My Last Love Story

Please visit my blog Errors And Kaushal to read the complete review of the book. I recently read My Last Love Story, a book by author Falguni Kothari on love. The book is about the love between three people, but only two at a time and is not a love triangle, already confused? Just like love! It's a very unconventional story yet appears very real when you read. The narration represents the troubles, disorders and mental disturbances that the characters go through and their attempt to keep these problems at bay and take all the important and difficult decisions. The book was like an expression, every single character was expressive and it appeared that if they are telling their own tale but there is a connection between all of them. Overall, it is an emotional account of all their life with dominant characterization and clarity in their thoughts. Other than love and friendship, emotions and feelings like hatred, sacrifice, loss, misfortune are depicted as well. I would recommend this book to anyone who would want to read an emotional love fiction.

After reading this enormously compelling story, I realized that the title of the book should’ve been: “My First and the Only Love Story”. I say this because there was nothing before or after. I presume it lasted a lifetime, though the story ended rather abruptly. I for one wanted to know more about how things worked out between them in the long run, knowing that it would eventually end up in a twosome. The author, gifted with an eloquent prose and a unique voice, has taken a bold step in tackling a subject our society is not yet ready for. A man willingly coexisting with two women is not uncommon in many societies, but the opposite of it is very rare. A woman in love with two men (or the opposite of it) is nothing new, but coexisting under the same roof, by mutual consent, ought be rare. That the three of them wanted to engage in sexual encounter makes this tale stranger than what it is. The hunger for consensual sex in a threesome was clearly more overpowering than the matters of the hearts or love. Even though the intended experiment was interrupted by other pressing event, it is nearly impossible to believe that it didn’t happen later when the sexual urges at that age had to be so overpowering and practically uncontrollable. Perhaps the trauma of rape spoiled the party, which is entirely believable. The depth to which the author has explored Simi’s mind, her internal conflicts and feelings, is indeed laudable. It showed the strength of the character under the most trying situations one could encounter. Even though ready to defy the established norms, the restraint shown by Simi to control her urges was remarkable. I’m glad that it finally did happen, and happened so beautifully. There are some stimulating touches in the narrative, which gave me a profound sense of belief that the author has intimate knowledge of a threesome that actually exists somewhere in reality. If indeed it is fiction, then it is a brilliant piece of work that deserves a standing ovation. Having said that, the pace of the story is hindered due to too much space being devoted to medical procedures and related matters, which do not interest a common reader. The information, no doubt, was educative, but a clear diversion from the main plot. The author could afford to have exercised some economy there. That’s where I did some rapid reading. There are some interesting portrayals of the Gujarati clan—perhaps one of the loudest in the land when in a group. Thankfully they didn’t use loudspeakers during their celebrations—which is a must in their homeland! The rich narrative, and the choice of words throughout, is par for the course. I admired the character of Simi the most for her determination to deal with the constant state of conflict that went on in her mind with exemplary courage and maturity. A weaker player would’ve cracked out a lot earlier in the tale. On the whole, it is an excellent book to have in your collection—the kind that compels me to read her other works.

The blurb of this book had me intrigued. The book follows life journey of three friends who are trying to defy social norms and together they get ready to face life. A secret and a decision taken by Simeen in past changed the course of their lives. Both Nirvaan and Zayaan are aware that Simi has some secrets and they are waiting for her to open up to them. Simi's character amazed me with her courage and strength. Some parts of book are little slow. This is an unconventional story but author has treated it very sensibly.

Falguni’s writes beautifully, not an iota of doubt about that. It isn’t like you are reading Simeen’s story; it is more like someone is talking to you or like someone has left a letter that is personally addressed to you, her confidant. She trusts you with her darkest secrets and wildest fantasies. The story takes you on an emotional ride, that is certainly true. And in quite a few places, it overwhelms you. The relationship between the three characters is the most beautiful thing about this book. Simeen, the wife, Simeen, the ex-girlfriend, Simeen, the friend, Simeen, the sister, Simeen, the daughter, Simeen, the daughter-in-law, Simeen, the sister-in-law, and Simeen, the victim—Simeen, and through her Falguni, have totally won over my heart. The vocabulary is flawless; it could have been a little more simplified in places, but that’s okay. The story flows at a good pace, except for towards the end, where I thought it stretched more than I wanted it to. P.S: Keep that box of tissues handy!

Very good read. Unique love-triangle which makes you question why one person cannot equally love and lust two individuals. It also questions and makes you think about the ingrained societal ideologies on monogamy. Your personal ingrained ideas will result in you judging the characters - making their actions right/wrong. The book is fast paced and not entirely predictable. Good possibilities of discussion in a book club too.

Terribly bad, doesn’t stick with you emotionally and the characters are badly penned. I regret buying the book and wasting my time

Romance is never my genre. I run far away from reading romantic tales. However, the book blurb of this one caught my eye. Love Triangles are something that is so done and dusted in the past by many authors. With no expectation of something novel, I started to read this book. The book was indeed surprising, in a positive way. The lives of the 3 protagonists had been beautifully sculpted. When I say beautiful, do not compare it to fairy tales. This is a realistic beauty. The beauty is so realistic that at places you can correlate with your love tale and nod in silence to the events. That being said, at some instances, the book was a little too dragging. Apart from that this book is a complete package of romance, suspense, and melodrama. As a reader, you will fall in love with the characters as the author has made them strong, lovable, and pretty much next-door types. If you are a person who loves reading romance or light melodrama, then this is the one that you should be reading, right now.

