In Love with Simran

by Kulpreet Yadav

Sanjana’s best friend at college is murdered. She was in love with a business tycoon named Nik Sethi, and Sanjana is certain that he killed her. In an effort to find proof, she decides to get close to him.
Good looking and rich, Nik falls in love with Sanjana instantly, but a month later, when he accidently discovers her real agenda, he throws her out of his life. Determined to nail him, Sanjana’s desperation exceeds all limits when she realizes that she too, like her friend, has fallen in love with a killer.
After she escapes an attack one night, Sanjana quits college and goes into hiding. Now her only ambition is to punish the killer and her only weapon is her body. In a last, desperate attempt, she uses herself as bait and pursues her best plan. There are only two options: she becomes a victim or she becomes a victor.
Through the story of Sanjana and Nik, In Love With Simran explores the boundaries of the basic instincts of the young: love, sex, trust and survival.

224 pages, Paperback

Published January 10, 2019

About the author

One of the leading fiction writers in India, Kulpreet Yadav retired voluntarily from the armed forces to pursue a career in writing in 2014. Also a motivational speaker now, he has spoken at more than two hundred schools, colleges, and global corporate brands during the last four years. Popular for his Andy Karan series, his new spy novel, Murder in Paharganj, was published by Bloomsbury India in Oct 2017. Kulpreet lives in Delhi with his wife and two daughters.

Reviews

[Vishnu Chevli · Rating 3 out of 5]

We are following Kulpreet Yadav on social media, ever since we have seen praise of his book "Murder in Paharganj". Later on, we read and reviewed that book. It was an awesome read. So when we saw Kulpreet's tweet about the next book, we expected it to be an action or thriller. Later on, we found the title "In Love with Simran." Don't blame me, but the title made me visualize DDLJ kind of story. But I was proven wrong by the author.

Before I start, tell me how far you can go for your friends. The protagonist of our story is Sanjana. She found her friend Simran in love with a high profile business tycoon, Nik. But within in a short duration, Simran was found dead. Unable to accept the situation, Sanjana wanted to find out the truth behind Simran's death. She took the chance and decided to go near Simran's boyfriend. But things didn't work out as she expected. Nik came to know about Sanjana's true motive and left her. At the same time, Sanjana also started feeling for Nik. The situation became grave for her as powerful hands of Nik made her life difficult. Determined to go to any level to solve the mystery, Sanjana took help of her body. (You may relate it to Hate Story -1's protagonist) Read the book to know more.

My observations
1) A bold book, which shows what a woman can do if she decides to take revenge.
2) Easy language and fast pace
3) A simple & straight storyline, you may take it as positive or negative. Depending on your reading preferences
4) Light in size. Good for trips

I think certain places that spark was missing or not touching upto the mark, especially if written by an author like Kuldeep. But not a big issue, I still enjoyed the book.

I would give 3.25/5 to "In Love with Simran"

Detailed review link - https://chevusread.blogspot.com/2019/...

[Sadaf sarkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book name : In love with Simran
Author: Kulpreet Yadav
My rating:🌠🌠🌠🌠
Publisher : Sristhi Publisher & Distributors
My review:
In love with Simran is romantic thriller. It starts after the death / murder of protagonist Sanjana's best friend Simran. The plot is interesting and innovative. The language used is simple and on point.
The story is narrated from Sanjana perspective , hence her emotional growth and development is depicted well. This was a good choice as it helps in creation of suspense with all her speculation and discoveries.
The characters are complex and lifelike which helps in the world building process. The relationship between the characters are not sugar coated. It is coarse and raw and successfully manages to add a touch of bitter reality to the whole story. The book is refreshing as the character development have been given attention and a interesting background is created even if seems naive at times .
The pace of the story is fast and well suited . The chapters are small though this flaw can looked over .The one problem which I had with the story was the beginning . It seemed very forced and abrupt.
The suspense is maintained throughout the book even though the climax seemed a little dull in comparison but it was ok and did not let me down.
Overall this was good and manage to create a suspense and trill in reading .
I would recommend this book to people who like to read thriller or romance.
I would further like to and @kulpreet_yadav for providing me signed copy

[Honey & Anjali · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5

The title makes you think of the book as a romance and even though it's got a touch of it, it's not entirely a love story. It's a love story evolving in the midst of a murder mystery. I think the title can be misleading and only after you read the blurb, you get the gist of it.

The story revolves around Sanjana and her desperation to know the truth behind the murder of her best friend, Simran. Sanjana is suspicious and is almost convinced that it's Simran's boyfriend Nik. In an attempt to get close to the truth, she ends up involving in Nik's life and falls for him. Now the dilemma is Is Nik who Sanjana thinks he is? And if Nik didn't murder her best friend then who did?

What follows is a journey of Sanjana unravelling the murder mystery with unpredictable twists while she hopes that the person she gave her heart to doesn't end up being the murderer.

The first half of the book is extremely confusing and not well written even though it's evident that the author has a way with words, it felt like he wasn't using his potential to the full extent, not until the second half at least.

The events leading up to the second half are vague and not descriptive enough to make you connect to the story even though things change once you get into it. Even though the plot is interesting it sometimes feels like the author has included too many twits, some of them just for the sake of keeping the readers confused but it ended up making me frustrated. The climax was a disappointing to say the least. So much build up only for you to get absolutely displeased. I don't know if it's a good sign when it comes to a murder mystery. The climax is supposed to make up for the errors but in this case, it didn't.

