Book Review · Indian Romance Fiction
Book Review – Until Love Sets Us Apart by Aditya Nighhot
By Wilson Shrestha · Updated September 25, 2026 · 10 min read
This is a spoiler-free book review of Until Love Sets Us Apart by Aditya Nighhot, the award-winning Indian romance that starts as a sweet college love story and ends as something much darker. If you are wondering whether it is worth your time in 2026, what the story is about, and whether it is the kind of “sad ending” book you are in the mood for, this review answers all of that in one place.
You will find a quick verdict, the plot without spoilers, a character guide, an honest look at what works and what does not, what other readers rated it, a clearly marked content warning, and books to read next.
Our Verdict
3.9 / 5
★★★★★
A simply written but emotionally powerful romance. The first half is a familiar campus love story; the second half turns into a hard-hitting drama about grief, justice and revenge that lifts the whole book.
Reading time: about 4–5 hours
Ending: sad
Content warning: yes
In This Review
Until Love Sets Us Apart: Quick Facts
| Full title | Until Love Sets Us Apart: To Love with Love |
| Author | Aditya Nighhot (also credited as Aditya R. Nighhot) |
| Earlier title | In the Blink of an Eye |
| Genre | Contemporary romance with a crime and revenge thread |
| Publisher | Fingerprint! Publishing (Prakash Books India) |
| Published | 2018 |
| Length | About 230 pages |
| Setting | Bharat Medical College, a medical college in India (in the story) |
| Awards | “Best Romance Book of the Year” award; later sold as a national bestseller |
| Formats | Paperback and ebook in English; a Hindi edition is also listed |
| ISBN (paperback) | 9789388144254 |
About the Author: Aditya Nighhot
Aditya Nighhot is a Pune-based doctor who started writing novels at around twenty, while he was still studying MBBS. That background matters here: the book is set among medical students, and the campus scenes clearly come from someone who knows that world.
- His first story, U n Me… It’s Complicated!!!, began as a hobby project printed in limited copies for friends and family, and was later published properly in 2019.
- Until Love Sets Us Apart was the book that made his name. It first appeared as In the Blink of an Eye and won a “Best Romance Book of the Year” award before being republished by Fingerprint! Publishing.
- He was also among the first Indian authors to write chatbot-style stories for the Bite app by Readify.
- Outside writing, he is a photographer and an avid reader, and he is active with readers on social media.
Knowing that this was written by a young author in medical school helps set expectations. The book has the energy and emotional honesty of a first big novel, along with some of its rough edges.
Until Love Sets Us Apart Summary (No Spoilers)
The novel opens with a frame story. Aadi, an MBBS student who also writes, becomes fixated on a shocking criminal case and wants to turn it into his next book. The accused is a young doctor, so Aadi and his friends track down the one person who can explain what happened: Alok, the accused man’s closest college friend.
Through Alok’s account, the story rewinds to medical college, where the real love story begins.
- The couple: Rohit is carefree and aimless; Aisha is focused and a perfectionist. They are total opposites, and they fall for each other anyway.
- The friends: Alok, Neha and Kriti make up the rest of the group, and their college life together fills most of the first half.
- The build-up: The relationship survives exams and family pressure, and eventually a wedding is on the cards.
- The turn: Then one incident changes everything, “in the blink of an eye”, and the second half follows what that does to Rohit and everyone around him.
Because the book opens with the crime and then goes back in time, you read the whole romance knowing something terrible is coming. That is the book’s best structural choice, and it is why the lighter chapters still feel tense.
Main Characters in Until Love Sets Us Apart
Rohit
The easy-going, not-so-serious medical student. Aisha brings out the best in him, and he goes through the biggest change of anyone in the book.
Aisha
A focused, principled girl from Delhi and the emotional centre of the story. Her letter to Rohit is one of the standout moments of the book.
Alok
A small-town boy, Rohit’s best friend and the main narrator. We see almost the whole story through his eyes.
Neha and Kriti
Neha is the group’s sarcastic voice; Kriti is a loyal friend and Alok’s love interest. Both are fun, and both could have been given more to do.
Aadi
The student-writer in the frame story, loosely based on the author himself, who is trying to find out what really happened.
Our Review of Until Love Sets Us Apart
Writing Style and Pacing
Nighhot writes in plain, conversational English, the kind used in most Indian commercial fiction. That makes the book very easy to read; many readers finish it in one or two sittings. The trade-off is that the first half leans on familiar romance phrases and some clichéd dialogue, and it could use more description in places.
The pacing is steady rather than slow. The college chapters move quickly from one incident to the next, and once the central event happens the book speeds up noticeably. The prose also gets more reflective at that point, and the closing chapters and author’s note are the most mature writing in the book.
Structure and Narration
Opening with a crime and then going back through Alok’s memories gives an ordinary campus romance a mystery hook, and it works. You want to know how these likeable people got there.
The weak spot is point of view. Alok narrates most of the story, yet the book regularly tells us what Aisha is privately thinking, which a friend could not really know. It is a small thing that many readers will not notice, but a close third-person narrator would have fit the story better.
Emotional Impact
This is the book’s biggest strength. Because so much time is spent on Rohit and Aisha being happy, the turn in the second half hits hard. Readers keep using the same words for it: heartbreaking, emotional, made me cry. Even reviewers who found the writing ordinary said the story stayed with them.
