This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Jennifer Senick for Readers' Favorite
Some stories don’t shout—they hum softly until your heart can’t help but listen. Notes of Her Heart by Goutham Kool Monk is a love story about two people brought together through music. Rahul Arora is a gifted composer who has built some emotional walls around himself until Khushi enters his studio with nothing but a folder and a beautiful voice that draws him in. Their relationship begins on a friendly yet professional note. Through lingering glances, unfinished songs, and the kind of silence that makes others feel uncomfortable but draws them closer, their relationship turns into something more profound. Rahul reveals his struggles in living with Paranoid Personality Disorder to her; they have a difficult conversation, and she leaves, but then he reads her journal and discovers why. He goes after her, and she offers him her presence, not a cure like most others have. What unfolds is less about grand gestures and more about the quiet bravery of showing up, day after day, for someone who doesn't know how to ask for love.
What I loved most about Notes of Her Heart by Goutham Kool Monk was how real and gentle it felt. Though it’s a short story, the pacing is slow in the best way—like a song that takes its time finding its rhythm. Think Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper; it’s soft in the beginning and builds steadily, until we finally get to the poignant part of the song. There isn’t a lot of dramatic action, but the emotional tension is so well done that I couldn’t put it down. Rahul and Khushi are both complicated, kind, and broken in their own ways, but are real and relatable. Themes of trust, mental health, vulnerability, and how we communicate without words are explored in such a beautiful way. While Notes of Her Heart isn’t a typical romance, it’s something much deeper that will fill your soul.