The character of Sanjana seems like a person who's got good head on her shoulders, so the whole thing with her falling for someone who is a main suspect in her best friends murder makes her look naive. Even though you can't control who you fall for and I get the whole thing "Innocent until proven guilty" but dating your dead best friend's ex is just a weird zone to be in. I don't know it made her character less three dimensional, at least for me.

The slow pacing didn't help me at all. It made me even more frustrated. The fact the book is a mystery thriller and yet fails to get you hooked says it all.

The narration improves and gets more smooth as the story progresses and even though the plot is intriguing, the story arch is vague and multidirectional which didn't do well with me.

I appreciate the fact that the author did a good job, plot wise. I know it takes a lot of thinking to introduce so many twits and murder story isn't easy to write but all I can say is that it deviates from a mystery thriller and inclines more to the romance side and then inclines to mystery again which is one of the problems why it didn't become what it could've been as it lies somewhere in between.

All I can say is that it was wasted potential and it could've been so much better.

Read full review on blog: www.whatireadandreviewed.wordpress.com

[Kavita · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's taken a long gap between reading this book and writing this review.....this is the first time it has happened....and am unable to pin point to the reason to it. I definitely liked the story but just couldn't grasp the way it ended....no ....am not giving out spoilers. I still cannot fathom it.

Let me just finish of with the basics...cover is beautiful....although it gives you the vibes of a love story, it is much more than just that.
The blurb is indicative enough of what the story would entail.
The main characters of the book are Sanjana, the protagonist, Simran who is her best friend and gets killed under suspicious circumstances and Nik, a wealthy, smart businessman. Sanjana suspects that Nik is in someway involved in Simran's death and decides to take revenge. So the story starts there.....No, I am not going to reveal any further but the journey to know about who is the murderer and what motivates him/ her is what makes the book enagaging and difficult to put down
Now to the real part....the plot.... characters are well etched out, the story is evenly paced but it has that quality of making you want to know of what going to happen next that it gets difficult to put it down. By the end of the story you just want to know how the story moves forward.
The plot is intriguing but the narrative does get confusing in between and some questions pop into your head which may not get answered. I would have loved a little bit more background into the side characters too. I also did not expect the change in the characteristics of the protagonist without any explanation for it to be so. The ending is the point where I got conflicted, I just did not see it coming but at some level was not able to come to terms with it too but i guess that may be gelling with other readers.
I liked it a lot but it left me with this vacuum at the end and that is purely because it was totally different from the cliched expectations of my brain. You can pick it as a one time read if you like romance and thrillers in equal proportion and will enjoy it if you like unexpected twists.

[Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Sanjana’s friend Simran is murdered, she is pretty sure that she knows who has done it; Simran’s boyfriend and a business tycoon Nik. But she needs proof before she can see him hang for it. So she hatches a honey trap plan to expose Nik. Will she be able to carry out her plan flawlessly? Or will she give into the charm of the man who may be a killer after all?

I picked up this book as a review copy from Srishti publishers because I have heard about the author quite a bit. Some of his other titles (like The City of Mirrors) had caught my attention previously and I have been wanting to read his works for quite some time now.

The author has done a good job with his narrative. It drew me in right from the beginning and made me feel invested in the plot. His language was simple and helped the story telling style by setting a very comfortable tone. The moderate pace of the plot littered with twists and thrills, the book is truly engaging. I was unable to pin my suspicion on one person till about half the book was done which is saying something.

However, I did face some issues with the characters and their development. Both Sanjana and Nik claim to be ‘in love with Simran’ yet they find it pretty easy to fall for each other. Nik, whose girlfriend was murdered, finds love in Sanjana… which is still somewhat believable, though I would term it as rebound relationship rather than love. On the other hand I found it very difficult to believe that a girl who is supposed to be smart, intelligent and feisty to fall for a man who she thinks is the killer of her best friend. I don’t know if it was done to add a present romantic element or just supposed to be convenient turn, I found it extremely unbelievable.

Overall, I think this book is a one-time read only because the protagonists are a letdown in what felt like a promising plot.

[Thushara · Rating 4 out of 5]

21/50 (2019)

NAME : IN LOVE WITH SIMRAN
AUTHOR : KULPREET YADAV
MY RATING : 4.35

BLURB IN SHORT : Sanjana’s friend Simran is found murdered and her first suspect is Simran’s boyfriend, the business tycoon Nik Sethi. Determined to Avenge Simran’s death, she forces herself into Nik’s life to seek evidences that prove him guilty. The more Sanjana comes closer to Nik, she starts realizing that she too has fallen for Nik, just like her murdered best friend.

WHAT I LIKED :

~ WRITING : The writing is really good. Its easy and can be read by even beginners.

~ PACING : To be honest, the pacing is the book’s biggest brownie point. It is really a fast read and no doubt you’ll fly through it!! The book has small chapters yet interesting ones!!

~PLOT : At first, I was really impressed with the direction the story was going. Sanjana is a strong, determined and independent character that most Indian novels lack (you know which books I am talking about)!!! I was really impressed by the blurb and it sounded promising.

What I DIDN’T LIKE :

~ COVER: The cover does not do any justice to the story. You might think that this is purely a romance book but its not just a romance book, at least in the beginning. But by the end you would wonder maybe the cover was accurate of the content of the book!!

~PLOT : There are some things that I liked and hated about the plot. You have already read what I liked about the plot . As the story progresses,I felt that Sanjana lost a part of her personality- what made her so interesting in the first place. The story moves slowly from a thriller to more romance based. That was disappointing considering the buildup the plot made till the first half of the book. It took a different direction and I didn’t enjoy it.

