A Gen Z reader will be able to relate to the book.
Too Good To Be True marks the writing debut of India’s popular YouTuber and Content Creator Prajakta Koli.
The book is a romance novel set in Mumbai and is a contemporary story spanning 2023 and 2024.
Aimed at Gen Z readers, Prajakta crafts a tale of love, longing, and self-discovery.
It narrates the saga of a couple named Avani and Aman Raina and capitalises on a love so passionate and deep that readers root for them all the way.
However, does the book avoid all the cliches of romance enough not to make it too corny?
Are the characters and their love story deep enough to make the novel unforgettable?
We explore these questions in our review.
DESIblitz is here to help you decide whether to read Too Good To Be True or not.
A Story Laced with Love & Humour
Too Good To Be True is a classic ‘will-they-won’t-they’ romance but it is the story that sets it apart.
We are introduced to the 23-year-old law student Avani, who lives alone in Mumbai.
She has grown up in Pune with her beloved grandmother, Aaji, and has a penchant for reading romance novels.
Her group of friends: Martin, Rhea, and Maya, are more like family, always there to support and advise her.
To make ends meet in Mumbai, Avani works part-time at a bookstore. Her life changes when the handsome billionaire Aman Raina walks in.
Aman and Avani instantly build a connection, and it’s this spark that becomes the foundation for the novel.
Aman is outgoing, carefree, and is everything Avani is looking for. Whenever his signature aftershave hits her nose, Avani becomes a character out of her romance books.
However, Avani is battling her own issues which makes it unrealistic that this couple would ever get together.
Through a series of incidents, including Avani and Aman bonding over Italian food and Avani meeting Aman’s challenging brother Gagan, their love story has several risks.
However, the characters are so unique and so relatable that readers cannot help but cheer for them.
Aman is calm, understanding, and patient, while Avani is funny, unapologetically herself, and that one girl everyone would want as a friend.
Prajakta doesn’t let her characters feel forced, and they come with their flaws, which humanises the romance instead of making it too corny.
Narrative
The way the novel is written is original and is one of Prajakta Koli’s biggest strengths.
Prajakta weaves the narrative around the viewpoints of both of the protagonists.
Most chapters alternate between the perspectives of Aman and Avani, regarding the same situation.
This allows the reader to connect with the characters, giving them detailed insights into their emotions, reactions, and thoughts.
For example, the novel equally carries Avani and Aman through parties, dates, and sex.
Among emotions, it explores their reactions to confusion, jealousy, and pain.
Gagan Raina – Aman’s older brother – is cold and curt. He can annoy Aman by making remarks about Avani, but in the novel’s climax, this allows Aman to showcase his flaws.
It would be easy to let the book rely on one of the two main protagonists, but Prajakta achieves a symmetrical balance.
The book also contains semantics and language that would appeal to Gen Z readers.
It carries readers through social media pressures, sexual tension, and issues of trust and belonging.
This makes the book interesting for readers of older generations, as it provides a glimpse into the dating struggles of Gen Z.
A Gen Z reader will be able to relate to the book in at least one chapter, remembering a similar experience they may have been through.
The narrative of Too Good To Be True scores well, making Prajakta’s novel warm and memorable.
Too Much Emphasis on Avani and Aman?
If a romance novel involves a particular couple, the book will axiomatically highlight those characters.
The stars of Too Good To Be True are rightfully at the forefront, but it could be argued that the book colours them a bit too boldly.
More information about other characters could have added more layers and depth to the book.
Gagan’s character is explained well. The roots for his behaviour are divulged especially towards the end of the story.
Maya is also given reason. However, similar backdrops to Rhea and Martin may have allowed the book to have a bit more substance.
The parents and grandparents in the book are introduced nicely, but it all goes back to Aman and Avani.
This does make sense as the novel rests firmly on the shoulders of these characters.
However, perhaps a greater amount of depth to the others may have strengthened the novel further.
Despite this, the book works as it never loses sight of its goal which is to tell an unmissable love story.
A Romance You Didn’t Know You Needed
In a romance, there are many stumbling blocks that writers can fall into.
These include making the story too conventional or stereotyped, perhaps making the reader roll their eyes.
The book’s subject means that some of these aspects are unavoidable.
But by intertwining romance with Gen Z struggles, internal battles, and difficulties for one character to read the other, Prajakta crafts the romance you didn’t know you needed.
Too Good To Be True is described as “wickedly witty, tender, and relatable at every turn”.
Those words prove true with every new incident and situation.
Along with romance, the book explores loss, courage, and finding one’s place in the modern world.
For that, it is a stunning debut of which Prajakta Koli should be rightfully proud.
The novel was published in the UK on February 13, 2025, by HarperCollins India, and swiftly became one of India’s best-sellers.
However, that isn’t simply down to Prajakta’s existing popularity, or her MostlySane YouTube channel.
Too Good To Be True is a delightful, well-paced, and energetic read, introducing readers to a new voice.
If this is an indication of Prajakta Koli’s effervescent writing style, we can’t wait to see what she writes next.
As World Book Day 2025 speedily approaches, you can treat yourself and buy your copy right here.
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