A beautiful story that has so many elements. Every scene is like a vignette. A must read for anybody who believes in love.

So disappointed with this book, it should/ could have been so much better. Simeen was a difficult person to warm to, the book was slow going and boring. Not my cup of tea!

My first Falguni Kothari book and I finished it in a day - what do you think, I think? Quite an intense book that explores friendship, love, longing and loss. Imagine facing the worst thing you can - the possible death of the one you love the most - your spouse. Then throw in his request for you to have his baby before he dies. Add in the best friend, who actually makes up a trio of souls who have shared a journey for the best part of their life, together. A sprinkle of hope from the husband, that his wife and best friend be each other's comfort when he finally dies, spices up the agenda. Especially as there is history... A lot of history between this unlikely three, in various ways - some funny, some tragic, some, rather naughty. The story is set in the US but the three main characters are all from the Indian subcontinent, and all from different backgrounds too, one being Muslim, one Hindu and one Parsi. The author gives a good picture of the difference in the three cultures, that many western minds may not be aware of. An interesting read.

Simeen was the fun-loving, spoiled only daughter in her family of five. Content to living it up and enjoying her teenage years without worries, life as she knew it came crashing to a screeching halt at the tragic death of her parents. Orphaned, she was left in the care of her two older brothers, who were barely of legal age, each trying to find his way in the world to make a great life for himself, and her leeching aunt and uncle. As Simeen sank deeper into depression and grief, her world became smaller as she closed out most of the friends she’d had. That is until one brother forced her to go out and celebrate her birthday. Far down the beach in a town of her native India she met Nirvaan and Zayaan, two friends who were thick as thieves and who shared everything. They were the answer to unspoken prayers in many ways as they rushed to her aid that night as she hovered on the edge of oblivion. What formed was a deep and abiding friendship, an unbreakable bond that would last a lifetime. Their’s was a friendship that was so much more, but almost unexplainable. Few people understood it. Some even balked at it. Still they carried on, that is until one night tragedy struck again, changing the trajectory of their lives. Years later, as the wife of Nirvaan, the awesome threesome reconnects to live out a bucket list of items on Nirvaan’s list. He’s dying from cancer and wants to spend whatever time he has left living this life to the fullest, with his two favorite people by his side. The tragedy that separated the friends years before continues to live in the silence that exists between them. Each has done what they could to make the best of a horrible situation. Sometimes those choices were good, sometimes not, but one thing was certain: every choice impacted the life of all three of them. The only question that remains is will they be able to lay it all to rest before Nirvaan breathes his last. This is the first book I’ve read by Falguni Kothari. Written in the first person of Simeen telling her account of their lives, I found the writing style of this author to be very satisfying. The characters were extremely believable and there was amazing book chemistry between these three main characters. A deeply emotional story, My Last Love Story touched on heavy topics like last rites, religious prejudice, loving more than one person simultaneously, and infertility. I loved that Simeen wasn’t beautiful, brilliant or perfect. She was an average-looking woman with a temper and a long list of faults that endeared her right to this reader’s heart. At times I was saying to her “Just tell the truth and set you all free for heaven’s sake!” as she struggled with the right way to handle the wrong she had endured. For anyone who has ever loved, lost, and been sucked in to the destructive grasp of another person’s selfish decisions, this book is for you. It was extremely well-written and the editing/formatting were exceptional. This author and her team knew exactly what they were doing and they nailed it! 5 well deserved stars

My Last Love Story is a beautiful heartbreaking tale of survival, of love, loss, and healing. Simi is a strong resilient woman who has been dealt her share of pain and tragedy. Beaten and wounded, she's crawled back to her feet after each devastating blow. Two strangers, bestfriends Nirvaan and Zayaan, become her safehaven through some of the most challenging times of her life. They become her world - a world each of the men will shatter in their own way. Falguni Kothari sucked me in with her writing style. She created characters who were both strong and flawed making me love them even more. This review is from reading an earlier version of the book

I really really wanted to like this story. I'm the type of person to go in blind to most books because I want to be surprised. A friend recommended this book to me and I was excited about the premise and the fact that it included diverse characters (which is so lacking in books with a romance type premise). I was ready for my heart to break and I honestly wanted it smashed into smithereens. Call me a masochist, but I was ready to feel all the feels. Unfortunately, I didn't get what I was looking for. The idea of the book was there, I just wanted more. More feelings, more interaction between all three characters and honestly more heartbreak. Seriously. What is wrong with me? The book centered around 3 main characters: Nirvaan who is critically ill, Simeen (Nirvaan's wife) and Zayaan (the best friend to both of them). These 3 grew up together and had a very close relationship. But something happened in the past to change that. With the story mostly told in present times, we also get some past to understand what drew them apart. And this is all told in Simeen's POV for the most part. The story was well told and I liked the idea, but I wish we got more pain and suffering. More of the unusual relationships. And more of the family interactions since that seems to surround the past as well as the present decisions in their lives. I think you will enjoy the characters and you may enjoy the story, I was left just wanting more.