Overall a very fast paced read, but expect it to be more on the romantic side!!

Definitely recommend everyone to check this out!!!

___________________________________________________

[BelleTheBookie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to writersclubbhopal for giving me the copy of this book.

"All good games, were played with emotions and gut-instinct."

🦌 From the back cover : Sanjana's best friend at college is murdered. She was in love with a business tycoon named Nik Sethi, and Sanjana is certain that he killed her. In an effort to find proof, she decides to get close to him. Good looking and rich, Nik falls in love with Sanjana instantly, but a month later, when he accidentally discovers her real agenda, he throws her out of his life. Determined to nail him, Sanjana's desperation exceeds all limits when she realizes that she too, like her friend, has fallen in love with a killer. After she escapes an attack one night, Sanjana quits college and goes into hiding. Now her only ambition is to punish the killer and her only weapon is her body. In a last, desperate attempt, she uses herself as bait and pursues her best plan. There are only two options: she becomes a victim or she becomes a victor. Through the story of Sanjana and Nik, In Love With Simran explores the boundaries of the basic instincts of the young: love, sex, trust and survival.
.
🦌Review : 🐎 Cover does not do justice to the storyline of the book because it makes the book look like a romance novel, which it's not.

🐎The narration was not the type to keep me on my toes guessing what happened next, because to me, the story was almost predictable. But it may be different for other readers.

🐎The writing is very simple and understandable but pretty fast-paced and without a proper explanation of every character. It misses something which I can't put my finger on. But the story goes very fast and that does not let one's mind settle and take in the informations.

🐎The only fact I liked in this book is that the author showed a strong and wonderful bond between two best friends, which drives Sanjana to take her revenge and another relation I liked was between Sanjana and her mother.

🐎The ending was quite low for the entire storyline. It left me disappointed. But overall, it is for one-time reading.

🦌Rating : ⭐⭐⭐
Recommended for beginners.

[Deotima Sarkar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fast paced read with bollywoody feeling.
Sanjana a student in Delhi, whose father deserted her and her mom ( now in a Dharamsala old age home, due to forgetfulness) finds her best friend Simran dead that too by murder. Simran was in love with a business scion Nik. Nik is a suspect as Simran was pregnant with a foetus likely to be his.
Sanjana vowes revenge and settlement of friends death.
She is egged on by Mr Khan an inspector, who s later revealed to be pathan. What follows is her coming close to Nik by various means and Nik also starting to like her. In a pendulum of whether Nik is the murderer or not, Sanjana starts liking him but is sent a letter an a close physical encounter with Nik that is a confession and threat altogether.
Sanjana leaves college, meets her mother, gets a letter from Simran there, trains herself and comes back to Delhi.She hires a private detective and tries along to nail nik again.
Nik however seems to have fallen in love with her and gradually Sanjana reciprocates, which is followed by two murders one of Ruby, Niks PA who had previously asked Sanjana to stay away from Nik and then Pathan , who is Nik s body guard and also our inspector khan from earlier.
Highlights are shifted to Niks mother Rajbala as Sanjana s mother mentioned to her Simran s call naming Rajbala to be evil and also Rajbala herself seems to be omnipotent about sanjana s movements including her visit to his doctor who has declared Nik mentally unfit bordering on bipolar.
Nik however is head over hills in love with Sanjana and Sanjana also wants to give in. This vacillation between her choices of Nik being the murderer and her lover leads to an attack on her and marriage proposal from Nik.
In spite of being pre cautioned of Niks mental state they marry and Sanjana is then pregnant.
In a revelation Nik then kills himself to prevent himself from killing Sanjana like he killed the others for his psychotic condition.Sanjana has a baby girl and both her mom and she name her Simran.
I think the title is a misnomer for the book and there are loopholes in the story.

[Aparna Preethi · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Could have been better' was the only thought that crossed my mind as soon as i completed the book. To be frank, I was bored at the beginning; the novel wasn't gripping or so and so until it crossed some 100 pages. The author concentrated on the twists and turns and that was the major problem, because there were so many confusions and twists and turns. The plot could have been simple and neat. Of course, it gripped me once I crossed the first 100 pages but what if someone don't want to go till the end because of the first part? The author got a good potential to write, he could have used it in a better way.

The character of Sanjana falling in love with Nik, who she considered as the killer of her best friend Simran, wasn't that happening too quick? I mean, at one point she was shown as the courageous and at the other side she fell for him, just like that. And again, the confusion of if he is the one or not and all those. It looked as if all the murders was happening just for it's sake. The truth wasn't revealed until the last few pages, well I appreciate that (a Novoneel touch), but then when it revealed it didn't have that effect(Again, a Novoneel touch). A book would make a reader want to read it till the end, but when the climax wasn't satisfying, then it just drops there. But even before the climax, there were so many rising and falling actions. The plot was good, but it didn't run and unfold in a clear way. A little clumsy I would say.

I really feel bad to write such a negative review, but then, as i mentioned, the author has good potential and I badly want him to use his talent in a proper way. Will be looking forward for his next book and want that to be his best.

[Meghna Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Sanjana's best friend is murdered, her first doubt was on Nik Sethi, Simran's boyfriend. She plans on collecting evidence to prove him the murderer so she starts getting close to him, but while doing that, she eventually falls in love with him and so does Nik. When she almost made up her mind that Nik was not the murderer, more bodies pile up which changes Sanjana's mind again and with that Nik finds out of Sanjana's motive behind her getting close to him. What will Nik do? Was Nik really the murderer? Is Sanjana the next target? How will she find out the killer?

