Book name: Realising Mistakes
Author: -sanjanawrites-
Genre: Fanfiction, Short Story
Fandom: Shivika
No. of chapters: 9 (including prologue and epilogue)
Mature?: Yes (mention of self-harm, and suicide)

➵ First impression: This one's gonna be great!

➵ Cover: I'm absolutely in love with the cover! Kudos to the graphic designer!

➵ Title: It's perfect for the book.

➵ Blurb: It's good, but can be better if you give a little more information about the characters, especially Shivaay.

➵ Flow & pace: As it's a short story, the pace was quick. But I couldn't feel any of the character's emotions. It was all just descriptions or should I say bland details about the events happening. No mentions of what a certain character is experiencing or feeling at the moment.

➵ The plot of the book: I liked the concept — the new definition of beautiful in it. I understood Anika's problems properly. But for Shivaay, it's difficult to tell. It looks like the misconceptions theory was just for the sake. Maybe because Shivaay didn't get much limelight, or his characterization was just of an outsider who'll put sense into family members? I'll talk about this in detail in the character section.

Overall, the plot was nicely done. The sudden twists and turns went good. And I liked that it didn't get cliché, like Anika falling in love with Shivaay or any other way around. And I loved the open ending.

➵ Grammar: The book needs major editing. The tenses were wrong - in one paragraph itself, you changed the tenses from present to past. The commas were missing. So, I would suggest you either go for an editing shop or take some help from grammar correcting apps. Like Grammarly?

➵ Character development: Shivaay's character arc was just for the sake, I felt like that.

He always felt like a stranger to me, even in 3rd person view. From starting itself, it seemed like he's a perfect person, who'll give Anika's family member's their reality check. That's it. Yeah, there were his problems, too. But it did got into depth like Anika's? No. A complete no. He had, what, just one or two chapters in his name, to show him as a proper character?

I know it's difficult to show feelings in 3rd person. But it can happen.

About Anika. I liked her boldness, her confidence. And for the first time, I read an Indian book where the female character really doesn't give a damn and isn't even that "emotionally wreck" person. She knows how to give her family member's the taste of own medicine.

One thing I didn't like: when Shivaay said it's Anika so her reasons for using him were already justified. Like please, what is he? A person who can be used by another person again and again and he doesn't mind? Imagine we swap the genders, people would be cursing at any one character of their choice for this "using" thing.

➵ Overall impression: Surely a 3.5/5 reading for me. You just need a little more description of the situation and some depth to the character's feelings, especially Shivaay's.

➵ Suggestions:

- Use descriptive writing style.

- Give a proper characterization to Shivaay, so that he doesn't look like he's just for the sake.

- Go for the character's feelings to make this book a 4.5/5 rating book.