What do you think?
Rate this book
Blues
A love story based on a true love story which talks about depression and mental health. A lot of people among us are silently suffering from depression and anxiety. Unable to understand themselves and the problem they are facing, they are committing suicide. People are unwilling to share their issues with others and psychiatrists. This work shows the suffering of those people in the form of a love story.
190 pages, Paperback
Published December 21, 2021
3 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 7, 2022
People are getting awareness about mental health and how it is not to be ignored if someone is deeply troubled emotionally. As much as this pandemic created various opportunities for many of us, it also made us feel loneliness and misery. We all felt irritated and our mental peace was far from our reach. Things have changed and people are raising awareness about seeking help when needed. This book fulfills that purpose quite easily.
Rahul who is a sweet and simple introvert since his childhood has feelings for Sneha, his childhood heartthrob. They have family relations and they plan to go on a trip to North India. On this trip, Sneha confesses to Rahul about her feelings but due to past reasons, Rahul declines her proposal. After securing a job with the help of Sneha, he finally comes to acknowledge that he, too, loves Sneha. Sounds like a typical romance novel, right? But, no! When everything is going well, Rahul and Sneha meet an accident that changes the course of Rahul's life.
Rahul goes into depression and often has suicidal thoughts. It takes a lot of time for him to accept that he needs medical help. He starts his therapy sessions without letting anyone know. He is fighting alone with his depression and getting to know about himself.
You can see yourself in this book through the character of Rahul. If not clinically diagnosed, we all have faced temporary depression in our lives. We know how everything goes blank and we feel a void taking place in our life. Our days seem numb and we stop interacting with others until one day, healing starts showing its results. Our thoughts are not permanent. We shouldn't waste much time in overthinking about matters that aren't significant. This is a great book for beginners who want to read something about mental health in a simple way. A beautiful and emotionally woven tale that leaves its readers impressed.
Rahul who is a sweet and simple introvert since his childhood has feelings for Sneha, his childhood heartthrob. They have family relations and they plan to go on a trip to North India. On this trip, Sneha confesses to Rahul about her feelings but due to past reasons, Rahul declines her proposal. After securing a job with the help of Sneha, he finally comes to acknowledge that he, too, loves Sneha. Sounds like a typical romance novel, right? But, no! When everything is going well, Rahul and Sneha meet an accident that changes the course of Rahul's life.
Rahul goes into depression and often has suicidal thoughts. It takes a lot of time for him to accept that he needs medical help. He starts his therapy sessions without letting anyone know. He is fighting alone with his depression and getting to know about himself.
You can see yourself in this book through the character of Rahul. If not clinically diagnosed, we all have faced temporary depression in our lives. We know how everything goes blank and we feel a void taking place in our life. Our days seem numb and we stop interacting with others until one day, healing starts showing its results. Our thoughts are not permanent. We shouldn't waste much time in overthinking about matters that aren't significant. This is a great book for beginners who want to read something about mental health in a simple way. A beautiful and emotionally woven tale that leaves its readers impressed.
February 2, 2022
Book Title: Blues
Author: Dhruva Nalla
Format: Kindle
Genre: Fiction ( YA )
No.of pages: 180
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
About the book
Rahul has anxiety issues; he feels something worse is going to happen to him and to the people he loves. Sneha, on the other hand, is a polar opposite. She doesn’t care about the future; she doesn’t worry much. Both of them are childhood friends; she teaches him to be fearless. He starts changing into a confident person; in the process, they fall in love with each other. But when Sneha dies in an accident, he is devastated. He lost a lover, a friend and most importantly, a therapist. He doesn’t want to live anymore. He falls into a pit so deep that it might be difficult to come out. Will he be able to fight the situation or let the situation affect him?
Review Headline
Dystopian & emotional!
What to expect
Expect a book that straight away takes the readers into the author’s mind
Expect a book that talks about love, romance and disturbed mental health
Expect a book that showcases how vulnerable people become bait to the ill-emotions
Expect a book that describes the effects of society on an individual
Who can read
The book is mainly intended for Young Adult readers. It can also be read by people who are interested in reading the new-age romantic fiction that addresses issues like depression anxiety and what drives young people towards it. Also, it would be preferable if adults in the family, including parents, read the book so as to introspect.
How is the narration
This is where I was intrigued as a reader. My affinity towards Indian writing always increases, like the places, events and incidents that a book has look relatable. The very mention of Hyderabad, its traffic and chaos, the Telugu culture and traditions and many such nuances in the book, along with many other elements, made the book close to heart. The book is in the first-person narrative, and Rahul, the central male character, talks to the reader. The timid personality of Rahul takes a softer place in the reader’s mind. There is a concern throughout the book when Rahul comes into the picture. This kind of narration is not so usual in a YA genre book. Kudos to author Dhruva for making this possible!
About the characters
The story has two central characters, Rahul and Sneha, on whom the story runs. The introduction, their personalities, strengths & fragility are well maintained and described in the book. As we read, we tend to understand the mindset of these characters. Apart from them, the other characters like parents and others are well depicted.
Writing Style
This is the first book from the author, and his simple yet thoughtful writing attracted me. There are many places where a reader can feel like one of the characters in the story. Little nothings, holidaying with families, childhood love, and many more are heartening. I won’t say this is the best kind of narration, but it is firmly finer compared to other recent books I have read from young authors.
