Thinking of Loving You

by Ain Nabilah

Yumna has struggled all her life trying to define her own worth and prove that she is capable of achieving success. But everything always falls short in the eyes of the one person most dear to her — her father.

An exciting opportunity to work overseas is the chance that Yumna has been waiting for to prove that she can succeed in life.

But a condition was set before Yumna was allowed to go. Andika will look after her because her father doesn’t think she could survive on her own.

Once there, just when life is about to turn for the better, challenges begin to appear one after another. When Yumna discovered a betrayal, a big fight ensued between her and Andika.

Feeling alone and without support, Yumna questions if her father was right all along — that she'll never be independent and always helpless.

"I feel like I’ve been living a lie. They were all involved, and I didn’t know.”


***


What if your heart was broken by the person dearest to you? Will you learn to love again?

235 pages, Paperback

Published September 25, 2024

Reviews

[buttercup · Rating 3 out of 5]

to sum up everything yumna tu boleh dikatakan childish and immature la for a 24 year old woman yang dah pernah belajar kat uk for years huhu she should be more openminded and insightful instead of rasa the world is revolving around her solely. maybe its just me yang rasa macam ni tapiii i’ll say that if youngsters yang baru nak try baca buku english/slice of life memang sesuai sebab the input and message is there but its me im the problem here it wasn’t my cuppa because otak i yang dah terlalu tua (dibaca: matang) untuk this type of storyline kot hshhshsh

slice of life and found family trope is MY FOOD OKAY tapi cerita ni terlalu surface. Writing surface storyline straightforward haa paham dak it doesn’t go to the depth of it. Salah i la sebab letak high expectation bila baca tajuk😭😭😭

Same with other characters, no wow factor. Yashe yashe je. Andika tu awal2 ada la ayat yang buat i flutter because of his subtleness but then, hujung2 tu biasa je. Ha bape banyak kali dah aku cakap perkataan biasa ni. Ada je quotes yang i rasa hits. Suka jugak info dumping pasal cara survive kerja dekat Sri Lanka and boleh relate some environment and situation yang author try nak convey as someone yang study pon dekat2 dengan negara situ, i know she did well in researching about this

Like what i said, if you’re under 16 maybeeee you will love this book. But as for me meh sorry. It wasn’t for me. 😔 this book isn’t that good but isnt that bad too. Mid. (Again this is my PERSONAL opinion. Boleh jadi it doesnt suit my preference but it does for you. Mind my brutal thoughts, dont let them influence you otherwise🥹)

oh ha satu lagi. tajuk dia takde kena mengena langsung dengan storyline. confession scene pon ADOOOO BARU LEPAS GRAD SPM PASTU KELUAR DARI DEWAN TERUS LAMAR MEMBER JADI AWEK KE BANG i didnt put high expectation for the ending to be like that la as awal2 pun dah punahkan my expectation🫠 one thing i suka is cerita ni tak cringe. It didn’t give me those chills tapi tula hahahah very the high school stories coded.

[sebijinanas · Rating 3 out of 5]

never thought ill finish this book just in a few hours.

I would say this book is just okay for me. The storytelling feels a bit predictable, maybe because it’s what you’d expect from the beginning. However, I really appreciate how the hero is portrayed as a 'green flag.' Additionally, I’ve learned quite a few new things from reading it, so thank you for that.

That said, I was hoping for more romance at the end, especially since both characters confess their feelings face-to-face. I was so invested in that moment, but unfortunately, it was too short, and the ending didn’t fully satisfy me.

[fifareads · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay read for me, but I have to say the FMC kinda annoys me. She wanted people to let her be independent, but her action is not showing that. She keeps asking help (not that there's anything wrong with asking for help), it's just that maybe don't be too annoyed when people trying to help you since when they don't help you, you're the one that asked for their help.

She's also a rich girl and I think the writer portrayed that nicely. When reading, I can get the vibe that FMC is a rich girl who has never experienced a hard life. That part where she cried after being scolded, saying that she worked hard at that but wasn't appreciated. Girl, everyone worked hard in this life. Just because you work hard, doesn't mean that everyone will appreciate it. That's just how life is. Us poor people just need to work harder. Not everyone can just cry and hope that our manager will go easy on us. That doesn't work in real life. No one care if you work hard, they just wanted it done well.

And what's with the love plot though. Suddenly they like each other. Okayyy, random but okayyy..