It is not a love story, sorry to disappoint, the title and cover don't do justice to the story. The story itself has many incomplete plots according to me. The start was speeded up, I couldn't connect with Simran because she was not explained well. The character development was explained well enough and I liked it. The romantic connection which was happening slowly was well put. Twist and turns in between the romance was nicely done and the suspense was kept till the end. What I didn't like was the ending was speeded up as well, the climax was not explained well enough and the suspense felt incomplete. Overall the author tried it's best so, a one time read.

[Stuti Chowdhury · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't fall in love with people who are like yourself . You fall in love with your pther half , a half you never knew existed untill met that person . The one who completes you . And then everything gets heightened - love , beauty , pleasure .Even pain ! And while pain gets divided between the two of you , the happiness gets multiplied into infinity ."

Name - In Love With Simran
Author - Kulpreet Yadav
Genre - Fiction
Pages - 220
Publisher - Shrishti

Blurb - Simran , best friend of Sanjana was murdered by stabbing a sharp edged knife and in search of the murderer Sanjana came in front of a thousand divided road where she couldn't trust a single person . Nik (Simran's boyfriend) and his every trap  made her more confused to reached at the conclusion . So she made a strategy to find out the murderer of her best friend and when she became sure that Nik was the murderer she got thousand other links and faced two other murder cases which shaken her more  .And slowly she started to fall in love with Nik and her life took a new turn which was out of her expectation .

A love story with a tragic conclusion .
Every chapter will make you more curious to find out what is happening next.
A proper mixture of love , lust and suspense with the glorious side of friendship and responsibility towards a friend has made this book amazing.

The value of friendship has got a different meaning in this book.

Sanjana's character her boldness , intelligence , anger , lust , her love for her best friend,  responsibility towards her  mother , her attitude has been made her character more prominent and elegant .

[Ruchi Patel · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I picked up the book, I thought it might be a romance genre with protagonist named Simran but to my surprise it turned out completely different. The protagonist of the story is Sanjana. Simaran is a friend of Sanjana. Simaran was in love with a business tycoon named Nick Sethi. And one day suddenly Simaran got murdered. Sanjana has a doubt on Nick that he might have killed her. So she decided to go near to him but then she started having feelings for him. Read the book to unfold further plot.

The book has completely different plot. It’s a page turner with full of twists and turns. The book is written in simple and easily understandable language so that everyone can enjoy it. Definitely recommended.

[Pari · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a misleading title and cover art, the author does a good job at creating a suprising element as the reader moves with the plot. I was excited with the pace of the story and, the author's writing skill was commendable.

Coming to the premise, it had a Revenge Story vibe that is a common theme in many media platforms and yet the author tried to provide something more. But, I did miss an impactful performance or a 'wow element' from any character or event within the book. That, unfortunately, costed loss of two stars from my rating of the book, "In Love with Simran"

[Komal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book describes the love-stories of Simran- a college going teenager, her best friend and classmate- Sanjana and their love-interest Nik, a rich business tycoon.

The story is set in Delhi, where Simran, falls in love with this ever-so charming hunk, Nik. She gets murdered and her best friend, Sanjana is convinced that her own lover, Nik is behind the brutal killing of her pregnant friend!

She tries to expose him but not by traditional means of reaching out to police authorities. Instead, she hires a private detective, conceals her true identity to approach him and ends up getting close(too close!) with Nik Sethi.

Now begins the chase of Cat and Mouse, where both of them tries to outwit each other, eventually ending up in love.

Things gets complicated when Nik's secretary Ruby and his body guard are also killed. Meanwhile, Nik's mother and his doctor warns Sanjana of Nik's mental condition, leaving her more confused than ever.

Who is behind these triple murders?
Will Sanjana be able to find justice for her friend and love for herself?? Read the book and find it out!

[Deep Shekhawat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tight plot that has all the elements of thrill and excitement woven through, this is a story that kept me captivated throughout. Sanjana's loyalty fur her friend, her taking rust to uncover the truth, and then getting swayed by the charms of someone she initially thought to be a killer, has been portrayed very well indeed. The checks and balances she adopts while she swings from holding Nik responsible for the murder and getting attracted to his behaviour, Sanjana's character stands out. She's strong, even when she's at her worst even though she allows to let her guard down at at least twice.

[Shreya · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A good kiss can take you to the moon and back in thirty seconds."

To begin with this book is a real page turner, totally unputdownable. The story line and plot twists keeps you engaged.

First half of the book is really good and interesting, however I felt the second part of the book was a little draggy.
There is a suspense lying in every chapter. The story is paced well which makes this book a quick read.

The language used is also easily understandable. I liked how the story moves ahead making readers wonder what will happen next.
There are a few minor mistakes towards the end that disrupt the flow of reading.

Overall this book is a good read for all mystery and suspense lovers and I enjoyed reading this book.

[Siddhi Palande · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the way the thriller element is present throughout the novel what I didn't like was that the climax is sort of predictable. The author tries to take us on a ride but despite not being a fan of thrillers I could easily conclude who the murderer was. Yes, the plot and narration was highly involving.

