Vivan's Love Story

by Himanshu Arora

Following your heart is not always advisable, it could also lead to a disaster !

Life of Dr. Vivan Dhanraj was based on such assumptions. But still he fell in for Sayra on the day her father died.

He knew that she was from another religion. He also came to know things about her that made conditions more complicated.

But as it said, love knows no boundaries.

But is it true ?????

246 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

I just love the idea to live and write about about a whole life or many lives. It makes me feel more complete and free. It gives me an opportunity to live and feel a life which practically I cant have.

I strongly believe that everyone should write because writing gives us the freedom from our day to day life situations and allows us to be in control of whatever we want in our stories. It might sounds a bit over but it is the way i feel when i write.

Reviews

[Deepali Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly and foremost I couldn't stop myself to read this ebook. I agree it is a lengthy read but worth all of it. The cover is so colourful and Amazing, it attracted me at the moment. Plus the story the way it has been put is beautiful. It amazingly woven keeping the reader hooked. By the end of the book you'll find yourself analyzing thr story and dealing with all the emotions now that is in your throat. It is vivans story portraying his confusions with life and love with another religions sayra.and him ignoring shruti who is mad after him. it a book on love , it's hardships and all about holding on while still loving,letting go. the story slowly It all falls into place. The ending is heartfelt. You will find yourself related with the book pretty much. I am in awe. An amazing read. Recommended for sure.

[Amrit Sunda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a clichè-non-clichè love story. Love is a story in itself and this book explains it beautifully. We all feel like a part of this love story because somewhere we've all been through the same situation sometime in our life. I personally fell in love with vivans character. His and Sayra's character and struggles are depicted pretty accurately. It depicts all the beautiful emotions we feel we fall in love. Those butterflies, the confusion, overwhelming thoughts gets the best of you But letting go is also an important part of true love. The vocabulary part is simple and the book cover is also pretty simple and sweet. I feel it could have been a little better but still a beautiful read

[Rebecca Winkler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vivan’s Love Story, by Himanshu Arora, is about a young man, Vivan, growing up and becoming a doctor in India and his daily life as he examines his options for the future and the relationships with two different women to discover their meaning in his life, and of life itself. Written in first person helps you get caught up in the culture of his country through his thoughts and the dialogue with his best friends. If you are expecting a romance novel, this is not it. I kept reading when I wanted to give up due to the lack of editing, and I’m glad I did. It is a coming of age story, although he is in his late twenties. I don’t know if being that naïve for a man in his late twenties is a reflection of the culture; however I did find him also wise at certain points.

[Sonal Panse · Rating 3 out of 5]

In medical terms, this book has its heart in the right place, but the body needs strengthening.

The story is set in Delhi, and concerns a young doctor, Vivan Dhanraj. He meets Sayra, a Muslim girl, when her father dies in the hospital, and falls in love with her at first sight. Learning that she has no one else in the world now, he and his close friends, Aman and Vikrant, go out of their way to help her. The path to true love is never easy and so it is in this case and, fortunately, it is not anything as cheesy as the matter of religion.

The story and the characters are charming. I really liked all of them, especially Vivan, who is quite a sweetheart. And if I wanted to give Sayra a rough shaking in the end, it is because unnecessary self-sacrifice by a Bharatiya Nari (or any other Nari, really) activates my normally dormant violent tendencies.

The language used is the colloquial Hinglish that you will hear in India, and the people are like the ones you will meet here. I was thinking about this today and I realized what a lot of really nice people I have in my city. We have our problems, of course, but there is a lot of goodness too and that comes across in this book.

The reason I'm only giving this three stars is that, while the author can undoubtedly tell an engaging story, he really needs to work on his writing and editing. There are portions that could have been cut and portions that could have been more descriptive. There are also too many mistakes with punctuation, sentence construction, wrong word usages, past and present tense mix-ups. Nothing that a good editor can't fix and, really, ought to have before publication.

[Mohit Goyal]

BOOK DETAILS :

Title: Vivan's Love Story

Author: Himanshu Arora

Genre: Fiction

Price: ₹99/- (Kindle)

Goodreads Rating: 4/5

BOOK REVIEW

This Novel's Plot is based in Delhi. Its about the life of Vivan who is a Doctor by Profession and is pursuing his MS under the guidance of Dr. Mathur. This Novel starts with How He was living his life with his Short term non serious relationships and his friends Vikrant and Aman.. How he met a Separated Muslim Girl Sayra who lived alone..How he helped her..How he meets Shruti who is also a Doctor..What happens next?

The book is for light and fun reading, and should not be missed by those who like to read love stories.

The Starting Chapters lay foundation for the Story and Characters, But once it is done, it is one of the most realistic and relatable love story.

And the Best Part is that the Author leaves the reader at such point of Time, so they can decide the Ending on their own.

