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You Were Never Meant To Read This: Return to the World of Can We Be Strangers Again
A story of love, fate and the price of loving someonePerhaps fate didn’t allow it then, but Dev never stopped believing that it meant something.Now, his new life the corporate job of every MBA’s dreams, with a salary to match.But some things still follow a name never deleted, a number never blocked.And fifteen months of learning to live, without ever really being able to let go.When six words from her appear on his screen,'I wish we could meet again'Everything he worked so hard to bury comes back.But love, in the real world, is very different from love in college. Dev’s story didn’t end with Tanishka asking to be strangers again.
199 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 14, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 8, 2026
Rating- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Memories warm you up from the inside, but they also tear you apart”
-Haruki Murakami, Kafka On The Shore
This quote explains exactly what Dev, the protagonist, feels as he is writing this book.
The book “You Were Never Meant To Read This” by “Shrijeet Shandilya” is set in a contemporary, college-corporate setting. It is the continuation of the book “Can We Be Strangers Again?”
It delves back into Dev’s side of life after the fifteen months of separation between Dev and Tanishka. Dev has entered the corporate world; apparently, he appears to have moved on from Tanishka but remains torn between his rational side and emotional side. He wishes that things would have turned out differently but ends up reminiscing about the whole story while he is on a friend's trip to Kasol. It is like a personal account of the things he could never express in front of Tanishka; the title instilled this feeling perfectly and set the tone for the book. The consistent back and forth between his memories and the Kasol trip gives a constant reminder that we are being allowed into thoughts he was never able to directly convey.
The central conflict lies in the thought of moving on or moving forward. That contrast is arguably one of the most realistic elements of the novel. Dev is not incapable of functioning; he is incapable of completely letting go. The novel consequently asks a more mature question than “Does he still love her?” It asks whether a person can construct an entirely new life while emotionally carrying an unfinished chapter from the old one.
For me, the most effective aspect of the novel is its understanding that life does not pause for heartbreak. College continues, placements happen, careers begin, friends move forward, and people build new lives. Yet an unresolved emotion can remain quietly present underneath all of it.
Verdict: A heartfelt and accessible contemporary romance that is strongest when it explores memory, silence, unfinished relationships, and the complicated transition from college life into adulthood.
October 26, 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 Stars
You Were Never Meant to Read This by Shrijeet Shandilya
Coming back to the world connected to Can We Be Strangers Again? felt special. ❤️
There’s something about revisiting a story’s world that makes the reading experience feel different. The title itself sparks curiosity, and I was excited to discover what this book had to offer.
Finishing this book feels like closing another chapter of a reading journey I’m glad I experienced. Some books are more than just stories we read; they become experiences we carry with us even after the final page.
I’m happy I picked this one up, and it has earned its place on my shelf. 📚🤍
A five-star reading experience for me! ✨
You Were Never Meant to Read This by Shrijeet Shandilya
Coming back to the world connected to Can We Be Strangers Again? felt special. ❤️
There’s something about revisiting a story’s world that makes the reading experience feel different. The title itself sparks curiosity, and I was excited to discover what this book had to offer.
Finishing this book feels like closing another chapter of a reading journey I’m glad I experienced. Some books are more than just stories we read; they become experiences we carry with us even after the final page.
I’m happy I picked this one up, and it has earned its place on my shelf. 📚🤍
A five-star reading experience for me! ✨
September 30, 2026
A name can disappear from a conversation long before it disappears from a life.
That is where You Were Never Meant To Read This finds Dev, not at the beginning of a love story, but in the uneasy aftermath of one. Fifteen months have passed since Tanishka became someone he was supposed to remember rather than reach for. There is a new job, a new rhythm, the reassuring architecture of a life moving forward. And yet her number remains. So does everything that the ending never quite managed to settle.
Then comes a message: “I wish we could meet again.”
What follows is not simply about meeting someone from the past. It is about everything that a meeting like that can disturb, the memories we have carefully rearranged, the versions of ourselves we thought we had outgrown, and the questions that become louder precisely because we believed we had already answered them.
Having known Dev and Tanishka from Can We Be Strangers Again?, there is something quietly poignant about encountering them again after the noise and certainty of college have faded. The landscape has changed, but the unfinished sentences have not. Here, love has grown older; it has acquired distance, consequences and the uncomfortable wisdom that adulthood does not necessarily make the heart more sensible.
Shrijeet Shandilya writes this second chapter with a certain intimacy, allowing Dev’s thoughts to occupy the spaces between what is said and what remains unsaid. There is no need for grand declarations when a remembered conversation, a familiar name or a message arriving at the wrong or perhaps exactly the right, moment can carry so much weight.
