Review- Love, Whatever That Means by Aditi Mathur Kumar

Summary-

Hi, I'm Tina. I work for a TV news channel. I have quirky, adorable friends and a Mr. Army Guy who seems like The One. What can go wrong?

Turns out, a lot! My boss is a pervert, the job is meh and no friend is single any more. Also, the special someone is too intense to be true. Help me, someone!

A punch in the nose, deep romance, lots of over-analyzing, a steamy kiss and pure, crazy Tina makes this book a fun read. Laugh out loud or shake your head giggling - Love, Whatever that Means - will warm your heart.

This is the much awaited second book from the hilarious author of the book 'Soldier & Spice: An Army Wife's Life' which is called the handbook for every modern day Indian Army Wife. 

Release date: May 30th, 2016

Published by: Pirates Inc

Page numbers: 260

Review-

Sarika and I had the pleasure to meet Aditi for the second time at Pune Literature Fest 2016. Aditi is such a great person to talk to and I love the way she writes. I absolutely adored Soldier and Spice so I was super excited to read Love, Whatever That Means. Now I have to confess, I think Soldier and Spice still continues to remain my favourite book by her but Love, Whatever That Means was definitely a good read for me.

This is the story of Tina. Tina works for a TV News Channel, she has a group of friends she spends her free time with and in general she's trying to get ahead in life. But things are obviously not as simple as they seem. Her new boss is a pervert and she may or may not be falling hard for a certain Army guy. We get to see Tina wade through life while trying to keep her head above the water.

I loved Tina. She was such a cute and sweet girl. I found her thought processes to be extremely funny and easy to relate to. Tina was young. She had her vulnerabilities and insecurities but she was also all in all a good person. I loved Tina's friends as well. There couldn't be a more supportive bunch and the way they rallied around Tina when she was in trouble was great to see. I liked how we got to know a little about each one of them and what was happening in their lives.

Now for the best part, obviously, the romance for me. It was amazing. I found Virat aka Army Guy to be the perfect match for Tina. Virat was the strong and silent types basically the complete opposite of Tina. But he was steady and intense and so sure of his feelings for her. I loved how patient he was with Tina when she was unsure of her feelings. The romance was definitely swoon worthy for me. 

Love, Whatever That Means at the core is Tina trying to find her footing in life. Combined with that are the issues she has to deal with. Aditi's writing is engaging and easy. I kept flipping the pages. One flaw I'd like to point out are the typos in the book. It got a bit annoying and that did decrease my enjoyment of the book a little bit. Nevertheless, Love, Whatever That Means was a great read for me. I would definitely recommend it!

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

Author Interview + Giveaway (India Only)- Soldier and Spice by Aditi Mathur Kumar

Hey guys! :)

Today we have with us the lovely Aditi. She is the author of Soldier and Spice- An Army Wife's Life. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Soldier and Spice, you can find my review of it here. Keep on reading ahead for the interview and a chance to win a signed copy of the book for yourself. Belive me, you don't wanna miss out!

Summary-

‘Good evening, Aunty.’

Very cute, I think and smile. Then I turn around to see the aunty he is wishing so sweetly. There is no one, the road is empty.

‘Is someone there?’ I say, squinting at the road.

‘Good eveningggggg, Aunty!’ he recites again, his wide eyes set on me.

I don’t understand.

Could he be, like, calling me an aunty?

I freeze. I couldn’t be...

Aunty?

For Pia, regular life is a thing of the past. She’s something far from regular now – she’s an Army Wife.  From ‘just Pia’ to an Aunty, a memsaab and – her favorite sound in the whole wide world - Mrs. Pia Arjun Mehra – at 26, Pia’s life is now focused on being ‘lady like’, on themed Ladies’ Meets,  High Tea events, Welfare Functions, long (unexpected) separations from the husband, extraordinary challenges, fresh set of social etiquettes and well, growing up.

In the mysterious and grand world of Army wives, Pia learns that being able to tie a perfect saree is as important as being able to resist kissing the husband leaving lipstick marks on him combats.  She learns that walking in high heels is okay as long as you don’t trip on Combat boots. She learns that ‘civil’ is also a noun, that JCO and GOC are (very!) different, that snacks are ‘shown’ and WTF is better explained as Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Yeah, it’s a new world!

Let this fast-paced story of the first year of Pia’s Army-Wife life show you that the spice to a soldier’s life is most definitely his better, very strong, bloody extremely elegant, never-cussing, witty, warm and passionate half, his Army Wife.

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About the Author:

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Author Interview:

1.       Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am a blogger, an Army Wife, mother of a 3 year old and a full time Digital Media professional. My love for blogging and writing keeps me up till 2 in the night, on any regular day. I love to write; hate to edit (especially my own work). I read a lot and currently I am considering moving from an actual-book-reader to a kindle-reader.  Also, I am totally un-embarrassed about my recent Young-Adult addiction!