Read entire book review on www.ofbookbabiesandmore.wordpress.com

[Rain In Heaven (Susmita) · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all lets start with the title of the book. From the title you may think it's a love story. But let me tell you this is not a love story. The story is about a murder mystery, in which you can find some love story as well. The cover of the book is really pretty.
There has a lot of twists in the story. I almost ended up suspecting every characters in the story. You can not put down the book until you finish it. But some unnecessary descriptions irritated me.
I was enjoying reading the first half of the story. It was intriguing until i came to the second half. The second half of the story just ruined my interest. I felt no connection between the second half with the first half.
Language is easy. The pace of the story is smooth but slow. Character development could be better.
And finally, the climax. The climax could have been so much better. It was not so satisfying for me.
My rating-- 2.5/5

[Zainab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title : In love with Simran
Author : @kulpreet_yadav
Publisher : @srishtipub
Length : 220

The relief that you feel in the arms of your mother is perhaps the only thing that can't be measured.

Book blurb : Sanjana and Simran are college friends.During college days Simran fall in love with billionaire Nik Sethi.One day Simran was murdered but no one knows who is killer? Sanjana vows to takes revenge for her best friend murder.There are lots of suspect.Who is real killer Nik,Rajbala nik's mother,Ruby,Pathan or someone else?Will Sanjana be able to find the real murderer or her fate will ends same like Simran? Read and find it out.

My opinion : From cover and title it seems to be a love story but when I dig in I found it is a suspense thriller.Story is about a murder mystery.The flow of story is fast paced which hooked the reader till end.You can't find the killer till end.Story contains all the substance love,hate, thrill,trust,disappointment.Storytelling is accurate that you can visualise scene while reading book.Characters are few but arranged in proper way.The protagonist of story is Sanjana.She is strong character.Whole story is from Sanjana point of view.Indeed it is a page turner.It is a good read.

Highly recommend this book to everyone who loves reading thrillers.

[Suman Panda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great story! Just as good as the first. Can't wait to read the next!

I was actually reading another novel when the book "In love with Simran" arrived from Amazon. I soon just gave up trying to get involved in the other book consisting the blurb as "Murder of Main protogonist's Best Friend" beckoned me.

I read this book & fell in love with sanjana, a place, & so much more! With it being set in the medieval era with articulating breath taking script, I was in heaven & very much so wished that I could be right there in the middle of this mystery. The author did a fantastic job with her imagery; I felt that all I needed was my own detective kit to solve the mystery.
The story had twists, kept me guessing (which I love!), & was very witty & smart. I often find that with a book in a series such as this one, I am not easily get tired of the main character. This novel was not that way for me at all. I could see growth in story & I found myself wishing that I was her best friend. Also, in reading this second book, I saw change & growth in the author's writing- it became more refreshed, more exhilarating, & even more smart! It was a very enjoyable read!

The plot moves right along and the reader is soon feeling like she's right there with them, following up on every clue. Although the mystery plotting was well done, the real pleasure in this book for me was the characters and setting. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
I think this book is written well. Especially getting that feeling of the suspense mystery. I tend to read books set in the now so this is a refreshing change.
I highly recommend this book and the previous book, "Murderer in paharganj".

I think that the author does a good job developing likable characters - both Nik sethi and Sanjana are quite wonderful.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this one.

I was so damn amazed with the first half like... I was truly mesmerized with the pace of the story.
I had to calm down now and then.


And then came the second half which totally ruined my mood.


I began to hate the main protagonist.
I faced so many issues with the second half of the story.


I enjoyed reading the book till the end no doubt, but ugh... I lost my temper many a times regarding the main protagonist, Sanjana, changing so abruptly from a strong, independent, determined-to-take-revenge-for-her-bestfriend's-murder turns into someone I really dislike till the end.


Damn the story ended but I am really not ok with how things turned out.


The main highlight would be the gripping writing style. I was never bored while reading each and every line of the 220 paged story.


Yes, like how I loved the book Verity by Colleen Hoover, I so hated the main characters in this one too.


There were so many similarities with the two books.


The ending for this one could have been so much better.


But heck, this one was of a hell entertaining read!

[Sindhu Vinod · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts with a classroom scene wherein the professor asks a question. Simran, a simple down to earth girl comes up with an answer that leaves everyone stunned. She replies that the distance between the moon and back is a kiss. The professor silences the class and proceeds to teaching.

Sanjana is Simran’s bestie. During a break at the canteen, she asks her what made her give the reply to the Professor which is when Simran confesses that she’s fallen in love. Sanjana quickly understands it’s Nik Sethi whom Simran is in love with, which doesn’t seem approving. But since her friend is happy she also joins her happiness. Not knowingthata the happiness is short lived, Sanjana receives call at night stating Simran is at the hospital.

Dropping everything at that instant Sanjana reaches the hospital only to know Simran is at the mortuary. She is surrounded by her family members. Sanjana is astounded and doesn’t know what to say, when she is taken aside by a police officer who introduces himself as inspector Khan, in charge of Simran’s case. He tells her that Simran was pregnant. Sanjana is shattered and immediately collapses on the floor. She then recuperates after two days and leaves the hospital. She is very sure that it was Nik Sethi who was responsible for the murder.  She decides to make him feel guilty and confess the murder. She also helps inspector Khan providing vital information and only at a later point comes to know that he is working for Nik.

She decides to intern at a magazine in order to interview Nik and is successful at securing a job and an opportunity to interview Nik even after being refused of an opportunity by his assistants. She decides to encounter him directly sat the gym and ask for time to interview and succeeds. When she reaches his office and he behaves as if nothing happened and wasn’t guilty at all. Instead, he takes a liking for her. She is warned by his PA Ruby to stay out of the way or else she would end up like Simran. This terrorizes her but makes her more firm to believe that Nik is behind the murder. She is being followed by strange people. So she decides to take cover at her mom’s place in Dharamshala for few days prepare herself physically to take on Nik.

