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If It's Not Love
A beautiful LOVE story !!
“My heart always knew,you’re the dew, my dry soul would never adieu. But I still don’t know why I let you go and waited all my life.. just for you”
“My heart always knew,you’re the dew, my dry soul would never adieu. But I still don’t know why I let you go and waited all my life.. just for you”
164 pages, Paperback
Published November 3, 2013
5 people are currently reading
241 people want to read
About the author
Syed Arshad
5 books27 followersLoves to be with his notebook!
Born and raised in a small beautiful town, Bhagalpur, where everyone knows everyone, Syed did his schooling from the famous Christ Church Diocesan school there and then moved to New Delhi for further studies. He is an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer from Indian Institute of Aeronautical Science by qualification and a writer by choice.
His debut novel, If It's Not Love, is a unique and strange love story, which he says, is inspired by a true one!
Born and raised in a small beautiful town, Bhagalpur, where everyone knows everyone, Syed did his schooling from the famous Christ Church Diocesan school there and then moved to New Delhi for further studies. He is an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer from Indian Institute of Aeronautical Science by qualification and a writer by choice.
His debut novel, If It's Not Love, is a unique and strange love story, which he says, is inspired by a true one!
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 11, 2015
Nowadays it's hard to find a good Indian book, No I'm not blaming it upon the storyline, because they always seem to be same and feature the same old drama that goes on and on with a never-ending climax- love-heart-break, more heart-break, cheating, again falling in love, again heart-break, seems like the stories always revolve in the same cycle.
Well, now about the writing style! I think, I'll rather stop there before saying anything else, I would request every Indian readers (actually those readers who seems to, I-don't-know-why, enjoy these kind of pathetic romantic drama!!) to buy the book and fall in love yet one more time.
Anyhow, this book is clearly not for me, even for me, the fun and light-hearted read should have some depth and richness not only in the storyline but also in the writing style too!
Thanks to Goodreads for giving me this platform to voice my review as honestly as possible!
Well, now about the writing style! I think, I'll rather stop there before saying anything else, I would request every Indian readers (actually those readers who seems to, I-don't-know-why, enjoy these kind of pathetic romantic drama!!) to buy the book and fall in love yet one more time.
Anyhow, this book is clearly not for me, even for me, the fun and light-hearted read should have some depth and richness not only in the storyline but also in the writing style too!
Thanks to Goodreads for giving me this platform to voice my review as honestly as possible!
May 8, 2015
I was crying in the end and I was loving it like anything! Best ever!!
February 4, 2021
I will give just above 3 stars...well, make it 3.5
Quite a good read with nice plot and minimum characters.
Quite an interesting love story, though the climax was predictable and not up to the rest of the book.
Appreciate the good work of the author.
Quite a good read with nice plot and minimum characters.
Quite an interesting love story, though the climax was predictable and not up to the rest of the book.
Appreciate the good work of the author.
June 14, 2015
I got this book through Good reads first reads-the giveaways.I have to really thank the author,Mr.Syed Arshad a lot..Because first I received t he book,it was autographed and some nice quotes by the author..then when I started reading it I realized that my book had some blank pages.I quickly notified the author about this.It's so sweet and responsible of him to have me send another copy which is in perfect condition.I have received it yesterday.I read through the book and wow..it was a really amazing and a heart warming story.But at the last a bit tragic too..But apart from that part,It was an awesome read and I look forward to read this one again and again and hope to read similar works from the author in the near future.Thanks a lot author for being so responsible and replying to my queries..This book is going to be a record-breaker and I'm sure of it.I'd definitely suggest this to all my friends and whoever loves reading ...those who aren't much into reading can also be delighted by the mere read of this book.These five stars are not sufficient to rate this book...Thank a lot once again :)
May 7, 2015
Finished it last night but I just can't get the story and the characters off my mind so here I am, all compelled to speak my heart out.
IT IS CAPTIVATING! Fresh writing style, unique description and awesome plotting. But read it for it's story, an eye wetting love story! A must , must , must read. Reading this book was like watching a movie, a beautifully directed romantic movie. Loved it!!
