2 out of 4 stars
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November 11 is a contemporary romance novel written by Carmen Vela. The story follows two colleagues, Malavika and Martin, during their years working alongside each other as police officers in the Phoenix Police Department. However, when Malavika starts to fall in love with Martin, a married man, will she be able to successfully hide her feelings and preserve their friendship? And when Malavika faces a big decision that will change both their lives, will she lose Martin and his friendship forever?
The book is written in the third person and the theme is forbidden love. The best thing I liked about the book was the way the author successfully created real and relatable characters. Even the minor characters were well-developed! I especially liked the chemistry between Martin and Malavika. The way the author wrote their interactions made me feel like I was witnessing a secret love between these two characters, and that only I was privy to their innermost thoughts. I also loved the plot as it was very well-executed. I was delighted by the twists and turns of the plot as it had me constantly on the edge of my seat wanting them both to finally end up together.
However, there were flaws in the book that is preventing me from giving it four stars. Firstly, there were many editing errors throughout the book. Secondly, the book lacked detailed descriptions so I found myself having to fill in the missing details in my head in order to create a clearer picture in my mind. There was also almost no dialogue in the book. It felt very strange and it was something that took me a while to get used to. I ended up imagining the dialogue in my head instead.
The opening was also very slow. We were given a long backstory for each character and I found myself wanting to skim it. It was almost halfway through the book when the plot finally started, and as mentioned above, it was fantastic. But then when the plot concluded, the ending was prolonged and filled with unnecessary scenes. Scenes that just detailed normal everyday life.
Overall, I have to rate the book 2 out of 4 stars. It’s a shame because the plot was very well-executed, but because of the padded backstory and the prolonged ending, the full impact of the plot was diminished. If you are content with reading a slow-paced beginning and ending, it is a light read that romance fans will enjoy. However, if you are looking for a fast-paced romance book, this book is not for you.
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November 11
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