Due course of time, after her arrival from Dharamshala, she hires a detective to help her out in this case. The detective helps Sanjana but also saves her from few instances from life threats. While all this is happening Ruby the assistant and Pathan, Nik’s assistant is also being murdered and that too with the same weapon Simran was murdered.

The story takes a series of turns as to who would have committed the crime, there is also an angle accusing Nik’s mom; Rajbala. Sanjana falls for Nik and they both get married. What happens in the end?

Does she find the murderer? Is Nik guilty? Why did he kill three people? Is the rest of the story?

The author has taken the plot in a nail biting sequence as to who would have committed the crime of Nik’s close counterparts. Initially, we also have few alibis which make us suspect who would it be.

What started off as a quest to find the murderer by Sanjana continues in a way that she falls in love with the same guy who killed her friend. This point initially was difficult to accept but at a later point, we do come to know that Nik also has a story to tell. We have only been listening to one half of it.

Sanjana initially was full of rage and wanted to get hold of Nik and make him pay for his crime. The efforts she takes to make him confess and how swifts she wanted to take up a job just to meet him and make him speak are all accolades to her quick thinking.

Nik is smart and quick thinking, He says he deeply loves Simran and is sad that she had to depart soon. But one thing that makes me puzzled is why would he fall for Sanjana, within a short gap of Simran’s demise.

The narration is simple and intriguing to read.

The cover design is perfect and kudos for that.

What looks to be a romantic tale takes a twist.

[Anuya Patil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: In Love With Simran
Author: Kulpreet Yadav
Format: Paperback /E-book
Length: 224 pages
Synopsis:
Sanjana’s best friend at college is murdered. She was in love with a business tycoon named Nik Sethi, and Sanjana is certain that he killed her. In an effort to find proof, she decides to get close to him.
Good looking and rich, Nik falls in love with Sanjana instantly, but a month later, when he accidently discovers her real agenda, he throws her out of his life. Determined to nail him, Sanjana’s desperation exceeds all limits when she realizes that she too, like her friend, has fallen in love with a killer.
After she escapes an attack one night, Sanjana quits college and goes into hiding. Now her only ambition is to punish the killer and her only weapon is her body. In a last, desperate attempt, she uses herself as bait and pursues her best plan. There are only two options: she becomes a victim or she becomes a victor.
Through the story of Sanjana and Nik, In Love With Simran explores the boundaries of the basic instincts of the young: love, sex, trust and survival.
Review:
The book makes up a very gripping thriller. Written by Kulpreet Yadav the book is as good as his last thriller. The book is a romance thriller. I finished reading the book rather fast not because it was small but because it is so engaging that you get totally hooked on to the book. Even if you have kept the book aside, it is hard to get your mind out of the story. The story involves you to such an extent. Right till the end of the novel, the suspense is held tight. The characters are very well written. We instantly get connected to Sanjana, her best friend, her mother, her life and her circumstances. Another character who is not the main one but definitely a very important character, Bilap,is well written and you would want to have a savoir like him in your life. The book is not an ordinary romance story. There is something happening around constantly and it is not very pleasant or something that you would want to happen with yourself. I took up this book after reading two serious drama’s and it was definitely a much needed refreshing read that I needed. The book is the second book by the same author that I have read and I would be looking forward to other great works by him. I would recommend the book to all readers as it is in all a great, interesting and an engaging read. You will be left guessing who the killer is till the end but would not know who it is till the writer wishes to disclose the killer to you and that is exactly the beauty of the book.
Rating:
4.5 /5

[Amina Thajudeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read more: https://theultimatereviewer586340888....

In love with Simran is a murder mystery with a slice of romance. The best thing about this book is the impressive writing style of the author. The language is not too hard or not too simple but have optimum. The words are flowing smoothly even to portray rather many complex characters of the story. The beauty of writing is absolutely remarkable.

The cover of the book is designed as a beautiful one but the title of the book is not entirely true to the story but a reader can interpret the title in different ways. Simran is the best friend of the main character Sanjana, who then set herself on a journey to unravel the mystery when the former is murdered. The story begins with describing the love between Simran and Nik Sethi. Simran is not one of the main characters in the novel but she is the one who links the main characters. The friendship between Sanjana and Simran is portrayed exceptionally well because Sanjana is the character who risks her life for her best friend.

At sometimes this story was slipped to a movie script which is quite predictable. But the climax is the best thing about this story. The story came into the climax rather abruptly which I liked most. No hint was there. But the saddest thing about this novel is, it leaves the certain holes in the story at the end. The author leaves a vague explanation through the words of Sanjana connecting the mystery holes which does not leave me satisfied. At this point, it again seems to be a movie which leaves much to be the viewer’s imagination.

The character of Sanjana is quite delusional. At one point she is described as strong, independent and goal oriented person but she is slipped into a stereotypical girl character when the author introduces the romance again to produce complexity in the plot. I’m not at all convinced the rather speedy change in the character of Sanjana and how she is fell in love with the murderer of her best friend in a short time. This change was abrupt in my view.

But this is a good one time read because of the good employment of suspense element in the story. The entire story was told in the first person point of view which makes the reader clueless about the character of Nik. This is a clever thought from the author side, as this doesn’t leave any imagination to the reader about Nik which eventually makes this a good thriller. Every event related to Nik is happening all of a sudden, which I think a good element for the thriller. Overall this is a good murder mystery novel.

