It’s your move, Wordfreak by Falguni Kothari : Book Review

Book name : It’s yourmove, wordfreak
Author : Falgunu Kothari
Publisher : Rupa
Genre : Romance
Other details : Debut novel of the author
Source of book: Blogadda’s Review program

Synopsis from Goodreads

Wordfreak and Worddiva hit it off right from their first online Scrabble game. Playing game after game every night leads to fun and flirty chats and a cerebral attraction so potent that it sizzles the broadband connection between them. The Scrabble-crazy duo cultivate their perfect relationship a virtual one. A bond where the past doesn’t matter and neither do their names. A bond forged by cheesy words and raucous laughs.

But this simple and uncomplicated equation is shaken when Alisha Menon, parental-divorce survivor and successful divorce lawyer meets Aryan Save-the-Planet Chawla on a blind date. As reality intrudes on their online idyll, the rules of the game change forever. Soon, the two realise that some words cannot be taken lightly. Can the real Wordfreak and Worddiva spell love in capital letters or is the game of life a deal-breaker for them?

My thoughts: 

I jumped at the chance to review this book when blogadda put up the announcement simply because I am a scrabble addict. Though I don’t read  romance novels these days and have ‘zero free’ time to read books thanks to the beanie’s ‘non-schedule’ , the prospect of reading a book that revolved around a game that i love and possibly involved a lot of word play excited me. However, the book disappointed me in the respect that it starts from the point where Worddiva aka Alisha Menon and Wordfreak aka Aryan Chawla meet for the first time after getting to know each other through the scrabble games.  

Alisha is a down to earth , no- nonsense lawyer  and Aryan is a flashy , page-3 gracing  successful architect who builds green homes. Things go smoothly for the duo  after they meet each other and they feel that they’ve found soul mates in each other. Add to these two a zesty Diya (Alisha’s best friend) and some saccharine sweet characters like Uncle Sam( Aryan’s uncle), Nanu (Aryan’s grandma) , MT ( Alisha’s boss) and Alisha’s mommy , and you have a recipe for a cosy romantic,a albeit candy-flossed read. I found the storyline standard M&B fare with loads of sex thrown in liberally.Though I am no prude,I just thought the ‘many’ sexual encounters were just superfluous and unnecessary. Upto 120 odd pages the book was quite simply yawwn.  Especially since beanie had her vaccination and was extremely fussy during this period, i found the book excruciatingly boring and difficult to continue. 

Thankfully, it started gettimg better after that. I started enjoying the book after Alisha and Aryan have a blow out and stop talking to each other. Alisha goes out of her way to get Aryan back. The scene shifts from Mumbai to London where Alisha visits Aryan’s family and gets to know about some of his ‘secrets’.Will they get together or let their mean words get in between them? You’ll have to read the book to figure that out 😉


 I thought that the main reason why they duo quarrel in the first place was a little to trite and silly.  Especially considering the fact that Alisha is  portrayed as a very practical girl. What I did like about the book is Falguni’s effortless writing that flows very well. The story is contemporary and  could relate to a lot of thoughts and concerns voiced by Aryan and Alisha.  I also liked the way Alisha’s character was drawn out  (more than Aryans). Despite all these positive aspects, the book was just a ‘Good read’ and not an ‘Awesome read’ for me. Pick  it up if you want a breezy read to kill a lazy sunday afternoon. 


My rating : 3/5 

Thanks to  Blogadda for letting me take a few more days than the normal 7 days to review this book. 

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Next post :  Book Review of Meddling Mooli and the Blue legged alien by Asha Nehemiah