IT IS CAPTIVATING! Fresh writing style, unique description and awesome plotting. But read it for it's story, an eye wetting love story! A must , must , must read. Reading this book was like watching a movie, a beautifully directed romantic movie. Loved it!!
January 7, 2021
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
The reason why I didn't like this book that much because there were a lot of unnecessary descriptions which made an otherwise interesting storyline drag. The sentence 'She is so damn cute' must have appeared at least fifty times. Grammar-wise this book just made me cringe - a lot of work hasn't gone into editing the story. On the whole, it was just an average read.
The reason why I didn't like this book that much because there were a lot of unnecessary descriptions which made an otherwise interesting storyline drag. The sentence 'She is so damn cute' must have appeared at least fifty times. Grammar-wise this book just made me cringe - a lot of work hasn't gone into editing the story. On the whole, it was just an average read.
January 23, 2017
Ever met someone who had given a new meaning to your life ? Most of us have. They might be with you forever or have left you at some point , but their names are craved in gold in your heart. Everytime you hear their name or think about them, a smile creeps onto your lips or a tear escapes your lids. Well, that’s the idea of this story.
The story is about Aarav Khanna , a Fashion Designer from NIFT who works at a call centre because of certain circumstances. He has a girlfriend , a good friend at work , a contend life , a handsome face and a job, enough for a guy to be happy with. And then he meets Ada Maciel, a Mechanical engineering student , a preplanned online friendship from the Metrogirl’s (Ada) side brings them close and soon enough they become friends.
The story goes on with their nurturing friendship and then caring for each other. Aarav’s confusion about his feelings, the ups and downs in his office friend’s life, Ada’s presence, Aarav’s own life and last but not the least , his girlfriend are the things that make up the entire book. The book ends after a time leap of 25 years, its almost like the narrator describing Aarav’s story from the past.
The story ends on a beautiful note and it probably must be one of the most beautiful endings.
It also teaches us an important lesson, “When something you dreadfully need is within your reach , then grab it as soon as you can because You never know when you will be late to do so.”
The story is different than the usual ones and the time Aarav and Ada spend together is worth the read.
I loved the way they married (fake of course) with each other and they could confide in each other regarding their day to activities.
If a reader is really into the story while reading, he/she may feel that Aarav is an idiot for letting Ada go but not in our hands, its the author's work and judging by the end, good work indeed.
Rating – 3.5 out of 5 stars.
The SMS language used in the book to state the chats between Ada and Aarav might be inconvenient for many a lot people who are admirers of the English language itself.
Minor but errors in editing.
Mention of some facts in normal conversation which the reader cannot relate to because of lack of total information.
The author leaves the readers curious and hanging when he doesn’t state anything about Aarav’s life after 25 years.
Reviewed By- Banaja Prakashini
The story is about Aarav Khanna , a Fashion Designer from NIFT who works at a call centre because of certain circumstances. He has a girlfriend , a good friend at work , a contend life , a handsome face and a job, enough for a guy to be happy with. And then he meets Ada Maciel, a Mechanical engineering student , a preplanned online friendship from the Metrogirl’s (Ada) side brings them close and soon enough they become friends.
The story goes on with their nurturing friendship and then caring for each other. Aarav’s confusion about his feelings, the ups and downs in his office friend’s life, Ada’s presence, Aarav’s own life and last but not the least , his girlfriend are the things that make up the entire book. The book ends after a time leap of 25 years, its almost like the narrator describing Aarav’s story from the past.
The story ends on a beautiful note and it probably must be one of the most beautiful endings.
It also teaches us an important lesson, “When something you dreadfully need is within your reach , then grab it as soon as you can because You never know when you will be late to do so.”
The story is different than the usual ones and the time Aarav and Ada spend together is worth the read.
I loved the way they married (fake of course) with each other and they could confide in each other regarding their day to activities.
If a reader is really into the story while reading, he/she may feel that Aarav is an idiot for letting Ada go but not in our hands, its the author's work and judging by the end, good work indeed.