[Abhishek Putran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book :- In love with Simran

Author :- Kulpreet Yadav

Publisher :- Srishti Publishers

My ratings :- ⭐⭐⭐/5

Blurb :-

Sanjana’s best friend at college is murdered. She was in love with a business tycoon named Nik Sethi, and Sanjana is certain that he killed her. In an effort to find proof, she decides to get close to him. 
Good looking and rich, Nik falls in love with Sanjana instantly, but a month later, when he accidently discovers her real agenda, he throws her out of his life. Determined to nail him, Sanjana’s desperation exceeds all limits when she realizes that she too, like her friend, has fallen in love with a killer. 
After she escapes an attack one night, Sanjana quits college and goes into hiding. Now her only ambition is to punish the killer and her only weapon is her body. In a last, desperate attempt, she uses herself as bait and pursues her best plan. There are only two options: she becomes a victim or she becomes a victor. 
Through the story of Sanjana and Nik, In Love With Simran explores the boundaries of the basic instincts of the young: love, sex, trust and survival.

My review :-

In love with Simran is a book of murder mystery which slowly turns into a Love tale. The cover of the book is attractive but the title could have been different as it wasn't completely relatable. The writing style of author is impressive. The words used are plain and easy for the readers to finish it quickly without finding the vocabulary hard to comprehend. The story moves at a good pace and picks up the ante at the end.

The character development and introduction to the story and the way the relationships are woven were good. The mystery of the murder which was kept hidden till the end making the readers to second guess every few pages was thrilling. The way loves scenes portrayed were also simple and good and didn't cross the limit making it a pleasant read.

Though the book is filled with good scenes, characters and story line, it starts to turn into a movie script at some point. The murders and the reasons could have been better explained taking some time and pages for it. But it was left plain and complex. The stroy could have been narrated at a little faster pace but still good.

Altogether, this book takes you all over the place and then just drops the hammer right in the last chapter making it a not so very good ending. Apart from the ending, the book is really good and a must read for thriller lovers.

[Bhargavi Chandrashekar · Rating 3 out of 5]

It doesn't always end well when you have some expectations, I usually don't expect something great would happen or something great has been written, before I pick the book. But, sometimes you have that feeling, that few authors won't let you down. Unfortunately, this is one such book where I was a bit disappointed with the Author.

The book starts with the question "How long does it take for a person to travel to the moon and back?" and without wasting the time the author dives into the main plot of the story. Sanjana's friend Simran was in love with the business tycoon, soon she discovers she has been murdered. The story then revolves around Who is behind the murder? Was it her lover Nik Sethi? What was his motive? If Nik is the Murderer and how to prove the same?

In Love With Simran is a romantic tale of a girl who fell in love with the rich lad, soon her best friend learns that she has been murdered and to avenge her death, she hatches a plot against her lover but unknowingly she will fall in love with the Murderer just like her best friend. Although the story has a lot of scope for the suspense or thrilling elements, I felt the author didn't do the right experiments to bring that excitement to the readers. Obviously, the one line of the story had a lot of dimensions to be explored, but it just went in one direction.

At times Simran Character is shown as the strong and independent women who doesn't fear for anything, but the same girl doesn't face her fear when she was supposed to do so. Her characterization is confusing, throughout the story there wasn't a single strong character who could change the pace of the story. It starts falling flat towards the end, there wasn't any surprising piece of the story that hooked me till the end.

Overall, In Love With Simran wasn't something that I expected, considering the fact that the author had given us some interesting thrillers before this. This one failed to match his earlier works. Felt momentum was carried away towards the end, the ending was ordinary. For certain reasons this book hasn't worked out for me, but if you're someone who would be interested in reading a normal Indian Romance tale with the Suspense layered you might enjoy this book. I give this book 3.25 out of 5 stars!

[Sukanya Mallik · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Love with Simran by Kulpreet Yadav
Publication date: 10 Jan 2019
Publisher: Srishti Publishers & Distributors
Language: English
Length: 224 pages
ISBN 9789387022539
Blurb:
Sanjana’s best friend at college is murdered. She was in love with a business tycoon named Nik Sethi, and Sanjana is certain that he killed her. In an effort to find proof, she decides to get close to him.

Good looking and rich, Nik falls in love with Sanjana instantly, but a month later, when he accidently discovers her real agenda, he throws her out of his life. Determined to nail him, Sanjana’s desperation exceeds all limits when she realizes that she too, like her friend, has fallen in love with a killer.
After she escapes an attack one night, Sanjana quits college and goes into hiding. Now her only ambition is to punish the killer and her only weapon is her body. In a last, desperate attempt, she uses herself as bait and pursues her best plan. There are only two options: she becomes a victim or she becomes a victor.
Through the story of Sanjana and Nik, In Love With Simran explores the boundaries of the basic instincts of the young: love, sex, trust and survival.


How far can someone go for a bestfriend?
You'll know when you read the book.

The protagonist of the book is Sanjana. She found out that her friend Simran developed a liking for a high profile business tycoon, Nik. But within in a short span of time, Simran was found dead. Unable to accept the situation, Sanjana wanted to find out the reality behind Simran's demise. She took the odds and decided to approach Simran's boyfriend. But things didn't work out as she expected to.Apart from just being a best friend this book depicted Sanjana as a daughter, as an emotional teenager, overall as a damsel in distress still fighting for the revenge that she set her mind up to. I was also surprised pleasantly on discovering how beautifully Kulpreet Yadav depicted a girl, a female protagonist so seamlessly as though he had been doing it since ever. The storyline was quite predictable however the way in which it was written made me want to to keep reading.
Owing to the simple language and fast paced plot, I finished off within 3 hours.

