BOOK REVIEW: GLITTER AND GLOSS BY VIBHA BATRA

Publication date: October 18th, 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury India
Pages: 190, PDF
Links: Goodreads | Amazon India
Stars: 4/5
Blurb:
Misha is a make up artist who, after a series of mishaps and twists and turns, falls madly in love with Akshay who reciprocates her love with ardour. The only hitch in this perfect romance is her prospective sister-in-law who thinks Misha is everything a Bahu shouldn’t be: garrulous, geeky, gawky, gainfully employed (especially the last bit). The questions is will Misha win Didi (and the Kha-Pee Panchayat) over with her Stepford Wife Act? Will she continue to be the poster child for the inherent evils of the Bahu Brigade? Or will she learn to ‘lau’ herself before the whole world and its wife can do the same?

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“My only superpower however, is to get into all kinds of shit.”

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Plot:

24-year-old Misha( a.k.a Mishkin, Kishmish) is passionate about her job the M.A.C store and aspires to be a bridal make-up artist one day. What will happen when she bumps into the country’s most eligible bachelor with disarming delectable features and not to mention heavily loaded with the green stuff?

My Take:

Misha’s individuality is marked by her overzealousness for her job and she’s easily lovable, funny as hell and relatable as a character. She’s got the kick-ass bestie who says and does what is anticipated and a hunky guy friend who loves her and practically pampers her to death. Not forgetting the eccentric mom dating a hot younger dude and that’s just a given. So yeah, you can check off all the elements pertaining to the crazy factor. Despite all the predictable plot-twists and affable characters, this book took me on a delirious ride and I loved every bit of it. The perfect rom-com which tickles your funny bones in the right spot. As expected, the protagonist’s failed attempts to “fit in” to get her happily ever after escalates things to a point beyond repair. But that’s just one part of this wonderful reading journey and this pick is bound to emanate positive vibes. Encompassing cleverly written humorous details in Hindi and pop culture references which make you nod in acceptance (like I see what you did there and that’s brilliant), the author makes this chic-lit click.

“Mamma’s like Jon Snow. Mamma knows nothin’.”

The leading man is your ultimate dream guy – caring, loving, protective and understanding, well, you know the drill. Remind me to get an ‘Indian’ guy like that in the future or just any guy for that matter. He’s plucked out of the ramp with the looks of a model, a Greek god incarnate and possesses the demeanour of a devilishly delicious Adonis. So yeah, the main man, Akshay Agarwal (a.k.a Akki) is the hottie with a swimmer’s body. Mishkin’s constant sexual comments about the hottie is a laughing riot on its own (my favourite was – loin-warming smile). I couldn’t help but picture Siddharth Malhotra the whole time because he’s definitely my version of an Indian Adonis. He gives you the Edward-y feels as far as the caring department goes for lack of better comparison. Admit it, we all wanted a partner like Edward at one point. Not a vamp specifically, just him as a person never failed to lose appeal. His sister, on the other hand, begs to be hated to infinity and beyond. The incidents that ensue in the coddling and consoling of this character takes up about a quarter of the book as she’s basically a stand-in mom-in-law and a super psychotic control freak (deep breaths).

“I give him my hand. HIs grip is strong and warm and soothing. Just like his voice. My womb positively quivers.”

Writing Style:

The strongest suit of the book and affirmatively it’s saving grace despite an unsatisfactory finale. With all the rampant drama going on, one would expect a drift in regularity or a sudden change in the course of the plot-twist, so, that turned out to be a bummer. However, the protagonist was portrayed to perfection and written with great precision on the thought-process front.

Final Note:

Perky, vivacious and hell of a lot of M.A.C product information that can save lives. I had a great laugh reading this one and you must give it a go. Overall, her writing style and the unimaginable comparisons infused with clever terminology (Hindi and a little bit if Sanskrit, I presume?) makes it a fun read.

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Notes:

• I received a copy (ebook) of this book from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. 
• The blurb is borrowed from goodreads.