[Qayiem Razali · Rating 2 out of 5]

12/2025

-Thinking of Loving You
-Ain Nabilah

Terlebih dahulu ucapan maaf kepada pihak penulis sekiranya review saya akan mengecewakan penulis. Namun ini cumalah pandangan saya sahaja. Lain pembaca, lain citarasa.

Untuk buku Thinking of Loving You, entah mengapa saya rasa isinya seperti 'kosong', seperti kurang rasa. Seperti susah muncul 'spark' antara dua watak utama. Jalan ceritanya juga bagi saya agak mendatar. Namun, saya percaya ini tulisan pertama daripada penulis. Jadi sebagai permulaan, saya anggap usaha penulis menamatkan cerita ini tetap juga wajar dipuji. Penggunaan bahasa Inggeris yang mudah difahami sedikit sebanyak memberi kefahaman yang bagus kepada pembaca terutama bagi mereka yang baru berjinak untuk mendalami bahasa ini.

Secara ringkasnya, buku TOLY merupakan sebuah naskhah tentang cinta, kekeluargaan dan juga pengorbanan. Walau apapun, buku ini masih boleh dihadam. Tahniah buat penulis. Semoga terus berkarya!

[Farah Mahashim · Rating 2 out of 5]

the concept was alright but the fmc is quite annoying 🤷‍♀️

[♡ Aliah ⸜( ˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for me. I consider myself a sensitive soul and I love writings that make me feel things. Sadly this book didn't give me anything, at all.... Well, maybe I was slightly annoyed with the main character. Gahh I don't think I've ever disliked a main character before! Simply put, it's a miss for me. But I believe this might be enjoyable to the young teens under 15(?)

I bought this book because of the title and I must say I'm disappointed because it doesn't reflect the story(????) 😞

[Husna Rosli · Rating 3 out of 5]

The MC was written well, believable and sama macam saya pernah encounter in real life. I like the narrative, especially on the self discovery.

[dania ✧ ˚ · . · Rating 1 out of 5]

the writing is just bad honestly

[Book MY · Rating 3 out of 5]

Satu perkara yang saya suka dalam buku ni ialah bagaimana penulis menggambarkan betapa cantiknya Nuwara Eliya, yang mana pada mulanya saya ingatkan adalah satu lokasi fiksyen semata-mata. Rupa-rupanya tempat tu memang wujud di Sri Lanka! Terus masuk dalam bucket list..hehe

Jalan cerita buku ni apapun pada saya agak cliche dan mendatar. Lebih sesuai untuk sesiapa yang menyukai novel yang tiada drama berat-berat. A very relaxing story and you can finish it in one sitting. Seperti tajuknya, buku ni ditulis dalam bahasa Inggeris yang straightforward dan mudah untuk difahami serta sesuai untuk bacaan umum. A book that is well written for a ‘laid-back’ novel reader but yeah it will deem boring by those who is an avid novel reader.

Btw, boleh beli di sini 👇🏼
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSMvBuPER/

[Syeraho]

It was fun and interesting reading this. Main character (female), Yumna, certainly has this audacity punya perangai, but I like her guts and brashness, and in the end, she finally learned her lesson. She is certainly one of difficult-to-love kinda character.

There's a lot to improve on the writing ngl, but I do look forward to author's next story.

[izahhhh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciate the message the author is trying to convey, it's meaningful and highly relatable to real life. The themes resonate well and offer valuable reflections. However, I found the FMC to be quite annoying and frustrating at times...

Overall, it is a light read, suitable for when you're in the mood for something not too heavy.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

My honest review, i love this book, the storyline, exposure on the country’s/city culture, i believe its a plus point for anyone that hasnt been there. But the ending is quite meh during the confessions.

Overall, its a good book and effort. Especially scene with the strict manager, the communication, the openness and etc.

[DayDreamer8912 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
More towards friendship not much of love story. She had an overprotective father who wants her to do what he plans for her to protect her from getting hurt and her best friend Andika help her in secret because she wanted to be independent and not wanting anybody's help. Andika has always love her but he is afraid to confess to her.

[naaaamr · Rating 4 out of 5]

note to self: 12.31 a.m. , 17 May 2025

[Sooraya Evans · Rating 1 out of 5]

My God, this was SO embarrassingly terrible.
How was the manuscript even approved?

[Asha · Rating 1 out of 5]

not worth reading it.