#BookReview : Combat Skirts by Sahana Ahmed

Title: Combat Skirts

Author: Sahana Ahmed

Genre: Fiction -Romance

Enrolled in an Army hostel to study Law, Saba is torn between her duty towards her parents and her newfound freedom. To complicate matters, she has more suitors than she can handle. Who will she choose? The old crush? The college hotshot? Or the mysterious Lieutenant?

I am not a big fan of romance but something about the title and the blurb of this book got me interested and hence I decided to read it. And I must tell you, I wasn’t disappointed. Though the book is categorized as a romance, the book has a lot more to offer.

The book revolves around Saba’s life as she journeys her way to college life. Being away from home means her friends in hostel become her family. The friendship and camaraderie that the girls share is amazing. I’ve never stayed in a hostel during my college life, but this book gave me a glimpse of what it could have been. The book is set before the cellphone era, in the days of the good old landline and this brought back memories. There are birthday parties, impromptu outings, a secret language and contests – all of these make you reminisce about your college days.

Saba’s is a character that I loved the most. She has the freedom that she’d longed for while she is staying the hostel. But there are secrets and parts of the past that she doesn’t want to remember. There are a lot of expectations and restrictions for her which are a result of no fault of hers. Living through it all and balancing it becomes a struggle. She has to struggle with doing what she wants to do and what is expected of her to do. Then there her new found feelings that she finds hard to deal with. All she needs is someone who’ll understand her, with whom she can talk to. But will she find a friend who understands? Or will she find love?

The fact that makes you want to read this book is that it is well written.  The book explores the theme of friendship in a way that is true. It doesn’t talk about friendship in an idealistic way, but it brings out friendship the way it is – with the fights, flaws, jealousy, et all. That makes it real! The characters, though many have a well-defined role to play. What makes the characters interesting is the fact that they are so relatable. You can find these characters in your circle of friends. The book underlines the importance of prioritizing and choosing what is really important rather than making decisions that wouldn’t be fruitful in the long run.

The fast-paced narration and the end of each of the chapters make you want to know more and that makes it a quick read.

So if you are someone who enjoys reading romance or if you are someone who is an occasional romance reader, this one is for you.

4/5