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The Secret Proposal
Twenty-one year old Larissa Chakroborty (better known as Jasmine) has been forced into the company of her parents' friends' son, twenty-five year old Tanveer Bhattacharya (aka Veer) ever since she was thirteen and he was seventeen.
Jasmine found herself slowly getting drawn towards this teenage boy and harbours an unrequited crush on him, long after he disappears from her life in order to pursue a college degree.
Eight years later Veer returns. Jasmine finds herself going to his welcome home party, and neither of them recognises each other on the first meeting. Upon discovering that Jasmine is now a Master's student in a reputed college, Veer makes her a rather strange proposal. He wants her to pretend that they're in love and would eventually settle down in life, for he wishes to avoid tying the knot with a girl of his parents' choice.
The constant ego battle between the two, the love-hate relationship, break ups and realisations is what The Secret Proposal is all about, wherein love would eventually find a way.
Coupled with birthday parties, engagement announcements, Durga Pujos, weddings, the harrowing rituals, Christmas time fun, the crazy duo have a long way to go before they realise what their act would eventually cost them.
Is it enough to get your long time love to be in a 'pretense relationship' with you?
Does one grand gesture convince you that you've found your knight in shining armour?
And why is it that when you have someone, you don't want them… and when you lose them, you want them back?
Is Veer merely pretending to be in love with Jasmine? And will Jasmine ever get over her undying love for Veer?
*******************************************
About the Athor:
Aniesha Brahma, currently a Masters student in Jadavpur University, is pursuing a degree in Comparative Literature. She was born and brought up in Kolkata, West Bengal. She is an ex-student of Dolna Day School, where she first discovered her passion for writing. She firmly believes that anything is possible if you put your mind to it, and 'you should never give up on the one thing that you cannot go a day without thinking about'. She likes making movies on Windows Movie Maker, dabbling in arguments on the online writing communities and in between is learning to play the guitar. Also, she is incredibly fond of the rain, hanging out with her group of friends and is always looking for different kinds of stories to tell the world.
The Secret Proposal is her debut novel. She currently lives in Kolkata.
Jasmine found herself slowly getting drawn towards this teenage boy and harbours an unrequited crush on him, long after he disappears from her life in order to pursue a college degree.
Eight years later Veer returns. Jasmine finds herself going to his welcome home party, and neither of them recognises each other on the first meeting. Upon discovering that Jasmine is now a Master's student in a reputed college, Veer makes her a rather strange proposal. He wants her to pretend that they're in love and would eventually settle down in life, for he wishes to avoid tying the knot with a girl of his parents' choice.
The constant ego battle between the two, the love-hate relationship, break ups and realisations is what The Secret Proposal is all about, wherein love would eventually find a way.
Coupled with birthday parties, engagement announcements, Durga Pujos, weddings, the harrowing rituals, Christmas time fun, the crazy duo have a long way to go before they realise what their act would eventually cost them.
Is it enough to get your long time love to be in a 'pretense relationship' with you?
Does one grand gesture convince you that you've found your knight in shining armour?
And why is it that when you have someone, you don't want them… and when you lose them, you want them back?
Is Veer merely pretending to be in love with Jasmine? And will Jasmine ever get over her undying love for Veer?
*******************************************
About the Athor:
Aniesha Brahma, currently a Masters student in Jadavpur University, is pursuing a degree in Comparative Literature. She was born and brought up in Kolkata, West Bengal. She is an ex-student of Dolna Day School, where she first discovered her passion for writing. She firmly believes that anything is possible if you put your mind to it, and 'you should never give up on the one thing that you cannot go a day without thinking about'. She likes making movies on Windows Movie Maker, dabbling in arguments on the online writing communities and in between is learning to play the guitar. Also, she is incredibly fond of the rain, hanging out with her group of friends and is always looking for different kinds of stories to tell the world.
The Secret Proposal is her debut novel. She currently lives in Kolkata.
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 14, 2014
27 people are currently reading
168 people want to read
About the author
Aniesha Brahma
27 books35 followersAniesha Brahma holds a MPhil degree in Comparative Literature. She has a Bachelors and a Masters degree in the same subject. She was schooled in Dolna Day School, where she had first discovered her love for writing. Besides writing, she enjoys reading books, blogging, volunteering and of course, listening to music. Visit her blog for more updates.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 14, 2017
I got this book by its name and cover. But I felt very bad in reading it. I felt nothing in this book. Waste of money
December 7, 2013
This book is JUST AWESOME! It's like getting addicted to something. The story revolves and twists perfectly and at the perfect time. It's like you are watching a film. And the addiction is SO HIGH that without finishing is impossible to let the book sit idle! You would want to finish it no matter what! The genre lovers would DEFINITELY like this book!
