All Signs Lead Back To You by Aniesha Brahma : A Review

BOOK TITLE: All Signs Lead Back To You

AUTHOR: Aniesha Brahma

ISBN/ASIN: 978-9380925653 / B01MQGN4GK

GENRE: Fiction / YA

NUMBER OF PAGES: 87

FORMAT: Digital

SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: I thank The b00k r3vi3w Tour and the author for this review copy

SUMMARY:

2013.

As the final bell for the day rang on their last day in school, Diya Rai, had a chill run down her spine. The chill of not knowing what the future holds for her and her high school sweetheart, Ashwin Chowdhury.

So she does a preemptive strike.

She dumps him before he can hurt her.

2015.

Two years later, Ashwin and Diya, cross paths. Each holds grudges, feelings and only one half of the story that completes them.

Told from alternating points of view, through a non-linear timeline, this is the story about first love, second chances and ALL the SIGNS THAT LEAD BACK TO YOU.

FIRST IMPRESSION:

I had already read 'When Our Worlds Collide' by Aniesha and absolutely loved the book. Above and beyond the story, the writing style kept me glued to the book and I remember finishing it at a go. So naturally, I was very eager to read this book, too. In comparison, the summary of this book seemed sweeter (who doesn't like pure and simple high school romances?) and the cover (though a little less impressive than the previous) was a curious design of patterns. Basically, I just read the summary to know what the story was going to be about before I delved in, and it was more than enough to interest me.

REVIEW:

There is a comforting familiarity in reading the books of an author whose books you have read and loved. There is no preliminary decision-making stage, the 'do I read this now or later' dilemma. Once you are able to get your hands on the book and have some time to spare, you kind of delve in directly, knowing that the words on the page will seem like a personal, one on one conversation that the author has with you, narrating the story as you listen with rapt eyed attention, captivated by the words. That was the effect I had while reading When Our Worlds Collide, and I sat down to read this book too, with the same expectation. And it did not disappoint. The soothing effect of the words was back in this one too.

The story premise is simple. There are two high school sweethearts, Diya Rai and Ashwin Choudhury. Diya breaks the 'relationship' up because she fears high school is a 'parting of ways' period and Ashwin might dump her when school ends. The 'break off' announcement is so abrupt, so sudden that Ashwin is startled. They part ways and two years later, Diya chances upon Ashwin in a bookstore, and ducks out of his field of vision, trying to slink away unnoticed. And then the reminiscence begins, with Diya being thankful that Ashwin had apparently not noticed her. But it so happens that Ashwin actually noticed her and knew she was trying to slink away (a cute execution of this scene deserves full credits).

The story travels in two timelines, back and forth and is narrated from two points of view (that of Ashwin and Diya). Both of them have new people in their life, respectively, and Ashwin cannot help but be jealous of the new best friend, Nina, that Diya seems to have. Repeated meetings, both expected and sudden, make Diya and Ashwin clash with each other. Neither Rishab, Diya's current boyfriend, nor Trina, Ashwin's probable girl friend, like the way the high school sweethearts bicker with each other. And though their suspicions are actually baseless, the readers do get the reasons behind them.

While one is reading the story, it would really help to remember that both Diya and Ashwin are barely 21, and the initial romance happened in high school, a period where drama and hormones rule. There is a bit of excess drama that would have looked out of place anywhere else, but in this story, it fleshes out the characters even more than what they actually are. The dialogues, assumptions etc are true to the nature of the story line and the age of the characters and the absolute complete belief that teenagers and young adults have about the temperamental nature of love. The book succeeds because Aniesha does not make the characters complex. IN this day and age where love and long standing relationships are complex and often looked at with disbelief and doubts, the inner turmoil of both the characters and the passion and ego they feel in equal measure have been brought out extremely well.

There is something incredibly special about a high school romance - you never really forget the first love, and anything anyone ever does might remind you of that person you fell in love with madly, deeply - like the fresh morning footprints on a night of undisturbed snowfall. The quotes and writing style are the USP of this book. The reader can feel the words wrap around them in a comforting cocoon, making them laugh and groan at places. I personally loved the character of Nina very much (and her drunken rants even more), and feel that a little more backstory to Diya's mom would have made more of an impact on the reader after the big reveal. It would have helped the readers connect and empathise more with Diya and her truant attitude.

Like the beautiful quote in one of the author's previous books, this one too, is about the journey, not the destination. The ending is both predictable and unpredictable in its own way. The writing is alluring and elicits the right reaction from the readers in many places (it does not break the concentration even with the typos and errors). The climax is only a leg of the journey and not the ultimate goal of it. The emotions and complexity associated with modern day relationships have been written about so beautifully that this book will instantly connect with your hearts. This book will surely grab a place as a comfort read, sometimes taking the reader back to their own high school days.

All Signs Lead Back To You is an ordinary story narrated in an extraordinary way. 

WHAT I LIKED:

• The smooth writing style. There is a charm to it.
• Not harping on only 'love' as a central emotion though this can be called a 'romance book'
• The quotes at the beginning of each chapter, the author's USP. You could make placards out of them and hang them around the room for daily motivation

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

• The ending left a bit to be desired - it was rushed.
• I would have loved a little more backstory on Diya's mom, and a little flesh to the character so it impacts better
• Additional focus on the extra characters could have made the story livelier

VERDICT:

A comfort read, would find a place in my bookshelf. Waiting for the author's next!

RATING: 3.75/5

EDITIONS AVAILABLE: Kindle, Paperback

PRICE Rs. 75 for Kindle, Rs.150 for Paperback

BOOK LINKS: Amazon