Rating – 3.5 out of 5 stars.
The SMS language used in the book to state the chats between Ada and Aarav might be inconvenient for many a lot people who are admirers of the English language itself.
Minor but errors in editing.
Mention of some facts in normal conversation which the reader cannot relate to because of lack of total information.
The author leaves the readers curious and hanging when he doesn’t state anything about Aarav’s life after 25 years.
Reviewed By- Banaja Prakashini
July 11, 2016
Thank you Mr Syed Arshad for sending me the signed copy through the Giveaway. I really liked the plot and was hooked to it. So much so that I read it in a single go and finished it in almost 2 hours.
I think the book could've been edited a little more.
I think the book could've been edited a little more.
April 24, 2015
Nice book.
May 4, 2021
If I could give negative stars I would. And I couldn't even get past first 10 pages.
September 20, 2015
awesome book :)
Best ever!!
Best ever!!
August 9, 2016
I liked the story. Author has done justice with the characters and it was worth investing the time in reading.
September 17, 2016
PLOT
The plot somewhat resembles the Indian love story starting where two strangers meet and start talking, slowly they feel they are falling for each other but here, they both are too stubborn to know it really is love.
They constantly deny loving each other and even then stay with each other. When they are not together they feel empty, the feeling of love develops here.
The story is predictable and I know that it’s not a love story because both are busy denying that they are any more than friends. There is a twist in the end but still the book looks plain.
CHARACTERS
The main character Aarav likes a girl Ada and they become best friends. They talk to each other and are fun but Aarav flirts with her too much and Ada doesn’t seem to notice, and even if she notices, she doesn’t care.
Aarav’s friend Neil is his colleague and is in a relationship with a girl named Sakshi, until she marries some other guy. Neil is just the supporting character and so his story is not given much importance. Apparently he LOVED Sakshi but when she marries another boy, Neil doesn’t seem to get affected. He acts all cool and smokes a cigarette.
I don’t want to complain much but the Aarav and Neil are shown smoking too many times. Have a break? Smoke. Have a party? Smoke. Have a breakup? Smoke. Want to chill? Smoke.
WRITING STYLE
There is a good point here and a bad point too.
I’ll go with the good one first. The author included many messaging conversations which is good and I was enjoying myself and the pages flew very fast then. They messaged like normal people would which made me believe ‘they are real’.
Not the bad point. I felt like the novel was not correctly edited. I mean, the writing was good but what bugged me was the formatting.
If two people are talking, their dialogues are written without any change of paragraph. For example,
“Hello, how are you?” A said with a smile “I haven’t seen you since last Christmas” laughing B said.
Repeated use of putting their dialogues in a single paragraph confused me at some point and I had to read again to know who said what.
MY REVIEW
I’ll see this as a very light read as I completed this in less than a day.
YOU’LL LIKE THIS IF:
1) You like romance genre
2) You like reading messages in slang language and short forms like real people use
3) You don’t care about the story and are emotional anyway
YOU’LL NOT LIKE THIS IF:
1) You are a grammar Nazi
2) You don’t like romance genre
3) You like books with feelings
The plot somewhat resembles the Indian love story starting where two strangers meet and start talking, slowly they feel they are falling for each other but here, they both are too stubborn to know it really is love.
They constantly deny loving each other and even then stay with each other. When they are not together they feel empty, the feeling of love develops here.
The story is predictable and I know that it’s not a love story because both are busy denying that they are any more than friends. There is a twist in the end but still the book looks plain.
CHARACTERS
The main character Aarav likes a girl Ada and they become best friends. They talk to each other and are fun but Aarav flirts with her too much and Ada doesn’t seem to notice, and even if she notices, she doesn’t care.
Aarav’s friend Neil is his colleague and is in a relationship with a girl named Sakshi, until she marries some other guy. Neil is just the supporting character and so his story is not given much importance. Apparently he LOVED Sakshi but when she marries another boy, Neil doesn’t seem to get affected. He acts all cool and smokes a cigarette.
