Warning: I have tried really hard to avoid spoilers. However, I suggest you read at your own risk.

You Never Know

Author: Akash Verma

Publisher: Penguin India

Genre: Romantic Thriller, Psychological Thriller

Blurb (as on Goodreads):

There will be times when you feel you have the best relationship, ever . . .
There will be times when it will be the worst that has happened to you
There will be times when you know you are getting into something
horrible, something that will not stop till it destroys you,
And yet . . .
You are pulled so inextricably, unstoppably . . .
She was my true love, I knew that. So despite being married and having children, I still went ahead with our affair. I hid it from my wife and colleagues. I told lies so I could be with her-it was that amazing! But I couldn’t hide from the dark truth she was keeping. It pulled me into a vortex of danger so deep that I lost all I had. It happened to me and if you think it won’t happen to you-think again.

My Take

Dhruv, a marketing professional, falls in love with one of his colleagues. What’s different about this love story is that he is married to Shalini and has two kids. On the other hand, Dhruv’s girlfriend Anuradha has just escaped a troubled relationship and carries her own secrets and emotional baggage. Dhruv feels a strange connection towards Anuradha, a connection strong enough for him to cheat on his wife and lie to his kids. All’s good in Paradise until one day people from Anuradha’s past threaten to destroy their perfect lives. They have only one demand- a certain evidence, that has the capacity destroy a very powerful person. Will Dhruv risk everything for the (new found) love of his life?

Disclaimer: Rant Ahead.

There’s only one thing I like about this book- fancy editing.

The novel claims to be a psychological thriller. However, the definition of a ‘psychological’ thriller here seems to be a cheating husband and a lying mistress. The book is deceiving is all forms. Let’s start with the title: ‘You Never Know: Sometimes Love can Drag you through Hell’. I honestly expected this to be some out-of-the-world psychological thriller, with secrets, treachery, and betrayal. There were secrets, but not strong enough to carry the weight of the title or the cover.

The plot itself is full of loopholes. It’s your average ‘been-there-read-that’ romance. The characters are superficial and poorly written, especially the female characters. There’s a constant turmoil in my mind whether I like them or not. Mostly not. I judged this book so bad. Most of the main characters are super-annoying people, who can’t keep their feelings and emotions in check. There’s absolutely no logic whatsoever. (Now, please don’t say ‘all is fair in love and war’).

You know what’s worse- the example this book sets. Dhruv cheats on his wife, who is an amazing wife btw. There’s absolutely no reason for him to cheat. He makes love to both these women (enjoying both the worlds) and then he makes this ‘one’ statement about another character – ‘ I wanted to see how low a man can stoop to fulfill the calling of his dick’. This blew my mind. The characters claim to be in love, but at the time of owning that up, they came up with these bizarre conclusions and facts. (Trying to avoid spoilers here.)

The book has failed to deliver the promises it made (I mean look at the title, cover, and blurb). It is a disappointment at so many levels. There’s a book I reviewed recently called ‘Messed Up! But all for love’ and I criticized it on the basis of plot and editing. I found that book to be better after reading this one.

A lot of people might love this book. But I couldn’t find it interesting or intriguing. I don’t mean to offend anyone, but I will not apologize for this review to anyone. I really wanted to like this book.