Can We be Strangers Again?: A National Bestseller

by Shrijeet Shandilya, Shrijeet Shandilya

232 pages, Paperback

Published July 29, 2025

Reviews

[Apsar M · Rating 3 out of 5]

the national best seller tag line has now a days become a trend, most of the books even with unworthy topics has these tag lines. national best seller tag must not be considered with only the number of book soled , it must be considered how much people appreciate or take something about this book.

this is clearly an time pass book, regret reading this.

the three stars are for the books short chapters and understandable english , other than this nothing is there to carry about this book, better skip it.

[Aparna Tayal · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best book i have ever read!

[Rupali Gabhane · Rating 5 out of 5]

fuckingly relatable its too good

[Tisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a boy, Dev, who joined under graduation course, excited to meet new people, explore the world, but life had its own plan - COVID. Hence, they all end up meeting just online - the world we all have been through, online classes, meeting new people sure, but online. In the first class, he ended up turning into a group leader with a task of collecting everyone’s photos to make a collage.

Avantika, the purple saree girl, who stolen Dev’s heart, was not everything he thought she is. However, best thing is, coz of her, Dev met his best friend.

Tanishka, always ready to listen your rants, hiding her feelings, ending up taking a most difficult decision which seemed easy for all the others, including Dev. This character was the one you can count on in your happiness, in your sadness.

The overall story is about friendship, emotional attachment, heartfelt, and those who read it, got hit by the reality.

‘Sometimes, the hardest part is not letting somebody go. It is realising that somebody we could count on, is no more than just a stranger.’

I bought this book because it was being a lot famous on booktok, and in the end, I found this book in a bookstore.
Initially, i was feeling what an absurd book it is, but still the book had something that would hook the reader to continue reading.

Single POVs are never my fav. The writing is not easy to follow in the beginning, you wont know if its present or about past. Characters are surely less, but it miss the point of reality in the sense of characters. Otherwise, the ending is the real hit.
I still cant agree with the title. Thats why, overall rating 3.8 stars

[Alita · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this would be my first time rating a book this low. Still, I want to give it the benefit of the doubt that maybe, just maybe, if I were younger, back in my college days, I might have liked this book or found it okay. But now, I don't even feel that way.

There were so many parts of the book that filled me with rage. The main character was so problematic, and yet he had the nerve to call other people problematic. His best friend was the second most problematic person. I mean, there's something called boundaries, which is why your relationship and friendship are two different things. Asking someone to choose between their girlfriend and their best friend? Seriously?

Half the time, I kept wondering if at least one person would come to their senses, but no. I felt that only Avantika was a sane person who knew what she wanted and stood by her decisions. Even if she's considered the villain, she knew exactly what she was doing. But the other two? Not so much.

Anyways, if anybody wants a quick read, they can go for it. But honestly, I wouldn't want to read something like this again.

[priyanka sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A light read, but one that carries a deeper meaning. The writing is simple, smooth, and easy to follow—nothing complicated, yet it still manages to touch your heart.

The story revolves around a college romance that ends with college itself, along with a friendship that couldn’t last either. It’s something many young people can relate to—almost everyone experiences this kind of phase at least once in their life.

That’s probably why this book is so popular. It takes you back to your own college days—when you’re trying to build your life, staying focused, yet your heart keeps wandering in different directions.

Core takeaways from the book:
1. Don’t make someone your home—because if they leave, you feel lost.
2. You can’t force someone to love you.
3. It’s okay if people leave; sometimes it’s better for everyone.
4. People come into our lives for a reason, and once that purpose is fulfilled, they move on.

A heartwarming and emotional read—I finished it in just one day. 🌙

[Hira Araaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recently, I finished Can We Be Strangers Again by Srijeet Shandiliya. To me, it felt disappointing. Of course, I agree on one point that in real life, there are so many stories like this. Especially in varsity
ife (ithink) it happens a lot nowadays. It almost feels like a new normal for this generation and maybe for the upcoming ones too. Though honestly, it's a bit scary. Reading this book felt a ittle cheap to me, except for one thing, it's relatable
to the reality we see around us nowadays.

[Densi Sakhareliya · Rating 5 out of 5]

it touched me so well ❤️‍🩹 I'm crying story is so engaging and touchy as well. it gave me different perspective of life, love and feelings. everything is just imperfectly perfect in this book 🥺😍🥰 so glad I buy this definitely I will read it again maybe after I meet some strangers with the known face 😅 loved it 😉

[KHUSHI SRIVASTAVA · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how the book was written. I hated the main male lead character and both female lead characters. I understand that relationships can be complex but none of the characters hold any accountability for whatever they are doing wrong in their lives.
I kept reading hoping it will get better but it didn’t

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story and the writing were both horrible. The characters were also badly written and you don’t feel like rooting for any of them. A very one dimensional and monotonous read. Please save your money.

[Keerthana · Rating 4 out of 5]

👍🏻

[Harsh Mahra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of the book was good in the beginning and in the middle, but it was not good in the end.

[Sibi Subramanian · Rating 4 out of 5]

not the best yet close to my heart

[Mustafa Lotia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and Catchy with lots of emotional ups and downs.

[Yuktha U · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the flow of the story as I could relate to it

[Abhishek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I literally felt like pages were taken out of my life and written down into the book - and in almost exact lines.
I almost cried reading it because it reminded me of what happened!

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit confused at the beginning but it was a cute story and understandable how we meet people and they lead us to where we need to be. Its true.

[Pracheta Sarkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I literally screamed and cried while reading this book. I can't believe that this is the writer's first book.