Book Review: Only You, by Andaleeb Wajid, A Beautiful Romance For All

For fans of the romantic fiction genre, here comes author Andaleeb Wajid’s Only You, tale of love, of second chances, of true love finding its way.  

Only You, by Andaleeb Wajid, is a warm, fuzzy and sensuous love story. Only You is a beautiful romantic story, not only for the smitten, but even for those who tread with caution on the path of love. It is not easy to write a romantic page turner, especially when love stories have become clichéd. The boy-meets-girl trope is overdone, but Only You is a book you wouldn’t want to miss, for the actual romance starts ‘after’.

This is the fifth book in the author’s Destination Wedding series. I’ve not read any of the previous books in the series, but that didn’t negatively impact my reading experience too much. (Only in certain places was I a little lost with few characters, but it has piqued my interest enough to read about them.) The book can be enjoyed as a standalone novel, despite being part of a series.

The plot centers around Ghazal Ahmed. At 25, she is no more prized marriage material. And to make matters worse, she walks with a slight limp. Though Ghazal is an educated and a gainfully employed woman, her liberties are curtailed. Her parents’ conservative views clash with her modern thinking. In an attempt to bring her estranged family together, she agrees to an arranged marriage just after seeing the boy’s photo. Hamdaan Ali, a divorcee is her match. The marriage, a union of two damaged goods!

But the marriage ignites a love, and opens a world of unexperienced feeling and sensations for both. The love scenes are steamy and passionate, minus erotica. It’s pure passion, and certainly a treat to the senses!

I loved the way the author has sketched the characters. None of them are ‘perfect,’ they all have their flaws, but their tiny imperfections make them closer to reality, and connect with the readers. Ghazal is a strong protagonist, who doesn’t let her physical disability define her dreams. She gives her all for her loved ones. It’s hard not to fall in love with her!

Khalil and Kimmy, are the brother and sister-in-law every girl would love to have. This duo stole my heart with their loving, caring, and supportive attitude towards Ghazal. Her relationship with her mother is strained, bordering on an absence of love. She feels more at home in her in-laws’ place, than she has ever felt in her childhood home.

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Only You is a short read, and I could have easily finished it in less than two hours. But I deliberately prolonged the reading, because I wanted to savour it, and relish the experience for as long as I could.

Andaleeb’s writing style is simple, yet deep and touching. Having loved this book, I am definitely picking up the rest of the books in this series!

Love, romance, jealousy, scandal, fights, drama – Only You has all the spices, and that too in the perfect proportion!

Previously published here. 

Photo by Mukesh Mohanty from Pexels

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