Book: A walk in the rain. A journey of love and redemption.

Genre:  Romantic thriller.

Author: Udai Yadla.

Format: Paperback.


  I have almost stopped reading romance novels since some time now. The reason being that age has taught me quite a bit about the fictitious nature of love, and also that romance  novels have the ability to lure us into a world of make-believe!  However, if the novel boasts of an adventure along with romance, then I do reach for it. Reading action-packed adventures of the characters in the book does thrill me. There’s drama and suspense that adds some spice to the story and instantly piques my curiosity about how the story would unfold.

A walk in the rain, a debut novel by writer Udai Yadla, is one such book. I would suggest you don’t go by the cover of the book for the simple reason that, well,  one must never judge a book by its cover! It does begin with romance between the hero and the heroine, but as you turn the pages, you learn that there’s more to the story of its main characters than just love.

Sunny is a quiet boy living a dejected life, isolated from the world. He befriends Sandy, the chirpy, bubbly girl, full of life. Sandy becomes Sunny’s raison d’etre, his ray of hope  in the dark and gloomy world he resides in.

Saloni is a fighter, a lone fighter, who knows that life means survival of the fittest. Pushed into the flesh trade due to the circumstances in her life, she faces it all with nerves of steel.

The story is about how the tender love between Sunny and Sandy gets snatched by the cruel hands of fate.  It’s also about how life can change in  the blink of an eyelid.  It’s about how Sunny’s life changes one fine day – on his birthday, courtesy his friend Imran – and how every moment of this day and the events that take place, bring him closer to looking at life in a whole new light. How he finds the reason to live a happy life with the love he has always pined for.

Udai Yadla, the debutant writer, has done a fair job of presenting a story as simply as he has.  It begins at a slow pace, but gains momentum in the latter half. The main characters have been etched out very well. And,  although initially one might wonder where one is being led, the events that unfold in the latter half make it a page-turner.

However, the detailing about the secondary characters  took the focus away from the main plot at quite a few places.  I also wish the story did not switch from the present to the past and back to the present, abruptly. It also could have done well with a sharper editing to smooth out the rough edges.

All said and done, I liked reading Sunny’s story. All the action and the drama in the latter half had me captivated till the last page. It was not all  mush and romance, and therefore, made for a decent read. I am sure it will appeal to the younger readers, who seek romance peppered with a generous amount of adventure in their lives!

‘I received a copy of, ‘A walk in the rain’, from Writersmelon in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.’

My review can be read at Goodreads and  Amazon.