Themes: Love, Justice and Revenge
Under the romance, the book is really about how a failing justice system can push a decent person towards revenge. It also looks at how families react, and at how society treats women and their safety.
The author ends by saying that injustice should be fought without violence, even though much of the story makes the reader sympathise with Rohit. Readers are split on this. Some find the message thoughtful; others feel the book argues one thing and concludes another. Either way, it will give you something to think about, and that is more than most books in this genre manage.
Content Warning
This book deals with serious violence and its aftermath. If you are sensitive to certain themes, open the note below. It contains a mild spoiler.
Show content warning (mild spoiler)
The event at the centre of the story is a sexual assault and murder, followed by a revenge storyline involving further killings. Much of the second half deals with grief, trauma and the police and legal response. If these subjects are difficult for you right now, you may want to skip this book or come back to it later.
Pros and Cons
✓ What works
- Opening with the crime gives the story a mystery hook
- A powerful, emotional second half
- A real social message about justice and women’s safety
- A believable, warm friend group and medical-college setting
- Short, fast and easy to finish in a day
✗ What does not
- Clichéd dialogue and phrasing in the romance chapters
- A narrator who knows thoughts he could not know
- Side characters Neha and Kriti are underused
- Some plot moments feel rushed or convenient
- Predictable if you read a lot of Indian romance
Rating Breakdown
What Other Readers Say
We looked at book blogs and reader reviews to see whether other people agree with our score. In short, most readers land in the 3 to 4 star range. They agree on the emotional impact and split on the writing.
| Source | Rating | Main takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| The StoryGraph (reader average) | about 3.6 / 5 | Readers call it emotional and sad; individual ratings range from 2 to 5 stars |
| The LazyScoop | 4 / 5 | A love story with more depth than usual, with a simple, effective style |
| Pankaj Giri (author and reviewer) | 3.9 / 5 | A strong, mature second half; flags the narration issue |
| The Melodramatic Bookworm | 3 / 5 | An enjoyable “guilty pleasure” held back by clichés and inconsistencies |
Ratings were checked in September 2026 and may change as more readers review the book.
Who Should Read Until Love Sets Us Apart?
Read it if you…
- Loved Ravinder Singh’s I Too Had a Love Story or similar emotional romances
- Want a short book you can finish over a weekend
- Like stories with a social message behind the romance
- Are new to reading and want something easy to follow
Skip it if you…
- Want a light romance with a happy ending
- Find themes of sexual violence hard to read about
- Prefer literary fiction with rich, descriptive prose
- Get annoyed by clichés and predictable romance tropes
Books Like Until Love Sets Us Apart
If you enjoyed this book, or want something similar with a different tone, these are good next reads.
| Book | Why it is similar | Tone |
|---|---|---|
| I Too Had a Love Story – Ravinder Singh | A romance based on real events that ends in tragedy | Heartbreaking |
| Half Girlfriend – Chetan Bhagat | Opposites-attract romance in an Indian college setting | Bittersweet |
| Summer Love – Subin Bhattarai | Nepal’s best-known campus love story, for readers who want a Nepali pick | Nostalgic, emotional |
Where to Buy or Read the Book
Until Love Sets Us Apart is published by Fingerprint! Publishing and is sold as a paperback and an ebook through major online bookstores. You can check the ebook listing on Penguin Random House. Readers in Nepal can usually find Indian English paperbacks like this in Kathmandu bookshops and through online book sellers. A Hindi edition is also available for readers who prefer Hindi.
We do not link to pirated PDF copies. If you want free, legal reading options in Nepali, see our free Nepali books PDF collection and our list of free Nepali audiobooks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Until Love Sets Us Apart about?
It follows Rohit and Aisha, two opposite personalities who fall in love while studying MBBS at medical college. Their wedding is planned when a sudden, violent incident changes their lives and the lives of their friends. The story is told through Alok, Rohit’s best friend, to a young writer investigating the case.
Is Until Love Sets Us Apart based on a true story?
The book is described as inspired by real-life incidents. It is a fictional story, but it draws on the kind of real crimes that have made news in India.
Does Until Love Sets Us Apart have a sad ending?
Yes. The second half is driven by tragedy, and the ending is sad and thought-provoking rather than happy.
Who is the author of Until Love Sets Us Apart?
Aditya Nighhot, a Pune-based doctor who began writing novels as a twenty-year-old MBBS student. He also wrote U n Me… It’s Complicated!!!
What was the original title of the book?
It was previously titled In the Blink of an Eye before being published by Fingerprint! Publishing as Until Love Sets Us Apart.
How long does it take to read Until Love Sets Us Apart?
At about 230 pages, most readers finish it in four to five hours, often in one or two sittings.
Is Until Love Sets Us Apart worth reading?
Yes, if you enjoy emotional Indian romance and are comfortable with dark themes. The writing is simple and sometimes clichéd, but the story and its message make it a worthwhile quick read. We rate it 3.9 out of 5.
Final Verdict
Until Love Sets Us Apart is not a perfect novel. The romance chapters lean on clichés, and the narration has a few logic gaps. But it does what many bestsellers in this genre do not: it uses a love story to say something about justice, and it makes you feel it.
If you want a short, emotional read and you are ready for a sad ending, pick it up. Our rating: 3.9 out of 5.