Hello,

I am back with a post after a while. I was going through this huge writer’s block all of February and despite trying multiple times, I couldn’t put my thoughts into words. But March is here and hopefully, it brings more writing for me. Let us start the month with an easy post i.e. the books I read in February. I honestly thought I’d read at least 4 books in February because I was on a roll but then the last week of February I was too blah to read. So I ended up reading just 3 books this month. Here they are –

Independence by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Plot: The story is set in the years around India’s independence from its colonizers. The story starts in 1946, 3 sisters live in a small village in Bengal with their parents. All three sisters are very different from one another. As India nears independence, the British announce the partition of the country leading to havoc in the state of Bengal which is to be split into two. This havoc creates upheaval in their lives too leading them on their own separate journeys. Will they find a way back to each other?

Review: If you read my January Reads post, you probably know that I met the brilliant author of this book in person during a book signing. I have been a fan of Chitra’s books for years now. I picked up this book during that book signing event. Coming back to the review, I loved how the book was written from all three girls’ perspectives – it gave us a glimpse into the same situation but from their different viewpoints. I loved how all of them had their grey sides and were very real characters that we can all relate to. Overall, it was a nice, light read but not one of my favourites by her. Her past books have had me balling for hours after and I get that not all books are meant to do that but this book is trite with situations where the reader could be moved to tears and yet, it wasn’t able to move me. It is a nice one-time read that I especially recommend to those wanting a glimpse into the realities of the partition of India.

Verdict: 7/10 (I gave an extra .5 just cause I love the author)

Buy it here.

The Housemaid (#1) by Freida McFadden

Plot: Millie a recent parolee is jobless and living out of her car when she gets a prestigious, well-paying job with the elegant, well-to-do Nina Winchester as her family’s housemaid. She is thrilled about the job despite the small attic room that she has to live out of. But as days pass by Nina’s behavior becomes more and more eccentric. Millie feels attracted to Nina’s good-looking husband, Andrew and things start to get murky all around.

Review: You know my love for thrillers, so I had to pick one up this month too. I heard so many rave reviews about this book and I loved it too. It is a fast-paced book and keeps you on your toes guessing about what is really happening. I loved seeing the story develop and was quite shook by the ending. Is this a perfect book? No. The ending was a little unrealistic. But overall it was a great read.

Verdict: 8/10

Buy it here.

The Night She Disappeared By Lisa Jewell

Plot: 19 -year-old, Tallulah, leaves for a date night with her boyfriend and they both never come back. Her mother, Kim, is left to look after their baby while looking for answers to what happened that night. Last, Tallulah was seen leaving with a group of people from the bar but none of them have any answers either. What happened that night and where is Tallulah?

Review: If you have been reading my book read posts, you probably know that I fell in love with Lisa Jewell’s books ever since I read ‘The Family Upstairs’ and ‘Watching You’. I have been a little disappointed in her other books that I have read ever since but I decided to give just one more a read. This book was interesting. It has an interesting premise about a girl disappearing in the middle of the night with no trace whatsoever and no clues left behind. I just didn’t feel hooked to the mystery of finding her. There were too many players involved in the story and I didn’t feel emotionally invested in Tallulah’s disappearance. The ending was unbelievable and just very ‘eh’ but going by the great ratings on Goodreads maybe it made sense to others. Definitely not my favourite book by Lisa Jewell.

Verdict: 6.5/10

Buy it here.

I also read half of two more books which I will cover in my March reads. I went for the book fair happening in Delhi and ended up buying a bunch of new books. I have my TBR ready for the next two months. What have you been reading these days? Any recommendations?

Reading Goal Update for 2023: 6/30

And yes, I am back to the blogging world! 🙂

If you haven’t already, checkout my other recent posts here:

• Things I Haven’t Been Liking About Myself This Year
• February 2023: Reads & Update
• Working Title
• Why Am I Scared?
• January 2023: Monthly Book Reads and Reviews