Secretly Your’s is about young love, strange happenings along with a bit of murderous mayhem and the novel manages to engross the reader. It is a young adult romance about a boy Sahil and his life that seems to be going nowhere. In walks Anya, beautiful, smart and full of mystery. That she is keeping secrets is obvious from the beginning.  There is a bit of trouble surrounding Sahil with his dysfunctional family and typical teenage rebellion.

Two troubled souls attracted to each other and they just hit it off. Guitar and music are their common link and soon enough Sahil is falling for Anya. She does not reciprocate his feelings but leaves him hopeful with her gestures and words.

Secretly Yours by Vikrant Khanna

Sahil wants to be a writer, yet his sad past that haunts Sahil, the callous grandmother and the distant left over family make Sahil a kid you want to root for. The author has painted a pretty realistic, angst-ridden character. He keeps at his aim of being a writer as his focus, the writing keeps him from going off the edge.

Anya, the beautiful, kind, sensitive, and definitely into some trouble keeps up the other half of the book. Even though the book is about Sahil, she manages to take center stage more often than not. It is her secrets that propel Sahil to reach a stage where he becomes so different that he can read minds. After the accident, Sahil changes and so does the pace of the book. The murders get murkier and the Anya and friends take center stage. Since Sahil can hear the thoughts they have to take him into confidence and share about themselves.

Here in the paranormal element takes over, coupled with Sahil’s ability the friends share secrets. Who are the other friends, how is Anya different, what abilities do they have? Vikrant has managed to create an alternate reality for them which is convincing due to its simple connections to our life, thoughts, and rituals.

The twist in the tale is not the murders or who is the murderer – I had an inkling of that. The real twist is the community these paranormal friends had created and the climax. Sahil comes into his own as we near the end of the book. The murders are solved, friendships tested and family cherished. The book has it all.

Aditya, Sameer, Ibrahim, Monica all become his extended family as he tries to follow his love, Anya. The climax was a page turner and even with elements of other famous paranormal works the book reads well. Hints and inspiration might have been from books like Psy-Changeling Series, Twilight or The Raven Boys, etc yet the author has created a different and relatable world. I can almost see a sequel of this one. Love is the reason for all life and even death in this case as Vikrant manages to generate interest, intrigue, and suspense.  I particularly liked the ending even though it was the most obvious one – sometimes the regular stuff shines well since it finds its perfect spot.

Secretly Your’s – dive into the unknown, secret, mysterious and surreal. An entertaining read.

© Inderpreet Kaur Uppal

Secretly Yours

Everyone has secrets . . . but is hers the most shocking?
Orphaned at birth, seventeen-year-old Sahil has always blamed himself for his parents’ death. He has little interest in life until he meets the enigmatic Anya in a chance encounter during the Shimla fest. Soon he falls head over heels in love with her, but Anya doesn’t reciprocate his feelings.
An accident leaves him in a coma and when he wakes up he makes a startling discovery-he can read minds! Now he can find out what goes on in Anya’s mind and maybe, just maybe, make her fall in love with him. But is Anya all she seems? Or is she hiding something?
Deliciously plotted, full of morbid secrets and startling revelations, Secretly Yours will make you question what you see and who you trust.