[Book Review] “All the Love You Deserve” By Preeti Shenoy

As we know from the first book “When Love Came Calling,” it ended where Puja and Arush were sharing mails, and since then, the global pandemic has hit, and the story starts in this book post-pandemic. So, Puja and Arush have grown up. They are no longer teenagers, and this book is told from the perspective of Sujit, Puja, and Arush.

The story starts when Divya, the older sister of Puja, loses her job, and she also has a breakup with Kartik, whom she thought was the love of her life. Since then, she has changed a lot, but she came close to her little sister, Puja. Puja did some online courses, but now she is jobless too, doing nothing and staying at home. On the other hand, Arush is in the UK doing household chores and managing his maternal aunt’s shop after his uncle’s death. The grief was unbearable for their family, but as they say, who can stop them? They have to go. Also, Puja and Arush are both maintaining a long-distance relationship. They somehow call, text, and mail each other, but the spark is missing. Arush has come closer to Jenna, who lost her grandmother recently due to COVID. The novel covers all the types of situations we have been through during the pandemic, and we will read about characters being mostly at home while coming out of their houses when things started getting normal. Jenna had a breakup with Josh, and now she is very close to Arush. She has feelings for him, but to Arush, she is just a friend. Though his family loves Jenna, She also helps Arush’s family in their business and other work as she is coping with two traumas.

Now, Sujit is not the same guy you met in the first novel. He has changed a lot. He is now taking therapy for his mental well-being. He is now living with her stepmother, brother, and sister after his father’s death. The loss they faced is very much indescribable. Also, Sujit left his drug addiction, so as a consequence, he suffered a lot mentally and physically. He has to go through therapy sessions with Dr. Harsh, from which Puja’s sister is taking therapy; they got to know this later. The pandemic has changed a lot, and everyone is coping and having sessions for their mental health. So, Dr. Harsh has suggested Sujit write a letter to Puja expressing everything and what he truly wants to say to her, but he said not to hit send and do whenever he needs to. So he did as suggested, and now Puja has forgiven Sujit, and she is now a friend of his. She told everyone, including Arush, about Sujit and her friendship. One day, a message came to Sujit’s home that his father had taken a loan from the bank, and for that, they had come to the bank. But when he went to the bank to meet the bank manager, she said that under the new scheme for COVID survivors, the loan was waived off and he would have an extra amount of money as a new loan. He was really happy and satisfied. He thanked the bank manager. But when he was about to be back home, he saw that the security guard had brought lunch for the manager, and it was no doubt the fish curry and rice. So, Sujit guessed it from the smell. When the manager asked him if anyone in his house earns, he was ashamed that he did not even earn. So, he tells her about his business just like that, and he names it “a fishy business,” but when all the work gets done, he gets home, tells everything to his mom, and also encourages her to start that business with the money the bank is offering. She hesitated at first but eventually agreed. That’s how their business starts. Sujit tells everything to Puja as they have become friends, and she also supports him by increasing his morale. But Arush was not as convinced as Puja because of the trouble he had in the past because of Sujit. Anyway, the story progresses: Arush gets a job in the travel division; he has to travel a lot due to his job. He meets new people and does his job properly. So he meets this divorced girl, Naomi, and he comes close to her and even has a fling with her. When Puja gets to know all of this, she gets really upset with Arush. Also, Sujit is coming closer day by day to Puja, and they even meet where Arush is in the UK. So, what will Arush do? What will happen to the “Puja and Arush” love story? Will Sujit take Arush’s place? Will Puja be able to forgive Arush for the mess he created? Do read an uplifting, relatable tale brimming with life lessons and hope.