Review- Games Girls Play by Aastha Atray Banan

Summary-

Can two independent single women in Mumbai, who couldn't have less in common, be friends? When the prudish Siya, who dreams of writing a wildly popular bestseller someday ironically, a book about dating in Mumbai, meets the unabashedly promiscuous Natasha, both their lives change dramatically. Prodded by Natasha, Siya makes the daring decision to shed her inhibitions and put herself out there in the fiercely competitive dating market. And who better than Natasha, the 'bad girl' herself, to guide her through the glamorous, hidden world of the singles of Mumbai? Natasha, too, is on a quest of her own, she wants to find a man who will look beyond the merely physical and value her for her true worth. And even as she finds true love in the unlikeliest of men, she begins to find her self-worth anew. In the charged roller-coaster ride Siya and Natasha undertake, their deepening friendship will change them in ways they never expected. Games Girls Play astutely captures what it means to be a single woman in the big bad city, making for a racy and wickedly charming story of love and friendship.

Review-

Games Girls Play looked like a cute read and that is one of the reasons I picked this book up. I always seem to enjoy reads which are based in contemporary India and this was definitely a good, short read. It turned out to be much better and rather simple than I expected it to be and that was the beauty of it.

Natasha and Siya are two girls living in the city of Mumbai and they couldn't be more different if they tried. Siya is the typical girl next door who believes in sex after marriage. She holds her values close and could be even called a bit of a prude at times. When Siya agrees to a book deal where she has to portray the wild independent women of Mumbai she has no clue what to write. Until she meets Natasha and the girls agree to a deal.

Natasha is what the others might call a slut. She's the girl every guy wants to get with and every girl is jealous of. But underneath her facade of free spirit there is a vulnerable woman who wants be loved for more than just her physical looks. I really didn't expect to like Natasha and Siya both but I did. They each had their faults but they also had so many qualities which made them so easy to relate to.

With the unexpected friendship that forms between the girls, both Siya and Natasha discover things within themselves. And while wading through their lives they also both stumble upon men who see them for who they really are and accept them as is. I really liked how romance was a part of both Siya and Natasha's lives but it never over powered the essence of the book, which was their friendship.

The drama in Games Girls Play was a minimum which was surprising but so realistic. There is no huge life changing moral at the end of it but there is a simple one. The writing was smooth and engaging which made me fly through the book and root for Siya and Natasha's happy endings. Games Girls Play was a good read.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by the Rupa publishers in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.