Favorite Moments:
#Vivan, Aman and Vikrant meetings at Pub.
#Vivan's Poetry
#Vivan & Sayra's last meeting

Heart-Breaking Moments:
#When Sayra told Vivan about Her Husband.
#Dr. Mathur's Death
#Sayra's decision of asking Vivan to move on.

Relatable Moments:
#Friends Conversations
#Using Dad's connection to get out of Police Station with Respect. (Typical Delhi Style)

Epic Moment:
#When Dr. Shruti injured a Police Official by hitting PCR Van twice.

I would like to conclude by saying that "Vivan's Love Story" is an surely a good story (Love Story or not, you decide) and is a sure way to have a sneak peek in a Doctor's Love Life.

[Lydia Larue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vivan's Love Story is told in First Person Narration, through Vivan's eyes. It is set in India. Arora paints the culture through the use of dialog. Myself, I have never been outside of the US, so I cannot comment on the accuracies of the region. I did find it fascinating, however.

I felt that the inclusion of the poems gave this story a nice touch. They also gave additional insight into Vivan's feelings.

My first impression of Vivan was that he seemed to want a serious relationship with a girl. He also seemed to be the voice of reason with his friends. I found his character immediately likable, and I am sure that there are men out there that would find him relatable.

The interactions between Sayra and Vivan was sweet. She seemed unable to believe that she was his muse even when he admitted it. When she mentioned that hurt Vivan reacted as one thinks they would in that situation.

Arora is great at telling how a person would react in a difficult circumstance. After a tragic event, I found Sayra's reaction appropriate. Given the situation.

There are times that I feel that a better word could have been chosen than what was. This is a very small nitpick, and it didn't take away my joy reading the novel.

I would recommend Vivan's love story for anyone who enjoys a read about what it take to overcome the odds in love.

[Montgomery Mahaffey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vivan, a young Indian man in medical school falls for the daughter of his patient. When the patient takes a turn for the worse and dies in the middle of the night the young Muslim girl is left alone in the world. In a male dominant society run by rules of inequality and religious divide, Vivan tries to come to terms with what love is and how to be with her. Feeling a soft spot for this girl, he helps her however he can despite the unsupportive advice of his young bro-y friends and his Hindu parents. This book reads like a journal of a young boy in a very different culture. My own gentle and inclusive societal views are shaken up just reading the dialogue in this story. In the authors world exist societal rules that are rife with undertones of patriarchy, religious intolerance and misogyny. If you are looking for a tale complete with all the elements of a love story, don’t look here, this is the rambling of a young confused man in an impossible situation.

“When I go to the temple,
it reminds me of her. I don’t know what it is; whether it
is love or madness or maybe nothing. I can’t decide.” –Vivan

[Margaret Standafer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars rounded to 3

Vivan’s Love Story tells the tale of Vivan, a young doctor in India searching for love. A chance meeting with a woman, Sayra, the daughter of a patient, leads Vivan on a quest to win her heart against all odds.

The story is a riveting one. The first obstacle Vivan has to overcome is the fact that he is Hindu and Sayra is Muslim. I learned a lot about the culture of India as well as the difficulty in pursuing a relationship with someone of a different religion by reading this book. Other things stand in the way of a happy outcome for the two…another love interest for Vivan, a previous relationship for Sayra, and their family situations. Through ups and downs, through twists and turns, their fate isn’t decided until the last page of the book, and even then, some question remains as to what the future holds.

Mixed in throughout the story was poetry that I found to be one of the strongest parts of the author’s writing. Vivan expresses his real feelings through poetry and while he’s embarrassed to share it with others, when he finally shares it with Sayra, she is touched. I was too. The poems fit well with the theme of the book but could also be appreciated on their own. There were also times when the writing was strong and moving: “My mind accepts her without any need for anything. I am surprised myself how this is possible…my previous girlfriends…I was attracted to them because of one habit or the other, or their looks or something. But with Sayra, it is not the case; I feel like totally accepting her without any questions, without any demands, without anything.”

Unfortunately, there were also many times where the grammar or wording was incorrect and made for difficult reading and comprehension. The author, a native of India, could benefit from getting his work in front of a good editor to help with some issues that likely stem from a language barrier. The dialogue was at times awkward and was often repetitive. While the story itself was compelling, these issues were distracting and drew my focus away from that story.

