Premier Amour – First Love by Abhay

Premier Amour - First Love celebrates the renaissance of virtuous love meant for marriage, and relationships that make happy families. In his debut novel, Abhay wonderfully brings out the core message of loving rightly and living rightly, and that true love is for keeps. No matter how many trials by fire a relationship has to withstand, they only make the bond steely strong. In a freewheeling interaction, the author points out, "For a generation susceptible to easy breakups, moving on has become a key soft skill. However, if you think you've found your true love, staying put, and not moving on is the secret sauce that cooks blissful relationships. And whoever said that moving on does not hurt, there is no sense of loss, no void carved at the epicenter of your being?"

The answer to this pointed query lies in this novel's strong narrative dotted with very relatable emotions of first love, so much so that the line between fact and fiction blurs and one becomes the other, as the pages keep turning. There are many déjà vu moments, the bitter-sweet nostalgia of "been there, felt it all" moments that the novel oozes from start to finish. The Goosebumps-giving intense passages, interspersed with wacky humour and sharp wit create a soulful love story that is Intense or hilarious at times, and heart-wrenching or ecstatic at others. Premier Amour - First Love has the chemistry to make it to the young readers' hearts. The icing on the cake is the wonderfully narrated wintery Himalayan snowscapes from where the story takes off. Reading them is literally like being there, the imagery really grows on you. Then there are the other human relationships that the novel depicts so vividly. The mother-daughter bond and the BFF relations are one-of-a-kind narratives. And hurray, there are no negative characters! When asked about this, Abhay remarked cryptically, "There is enough negativity in real life, isn't it? Let's not add to it…" Then, he adds, "My writing will never have a negative character." Profound!

All in all, Premier Amour - First Love has that pull, passion, and panache to appeal to the youth, with a call to bring back values and virtues in relationships. An excellent read for all who have loved, are in love, or are wannabe lovebirds. As one endorsement says, "Abhay's writing conjures a beautiful picture of a quintessential couple in love … Premier Amour - First Love is fast-paced and fun, a perfect book for an afternoon in the sun."

For a generation susceptible to easy breakups, moving on has become a key soft skill. However, if you think you've found your true love, staying put, and not moving on is the secret sauce that cooks blissful relationships. This novel has the chemistry to make it to the young readers' hearts. It has that pull, passion, and panache.