Title
: She Loves Me,
He Loves Me Not
Author
: Zeenat Mahal
Publisher : Indireads
Zoella
has grown nurturing a silent crush for Fardeen Malik for many years. She
happens to be the best friend of Fardeen's sister but she knows her feelings
would never get reciprocated as Fardeen is already engaged to a stunning socialite. Moreover, the two engaged families belong to the same section of the society. But destiny has something
else in store for all of the characters when Fardeen gets badly disfigured in
an accident. The accident takes away a lot from Fardeen besides his handsome
looks and his fiancée is one of those. From a prince charming he transitions
into an annoying, hurtful and hateful person. Twist of circumstances brings
Zoella closer to Fardeen but was she wishing for such a fate for herself and for
his beloved?
'She
Loves Me, He Loves Me Not' is a love story set in modern day Pakistan while
keeping the soul of a classic fairy tale intact. Hopeless circumstances, sudden
twists, fate playing a big role, some baseless notions, tempers and much more
are beautifully dealt with in the narrative.
The
author has painstakingly carved the characters Zoella and Fardeen. Zoella, a
silent admirer of her friend's brother, sincere in her duties and a family
person does all for her family without expecting anything in return. Fardeen
has always been away from any troubles or imperfections of life till he
confronts a situation where he comes face to face with his own not so pleasing
new reflection. Riding different waves of emotions and feelings, they end up
tying their lives together and what follows is a bumpy ride.
The
way different perspectives are dealt with and are allowed to develop gradually
is a commendable job done by the author. Readers would surely appreciate how
Zoella matures into a confident and strong individual from a shy and timid
girl. Moreover, the window that Zeenat has opened into Pakistan through her
writing is quite alluring. Her description of that world's traditions and customs is fascinating and keeps the readers
glued to the story till the last page. However, a tighter editing could have
cut down a few pages from the book that keep highlighting their mutual
conflicts.