December 7, 2013
the book was really awesome...i finished it just in one day and that too I read half of it in school!!
it was really very interesting and also the chemistry between VEER and JASMINE/LARISSA was very romantic....I will be very happy if like JAS someday my dream also comes true....
it was really very interesting and also the chemistry between VEER and JASMINE/LARISSA was very romantic....I will be very happy if like JAS someday my dream also comes true....
February 24, 2021
Boring
Always a cat and mouse chase. Never revealed why he chose ex-gf or y he broke up at first or y he decided to leave twice . A little too overboard .
Always a cat and mouse chase. Never revealed why he chose ex-gf or y he broke up at first or y he decided to leave twice . A little too overboard .
March 27, 2022
It’s the perfect masala read for some short travel.
The YA tropes and stereotypes keep you entertained.
The YA tropes and stereotypes keep you entertained.
February 17, 2017
I came to know Aniesha Brahma about a year back through a blogging competition. I was amazed by her enthusiasm and the fact that she is a published author at the young age of 23. Secret Proposal is her debut work and I knew I just had to get my hands on this book and read it myself.
The Secret Proposal is the story of Tanveer Bhattacharya and Larissa Chakraborty and their on-again and off-again relationship. The story begins with Tanveer and Larissa meeting after eight years and each find the other grown up and changed. As they get into a false engagement to ward off marital questions from Tanveer’s end, Tanveer falls for another girl. When Larissa finds out, she forces Tanveer to move on and tries to move on herself. Yet, fate is not done with them. Tanveer comes back to Larissa and she is unwilling to take him back. As they fall in and out of love, the readers are taken on a bumpy rollercoaster ride with its protagonists. What does Tanveer have to do to win Larissa over once and for all? Will Larissa ever find her Knight in shining armour in Tanveer? Read this book for yourself to find out.
This book certainly has every ingredient for a Mills and Boons romance. Two very individual characters, with their own sets of strengths and flaws come together to form a story. The plot is well hashed out and as the confusion of the protagonists’ lives take over, the reader is left with a clear picture of where each character stands. There are certain supporting characters that mesh well into the story. The best part for me was to see my hometown through the author’s eyes. As a non-resident Kolkatan, I love my hometown to bits and particularly miss it during Dussera. Aniesha has captured a slice of that city, the energy of its people and the essence of the celebrations and served it beautifully in her novel. It made me feel homesick! As a romance novel, the plot is pretty predictable but the author makes up for it with her narration and descriptions.
It is a very promising debut from this young author. I hope to read more from her in the future.
http://www.b00kr3vi3ws.in/2014/05/The...
The Secret Proposal is the story of Tanveer Bhattacharya and Larissa Chakraborty and their on-again and off-again relationship. The story begins with Tanveer and Larissa meeting after eight years and each find the other grown up and changed. As they get into a false engagement to ward off marital questions from Tanveer’s end, Tanveer falls for another girl. When Larissa finds out, she forces Tanveer to move on and tries to move on herself. Yet, fate is not done with them. Tanveer comes back to Larissa and she is unwilling to take him back. As they fall in and out of love, the readers are taken on a bumpy rollercoaster ride with its protagonists. What does Tanveer have to do to win Larissa over once and for all? Will Larissa ever find her Knight in shining armour in Tanveer? Read this book for yourself to find out.
This book certainly has every ingredient for a Mills and Boons romance. Two very individual characters, with their own sets of strengths and flaws come together to form a story. The plot is well hashed out and as the confusion of the protagonists’ lives take over, the reader is left with a clear picture of where each character stands. There are certain supporting characters that mesh well into the story. The best part for me was to see my hometown through the author’s eyes. As a non-resident Kolkatan, I love my hometown to bits and particularly miss it during Dussera. Aniesha has captured a slice of that city, the energy of its people and the essence of the celebrations and served it beautifully in her novel. It made me feel homesick! As a romance novel, the plot is pretty predictable but the author makes up for it with her narration and descriptions.
It is a very promising debut from this young author. I hope to read more from her in the future.
http://www.b00kr3vi3ws.in/2014/05/The...
March 3, 2015
It's a very cute young adult romance novel about childhood friends who upon meeting each other get involved in a fake 'engagement' until the guy can find a girl he can really marry. It's about one-sided love and heartache and I think a lot of people can relate to that.
I like that the book takes place in India on a culture so different and customs that are very family-oriented. A lot of the interactions between the couples take place in a family setting and it shows how connected they are and how difficult it is to hide secrets under their noses. I just wish the families could have been more involved with the characters like some cute mother-daughter conversations. I think there was only one that I read in the book.
The two characters are very similar in a way that they have a lot of pride and are very stubborn. Each one doesn't want to admit to the other of the weakness for falling in love and at times it can honestly get annoying. I think I heard the girl guilt-trip the guy so many times on setting up their fake engagement that I'm wondering if she's really forgiving him for that, or is just saying it but is still holding a grudge.
I think some of the dialogue can be worked at. Some more talking. I'm sure the couple talked about some nice stuff, but I read more arguing. I also felt that the conflicts were very high and low as in something would happen then a little bit of rest to figure it out but then something happens again. There wasn't a kind of slow chapter or two to just calm down and let the characters think about their family, obligation, friends, and themselves. It just needs a bit of editing and I think it would be perfect.
So besides that, it was a pretty good book. I couldn't put it down, I had to keep reading to see what would happen next. I got annoyed with the characters, so I formed feelings for them. It's a really good book, but then I might be slightly biased since I did read this a long time ago. It's only now when I'm reading it altogether for the first time that I can see certain places that can be improved.
I like that the book takes place in India on a culture so different and customs that are very family-oriented. A lot of the interactions between the couples take place in a family setting and it shows how connected they are and how difficult it is to hide secrets under their noses. I just wish the families could have been more involved with the characters like some cute mother-daughter conversations. I think there was only one that I read in the book.
The two characters are very similar in a way that they have a lot of pride and are very stubborn. Each one doesn't want to admit to the other of the weakness for falling in love and at times it can honestly get annoying. I think I heard the girl guilt-trip the guy so many times on setting up their fake engagement that I'm wondering if she's really forgiving him for that, or is just saying it but is still holding a grudge.
I think some of the dialogue can be worked at. Some more talking. I'm sure the couple talked about some nice stuff, but I read more arguing. I also felt that the conflicts were very high and low as in something would happen then a little bit of rest to figure it out but then something happens again. There wasn't a kind of slow chapter or two to just calm down and let the characters think about their family, obligation, friends, and themselves. It just needs a bit of editing and I think it would be perfect.
So besides that, it was a pretty good book. I couldn't put it down, I had to keep reading to see what would happen next. I got annoyed with the characters, so I formed feelings for them. It's a really good book, but then I might be slightly biased since I did read this a long time ago. It's only now when I'm reading it altogether for the first time that I can see certain places that can be improved.
January 7, 2014
Original post: HERE
I started reading The Secret Proposal a little before my December break and it felt amazing to sink into this... fluffy, dreamy haven.
As you may have guessed from the title and the cover, The Secret Proposal feels like something out of a fairytale. Sure, there's no prince and princess and magical kingdom but there's Veer who could double for Prince Charming in Jasmine's eyes, even if he gets on her last nerve... and Jasmine herself, who is waiting to be swept off her feet, even if it is through a fake engagement to the boy she's secretly been in love with since forever.
The Secret Proposal is at the same time a bit more grounded than most fairytales. For instance, the media threatens to ruin everything. We are given more than a taste of Kolkata: with a full, blown-up picture of the city during Durga Puja; the mouth-watering sweets, colours, diyas and dancing. The Happily Ever After isn't instantaneous. The pangs of misery, loneliness and confusion before the Ever After feel real. More than anything, the Prince Charming here messes up a lot and needs timely help from a good friend to make his Grand Sweeping Gesture that was staring at him in the face all along!
There are times when the ups and downs of Veer and Jasmine's relationship get a little too much and the description of Veer's "chocolate brown eyes" during their every encounter feels like too much of an overkill... but overall, The Secret Proposal is a light and breezy read. It's just the book you'd pick up if you were in the mood for something girly and romantic... if you don't mind a few cliches (and a lot of swooning) here and there. Especially when they are well-written cliches and there's enough banter to keep you entertained!
