Book Prelude..!!
Title: Yours Painfully
Author: Swati Mukilan
Pages: 246
Genre: New-Age Romance
Publication date: 25 May 2025
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
About the Author..!!
Swati Mukilan is a personal growth enthusiast dedicated to exploring self-awareness, mindset, and transformation through intentional living. She started her career as an IoT Engineer, aka ‘Software Engineer’, after graduation, but her true passion always lay in illustrations, books, and storytelling.
She never tires of exploring new and creative ways to narrate stories, whether through digital art, short narratives, or engaging through Instagram story- movies-many of which captivated and inspired her audience. Yours paintully marks her debut as an author, where she beautifully blends deep emotions with a compelling narrative.
Book Description..!!
Yours Painfully is a poignant exploration of not just love, but also loss, pain, and the self-liberation from it. It is a story for anyone who has ever longed for a love that slipped away, only to discover that sometimes, the most painful endings lead to the most potent transformation, like how light enters through the wound.
To Start…!!
Swati Mukilan’s “Yours Painfully” is a soul-stirring portrayal of Saira’s journey through love, unfulfilled emotions, loss, pain, grief, and self-liberation. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Vardhan, protagonist Saira is compelled to pursue an engineering education despite her true ambition of becoming a book writer.
At college, she encounters Vedha Sagar: a married, ambitious lecturer, whose presence ignites a spark of admiration and emotional connection. Their evolving relationship gradually unfolds into a tale of love and longing, leading to a series of poignant twists and turns.
Book précis…!!!
Unlike the conventional fictional love stories I’ve read in recent times, Swati masterfully narrates this storyline as a blend of dreams and destiny, conflict and vulnerability, loyalty and passion. Having experienced life as both an engineering student and lecturer, I could deeply relate to this narrative; it felt almost like my own story. It even reminded me of my own Saara..ahem ahem.. well, I miss her now.
Swati’s portrayal of love as a force of healing rather than heartbreak is truly commendable. As she rightly suggests, sometimes the most painful endings lead to the most profound transformations. For me, the connection between Saara and Vedha is particularly special, as it revolves around alacrity, resilience, and hope.
My Preamble…!!!
This work revolves mostly around three characters: Vedha, Saara, and Anya. Swati ensured all three demonstrate depth, nuance, and heartfulness. While these are self-personalities we meet in ourselves day in and day out. The emotional verity they carry leaves readers with a memorable mark and keeps them hooked throughout the story’s progress. My key takeaway is to manifest to have a best friend like Anya, no matter what; she is always honest, loyal, supportive, and caring to the protagonist Saara and guides her in uncertain and skeptical predicaments.
Book Prelude..!!
As Swati already hinted in the blurb, though the ending is painful, I could sense a deep philosophical undertone that transcends the classic flavor of romance throughout. She portrays the bitterness of relationships without the usual sugarcoat, adding realism and maturity to the narrative. The adventures, defiance, and extra miles Saara takes in the story are highly relatable and evoke a strong sense of campus nostalgia. The fragrance of youthfulness is unmistakable in Swati’s style of narration.
Book accolades…!!!
I truly appreciate the way the story ends, though it is a painful conclusion, Swati offers a pleasing justification for exploring this dimension in love story narratives. She transports readers into a fascinating world where emotions run deep, and consequences hold weight. I believe many hasty decisions born out of unrequited love can be tempered after reading and reflecting on “Yours Painfully“. This work stands as a testament to Swati’s skillful storytelling and emotional depth.
Author Accolades..!!!
The book scrutinizes the delicate balance between love and torment, exploring how one can feel euphoric and shattered by the same emotion. Its portrayal of how love can both heal and wound is delivered with remarkable sensitivity and emotional intelligence. Swati skillfully captures the restrained intensity between Saara and Vedha through a tone of tasteful intimacy. While many contemporary novels tend to overindulge in romance, this one maintains elegance and emotional depth, a balance that truly deserves praise.
Inquisitive Emphasis..!!
I personally felt a sense of disconnect in a few parts of the narration, as some episodes in the book could have been handled better, Eg, Vedha’s relationship reveal, Saara and Vedha’s late-night conversations, and Anya’s behavioral maturity. Yet, through her writing, Swati succeeds remarkably in portraying human dynamism at its most vulnerable moments.
Though the book spans just around 200+ pages, the emotional weight it carries is deeply profound and lingers in the heart for a long time. Kudos to Swati for crafting such a meaningful blend of tenderness and emotional connection amid the turmoil of relationships and heartbreak.
Book Assort…!!!
For me, “Yours Painfully” is a transformative and unconventional love story that blossoms amid the painful journey of a disinterested engineering student and an aspiring lecturer. Though this is Swati’s debut book, she checks most of the boxes that define an accomplished novelist. This is a novel for those who believe in love stories that transform, stay with you, and remind you of the profound beauty found in longing and connection.
End Note..!!!
This is a book that speaks to the part of us that understands pain, longing, and the harsh reality that the most beautiful moments in life are often the most fleeting. I personally dedicate this book to all the Saaras, Anyas, and Vedhas out there, to remind them that there is life beyond broken love, when embraced with maturity and deeper understanding, that has the power to heal and prevent the hasty decisions that often arise from emotional turmoil.
Quote(s)..!!
- Though the pain lingered, the heaviness inside her felt slightly lighter.
- Most women don’t desire big things in life.
- We are the stories, unfolding in the hearts of those we meet, echoes in the lives we touch.
Links & FootNote..!!
My Handle: Kiran_Kumar_Adharapuram
You can also explore my works -> Here
My Non-Fiction Book Reviews -> Here
My Fiction Book Reviews -> Here
My Self-Help Book Reviews -> Here
