REVIEW OF HOLDING ON TO LOVE BY ASHISH SINHA

Written in first person POV, Holding on to love is a journey about a married couple who show that love can really overcome any obstacles.

The blurb is as follows:

LOVE ALWAYS FINDS A WAY. BUT CAN TRUE LOVE OVERCOME DESTINY?

When ASHU finds out that his so-called loved ones pampered him only till his father was living, he is heartbroken. After his father’s sudden demise, Ashu is left alone, fighting the world for every small bit of happiness. But he rediscovers love and affection in DISHA ,who he meets at a job interview.

Disha is an epitome of love and he finds his true happiness with her. Soon after their marriage, just as they are beginning to relish the little joys of life, Ashu is diagnosed with a fatal disease. The only way out is a transplant, which in itself is a life-threatening surgery.

Will Disha’s overwhelming love, acceptance and sacrifice make the impossible possible?

Holding On To Love is an astonishing true story of Ashu’s will to defeat destiny, backed by Disha’s faith in the power of their love. 

My Review:

I got this book on a whim without knowing what it was about. Some might call me stupid for buying a book without reading the description/blurb and maybe, I am a little crazy. I don't bother doing any kind of inspection if a good cover catches my eye. That's exactly what happened with me for this book and I bought it just by looking at the lovely cover and reading the title. I am a romance novel buff, so it felt like this would be a good read.

Reality struck me when the book was finally delivered and I read the blurb. It felt like I had made a huge mistake.  I am not giving out any spoilers since it is very clearly mentioned in the blurb, but the protagonist's father dies and he himself is diagnosed with a fatal disease. When I got toto know about this, it felt like it was going to be too depressing. It's not like I don't love a good tearjerker, because I do. It's just that right now, at this point of time, I was not in a mood to feel sad over a book. 

This ultimately lead to me putting this book off indefinitely. And that was the biggest mistake that I made.

Whenever I browsed the social media sites, there were always reviews popping on my screen about how good this book is. I am a reader who rarely DNFs anything, so sitting there on my bookshelf, the book kept taunting me. Finally, I decided to give it a try. And I am so happy I did, else I would have missed this masterpiece.

The book starts with a lovely Holi (Festival of colors) scene that I absolutely loved. Reading it made me feel like I was living it. The chapters alternate between the present and the past. We get to know about the early life of our MC Ashu, how he suffered two big losses at a very young age and how that shaped his life. 

It touched a nerve with me reading about how drastically his life changed after the loss of his Dad. I have suffered a similar loss and I could totally relate with how quickly people change and reveal their true self after you lose the pillar of your house. 

I was so glad that this book has an happy ending. Reading the epilogue made me giddy with joy. 

My thoughts about the Hero:

The main protagonist, Ashu was someone who was dealt with a tough hand, but he conquered and overcame his hurdles with flying stars. 

My thoughts about the Heroine:

Disha is my type of heroine. She is smart, independent and so very strong. If not for her love and support, I feel like Ashu might have gave up eventually. 

My favorite quote:

‘‘The memories may fade away, but our love would remain immortal.’’ 

My Final Thoughts:

There are few parts in the books which made me extremely emotional, but as I was reading it, I realized that even though the situations that took place here are of utmost distress, this book was not about sorrow, but rather it was about positivity. It was about overcoming the hurdles that life throws at us, tackling them with stupor and coming out as a winner. There may be a time when you might feel that everything is over, but you have to keep fighting for it, because there is happiness at the end. 

My Rating:

Every single aspect, every lone incident in the book had the power to be a true inspiration for many who feel let down by life's struggles. I am going to give this book FIVE HOLDING STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