I had found Judy Balan's first book (2 Fates) to be genuinely entertaining and that was why I decided to give her second work(Sophie Says) a try, overlooking the few not-so-encouraging reviews for 'Sophie' which I had come across.But after going through it,I should admit that Judy's follow up to her debut work(which was good fun as long as it lasted) is a huge let down.It's neither funny nor intellectually stimulating!
The plot itself is wafer thin.Sophie Thilakam is a single,independent,(almost thirty),commitment-phobic female who has just resigned her well paid job as it's too mundane and un-exciting .Sophy's best friend is Yatan,an adventure loving NRI .She doesn't mind remaining single,but thanks to the 'blah-blah aunty brigade',decides to find herself a 'fake' boyfriend-(Ryan).Things get complicated when she slowly develops a liking for him but pretty soon realizes that she still has feelings for her ex-turned-BFF,Yatan .The rest of the story is about the choices she makes in life and how she comes out of her commitment phobia.There is a parallel track involving Sophie's life as a break up coach (which comes as 'blog posts' every now and then,irritating the reader eventually)
There is nothing remotely charming about this work.Blame it on the bland characters or the totally un-funny situations in which they find themselves in,the book never works even as a light read.The reader neither 'feels' for the protagonist and her moral dilemma nor will he relate to her impulsive decisions in life.Infact,by the time she decides to choose between Ryan and Yatan,you actually stop caring about her.On the whole,this book is a disappointment.
Rating:I'm giving it a 1.5/5
-nikhimenon
