The cultural and religion aspects of this book were phenomenal. It’s the kind of representation that has the potential to be life changing for someone.
Unfortunately, the rest of the book was giving nothing.
Everything was so surface level and very sterile. There was no character development or plot or stakes. A book needs strong characters or strong action—or both, but at least one—and this had neither.
Kismat Connection is told in dual POVs, following best friends turned fake couple Madhuri and Arjun. Neither character had a personality. Arjun was fine, he was just boring, but I really disliked Madhuri for most of the book. She was constantly lashing out and biting off Arjun’s head, but it’s fine she doesn’t mean it, she’s just stressed. She really just used and abused* him the whole book, and he was this doting lovesick little puppy the whole time. He deserved better. I really don’t like them together.
I think the character relationships and interactions were the weakest part of this book. Every singly interaction was so sterile, even the ones that were supposed to be messy. Every conversation was just people saying the perfect things and articulating their emotions verbatim. It felt like a scripted conversation you have in group therapy to practice using different skills. Like when you practice your “I Feels”. No one talks like that, and its so ingenuine and honestly boring to read. A book needs drama, and almost every argument in this book ended with a too-perfect apology within a paragraph. There was no emotions. It was robotic.
The book was also very surface level in the general narration and plot. It’s 300 pages, but it spans an entire year with no real time skipping or anything. It’s just all telling instead of showing. There’s no depth to anything at all. The plot points are rushed, and so many things like interactions with friends (especially everything with Olivia and Brynn) are written as if they’re supposed to hold emotional weight, but they don’t because none of those emotions or dynamics are actually explored on page. We’re just told this happens and that happens and it makes Madhuri or Arjun feel like this. We don’t get to experience any of it with them. We rush from plot point to plot point with no scenes showing processing, no time to let it sink in or to let the characters react and feel their feelings. Typically there’s like a paragraph at most before the next thing happens.
This reads like a really detailed outline, and it just needs so much more fleshing out.
I honestly had to force myself through this, because I was really bored, and Madhuri really pissed me off with the way she treated Arjun—and kind of everyone else, but especially him.
Unfortunately, the rest of the book was giving nothing.
Everything was so surface level and very sterile. There was no character development or plot or stakes. A book needs strong characters or strong action—or both, but at least one—and this had neither.
Kismat Connection is told in dual POVs, following best friends turned fake couple Madhuri and Arjun. Neither character had a personality. Arjun was fine, he was just boring, but I really disliked Madhuri for most of the book. She was constantly lashing out and biting off Arjun’s head, but it’s fine she doesn’t mean it, she’s just stressed. She really just used and abused* him the whole book, and he was this doting lovesick little puppy the whole time. He deserved better. I really don’t like them together.
I think the character relationships and interactions were the weakest part of this book. Every singly interaction was so sterile, even the ones that were supposed to be messy. Every conversation was just people saying the perfect things and articulating their emotions verbatim. It felt like a scripted conversation you have in group therapy to practice using different skills. Like when you practice your “I Feels”. No one talks like that, and its so ingenuine and honestly boring to read. A book needs drama, and almost every argument in this book ended with a too-perfect apology within a paragraph. There was no emotions. It was robotic.
The book was also very surface level in the general narration and plot. It’s 300 pages, but it spans an entire year with no real time skipping or anything. It’s just all telling instead of showing. There’s no depth to anything at all. The plot points are rushed, and so many things like interactions with friends (especially everything with Olivia and Brynn) are written as if they’re supposed to hold emotional weight, but they don’t because none of those emotions or dynamics are actually explored on page. We’re just told this happens and that happens and it makes Madhuri or Arjun feel like this. We don’t get to experience any of it with them. We rush from plot point to plot point with no scenes showing processing, no time to let it sink in or to let the characters react and feel their feelings. Typically there’s like a paragraph at most before the next thing happens.
This reads like a really detailed outline, and it just needs so much more fleshing out.
I honestly had to force myself through this, because I was really bored, and Madhuri really pissed me off with the way she treated Arjun—and kind of everyone else, but especially him.