Desis are you craving a love story? If yes, then Sara Naveed has penned down the best one for you!
We have all, at some point, fallen head over heels for someone at a young age. There is no doubt that you got a few butterflies in your stomach with the immense passion and excitement. Since it probably was one of the most heart-warming life experiences (we have all felt at some point), let’s revisit the magic & take a nostalgic trip down memory lane – so get ready to fall in love for the first time, all over again!
Whoever you love, love them with all of your heart.
-Sara Naveed
All Of My Heart is the third romance novel by the author and, it was published back in 2018 by Penguin India. The book is about the innocence of two childhood best friends who share a romantic relationship later in life. The elements of this book reflect our desi upbringing (arranged marriages), along with the desi blossoming of childhood love between two people, realized in adulthood. Sara has kept it relatable yet beautifully portrayed the possibility of two best friends becoming two best life partners.
Main Characters
If you might have seen the movie Ho Mann Jahaan, you will instantly click with the beat that two best friends can fall in love for a lifetime. All of my heart goes out to these two best friends Rehaan and Zynah falling in love after growing apart for eight years. Rehaan is a hardworking young man from a middle-class family. He later makes an adult decision to be a photographer and a part-time Uber driver in London after completing his degree. Whereas Zynah is an attractive yet spoilt girl from a financially wealthy family who is used to throwing her weight around & living life on her own terms. However, Zynah suffers a great tragedy as an adult. The third character is Araiz, the husband of Zynah with dark secrets that are only to be dismissed in a desi household.
Glimpse of Story
I’m glad she has someone like you in her life. You’re her anchor, her support, her best friend. What you share with her is immeasurable. She needs you Rehaan. Perhaps you won’t realize this now but one day you will. And I hope it’s not too late when you do.
-Araiz from All Of My Heart
The story is divided into five parts, and with each chapter, our two main characters describe their perspectives. Rehaan and Zynah meet for the first time in school – a world full of elite youth. But likewise, in almost all romance movies, the boy belongs to a not-so-rich family, and the girl belongs to a pretty wealthy family. They become best friends while they get done with their A-levels, but they grow apart from each other as Zynah leaves for London. After eight years apart, they meet again in London, when one was going through forced marriage while the other was building a lifestyle for himself. The passion between Zynah and Rehaan grows steadily from best friends to becoming more than that. Rehaan never fails to show wisdom and love, despite Zynah being married to some other man.
My Opinion
All Of My Heart will become your favorite dessert as it keeps you craving more and more! The novel depicts some cute & very relatable friendship moments as childhood best friends go through emotional highs and lows. The long meaningless, yet memorable drives at night and sentimental affection when they fall apart as teenagers. The story starts to kick in when both lead characters turn into adults with different mindsets but the same undying affinity for each other. Sara wove a sense of fairness & karma into her narrative by making the characters pay for their deeds in their respective futures.
Young girls might just fall in love with Rehaan’s character! He is the perfect man every girl desires to be with as his irresistible affection, loyalty as a best friend, and responsibility as a son is intensely appealing. Also, one factor that will resonate with you is the desi resonance and relatability of the plot – Desi parents sending their children abroad alone, yet accompanied by countless lectures on their culture & appropriate behaviour, and of course, planning their children’s arranged marriages.
Read this one if you seek a throwback to what falling in love really felt like, or just to rekindle a relationship lost in the routine of daily life!
About the Author
Sara Naveed is a prominent Pakistani romance writer. So far, she has written four romance novels – making you fall in love with each of their characters. Despite being a business graduate, Sara dabbles in fiction and romance writing.
Multiple resources used in this article include; Goodreads, Vishay’s Blog, Killer Karaoake
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