep that heart-shaped hole in their chests safe from further destruction.

While We Wait is a gripping story that gives love and togetherness a new emotional note.

[Jagruti Mestry · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Hope should come from logic, not optimism.”


This book is about two people who coincidentally meet each other at airport waiting for their loved ones. While they are waiting they realised they have more things in common with each other. Both of them anticipating for their coming future filled with happiness little did they know their happiness is not going to last long…


Okay! This book is so good. Part of me wanted to believe it’ll be hopeless romantic. Even though part of me wants books hopelessly romantic but books like these are important to keep you grounded. To make us understand the reality is different than movies and books. The grief, the trauma bonding each and every feelings in this book was so so beautifully displayed. I loved this book. I enjoyed reading, every emotion of the characters were expressed so beautifully that I felt all of them it was like I’m living in it. I don’t know how others feel about the ending of the story but I even liked it because it makes us realise that world is not a fairy tale we don’t always get what we want and sometimes it’s okay. I’m so happy with the ending. Satisfied

[Palak Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was very different from what I usually read.. oh and for the first time I related to a male protagonist more, like I could just understand raghav so much better... his reactions, thoughts, the way he processes all made so much sense to me. I've never personally experienced such grief but this book made me live it through them which was.. different. i started the book thinking that it's a romance bloomed of shared pain, but soon I was wishing that they would not end up together coz of how messed up it would've been. to me ending was twisted fs and seemed a little rushed but regardless it was good. It was a book which was not leading to something in the end(except moving on of raghav and aditi.. which is a diff concept in itself) but the journey is what stayed with me. In short.. very different experience, captivating writing especially for such theme, storyline was okayish but what I liked the most was how well emotions were expressed and ofcourse seeing a part of me in Raghav's character.

[Deepika Rane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished While We Wait by Durjoy Datta, and honestly… this one stayed with me.
It’s not your typical rom-com romance. The story is quiet, deep, and beautifully different.

I’ve read a lot of romantic books, and I usually love stories that end on a happy note—but what I loved most here was the journey. Raghav and Aditi aren’t perfect. They’re broken, anxious, angry, hurting… and still choosing to hold on to each other while finding their way back to the light.

Aditi, especially, struck a chord with me. We often make foolish decisions when we’re vulnerable—but the way she owned her choices and reached her ending made me feel strangely proud of her. Her growth felt real.

I won’t spoil anything—this is one of those stories you need to experience yourself.
If you enjoy emotional love stories that feel honest and human, this one is worth the wait. 🤍

[Meenal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice end to the year. HATE the ending. Might be traumatic for AI crash victim's acquaintances.

[Shruti Agnihotri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ending made me sit back, close the book and just relax for both of them- Aditi and Raghav!