[Susan Buchanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is written in first person narration from a male perspective which is unusual for a love story, but it's also interesting. Two scenes are written omnisciently which is a bit jarring, but you get past it because it's merely used to drive the plot. Getting past the language may be difficult for some because it's not written in modern standard English but a flavored English/ Hindi hybrid. As a reader, if you can get past that, you'll find yourself falling into a good narrative.
Vivan who's a Hindu falls for a Muslim girl, Sayra at the hospital where he works when he and his mentor fail to save her father' life. It's a love at first sight deal for him.
Vivan performs random acts of kindness with Sayra's father's burial and gets Sayra a job while getting to know her. His two buddies razz Vivan about Sayra and the impossibleness of the situation, but being good friends, they have his back. Vivan also has his parents pressuring him to marry and a mentor trying to fix him up with his niece. The novel does a subtle commentary on arranged marriages and the lack of choice versus choice and happiness. You'll also question if the two are mutually exclusive.
Vivan meets Shruti, his mentor's niece who is also a fellow physician and the two hit it off, although she's aware of his feelings for Sayra, she, unfortunately, falls for Vivan, hard.
Vivan is a man left with nothing but choice. However, being a story from India (I grew up on them) some twists are unexpected, followed by death and if you are expecting a HEA, this is not the book for you, be warned. What you do get is a wonderfully woven narrative where our narrator reaches a stage of incredible growth and satisfaction as a person. As the reader, that has to be enough because the book ends with hope and what is life without hope?

[Jolly Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed that this wasn't a typical love story. The first thing that stood out to me was that it is from the male perspective. It was done so well that I was able to connect with him even easier than I do some female leads in this genre. His nature was one that you can easily feel empathy for.

It was also unique in the cultural setting, which I had little experience with going in and found utterly fascinating. Due to my health I can't travel and I always enjoy anything that is set outside of the US as it gives me a window into the world that I don't have the chance to see otherwise.

Then there was the poetry, which I really loved. It also had unexpected things that I won't mention due to spoiling, but that reached my heart.

Profound story.

[Lorraine M.L.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vivan’s Love Story was an interesting read. The first thing that struck me was how unique the story was. I haven’t read many books from India, so this was different, eye-opening, and took me on a journey to Delhi. I like that the stakes were high, with Vivan a Hindu falling for a Muslim girl and the added complication of Shruti coming into play. It kind of reminds you that love knows no religion and has no bounds. I also liked that it was in first person POV which is my favourite as it makes it easier to get inside a character’s head. I found the characters interesting and loved the setting. Overall, it’s a story about hope and what it means to find love, fall in love and be in love.

[P.S. Meraux · Rating 2 out of 5]

A young doctor who was a bit of a player apparently falls in love at first sight with the daughter of a patient. Rather than admit any feelings, he scams his way into her life under the guise of helping out.
Cultural-religious differences -- he’s Hindu, she’s Muslim-- threaten to derail their love affair before it ever begins. Add to that the pressures of family and friends trying to find him a nice Hindu girl and you have the basic foundation of a rather predictably plotted story with a few challenges and twists.
The actual construction of the tale is what pulled me out of it. The many poor word choices in Vivan’s Love Story had me scratching my head. And while coherent, the awkward phrasing made me as a reader painfully aware that English is the author’s second language, which is why I found this book difficult to get into.

Vivan’s poetry was a lovely touch. Although I found it frustrating that Sayra didn’t fully grasp his feelings for her early on. The writing, while direct and earnest in the dialogues between the characters, became more mechanized in the descriptions of their actions. Overall, I think the writing has good elements but the book would benefit from another round of proofing from an editor.

Arora delights in writing about his country. Having traveled a lot through India I understood the author’s goal and many of his references. At the same time I wondered if someone with less exposure to the culture would have done so since many of the concepts were not explained. I can see how this book might have a fair chance of attracting a more global audience if perhaps some tweaks were performed.
The ending was unsatisfying considering all that Vivan went through and seemed to devalue his emotional attachment to this girl as something more akin to a schoolboy crush than a man falling in love. I found that rather insulting to the good-hearted nature of the character.

[Ravi Gurunani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vivan's Love Story penned down by Himanshu Arora is romantic fiction which ensures entertainment if you are looking for a light read. I received this Ebook from Author Paradise in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Book Title and Cover- Book Title is apt as it is romantic fiction. Cover is beautiful and attracts the readers. Blurb is short and must be improved.

Language and Narration- Language used in this book is simple but given with decent narration, it engages readers till the climax. I liked Vivan's poetry. Dialogues were short and relatable.

Theme- This book serves us simple story of a doctor and his encounter with love. It also covers relatable tale of friendship.

Characterization- All the characters are justified properly as per the demand of book. As story continues characters seemed relatable to me in most of situations given in the book.

Storyline and Plot- This book revolves around Vivan who is doctor by profession and is pursuing MS. He had fewsmall non-serious relationships until Sayara,who is Muslim girl living alone.

Story continues with How Vivan helps her with her problems and they get close. Meanwhile Dr. Shruti is also introduced.

Plot is not extraordinary but storyline is skillfully woven to engage readers. After first few chapters story picks up the pace and seems relatable. Few scenes are written very beautifully which shows Mr. Arora's brilliant Story telling skills. The only negative point is the length of book. It could have been cut shorted.

RATINGS-
Book Title and Cover- 3/5
Language and Narration- 3.5/5
Characterization- 3.5/5
Storyline and Plot- 3/5

Final Rating- 3/5

Overall, Vivan's Love Story is simple, light read with relatable characters and engaging story. I would recommend this book to readers who read simple, light love stories.