I don’t want to complain much but the Aarav and Neil are shown smoking too many times. Have a break? Smoke. Have a party? Smoke. Have a breakup? Smoke. Want to chill? Smoke.
WRITING STYLE
There is a good point here and a bad point too.
I’ll go with the good one first. The author included many messaging conversations which is good and I was enjoying myself and the pages flew very fast then. They messaged like normal people would which made me believe ‘they are real’.
Not the bad point. I felt like the novel was not correctly edited. I mean, the writing was good but what bugged me was the formatting.
If two people are talking, their dialogues are written without any change of paragraph. For example,
“Hello, how are you?” A said with a smile “I haven’t seen you since last Christmas” laughing B said.
Repeated use of putting their dialogues in a single paragraph confused me at some point and I had to read again to know who said what.
MY REVIEW
I’ll see this as a very light read as I completed this in less than a day.
YOU’LL LIKE THIS IF:
1) You like romance genre
2) You like reading messages in slang language and short forms like real people use
3) You don’t care about the story and are emotional anyway
YOU’LL NOT LIKE THIS IF:
1) You are a grammar Nazi
2) You don’t like romance genre
3) You like books with feelings
September 27, 2016
The three things I liked about this book in isolation are 1) the protagonists' meeting/ introduction in a female compartment from where Aarav is shown the door b) their marriage rehearsal which touched me, though a little irrational in their going through it in three different religious oaths where two would be rational for their two different religions and c) the ending, of course.
The author has tried to contrast two pairs of lovers - she loves him, he does not; both love each other. But both the affairs fell to end in marriage. In both lucre takes some precedence over love. Unfortunately, the theme related to lucre has not been developed.
However, the love story to which the whole book is dedicated does not fructify for the simple reason that neither is sure till the end that they loved each other, in spite of the fact that both of them met, joined parties, malls, ate together, drank, and what not. She cooked for him and spent a night in his compartment.
And still they couldn't be sure about their love for each other! UNCONVINCING.
The most sad part about the book is, the book shows scant regards to the rules governing the language in which it is written. There are slips, errors in areas of Preposition, Articles, and Pronouns. The greatest disregard is shown towards Punctuation. Going through the pages with so many lapses was a pain.
I award such a book just TWO stars.
I got the book through giveaway.
The author has tried to contrast two pairs of lovers - she loves him, he does not; both love each other. But both the affairs fell to end in marriage. In both lucre takes some precedence over love. Unfortunately, the theme related to lucre has not been developed.
However, the love story to which the whole book is dedicated does not fructify for the simple reason that neither is sure till the end that they loved each other, in spite of the fact that both of them met, joined parties, malls, ate together, drank, and what not. She cooked for him and spent a night in his compartment.
And still they couldn't be sure about their love for each other! UNCONVINCING.
The most sad part about the book is, the book shows scant regards to the rules governing the language in which it is written. There are slips, errors in areas of Preposition, Articles, and Pronouns. The greatest disregard is shown towards Punctuation. Going through the pages with so many lapses was a pain.
I award such a book just TWO stars.
I got the book through giveaway.
December 18, 2015
A story so simple yet complicated... characters so one of us yet so different... feelings so recurrent yet so unique !
Right after finishing the book, I found the end, unexpected and a little uncalled for, but after long hours of thoughts that kept pounding my mind, I tried to dig a little deep to understand the characters.. and now I think there couldn't have been a better ending.
This book made me believe that an amazing portrayal can make an ordinary story, extraordinary.
MUST READ !!!
Right after finishing the book, I found the end, unexpected and a little uncalled for, but after long hours of thoughts that kept pounding my mind, I tried to dig a little deep to understand the characters.. and now I think there couldn't have been a better ending.
This book made me believe that an amazing portrayal can make an ordinary story, extraordinary.
MUST READ !!!
October 11, 2015
I won this book in a giveaway, but was very disappointed with what I read. Poorly written, crass and immature - this book is a shoddy excuse for publishing things which the so called indie authors suffering from the Chetan Bhagat syndrome write!