And perhaps the title is the most fitting thing about it. This feels less like a story Dev is choosing to tell than a collection of pages that were never supposed to leave him, private thoughts, old wounds, lingering questions and truths that become readable only when they are finally too late to take back.
Some endings close a door. Others leave the light on.
You Were Never Meant To Read This lives in that light.
That is where You Were Never Meant To Read This finds Dev, not at the beginning of a love story, but in the uneasy aftermath of one. Fifteen months have passed since Tanishka became someone he was supposed to remember rather than reach for. There is a new job, a new rhythm, the reassuring architecture of a life moving forward. And yet her number remains. So does everything that the ending never quite managed to settle.
Then comes a message: “I wish we could meet again.”
What follows is not simply about meeting someone from the past. It is about everything that a meeting like that can disturb, the memories we have carefully rearranged, the versions of ourselves we thought we had outgrown, and the questions that become louder precisely because we believed we had already answered them.
Having known Dev and Tanishka from Can We Be Strangers Again?, there is something quietly poignant about encountering them again after the noise and certainty of college have faded. The landscape has changed, but the unfinished sentences have not. Here, love has grown older; it has acquired distance, consequences and the uncomfortable wisdom that adulthood does not necessarily make the heart more sensible.
Shrijeet Shandilya writes this second chapter with a certain intimacy, allowing Dev’s thoughts to occupy the spaces between what is said and what remains unsaid. There is no need for grand declarations when a remembered conversation, a familiar name or a message arriving at the wrong or perhaps exactly the right, moment can carry so much weight.
And perhaps the title is the most fitting thing about it. This feels less like a story Dev is choosing to tell than a collection of pages that were never supposed to leave him, private thoughts, old wounds, lingering questions and truths that become readable only when they are finally too late to take back.
Some endings close a door. Others leave the light on.
You Were Never Meant To Read This lives in that light.
September 30, 2026
The only question that I want to ask the main characters of this book is - WHY? Why why why choose this route?? But the weirdest part is that I am able to empathise both of them.
I had started reading this book feeling full apprehension and curiosity about what horrible decisions Dev took again, after that fairly final parting message from Tam in the previous book - "Can we be strangers again?" This question has proved to be quite the haunting question, because, like Dev, I have lived this question too, thanks to a 🐍 (so called) friend. But my reaction was quite different from Dev. Unfortunately Dev chose to revive a dead chat and a dead friendship with Tam, under the waves of nostalgia and his attachment to her presence. Friendship is a beautiful thing that can ke rekindled between foes too, given both people have the same mental grounding. Unfortunately, Dev lied, both to Tam and himself, that he's okay staying just friends, but his expectations were different, that showed from his actions. Unfortunately Tam too led on this 'friendship' without setting a firm boundary, but then, we get to know by the end, that she had her reasons too.
I can now positively say that both Dev and Tam are very flawed people, who are still learning to navigate through life. On this, I could empathise with them. But what I can't agree with is that, if you really love someone, won't kindness and care for the other person automatically flow? Wouldn't you be 10x more unselfish and cautious about your actions if you knew that your actions can hurt the other person? But no. Carpe diem, right? Let's enjoy today and forget about what happens tomorrow right? If this is how carpe diem works, then I discard this philosophy from my life. People confuse attachment and love so easily, that is why ego comes into the scene and I wish I could tell Dev to just stop and let it be.
I enjoyed this book even better than the first part. And I really wish Dev and Tam good luck in their lives and hope they find their real soulmates.
I had started reading this book feeling full apprehension and curiosity about what horrible decisions Dev took again, after that fairly final parting message from Tam in the previous book - "Can we be strangers again?" This question has proved to be quite the haunting question, because, like Dev, I have lived this question too, thanks to a 🐍 (so called) friend. But my reaction was quite different from Dev. Unfortunately Dev chose to revive a dead chat and a dead friendship with Tam, under the waves of nostalgia and his attachment to her presence. Friendship is a beautiful thing that can ke rekindled between foes too, given both people have the same mental grounding. Unfortunately, Dev lied, both to Tam and himself, that he's okay staying just friends, but his expectations were different, that showed from his actions. Unfortunately Tam too led on this 'friendship' without setting a firm boundary, but then, we get to know by the end, that she had her reasons too.
I can now positively say that both Dev and Tam are very flawed people, who are still learning to navigate through life. On this, I could empathise with them. But what I can't agree with is that, if you really love someone, won't kindness and care for the other person automatically flow? Wouldn't you be 10x more unselfish and cautious about your actions if you knew that your actions can hurt the other person? But no. Carpe diem, right? Let's enjoy today and forget about what happens tomorrow right? If this is how carpe diem works, then I discard this philosophy from my life. People confuse attachment and love so easily, that is why ego comes into the scene and I wish I could tell Dev to just stop and let it be.