Grammar & Vocabulary
A fine language with adequate grammar & vocabulary is used in the book. The concepts relating to mental health and lifestyle-related are talked about well.
What did I like
The plot
Addressing mental health and issues
Realistic approach towards life
Unconventional story-telling
What could have been better
As such, there is nothing to mention. Maybe, a universal cultural setup will appeal to many readers.
Entertainment quotient
The story has friendship, romance, family, pros and cons of life and many more that will preoccupy the reader’s mind. It is definitely an entertaining story!
Pick it if
you like YA romantic fiction
you like stories related to real-life situations
February 16, 2022
▶A love story that triggers conversations on mental health
• Insights: A romantic novel that is beyond just the romance. This would be the best description for the story of Rahul and Sneha. It discusses a cute and charming relationship, Rahul and Sneha are family friends and they travel together where Sneha confesses her love for Rahul. Rahul refuses her proposal only to realise his immense love for Sneha once he loses her in an accident. There begins his journey of anxiety, depression and a difficult confrontation with suicidal thoughts, with his realisation of his state coming quite later in the story. Beautifully woven, the book is a mirror into the lives of people who are fighting mental issues silently everyday, away from the eyes of the world.
• REVIEW: The book, although a work of fiction, addresses some of the issues that millenials are facing these days- anxiety and depression.It runs way more deeper- of removing taboo around these sensitive topics by acknowledging their presence. Not being aware that one is depressed is a way more serious problem; something that is quite common in our society these days. Therefore, the book plays an impactful role in creating the right hooks for such earnest conversations. The narration style is simple, easy to grasp and does its job of telling a romantic story intertwined with a graver eye-opening theme.
• STRENGTH:
1. The language is well suited for beginners. The choice of vocabulary is easy and simple
2. The plot connects very well with young readers who might be going through similar issues in their personal lives
• Drawbacks:
As the issue is serious, the cover could have been more symbolic, use of minimalism would have been preferred. Would have helped in triggering higher curiosity of readers.
• TARGET READERS: Readers interested to address modern-day depression and mental health issues
• AGE GROUP: Young adults/Beginners
• GENRE: New-age contemporary romantic fiction
• RATING: 4.3/5
• Insights: A romantic novel that is beyond just the romance. This would be the best description for the story of Rahul and Sneha. It discusses a cute and charming relationship, Rahul and Sneha are family friends and they travel together where Sneha confesses her love for Rahul. Rahul refuses her proposal only to realise his immense love for Sneha once he loses her in an accident. There begins his journey of anxiety, depression and a difficult confrontation with suicidal thoughts, with his realisation of his state coming quite later in the story. Beautifully woven, the book is a mirror into the lives of people who are fighting mental issues silently everyday, away from the eyes of the world.
• REVIEW: The book, although a work of fiction, addresses some of the issues that millenials are facing these days- anxiety and depression.It runs way more deeper- of removing taboo around these sensitive topics by acknowledging their presence. Not being aware that one is depressed is a way more serious problem; something that is quite common in our society these days. Therefore, the book plays an impactful role in creating the right hooks for such earnest conversations. The narration style is simple, easy to grasp and does its job of telling a romantic story intertwined with a graver eye-opening theme.
• STRENGTH:
1. The language is well suited for beginners. The choice of vocabulary is easy and simple
2. The plot connects very well with young readers who might be going through similar issues in their personal lives
• Drawbacks:
As the issue is serious, the cover could have been more symbolic, use of minimalism would have been preferred. Would have helped in triggering higher curiosity of readers.
• TARGET READERS: Readers interested to address modern-day depression and mental health issues
• AGE GROUP: Young adults/Beginners
• GENRE: New-age contemporary romantic fiction
• RATING: 4.3/5
July 17, 2023
I had the opportunity to read this short fast-paced book on Kindle. It is a first fascinating tale of love between Sneha and Rahul. Personality and grooming wise both are polar opposite. However, with time they fall for each other despite knowing the differences that are going to hinder their chances of marriage. The novella is contemporary as how our modern society's mechanism works towards relationship and love and other issues. In fact, the first half of the novel was fun-filled, homely, and has positive vibes about love and future and aspirations.
However, second half of the book was serious and intense, Rahul was not himself post the death of Sneha in an unfortunate car accident. He plunges into depression, acute and chronic mental health issues overtake his life’s priorities. Eventually the story will make you feel that love is painful if some tragedy happens that leads to heartbreaking separation. But the other aspect of life is reality, can Rahul accept his fate and move on to look the other beautiful side of love. Will he able to garnish the lovely memories of Sneha and his all his lifetime? The narration is simple with a good storyline and pragmatic message to many of us.
However, second half of the book was serious and intense, Rahul was not himself post the death of Sneha in an unfortunate car accident. He plunges into depression, acute and chronic mental health issues overtake his life’s priorities. Eventually the story will make you feel that love is painful if some tragedy happens that leads to heartbreaking separation. But the other aspect of life is reality, can Rahul accept his fate and move on to look the other beautiful side of love. Will he able to garnish the lovely memories of Sneha and his all his lifetime? The narration is simple with a good storyline and pragmatic message to many of us.
December 12, 2021
Very well written, great approach to a sensitive topic. worth reading
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews