Book Review : The Soulmate Equation - witty and makes you wonder

The Soulmate Equation
by Christina Lauren
Genre: Fiction


What does it take to find a soulmate? Dr. River Pena and his scientist friends come up with a solution after testing over 100,000 couples. They identify over 3000 plus genes that lead to long term compatibility. They make an app using biotechnology to identify one's soulmate.

Jessica Davis, a freelance statistician and single mom and her friend Fizzy, a best selling romance author decide to try it out on a whim as they have seen River almost every morning at a coffee shop which they all frequent. Jess finds River physically attractive but is shocked to find the app says he is her soulmate. Both refuse to believe it and so he runs a blood DNA test just to be doubly sure and the answer is the same. They are soulmates.

While Jessica agrees to work for River's company which is to be launched in three months and be paid for public appearances with him, she wants to protect her young daughter while River wants it to be a  no sex and emotion involved deal which they work into the clauses of the contract.  River is the one who came up with the technology, so shouldn't he at least find out? If they are soulmates, does this mean River and Jessica can stick to the terms of the deal? Read the book to find out

I found the writing witty and wonderful. I was surprised to learn that Christina Lauren are two people but that doesn't mean it makes the book any less thrilling. It has been a long time since I laughed at science jokes and being the nerd that I am, I couldn't stop giggling and grinning all the while wondering if I would use such an app. What if there is a glitch or it turns out to be something like astrological match making which Indians swear by and use for marrying but is not based on DNA? Is romance over rated and it all boils down to just genetics?

Would you use such an app based on solid science instead of dating or matrimonial sites to look for a soulmate? 

If interested, buy the book here

Can Unconditional Love Go Wrong?

Truly till the end of Time
By Abhishek Sanwal
BlueRose Publishers, 2019
Genre: Fiction

                               

Luv (named after the eldest son of Sita) gets a mysterious text from his college buddy Adi years after they graduated and settled down. It reads, “The biggest achievement in life –tears in someone’s eye for you. The biggest failure in life – tears in someone’s eyes because of you.” Worried, he rushes over to meet Adi. Adi’s wife and parents are completely unaware of the state Adi is in. He finds Adi in a darkened room alive and just when he is relieved Adi is okay, Adi gives him something to read – his diary from four years ago when they were still students. 

Set in Chennai, this is not just the story of four college buddies Adi, Jhilmil, Luv and Chabbi but also of Neel and Ria. It uncovers the life of north Indians in South India and the author shuts out the southern atmosphere, people, language, culture,  using blah, blah which is amusing and irritating  at the same time. The characters speak English, Hindi or Hinglish. Just when you think it might get boring or you know what is going to happen next, there are surprise twists and turns that keeps you reading taking you along paths which shock you. The ending is a big surprise.

While reading the book I realized how men are allowed to retain their friendships by Indian society while women slowly drop out of contact because they are forced to move after marriage – an unfair deal or the ending might have been different.  The story carries with it some insights into how Indian society works, especially for a north Indian person in South India and their terms of acceptance of South Indian culture.

The writing is slow in the beginning and picks up pace as the story moves forward. The prose style leaves a lot to be desired but the author will go places if he gets a good editor. Otherwise a nice summer read.

If  you wish to buy the book,click  here

Don't judge a book by the cover

Good writers don't get PR, at least most don't. This blog is for those who write fabulous books but don't get the required publicity. I'm a reviewer. I get irritated when an editor has the gumption not even to read the book or the review but edits it anyway.

I spend days reading books and try to get the essence of it in 250-300 words. My first post is therefore a book review -- one rejected by one of my editors because she didn't like the cover image of the book. Hmmm... Judge for yourself by clicking on the Title of this post.



Love without a Net…
By Karen Ligon
138 Pages, Publish America
$ 19.95, Paperback
Genre: Poetry
Available on Amazon.com
ISBN: 1-4241-1771-2

What happens when you love without a net, a belt or something to keep you safe in case your love is not reciprocated? The book examines relationships and the various emotions one feels from anger to ecstasy. It also explores the imagined or fleeting relationships like when a youngster is convinced that the attractive girl/guy on the bus is in love with him/her and for the period of the trip forms an imaginary relationship. The poem Not Think of Me will make you laugh or remind you of the one-sided love which you never expressed towards someone. Are You is another poem most readers will be able to relate to as well as Cried a Little. Almost all women want what the poet describes in Unexpected and would agree with what is said in Extra Credit. The poem Your New Woman Said I Rolled My Eyes at Her is what most readers would like to send to their ex.

Born in Jamaica and raised in New York, Love without a Net is the second book of poetry by award winning poet and writer, Karen Ligon. The author writes in free verse and uses simple, clear language to capture complex emotions beautifully. The strength of the book is that you do not have to be a poetry connoisseur to understand what is being said. The poems manage to cut across boundaries of culture, race, religion and region making it truly global as only love can.

© 2007 by Deepa Kandaswamy