2.       Tell us about Soldier & Spice and what made you write it?

Soldier and Spice: An Army Wife’s Life is my first book and hence it automatically is my favorite book in the world. Okay, in the top 3! More or less. Jokes aside, this is the story of a ‘normal’ aka civilian girl Pia, who falls in love with and then marries an officer in the India Army. The book tell of her adventures in the first year of being an Army Wife – the fun parts and the funny incidents, the  typical fauji code-of-conduct and the struggles ‘outsiders’ face, and the emotional and the scary part of it all. The story is funny (I hope!) and a very quick read. What made me write it was my almost similar experience, being a civilian married into the forces. I thought this story needs to be told, and I wrote it.

3.       What do you like to blog about?

Just about everything. Really. Travel, Parenting, Social Causes, Random Conversations with people I’ve met, Satires on the political system, restaurant reviews. Like I said – I blog about everything. My Blog Monologue is not slotted in one category because I don’t intend for it to be bound by definitions. I love the freedom to pick any topic that I’ve been blogging since 2006 I think, and it has been a journey I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. For anyone who hasn’t been to my (Awesome) blog yet, please check it out – it’s fun. Aditi’s Monologue.

4.       Do you listen to music while writing? If yes, what kind?

To use the lame HIMYM phrase - No-can-do's-ville, baby doll. Music is a huge distraction for me while writing because - I start to sing along.

5.       3 books you would recommend to everyone.

Other than Soldier & Spice: An Army Wife’s Life, you mean? Well, in no particular order – ‘High Fidelity’ by Nick Hornby, ‘City of Djinns’ by William Dalrymple, and ‘Never Let Me Go’ by Kazuo Ishiguro.

6.       Any advice for upcoming writers?

If you want to write, getting started is the first and the most important step.  Just write. The rest will follow. And oh, read a lot.

7.       What is your favorite quote?

“Oh, the places you’ll go!” By Dr. Seuss. I have it tattooed, talk about obsessed!

8.       What’s your next project? 

Another book – fiction and humor. I’m still editing it, though.

9.       Name 2 things you consider yourself to be very good at.

 I think I’m good at staying up till very late in the night for no reason at all, and at speed-reading books. I read not less than 3 books simultaneously and I am a pretty fast reader.

10.       Name 2 things you consider yourself to be very bad at.

 1. Multitasking.

 2. Staying focused on one project at a time. I literally get distracted by all things shiny. 

Giveaway:

After that fun interview its time for a giveaway! Aditi has generously offered to give away FIVE signed copies of Soldier and Spice: An Army Wife's Life to five lucky Indian readers. All you have to do is complete the entries in the rafflecopter.

If the rafflecopter is not loading go here.

May the odds be ever in your favour!

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Thank you so much guys and happy reading! :)

Review- Soldier & Spice by Aditi Mathur Kumar

Summary-

For Pia, regular life is a thing of the past. She is now an Army wife. From ‘just Pia’ to an Aunty, a memsaab and – her favourite words in the whole wide world – Mrs Pia Arjun Mehra. 

At twenty six, Pia finds herself having to suddenly be more ‘lady-like’; focus on themed ladies’ meets, high teas and welfare functions; and deal with long (unexpected) separations from her husband, extraordinary challenges, a little heartache, and, well, growing up. 

In the mysterious and grand world of Army wives, Pia learns that walking in high heels is okay as long as you don’t trip on combat boots. She learns that ‘civil’ is also a noun, that JCO and GOC are (very!) different, that snacks are ‘shown’ and WTF is better explained as Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Yes, it really is a new world! 

Let this quirky, hilarious story of the first year of Pia’s Army-wife life show you that the spice to a soldier’s life is most definitely his better, very strong, bloody extremely elegant, never-cussing, witty, warm and passionate half, his Army wife.

Review-

I had no expectations whatsoever before I started Soldier & Spice. I thought it would be a nice read. I so did not expect myself to enjoy it as much as I did. Soldier & Spice was an amazing read.  The topic was how a civilian girl becomes an Army wife and how her life changes. I'm pretty clueless where the Indian Army is concerned but I loved it.

Pia is our protagonist. It has been a month since she married the love of her life, Arjun. Arjun is in the Indian Army so its obvious that now Pia has to live the life of an Army wife. I loved Pia. She was fun! It was so easy to relate to her. She was bubbly and outspoken and quirky. Confident as a modern woman but still she had her own awkward moments which made her that much more adorable.

I loved being inside Pia's head and discovering a whole new world living as an Army wife. She has to go through a ton of changes from just being Pia to Mrs. Pia Arjun Mehra. We get to see her wobbling through etiquette classes and various high teas. The Army is made up of hierarchy and it demands discipline even where the wives are concerned.

Another thing I loved about Pia was her relationship with her husband Arjun. Arjun was a typical male not even attempting to guess what goes on Pia's head. He loved his wife to pieces but he still didn't get the mysterious workings of the female brain. Pia and Arjun's bond was full of love, playfulness and passion. They made a great couple who stood by each other through thick and thin.

Sarika and I have had the pleasure to meet Aditi. She is a wonderful a person and her personality shines through her writing. For a debut author, the book was so well written. Soldier & Spice made me laugh out loud several times. The book left me with a content smile on my face after finishing it. I would recommend Soldier & Spice to everyone.

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