One of the best novel by chetan bhagat sir. Review on Half Girlfriend - Chetan Bhagat

Before beginning the review of the book'half girlfriend'.Let us first talk about the author of the book i.e. chetan bhagat.Well the books he wrote at the starting of his career as a writer were good and readable.but the standard of his writing has fallen greatly as the years of his career ascended.honestly speaking the characters taken in the book are your stereotypical ones.a poor boy shy boy named madhav  from bihar who does not know how to speak in english but gets admitted in a prestigious college of delhi under the sports quota.the girl named riya is a typical elite delhi girl who is the opposite of madhav i.e. confident and beautiful.the two bond over basketball.madhav fall head over heels for riya.it was love at first sight(but one sided I must say).a few months ahead they both are still friends but madhav is happy being friendzoned.reading on madhav's behalf we come to know riya as an introvert.she is not very keen on spilling her secrets and madhav marks it as rich people's'chochle' but when riya finally starts talking, instead of listening to her madhav's full attention is on how good her hand felt in his.a full chapter on how she doesn't talks a d when she talks he doesn't even pay attention.

In the next chapter we see a completely different side of madhav's character, a sex-starved one.according to him.only when a girl allows you to kiss her on the lips confirms her true love for you.a few months pass without any incident.riya then invites madhav for a family function and a new character is introduced.a boy completely in contrast with madhav's character.he is rich, self made, handsome and charming which madhav is not.somewhere around here madhav's friends are also introduced .they are typically cliched.if a girl likes you she should sleep with you.madhav takes it seriously and tries to bed riya by saying the most diaguating thing a girl never wants to hear,'deni h to de varna kat le".riya chooses the second option and refuses to talk to madhav.a few months later madhav tries to talk to riya and shw hands him her wedding card and choclates.madhav says nothing, disposes off the card but pockets the chocolates.things go bad between them and they both move out of delhi.madhav moves to his hometown in bihar and starts helping his mother in running a school whereas riya gets married off to london.few years move on and madhav is running the school with his mother.he needs funds for the school and comes to hear    of an organisation run by bill gates where he gives money to develop schools.to impresa bill gates madhav had to organize a litte song and dance performance and he needa ro give a speech in english.here comes the central theme of the novel.madhav doesn't know how to speak english.he them enrolls for english speaking classes in patna where a most cliched soap opera momnt takes place.he meets riya at only a one minute difference.riya is now a divorcee and works for nestle.madhav's hope for a love affair ignites again.riya helps him in his speech preparation and advises him to read chetan bhagat's books for improving his english.lol.in return madhav helps her in setting up her little apartment.close to the speech day madhav takes riya to meet his mother.madhav's mother being a typical mother does not want his son to marry a divorcee and gives the girl the stares.madhav and riya romance a little on the terrace.the speech day arrives and madhav wons a lot of money from bill gates(as expected).when the function ends madhav looks for riya but she goes missing.when he is looking for his lady love he gets a letter written by her in which she explains how she has got lung cancer and has gone underground as she wants to die alone.madhav's heart breaks and he keeps looking for her everywhere but to no avail.3 years pass on and one day riya's la dlord calls madhav and gives him some journals written by riya but he is too heartbroken to read them so he hands them over to mr chetan bhagat just because riya had recommended chetan bhagat's books to madhav.chetan bhagat first disposes off the journals but at last reads them and  also calls madhav to read them.by reading them madhav comea to know of how riya was sexually assaulted in her childhood and how she had to undergo domestic violence by her inlaws and how his mother had warned riya to stay away from madhav because of which she had to make up the story of cancer and stay  away.now again a new hope ignites in madhav.he then suddenly remebers how riya wanted to be a singer in a bar in new york.he then requested a gates foundation member and gets a 3 month internship in manhattan.there he lives with a friend and is unable to find riya for 3 months but agains the plot twists and on his last night there he finds riya and they both cry their eyes out.they then went to riya's apartment and did what madhav always wanted to do with riya in the whole book.the story enda bt riya and madhav showing chetan bhagat their school and have a son.

All in all the story is full of cliches.a rich man who is a drunkard and sexually assaults his wife.a typical mother in law who is well settled in foreign does not likes a indian girl.a typical mother who does not wants a divorcee'bahu' and a rich girl who wants only independence.and the title is not suitable.when we read the title we think of somethi  ng in the lines of friends with benefits but according to madhav there were no benefits.so yeah!