I started reading The Secret Proposal a little before my December break and it felt amazing to sink into this... fluffy, dreamy haven.
As you may have guessed from the title and the cover, The Secret Proposal feels like something out of a fairytale. Sure, there's no prince and princess and magical kingdom but there's Veer who could double for Prince Charming in Jasmine's eyes, even if he gets on her last nerve... and Jasmine herself, who is waiting to be swept off her feet, even if it is through a fake engagement to the boy she's secretly been in love with since forever.
The Secret Proposal is at the same time a bit more grounded than most fairytales. For instance, the media threatens to ruin everything. We are given more than a taste of Kolkata: with a full, blown-up picture of the city during Durga Puja; the mouth-watering sweets, colours, diyas and dancing. The Happily Ever After isn't instantaneous. The pangs of misery, loneliness and confusion before the Ever After feel real. More than anything, the Prince Charming here messes up a lot and needs timely help from a good friend to make his Grand Sweeping Gesture that was staring at him in the face all along!
There are times when the ups and downs of Veer and Jasmine's relationship get a little too much and the description of Veer's "chocolate brown eyes" during their every encounter feels like too much of an overkill... but overall, The Secret Proposal is a light and breezy read. It's just the book you'd pick up if you were in the mood for something girly and romantic... if you don't mind a few cliches (and a lot of swooning) here and there. Especially when they are well-written cliches and there's enough banter to keep you entertained!
December 2, 2015
The Secret Proposal by Aniesha Brahma is a roller-coaster of I love you; I love you not.
Larissa ‘Jasmine’ Chakroborty, 13, has a crush on her family friend Tanveer ‘Veer’ Bhattacharya who is 17. Every party they attend together, he takes her out under the pretext of an ice cream and meets his girlfriend.
Eight Years later:
Jasmine’s family has been invited by Veer’s parents for a coming home party for Veer and they do not recognize each other at first but when they do, they again go out for an ice cream after which Veer proposes to her saying that she could pretend to be his girlfriend till he finds the right girl for himself. Things are taken out of their hands when his mother wants them to get formally engaged and Veer also goes along with it. Then, she has to play the perfect fiancée attending his family weddings. One day, they break off suddenly.
Enter Meghan ‘MM’ Mukherjee, Jasmine’s best friend and neighbour since school and lives in Mumbai and Jasmine opens her heart to her. The story has its yeses and nos, they say “I love you “and then they say they don’t.
The author has beautifully described Kolkata during the various festivals. A very cute book, but I felt the names of the girls were very English.
Larissa ‘Jasmine’ Chakroborty, 13, has a crush on her family friend Tanveer ‘Veer’ Bhattacharya who is 17. Every party they attend together, he takes her out under the pretext of an ice cream and meets his girlfriend.
Eight Years later:
Jasmine’s family has been invited by Veer’s parents for a coming home party for Veer and they do not recognize each other at first but when they do, they again go out for an ice cream after which Veer proposes to her saying that she could pretend to be his girlfriend till he finds the right girl for himself. Things are taken out of their hands when his mother wants them to get formally engaged and Veer also goes along with it. Then, she has to play the perfect fiancée attending his family weddings. One day, they break off suddenly.
Enter Meghan ‘MM’ Mukherjee, Jasmine’s best friend and neighbour since school and lives in Mumbai and Jasmine opens her heart to her. The story has its yeses and nos, they say “I love you “and then they say they don’t.
The author has beautifully described Kolkata during the various festivals. A very cute book, but I felt the names of the girls were very English.
January 13, 2014
5 lovely, heart warming stars!!
Well, you can say that i'm a bit prejudiced when it comes to love stories, but this is EXACTLY the kind of love story that i utterly love! I'm not much of a speedy reader, but this book....I finished it in 1 and a half hour, and when i finally got over with it,i was like, "why, the hell did it ever need to end?"
I am totally awed by Tanveer Bhattacharya, that guy with chocolate-brown eyes! If someone ever asked me if i want this book to feature as a movie, i would say "NO." That's because i've made up ALREADY pictured Tanveer in my mind, and that image is so so awesome, that i fear it will not be of that stature if turned into a movie.;) Aww, the extent you can fall in love with a fictional character!
The story was vivid in my eyes.. It automatically drew the picture clear in my head and i liked it.. Cystal clear words, simple but beautiful, i'll also appreciate the author's choice of words. The story line keeps you hooked till the end, especially if you, like me,will come to love Tanveer on the way! You will always want more of him!
