Malika Gogia

After reading two of her novels, it was game over for Colleen Hoover from my side. I loved Hopeless but how much similar content can you read. So it was no more Hoover for me well until I read Verity which was a game changer. So different from her usual style. But this book i heard is more or less her usual style. I did try to read it after watching the film but it felt too much cringe. And here is my unpopular review about why the film seems so much better than the book. Well i was impressed to know that Justin Baldoni has directed it. That guy has given new dimensions to the story which i feel didn’t exist in the book. First of all when Lily falls for Ryle in the boo, it feels so kiddish and emotionally immature of her. But i dont know is it Baldoni’s enthralling direction or Blake lively’s unmatched vulnerability that in the film, Lily falling for Ryle fees so vulnerably real. A girl in her 30s being pursued by a hot successful surgeon who is also ace level flirt, feels sooo relatable😂 While in the book a lot of Lili’s focus is on Ryle’s sex quotient, it’s very subtle in the movie. Lily is definitely drawn to him sexually but she wants to take her sweet time to judge him. I loved how Blake Lively portrayed Lily’s naïvety and how Justin portrayed Ryke’s dangerous undertones just with some stares. Some fabulous acting chops there. And the other guy is a real Cupcake. While he definitely gets the more likeable characters but he is equally smooth on the eyes and demeanour. Also the way the domestic violence angle has been so subtly interwoven in the layers of Lily’s vulnerabilities like her need for love, her need to give love, her fear of an emotionally unstable partner, everything lands just soo smoothly but with a much deeper impact. And i really feel there was no need of the novel It starts with US I would just like to believe that Ryle attended therapy after this and behaved like a responsible daddy to Emmy.

This is one show I have been watching again and again over the years and never got tired of. So many sensitive issues have been touched here - Bullying in school, Male chavunism that's deep seated in our Indian families, how a successful working woman is always labelled problematic, Feminism and how some women overdo it, the ill effects of a bad parental relationship on a child's mental health and personality. Namik is literally impeccable as the nerdy, introvert , sensitive Shravan who grows up to be self doubting, people pleasing and egoistic because of a traumatised childhood where his mother walks out on him. Equally convincing is Nikita as the staunch feminist, career oriented Suman for whom her self respect comes before anything. Its amazing how despite so many sub plotlines and many strong characters, the friendship, bond and chemistry between Suman and Shravan is what makes the essence of this show. His unrelenting care for her and their never ending friendship is what makes the show so endearing. Its sad the show never got a proper closure. The only good thing towards end episodes was Namik's remarkable performance as the shattered Shravan with a progressively deteriorating mental health. He was just awe inspiring and fantabulous there.