Review- Monsoon Wedding Fever by Shoma Narayanan

Goodreads Summary:

A match made in Mumbai!
Coming home from a night out, Riya is not expecting to trip over the man who once broke her heart sleeping on her living room floor! He's over for her flatmate's wedding – which means she's got to spend 24/7 with the guy – and the sparks are already flying!
Six years ago Riya fell for him – totally –whereas Dhruv didn’t believe in love. Not then and not now. After all, the other reason he's in India is to consider an arranged marriage! But as the monsoons start Riya and Dhruv are forced to confront what drove them apart back then. Only then does Riya start to hope that this wedding fever could perhaps be...contagious...

REVIEW:

Shoma Narayanan's Monsoon Wedding Fever is an Indian Mills & Boon. The author won a story writing contest and was selected to write the first Indian Mills & Boon novel. I've heard women of all generations swoon over these books. My mom being a huge fan of the most famous romance novels of all time suggested we buy Monsoon Wedding Fever and after both my mom my best friend/fellow blogger Janhvi (two romance fans) said the book was really really good, I thought I should it a try. 

Since I hadn't read any M&B books before (sad, I know), I didn't know what to expect and I didn't have a previous record of read novels to compare it to. Even then, Monsoon Wedding Fever took me by surprise. I enjoyed reading my first ever Mills & Boon novel and what better way to start it off than by an Indian author. 

Okay, I admit I didn't really find anything swoon-worthy, but the story in itself was really good. Riya and Dhruv were really good friends in college and at seventeen, Riya knows she is in love with Dhruv. After a brief make-out session, Dhruv leaves Riya and never looks back. Many years later, things start heating up when Dhruv shows up at Riya's apartment to attend the wedding of his cousin and Riya's flatmate, Gaurav. This grand wedding creates a general romantic atmosphere and Riya and Dhruv find themselves getting way too close. One event leads to another and this heartbreaking, cautious and at times silly journey makes both Riya and Dhruv realise their place in each other's lives. 

As main characters, both Riya and Dhruv are essentially "Indian" and I could easily relate to all the little things that come with being brought up in an Indian family, like meeting relatives at a wedding, having them literally force you to get married (that one's far away for me, but still, I've seen it happen) or even the general family scenario in the life of an Indian. Riya and Dhruv have predominantly "metropolitan" lifestyle, with both of them having studied outside of their respective hometowns, doing a 9 to 5 job and juggling with the daily hassles of life. 
Riya was a sweet girl, though at times she did get on my nerves. Dhruv was handsome and smart, but sometimes his actions also irritated me. Then again, no one is perfect and each person has their own way of dealing with their own life. Once Riya and Dhruv were together, it was hard to miss the sizzling chemistry between them. The light teasing, the slight tension in the air, the nerves, the sexual attraction were hard to miss. Their conversations were mature, thoughtful and enjoyable. 
Shoma Narayanan has written a beautiful story that gives readers a glimpse into the chaotic and incredible Indian lifestyle with it's perks and windfalls. 

A sweet love story, Monsoon Wedding Fever is an enjoyable and beautiful read. I recommend this novel to romance and M&B fans, but I think every woman (even non-readers like my sister) or man (if they really really enjoy romances) will enjoy this short and sweet novel. 

RATING:

X 3.5

Sarika