Thank you Aniesha for writing a splendid story! :)
Well, you can say that i'm a bit prejudiced when it comes to love stories, but this is EXACTLY the kind of love story that i utterly love! I'm not much of a speedy reader, but this book....I finished it in 1 and a half hour, and when i finally got over with it,i was like, "why, the hell did it ever need to end?"
I am totally awed by Tanveer Bhattacharya, that guy with chocolate-brown eyes! If someone ever asked me if i want this book to feature as a movie, i would say "NO." That's because i've made up ALREADY pictured Tanveer in my mind, and that image is so so awesome, that i fear it will not be of that stature if turned into a movie.;) Aww, the extent you can fall in love with a fictional character!
The story was vivid in my eyes.. It automatically drew the picture clear in my head and i liked it.. Cystal clear words, simple but beautiful, i'll also appreciate the author's choice of words. The story line keeps you hooked till the end, especially if you, like me,will come to love Tanveer on the way! You will always want more of him!
Thank you Aniesha for writing a splendid story! :)
February 19, 2015
"Secret Proposal " is a unique love story , where Larissa/jasmine has a crush on Veer ever since childhood and how after 8 years they meet in a party and veer asks jasmine to be fake fiance and afterwards it takes readers a rollercoaster ride and story blooms. I liked the fact how author has narrated jasmine's feelings and how jasmine's sister and her best friend MM support jasmine at times.
pros :
- author has narrated story really well.
- Each chapter starts with a quote and one can relate to it.
- Even in story at times the reader can relate to feelings as written by author
- Page turner
cons:
- During first half of book , Veer's story is kinda disturbing and is boring even though it does play a role in story .
- Most of the scenes in book is about party and it might make readers boring again.
- Reader might feel come across question "wts going on? " while at times there are situations and conversations b/w characters which might confuse readers, as jasmine and veer fight more often in book.
pros :
- author has narrated story really well.
- Each chapter starts with a quote and one can relate to it.
- Even in story at times the reader can relate to feelings as written by author
- Page turner
cons:
- During first half of book , Veer's story is kinda disturbing and is boring even though it does play a role in story .
- Most of the scenes in book is about party and it might make readers boring again.
- Reader might feel come across question "wts going on? " while at times there are situations and conversations b/w characters which might confuse readers, as jasmine and veer fight more often in book.
June 27, 2023
Aniesha shows a lot of promise through her writing. Although she was only a student while she wrote the book, it is not particularly limited to being a ‘Young Adult’ love story. There are more layers to the plot, and moments that let you ponder on your own life. The ‘in-love’ and ‘out-of-love’ sequences are portrayed very well. The confusion comes out pretty clearly and is intertwined again to further confuse readers. The peripheral characters are sketched well too.
All of us have fallen in love already, haven’t we? Relive the journey through Tanveer and Larissa (I particularly liked the latter). I did like the language in which this book is written, the finer nuances of life in Calcutta, incorporating the quintessential Durga Puja which the Bengalis cannot do without.
All of us have fallen in love already, haven’t we? Relive the journey through Tanveer and Larissa (I particularly liked the latter). I did like the language in which this book is written, the finer nuances of life in Calcutta, incorporating the quintessential Durga Puja which the Bengalis cannot do without.
April 5, 2016
Waste of time and honestly a waste of $0.99. The characters were so immature and wishy-washy. "I love him, I don't love him." "I don't love her, I do love her." Not to mention tossing in some other arrogant, rich prick in the middle of it where it made absolutely no sense to do so. Or characters finding out information that seemed to be pulled from thin air? Most of all? Any woman that faints as much as this one does did has a serious medical issue.
December 28, 2012
I am actually in between "I did not like it much" and "ok". But thats because I think the genre of this book is for a much younger age group. So, I felt it not at par with the kind of expectations I have from a book. I strongly feel a book which one reads has to be age appropriate.
August 24, 2016
The Secret Proposal Review
There were several times I questioned the purpose and content of what I was reading. Overall it's okay but the story has 9 lives (when it should've had two).
There were several times I questioned the purpose and content of what I was reading. Overall it's okay but the story has 9 lives (when it should've had two).
February 15, 2016
Good attempt at love story but too less content. Unnecessary twist at the end.
June 24, 2016
awsome book..............
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews