Review of '12 Years: A Messed Up Love Story' by Chetan Bhagat
Mohan Gulrajani
After A Decade, Chetan Bhagat's New Book 12 Years: A Messed Up Love Story Explores How to Know If They Are ‘The One’
Authored by: Simran Sukhnani
A decade after his last love story, Chetan Bhagat returns with 12 Years: A Messed Up Love Story, a funny, emotional tale exploring the timeless question: how do you know they’re ‘the one’?
Chetan Bhagat's New Book 12 Years: A Messed Up Love Story
After A Decade, Chetan Bhagat's New Book 12 Years: A Messed Up Love Story Explores How to Know If They Are ‘The One’
Chetan Bhagat, one of India’s most widely known authors, is making his much-awaited comeback to the world of romance after being away from it for more than a decade. He has just announced his latest novel in an X post sharing the cover in the post. The novel is called 12 Years: A Messed-Up Love Story and is set to release on October 1, 2025. The author also mentioned in the post that the novel is available for pre-orders on Amazon and other retailers.
At its heart, the book delves into one of the most relatable questions of this generation who is looking for love or a partner: “How to know if someone is truly THE ONE for you?” Drawing from humour, thought-provoking insights and emotional rollercoasters, Bhagat describes this book as one of his best works so far, saying “12 Years: my messed-up love story is extremely close to my heart, and it is one of my best, if not the best book I have written so far. It is funny, emotional, thought-provoking and a lot more.” He continues in the tweet, “At its core, it tries to answer the question a lot of the new generation faces these days: How do you know someone is “the one”.
The release of this book is especially prominent as it marks Chetan Bhagat’s return to the genre that cemented his place in Indian contemporary literature. The predecessors to this book, 2 States (2009), and Half Girlfriend (2014) have both been adapted to successful Bollywood films. 2 States captured the struggles and hilarities of a cross-cultural marriage, while Half Girlfriend explored the gray zones of modern relationships and the idea that love doesn’t always come in neat definitions. Both of these stories have struck a chord with the younger generations who often find themselves trying to manoeuvre their own complicated love lives.
With his latest book, 12 Years: A Messed-Up Love Story, Bhagat continues his journey to explore love, but this time he is doing it from a mature lens. This book seeks something that has always remained timeless yet urgent, especially in the world where dating apps have become popular and situationships have taken over. Where we are swiping tens of people left and right on a daily basis, when do you know someone is the one you’re meant to be with?
For Bhagat’s readers, this book is going to feel like a return and an evolution, all in one. It carries the humour and relatability that made his love stories iconic, but also the depth and reflection of a writer who has lived, observed, and thought deeply over the last decade.
The release of this book is especially prominent as it marks Chetan Bhagat’s return to the genre that cemented his place in Indian contemporary literature. The predecessors to this book, 2 States (2009), and Half Girlfriend (2014) have both been adapted to successful Bollywood films. 2 States captured the struggles and hilarities of a cross-cultural marriage, while Half Girlfriend explored the grey zones of modern relationships and the idea that love doesn’t always come in neat definitions. Both of these stories have struck a chord with the younger generations who often find themselves trying to manoeuvre their own complicated love lives.
With his latest book, 12 Years: A Messed Up Love Story, Bhagat continues his journey to explore love, but this time he is doing it from a mature lens. This book seeks something that has always remained timeless yet urgent, especially in the world where dating apps have become popular and situationships have taken over. Where we are swiping tens of people left and right on a daily basis, when do you know someone is the one you’re meant to be with?
Bhagat’s readers, this book is going to feel like a return and an evolution, all in one. It carries the humour and relatability that made his love stories iconic, but also the depth and reflection of a writer who has lived, observed, and thought deeply over the last decade.
https://www.timesnownews.com/lifestyle/books/after-a-decade-chetan-bhagats-new-book-12-years-a-messed-up-love-story-explores-how-to-know-if-they-are-the-one-article-152588984
Professor (Dr.) M. L. Gulrajani F.S.D.C. (UK)
Former Professor and Dean (I.R&D), IIT Delhi
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