November 5, 2015
Nice!! I wish ending would have been different.
P.S.: Won in Goodreads Giveaways.
P.S.: Won in Goodreads Giveaways.
October 6, 2015
A Treat for Book Lovers...!!! A Page Turner...!!! A Journey of love and emotions...A must read for people who are in love or believe in love....!!!
April 9, 2024
Syed Arshad's "If It's Not Love" explores the complexities of modern relationships through the story of Aarav Khanna, a fashion designer stuck in a call center job. Aarav appears to have it all - a decent life, a girlfriend, and good looks. But everything changes when he meets Ada Maciel, a mechanical engineering student, through a planned online connection.
The novel's strength lies in its portrayal of a blossoming friendship. Aarav and Ada's connection feels genuine, built on shared experiences and emotional support. We see them navigate the challenges of work and personal struggles, offering solace and understanding to each other. This dynamic makes for a heartwarming and relatable read.
The confusion about Aarav's feelings and the presence of a girlfriend add an intriguing layer. Will Aarav choose his existing relationship or explore the new connection with Ada? The novel delves into this internal conflict, but readers seeking a classic "will-they-won't-they" romance might be left wanting.
The story also explore lives of side characters. While this subplot has potential, it feels underdeveloped. A stronger focus on this aspect could have added depth and complexity to the narrative.
The writing style itself seems approachable, catering to a young adult audience. The story unfolds at a steady pace, making it an easy read. However, the trope might be common but it’s a refreshing story.
Overall, "If It's Not Love" is a pleasant exploration of friendship, love and self-discovery. It offers relatable characters and a heartwarming central relationship.
It’s nostalgic for sure. Go for it.
Rating: 4✨
September 16, 2025
Only one thing to say ‘If it’s not love’ then what is it!
I just can’t explain how much I love this story. I totally can relate with the characters Ada & Aarav who met coincidentally in metro but destined to be soulmate. Not just there friends can see it even strangers can judge them how compatible and made for each other they are.
I would request you to read it and just to warn you that you will legit cries your eyes out if you relate & understand the characters and there beautiful not so love story with devastating ending!!
Yes you heard it right not so love story!! For that you must read it!!!🫶🏻🗣️
A 5/5 ❤️
I just can’t explain how much I love this story. I totally can relate with the characters Ada & Aarav who met coincidentally in metro but destined to be soulmate. Not just there friends can see it even strangers can judge them how compatible and made for each other they are.
I would request you to read it and just to warn you that you will legit cries your eyes out if you relate & understand the characters and there beautiful not so love story with devastating ending!!
Yes you heard it right not so love story!! For that you must read it!!!🫶🏻🗣️
A 5/5 ❤️
May 21, 2017
A Simple romantic Story of a Delhi Boy and Girl. The amazing part is that the story has very less characters. Pace was good. The story was predictable too (but that doesn't matter). Atleast its better time to invest in such readings rather CB's Half Girlfriend.
Syed Arshad keep it up👍👍
all the best☺👍
Syed Arshad keep it up👍👍
all the best☺👍
October 20, 2024
Source:I won this book in goodreads giveaway. Thanks to the author for sending me the autographed book.
The book is about a boy who leaves his house after a tiff with his father. He meets a girl in the metro and their love story begins.
I found the book a little slow. The end of the book is dramatic, sad and illogical.
Ada's character was difficult to understand.
I rate this book 3/5.
The book is about a boy who leaves his house after a tiff with his father. He meets a girl in the metro and their love story begins.
I found the book a little slow. The end of the book is dramatic, sad and illogical.
Ada's character was difficult to understand.
I rate this book 3/5.
May 1, 2024
A beautiful love story.The plot captivates the readers till the end.A must read romance which is well written.
January 1, 2025
A heartwarming story
December 9, 2020
Well anybody who has chatted through WhatsApp can relate to this book. Its a small book and tells a beautiful teenage love story, I loved this book.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews