Stars Will guide You Home by Stuti Changle
Buy the book here:
My take on the book:
Nirvaan, an entrepreneur and investor meets his old college mate Asmitha during a pitching event for IIT-Delhi students and alumni where he was invited as a judge. Asmitha presented her new idea AILENA(Artificial Intelligence-based Love and Engagement Neo Algorithm) a dating app that matches users based on a plethora of data points and advanced algorithms to make sure they are as perfect a match as possible.
Nirvaan finds the app promising and decides to invest in it; he also compels Asmitha to sign him up as a beta user, to experience the app firsthand but also since he is in a dilemma about his future with his current girlfriend. Kiranjeet Kaur who worked as product manager at Beta in Chicago was matched by AILENA with Nirvaan.
Nirvaan and Kiranjeet continued their interaction on the app without even seeing each others faces as the app allowed users to have their identity and personal details private till they wanted to share with each other. From casual chats to interactive moments, AILENA provided Nirvaan and Kiranjeet the perfect vibe to grow closer. Will this online friendship grow into real life love forms the rest of the story.
The story begins with the protagonists meeting through a dating app that matches them based on their compatibility and the reader will be intrigued to know how their relationship will progress. The author then introduces their back stories which makes the narration even more interesting. Kiranjeet’s past is interesting of the two but also heartbreaking. Along with the well paced narration, the author’s insights of life, love and relationships is the USP of the story, which is the strength of the author as I have seen in all her early works.
The sequences involving AILENA and its interactions with Asmitha are interesting in the beginning but turn too fictitious as they progress. The ending seems rushed as the emotional connect that is maintained till the pre-climax is missing towards the end. Also, if you have lived overseas, after a few chapters, Kiranjeet’s detailing about life abroad can get tedious. The story is mostly narrated from the female protagonist POV especially in the second half and I would have liked balance between the story narrated by both the male and female protagonist.
Though the story begins with the protagonists meeting through an AI based dating app, it highlights how human connection and emotions surpasses technology. A Gen Z love story that blends emotions with modern dating trends, Stars will guide you home makes for a good read.
My rating:
4/5.
This review is part of the Blogchatter Book Review Program