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About a month back, I told a dear friend that the new Cecelia Ahern's book is out and it was called 'How To Fall In Love'. Well, he was amused by it. After reading the synopsis, he asked me,"Can you teach someone how to fall in love? And I'm sure the two main characters will fall in love with each other." Since I haven't read the book at the time, his guess is as good as mine.

So here goes.

How To Fall In Love is the story or rather the journey of two different people, Christine and Adam. Both have some issues that were stressing them but ironically that was what bringing them together.

Christine was searching for happiness. For quite some times now, she felt lost and empty. She was addicted to self help books or the 'how to' books. After the incident with Simon Conway, she make up her mind to left her husband of less than one year of marriage.

Adam was also searching for a way out of all the problems that has been stressing him. He lost the job that he loved due to his father's illness. And when the illness was confirmed as terminal, all his hope to get back the job was crushed, because he has to take his father's place in the family's company, as per his grandfather's will. On top of that, the girlfriend that he hoped to be by his side during this trial has turned to another man, his own best friend.

So, it was on that night when Christine was following the instructions of one of her 'how to' books that she met Adam, who was ready to jump into the river at Ha'penny Bridge. Since she cannot save Simon from taking his own life just the week before, she was determined not to let Adam be another one that she will feel guilty about. She just agreed to everything he said, as long as he didn't jump to the river. After it was over, Christine just realised that she had struck a deal with Adam to try to make him fall in love with his life so that he won't feel the urge to take his life again. And if she failed, she has to face the consequence : Adam will take his own life again. And this time, there would be no holding back. The deadline is on Adam's birthday, which is two weeks away.

It was during this period that both of them learned some essential lessons about life. There would always be some way to cope with the problems that we faced as long as we opened our heart and mind. There are options for us, not only the obvious one. Life has to be lived to be felt, not just by following the instructions in the books or by taking the easiest way out.

So my dearest friend, of course they fell in love with each other, it was a matter of course. But it's the 'how to' that really counts, their journey to find the answers to their quest which led them to the thing that all of us searched for, the contentness with our own life, with someone who loved us by our side, who will always be there for us.

'My problem was, I was unhappy with me.You made me like me again. You helped me live my life again. And whether I have you or not, it won’t mean I’ll jump, or end my life. I need to be happy with me. All those things we did for Maria, I enjoyed them because I did them with you. I had fun with you. She may have been the reason, but you were the cause. While you were trying to make Maria fall in love with me, and make me fall in love with life, I fell in love with you.� - Adam