50 Cups of Coffee by Khushnuma Daruwala | Book Review

I found the title of this book, 50 Cups of Coffee: The Woes and Throes of Finding Mr. Right very, very intriguing. This reason, in conjunction with a slew of good reviews that made their way to me, compelled me to add it to my Amazon wish list. This was a long time ago. It was only recently that I bought it, and that too, because I was getting a really good deal. So I bought 3 more books along with it. 😀

What can I say? Problems of a bibliophile / bookworm / book hoarder. 😉

Given the blurb and the quirky title (the word ‘coffee’ pulling me in more than anything), I expected a certain amount of humor. But 50 Cups of Coffee quickly surpassed my expectations and brought on with full force a rib-tickling humor that stayed consistent till the end. And this was within the first 10 pages of the book. So imagine my absolute delight at the prospect of a heavy enjoyment that I hadn’t had in a long time!

There was one point of time when I thought of the book as nonfiction. Maybe it is. But given how much I laughed along with Dia, the protagonist, it didn’t feel like that for long. The book is a laugh riot in its own, beautiful way, making you clutch your stomach as it spasms, trying to accommodate your laughter. Another important point about 50 Cups of Coffee is that it is consistent from the first page to the last. It is so well-written, not losing its essence anywhere. And for that, hats off, Ms. Daruwala! 🙂

The point where I knew I liked the book might have come early on in the narrative. But it was when the Harry Potter and Star Wars references made their way in that I truly fell in love with it. No, it is not only because of the references; they made me fall more for 50 Cups of Coffee, is all. Also, when she and I have similar ways of ‘indiscriminately’ scolding people – she says bloody goose, I say dirty goose – there is nothing else I could have done to keep the love at bay.

There are a couple of points that I don’t agree with in the book, but since it is humor, I wouldn’t like to bring them out and spoil the whole point the book is trying to make. And moreover, I think readers who decide to pick up this book must purely do so based on its other merits rather than one or two faults that are completely my opinion.

50 Cups of Coffee is a proper humorous rant against dating in the modern world, giving examples of prospective ‘daters’ who turn out to be something else in the end. I absolutely loved it, enjoying every part to the core because of its truth, but mostly because of how wittily it has been written.

Khushnuma Daruwala doesn’t sugarcoat anything as she goes on this rant. She gives you all of the dating tips, annoyances, and avoidances, making you bellow with laughter in the process. Even if you aren’t 35 and/or aren’t dating anymore, all you can do is pump your fists in the air and go, “Yaaaaasss!” I was amazed when I learned that this is Ms. Daruwala’s first book. What a book to start off with!

It’s not like 50 Cups of Coffee is serious. But it tackles serious topics with humor – something that needs to be done more frequently if we are going to embarrass ourselves into admitting that not everything is rosy with the world. For example, when she compares and contrasts humans with lions. She lays bare the fact that lionesses are so much more independent than human women. And the way she puts it, all I can do is agree while covering my face – because I’m that ashamed.

With a potent combination of reality, humor, and a pinch of imagination, Khushnuma Daruwala gives us the kick that maybe only 50 cups of coffee can give us! Phenomenal!

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Until next time, keep reading and add melodrama to your life. 🙂

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