When Hari Met his Saali by Harsh Wardhan

Blurb :

The only magical thing missing from her life… happened to her sister!His idea of romance is that it is unnecessary.Tia was in love with her career and her lifestyle in America. And she was madly in love with Hari. But where was the romance she craved?
Simi was the young girl left behind in a small town in India who hadn’t seen her sister for years. She was a dreamer. But what did she really want out of life?
And then there was Hari. Straight-forward and uncomplicated, it felt like nothing he did was ever good enough for Tia. But didn’t every man want an ambitious and successful wife no matter how demanding they were?
Theirs was a love story that was never going to be conventional. But what happened to Hari and Tia was something that nobody would have predicted.
Mix two sisters with bad history between them and one clueless man, to form one whacky triangle, and you get a cautionary lesson in how you should be careful of what you wish for in the name of love?
Set in Los Angeles and Nagpur, India, ‘When Hari Met His Saali’ is a funny, fresh, and outrageous look at young people and their dreams, longings, aches and heartbreaks. It is a fascinating take on the grand idea of love and the reality of romance. In a breezy, humorous narrative anchored around a magical twist, the story of Tia, Simi and Hari unfolds from romantic comedy into a climax full of suspense.

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Review

Harlequin India  is sure going through many changes – good ones. When I read WHMHS, the first thing that struck me was now the doors for many writers have opened up. How often I have heard writers crying out –‘who is an alpha hero?” “do such Heros really exist. For the cynic in me- a definite no and  for the Romantic in me – Please lord, let this one wish of mine come true!

Hari is really a funny character. Funny is maybe not the right word. Let’s just say I know that guys like Hari do exist. His insecurities, his idiosyncracies and his goof ups all add up to create the species we call MALE. Tia and Sim Sim – oops sorry!.. Simi are also very realistic characters. 

When I started reading the novel, I had my doubts. A male’s perspective in Mills and Boon – after Victoria Gordon I did not think we would see this day.  But I suppose now it will be interesting to see what else Harsh Wardhwan will pull out in the near future. 

Tia and Simi are sisters. While Smi in in India looking after her mother, Tia had left home for greener pastures in the US. She  has a life to be envied, a good salaried job and a rich and loving fiancé, Hari. Well, loving being debatable.  But they both live in the bubble of a happy life and being perfect for each other. 

That was till Hari hadn’t met Simi, his would be Saali.  But here again, it is nothing like alpha heroes meets a damsels in distress. In fact, I was wondering if I have missed a line or two where the heroine blushes and the hero looks deeply into her eyes and smiles sardonically. I hadn’t. In fact the Hero was scratching his ….. (Me shaking my head in utter surprise!)

Now Hari is caught between the sisters! Now, as a writer or reader, please don’t think ordinary. Harsh came out with an ‘out of the box’ idea- Hari is hypnotized into falling in love with Simi. 

So, what does Hari do after he comes out of hypnosis ?

Tut tut.. don’t let your jaws drop !

Rating 

Reasoning

Any novel, which makes  the  reader to ‘want’ to reach the end deserves a five star. The language is not perfect, but it is exactly like Indians in the USA speak. It is so damn relatable. The Indian family life in the USA or the Nagpur counterpart both are brought out well. In fact, I have experienced two of the incidents mentioned by Harsh Wardhwan. 

1. The Itinerary

2. The Taxi :) Read to find out more !

The best thing I liked about the characters – all the characters are the gray shades.  Even Simi is no good two shoes. Hari is no knight in the shining armor. They are ordinary people like you and me. Making mistakes, being bitchy and naughty and not shy in showing their emotions. 

A FAIR WARNING:

After reading this book some of you might be off certain flavors of ice-cream!