“We’ll meet again
On a beautiful day
For you were always mine
I may not know the place
But you’ll be there in my wait.”
Shefali Arora has authored many books and won many awards for her works in fiction. She is a lecturer by profession and author by passion. She currently holds the position of Assistant Professor at NIT Jalandhar. She has a doctorate in Computer Science and Engineering. She has three books to her credit: ‘A Paradise of Thoughts’ (a short poetry of haiku and senryu), ‘The Infinite Road’ (fiction) and ‘Dare. Dream. Travel’ (non-fiction). Some of her other published works available are ‘Bittersweet Coffee’ and ‘Passion meets Profession.’
Bittersweet Coffee is a melodious tale of love between Indian exchange student Abby (Abhimanyu) and Finnish student Amanda. The book is primarily set in Paris, the city of love. Abby is a workaholic. On an outing with his friends, he spots Amanda who is a waitress at a Café. He becomes instantly smitten with her. It was love at first sight. As he was basking in the delicious aroma of coffee, love happened. He forgot any sense of time and self. He couldn’t concentrate in his studies or anything. He was caught in the trap of love. All he wanted from then on was to ask her to be his valentine.
Abby wanted to woo Amanda at any cost. But fate had other plans. She remained aloof and reluctant towards him. She wouldn’t talk to him. He thought she was egotistic. He tried to reach out to her but was unsuccessful. Abby wasn’t able to confess his love to her. Then one day, she left. He didn’t know the reason. He didn’t know where she went.
But that’s not the end. There’s more to Amanda than meets the eye. If only Abby knew what was going on inside Amanda’s heart, things would have been different. If only Abby could hear what Amanda wanted to say but couldn’t.
Bittersweet Coffee is a story of love. Love that makes you impulsive and irrational. Love that gives you butterflies in the stomach. Love that makes you forgetful. It is the love that gets you to travel across the seas. The kind of love that binds two beating hearts in a perfect harmony.
“When we meet
The stars shall shine
The sky shall breathe again
The universe shall show its delight
In the patter of rain.”
The idea of love at first sight and star-crossed lovers might seem childish and juvenile. But deep down, every one of us want to experience such a love once in our lifetime. It is true that when two people want to be together and their hearts are in sync, the universe conspires to bring them together. That is what happens to Abby and Amanda. Despite having their fare share of obstacles, their hearts bind together in a harmonious chorus.
It is a simple and beautiful tale of love that breaks all barriers. It teaches you that sometimes you only need to be quiet and listen to whatever is unsaid in love as well as life. You need to embrace whatever life throws at you and turn it into bittersweet coffee.
This book is for all the hopeless romantics and lovelorn fellows out there. If you enjoyed the Twilight Saga and Romeo and Juliet, you will definitely enjoy reading this one.
What I like about this book is that it is short. You can read it in one sitting. It doesn’t dawdle, comes straight to the point. It is fast paced moving from one incident to the other avoiding any unnecessary details. However, I found it less complex and nuanced. I expected more character development as the plot progressed.
Go and get this book at Amazon and share your opinions regarding the book in the comment section below.
You can contact the author, Shefali Arora on her Instagram where she keeps her readers updated on her writing journey.
Are you a believer in love at first sight? Share your thoughts and let the love be felt.
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