The Journey of Om by Chandru Bhojwani

Title: The Journey of Om

Author: Chandru Bhojwani

Age Group: Adults

# of Pages: 287

My Rating: 3/5

Om discovers the love of his life, Preeti, has cheated on him. It breaks his heart terribly and he cannot properly function, knowing that his life will never be the same. Two of the closest people to him, his cousin Mona and best friend Arun, are also in their own predicaments. The three struggle through their own personal journeys as they discover love, heartbreaks, and betrayal.

By the book's synopsis, it was unlikely that I would have ever picked up this novel if it wasn't for a request. I tend to avoid all sob stories as much as I can because I hate being sad. It did not turn out to be depressing as I originally thought it would, which was a good thing. However, I think it is the book's downfall because it seems like it should have been more heart provoking than it was.

There was potential in this novel. In my opinion though, the writing did not match up to the story in sequence. I felt that there was something missing from the writing. Sometimes there would be big descriptions and other times, it was pure dialogue. The writing was uneven. Sometimes it would jump back and forth from present to past. Most of the time, I saw it coming but other times, it just came out of nowhere. I think that there shouldn't have been so many past memories included because from what I was reading, it was unnecessary to the development of the plot.

The situations that were happening were realistic for sure, but there were times it was like "Really?" The one thing I did like about this book are the articles that the protagonist wrote, because he is a journalist. I also liked the Bollywood feel to the story. My best friend is Indian and she is a huge Bollywood fan. I was proud to have spot out and knew some of the terms and celebrities that were included because she somewhat exposed me to that world. So this book reminded me of her in that way and the fact that she really likes sad romances.

My biggest problem would be the ending. I was left puzzled and a little peeved. There is a huge cliffhanger but with an obvious hint of how it will turn out. I am unable to spoil it but it was disappointing after all that had happened.

I would recommend this novel for sure to Bollywood fans that enjoy love drama.

Review copy provided by Chandru Bhojwani.