HYDERABAD: Listen to your Heartbeats is a book that will lift your spirits with its dreamy plot and playful romance between the lead protagonists. Sonam, bored with her routine life, decides to go on a solo trip to Jaipur. During one evening when she is enjoying a light and sound show at Amer Fort, she meets Rann Vijay Rathore and their journey begins. The book goes on to narrate what happens to them as they take a trip which helps them understand themselves. It’s also a coming-of-age tale of Veer, Shiv and Aditi, who gang up with Sonam and Rann Vijay to form a musical caravan and travel across Rajasthan.
The author, Sonika Shandilya, keeps the prose descriptive and the language simple. You cannot help but get absorbed in their breezy romance, which has its ups and downs too. When asked about her book, she says, “This is a story of dreams, unending friendship and love that knows no bounds. I want to tell people that it’s okay to chase your dreams. Since I am close to nature, you will find glimpses of this love too in the book.”
The author’s romance with nature is evident in her prose. Whether she is describing a sunset, sweet pea flowers or jacaranda trees, the colours and textures come alive in her words, until you can see them yourself. If you are looking for a love story that gives you the warm fuzzies, and a leading pair you can root for, this book is a good pick.
This is Sonika’s second book after ‘Tinkling of the Bells Before It Rings’. She started writing after her children started going to school, and she has not stopped since then. The writer, who has an MBA degree from Punjabi University and lives in Hyderabad, plans to write one book every year.