The Bestseller She Wrote by Ravi Subramanian: Book review

"The Bestseller She Wrote" is the latest thriller by Ravi Subramanian, who is widely popular for his earlier thrillers that are based on banking and finance related frauds. I have read most of Ravi's earlier books. Reviews here: Bankerupt * Incredible Banker * God is a Gamer * Devil in pinstrikes * The Bankster * 

Author seem to have added me to his mailing list so few months ago I got few emails from him announcing his new book, "The Bestseller she wrote". The title had nothing related to banks/finance etc so at first it sounded me like author is trying his hands on a different genre like romance. Because the book had a MRP of Rs 295,I decided to wait sometime for reviews to come up and for some decent offers before deciding to buy it. (Today it is available on Amazon for Rs 180, undercutting flipkart by cool 80 rupees)

Recently when blogadda offered a review program for this book, I instantly applied- I would get a free copy of the book, autographed (generic text) in exchange for reviews. Got selected and book arrived few days later. Finished reading in about 3 days and this post is a review of the book.

"The Bestseller She Wrote" is an equally entertaining corporate thriller as good as Ravi's earlier books. Though title doesn't hint, there is bank in this book also, but bank is secondary subject in the plot. Primary story revolves around a best selling author- Aditya Kapoor getting involved with a wannable author, Shreya under the pretext of helping her with her first book. Getting 'Close' with Shreya takes eventually Aditya's family life, corporate and writer profession to its breaking point. You should really read the book to find out how it happens and if Aditya manages to come out of it. Will Shreya manage to use Aditya as a ladder and climb up to success in the world of best selling authors? Will Adiya pay a hefty price for getting involved with Shreya at the expense of his family? How would corporate colleagues help or complicate things for Adiya? Read to find out.

Few points I noted from 'The Bestseller She Wrote':

• While many authors are still using Bangalore, Ravi has used 'Bengaluru' - the right spelling for India's IT Capital. Good.
• School children of a trust going on a trip to NASA looks too ambitious for me. Such a trip could easily cost couple of lakhs per student and no ordinary schools can afford it. But given that Nita Ambani is behind the trust, anything is possible
• There is a mention of Melvin in the middle of the book- next few chapters I didn't get a clue what is his role. But towards the end his role becomes clear.
• Ravi continues to use names of real life companies and names- HSBC, BCG, Nita Ambani, HT brunch etc
• There is even a mention of blogadda in the book
• There was no closure to firing people at Mumbai branch- what happened to the threat posed by local goonda?
• Author is extremely up to date on all current affairs and has used it very efficiently in the plot. Ebola, Twitter trending, iPhone 6,term prestitues coined by VK Singh and so on

Besides the entertainment "Bestseller she wrote" provides, it also provides some real valuable life lessons

1. First time authors and wannable authors can get lots of tips on writing and marketing their first book
2. Never share your manuscript with third person- there is very high chance of it getting misused
3. Think a hundred times before getting romantically involved with a colleague- consequences could squash one's personal life and career or both

Best Seller she wrote is a bit lengthy at 391 pages, but doesn't bore you in any page. First half goes in romantic escapades of Aditya and Shreya - sort of Chetan Bhagat style, Crisis breaks out in the middle, second half illustrates how Aditya struggles with his family life side by side Shreya's book launch and in the end, when you think you have cracked the plot, Ravi as usual brings in a major twist to conclude who was the real culprit in the climax. Second part is a lot unique from first part because of complexities introduced, the strong narration and a nice climax.

In essence, "The Bestseller she wrote" won't disappoint you for the amount paid. Grab one if you haven't bought it already.

I see that Author has changed publishers yet again- from Rupa to Penguin to Westland. I guess new publisher offered highest loyalty.

Summary

• Title: The bestseller she wrote
• Author: Ravi Subramanian
• Publishers: Westland 
• Genre: Fiction
• Pages: 391
• MRP:  Rs 295 (Rs 180 on Amazon)

I am reviewing ‘The Bestseller She Wrote’ by Ravi Subramanian as a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!