[नीतिका यादव · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEW-
IN LOVE WITH SIMRAN by @kulpreet_yadav
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📎The first thought that crossed my mind when I read the title - the same old love story.
But to my surprise this book did not disappoint me.
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📎The author tried to captivate the mind of the readers from the starting only.

"A good kiss can take a person to the moon and back in thirty seconds."

📎Was the answer by a young college girl named Simran, when her professor asked her about the time required to travel to the moon and back ?

📎But one would feel the ground slipping under their feet, when they soon realises that Simran has been murdered in the college premises later in the afternoon.
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But who did it ??
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📎Her best friend, Sanjana was certain that Nik; a business tycoon & Simran's lover must have got this job done.
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📎In order to fetch her questions with all the answers , she tried to get in Nik's life but what turns out to be the most interesting is she falls in love with him, too.
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P.S - Couldn't resist herself from Nik's charm, i guess.
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Wil she be able to stand back on her feet to find the killer?
Or , she will be just another number added onto Nik's list ?
Or, her assumption about Nik, being the killer will undiscover some other real faces ?
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📎It is a fast paced short story. As the author was able to put the genres of romance, thriller, suspense and murder within 220 pages.
📎At times, I felt that the story needed more pages to properly bring in the twists and turns.
📎Simran was a strong, independent and determined girl but I wasn't able to digest that she was able to fall in love with Nik in a short span of time.
📎The writing style did not lose its grip, till the end.
📎The suspense and twists and turns were like the roller coaster ride, but at the end it just become flat and the story ended quickly.
📎The author tried to portray a different level of friendship, that to what extent Simran went to find out the culprit.
📎I really liked the cover, but the title could have been more interesting.
📎The language is plain and lucid, which can be easily grasped by the readers.
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📎Nevertheless, the book definitely deserves to be picked and read.
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RATING - 🌟🌟🌟.5/5

[Kiranmayi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review on my blog:
https://medium.com/kiranmayi-g/book-r...

Sanjana’s best friend Simran is in love with a rich, successful business man Nik Sethi and is literally flying around in happiness. However, that is cut short as Simran is found murdered. Sanjana starts off with Nik as prime suspect however, police do not progress much on the case and not much evidence is found. Sanjana tries to find for herself her best friend’s murderer and thus starts a young nineteen year old college going girl’s journey of trying to brave all odds in the path of bringing justice to her dear friend.

Sanjana encounters fake policemen, goons, Nik’s security and staff, all seemingly harmful and trying to hush the truth before it can brought in front of the world. Alone and only with an ailing mother in a distant city, Sanjana refuses to end her search even if it meant putting herself in the hands of trouble and death. Will Sanjana be able to success in this quest and is this game as simple as it looks forms the rest of the story.

The story starts with a bang as Simran is killed in the intial few pages and Sanjana soon realises she has more trouble at hand than she could ever imagine. The entry of a detective Biplab, mid way through the story only makes the proceedings more dramatic and interesting. Sanjana’s never-die-attitude is what keeps the reader engaged till the climax.

But the story loses its direction in last few pages, where everything that is happening around is too silly and illogical. Nik’s character never reaches it required depth, the way it ideally has to, as he keeps swinging between reminiscing Simran but instantly falling for Sanjana a few days after Simran’s death. Sanjana who starts off as being a smart, bold young girl turns a cliched character as the story reaches climax.

While the story starts brilliantly and maintains the tempo for almost three-fourth of the runtime, the last few pages fail what could have been an intriguing thriller. Nevertheless the story holds the reader’s attention till the end and succeeds in that account. Pick this one for a racy thriller which entertains for a major portion.

[Rutuja Ramteke · Rating 3 out of 5]

🌸In Love With Simran By Kulpreet Yadav🌸
Genre: Romantic- Crime Thriller
Publisher: Srishti Publishers
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Plot: Sanjana’s best friend at college is murdered. She was in love with a business tycoon named Nik Sethi, and Sanjana is certain that he killed her. In an effort to find proof, she decides to get close to him. Nik falls in love with Sanjana instantly, but a month later, when he accidently discovers her real agenda, he throws her out of his life. Determined to nail him. Sanjana quits college and goes into hiding. Now her only ambition is to punish the killer and her only weapon is her body. In a last, desperate attempt, she uses herself as bait and pursues her best plan. .
My Opinion: When I picked the book I thought it's a romantic book or a love story but the scenario was completely different when I actually started reading it. The book is not a romance one it's a crime thriller or a muder mystery most appropriate to be. The book talks about the main protagonist Sanjana though she is portrayed well but first half of the book really is amazing may be when the book goes on a verge of ending the story starts changing completely the character Sanjana is completely changed from what she was before. Taking about the cover, it's beautiful but it could be more better. I felt the title doesn't go well with the book because the titl depicts that it's a love story but it's a revenge story with a bit tint of love or may be lust.
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Pros: Right from the beginning I didn't face any problems while reading the book. The book proceeds in an amazing way. There is soft proceedings and plot is fast paced. There is no chaos & characterisation is done well. The writing is really good & even a beginner can pick it up due to it's easy language. I will recommend it to beginners & as a one time read.
Cons: The plot line wasn't constructed that good, like psychological thrillers the author tried to messed up with readers mind but he failed. End could have been more better. I liked the book though.
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Rating: 3.5🌟