I enjoyed this book even better than the first part. And I really wish Dev and Tam good luck in their lives and hope they find their real soulmates.
September 21, 2026
A REFRESHING PALATE CLEANSER
I knew exactly how the story would end right from chapter one. Yet, there I was at midnight, still flipping the pages of You Were Never Meant to Read This by @shrijeet._shandilya , not to find out what happens, but to understand how it happens.
Let’s be real.... the plot is very ordinary, and there are no groundbreaking twists or heavy drama here. But what truly worked for me was the way the author expressed Dev’s inner world.
The raw feelings, the vulnerability, and the effortless, engaging emotional flow made those moments feel genuinely relatable and nice to read.
That simple yet touching articulation is the real USP of this book, showing Shrijeet's capability to keep a reader engaged even with a predictable story.
If you want to refresh your mind or need a quick break from complex literary content, I’d suggest giving this a try.
I knew exactly how the story would end right from chapter one. Yet, there I was at midnight, still flipping the pages of You Were Never Meant to Read This by @shrijeet._shandilya , not to find out what happens, but to understand how it happens.
Let’s be real.... the plot is very ordinary, and there are no groundbreaking twists or heavy drama here. But what truly worked for me was the way the author expressed Dev’s inner world.
The raw feelings, the vulnerability, and the effortless, engaging emotional flow made those moments feel genuinely relatable and nice to read.
That simple yet touching articulation is the real USP of this book, showing Shrijeet's capability to keep a reader engaged even with a predictable story.
If you want to refresh your mind or need a quick break from complex literary content, I’d suggest giving this a try.
September 12, 2026
10/10
Great Story
Perfect Ending that every DEV needs !
Great Story
Perfect Ending that every DEV needs !
August 1, 2026
This is an emotional story of longing, love, and missed chances. The characters don’t make major mistakes, but they repeatedly fall short as partners because of misunderstandings and unspoken emotions. Watching them carry that emotional weight is heartbreaking and by the end, I truly felt they deserved a better ending after everything they had been through!! Especially dev!!!
August 8, 2026
I was literally waiting for this one. The moment I got to know the second part is here, I pre ordered it. I read it in single seating.
I don't have any words to express how this book makes you feel. It's the best.
I don't have any words to express how this book makes you feel. It's the best.
July 16, 2026
Heart touching
November 4, 2026
You were never meant to read this is sequel of Can we be strangers again. This is a fictional book of around 200 pages written in simple and beginner friendly style.
Even before sharing my thoughts on the story, I can say that I still haven’t read the sequel yet and still able to connect with the story. I am genuinely amazed by the writing style of the author. It felt so raw and emotional to me that I ended up in completing the book in one sitting. This book talks about love, heartbreak and hope. The protagonist, Dev shares his story where just one text from someone from past changes his life.
I can say this was a pretty decent read for me. Story is no doubt filled with emotions and author did an amazing work in writing it. For me, this was a good one time read and a beginner friendly book.
Even before sharing my thoughts on the story, I can say that I still haven’t read the sequel yet and still able to connect with the story. I am genuinely amazed by the writing style of the author. It felt so raw and emotional to me that I ended up in completing the book in one sitting. This book talks about love, heartbreak and hope. The protagonist, Dev shares his story where just one text from someone from past changes his life.
I can say this was a pretty decent read for me. Story is no doubt filled with emotions and author did an amazing work in writing it. For me, this was a good one time read and a beginner friendly book.
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September 20, 2026Honestly I liked it.
It gave the same feeling which the first part gave.
The ending is well convinced, the pace, the explanation of the scenes, everything worked very well.
Sometimes we dont lose the person, we lose a version of ourself.
right from the start to the end everything felt real, a third part is possible and would expect it with the same excitement
It gave the same feeling which the first part gave.
The ending is well convinced, the pace, the explanation of the scenes, everything worked very well.
Sometimes we dont lose the person, we lose a version of ourself.
right from the start to the end everything felt real, a third part is possible and would expect it with the same excitement
October 22, 2026
The book took me through a journey I never expected from a book. Loved reading it and honestly learnt a lot.
October 26, 2026
Honest, simple, easy reading, the mirror of many of us.
Still "too simple" for my tastes, sad and nostalgic sometimes...
I would have preferred another kind of genre.
Still "too simple" for my tastes, sad and nostalgic sometimes...
I would have preferred another kind of genre.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews