NEW DELHI, Sept. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — HarperCollins India is delighted to present a new novel by Chetan Bhagat, an irresistible love story that marks his return to romance after the stunning success of his previous books. Written in his signature style, it has humour, heart and hope in equal measure, and promises to be a treat for his fans and all booklovers. The book is available on preorder and will release on 1st October 2025.
Talking about the book, Chetan Bhagat says, “After more than 10 years, following the success of 2 States and Half-Girlfriend, I have written a love story. 12 Years: My Messed-Up Love Story is extremely close to my heart and is one of my best books — if not the best book I have written so far. It’s funny, emotional, thought-provoking, and a whole lot more. At its core, it tries to answer a timeless question: How do you know if the special someone in your life is ‘the one’?”
Poulomi Chatterjee, Executive Publisher – HarperCollins India, says, “In book after book, Chetan has captured the hearts of millions of Indian readers with stories that resonate closely with their lives. I’m delighted that his new novel, 12 Years: My Messed-up Love Story, brings him back to writing about the trials of love. In Chetan’s inimitable style, the story is as tender as it is passionate, and as laugh-out-loud funny as it is sharply observed. We at HarperCollins are so glad to be bringing it to readers everywhere — this book is guaranteed to entertain and keep them hooked, and that’s a promise!”
About 12 Years: My Messed-Up Love Story
He’s 33. She’s 21.
He’s a struggling stand-up comic. She’s a rising star in private equity.
He’s divorced. She’s never had a boyfriend.
He’s Punjabi. She’s from a conservative Jain family.
They shouldn’t be together. But they can’t stay apart.
Welcome to 12 Years: My Messed-Up Love Story.
Saket and Payal couldn’t be more different—age, background, beliefs. Yet, they’re drawn to each other in ways they can’t explain. Is it just chemistry, or something deeper? Is it madness and lust, or is it love?
Unputdownable and thoroughly entertaining, 12 Years tries to answer the eternal question: How do you know if someone is the one—especially when everything says they’re not?
From India’s top-selling writer Chetan Bhagat comes a powerful new love story that will make you laugh, cry and rethink everything you know about love.
About the author
Chetan Bhagat is one of India’s most acclaimed contemporary authors, with fourteen bestselling books to his credit. He is the author of ten blockbuster novels—Five Point Someone, One Night @ the Call Center, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, 2 States, Revolution 2020, Half Girlfriend, One Indian Girl, The Girl in Room 105, One Arranged Murder and 400 Days—and four successful non-fiction titles—What Young India Wants, Making India Awesome, India Positive and 11 Rules for Life. Chetan’s books have remained bestsellers since their release. Many of his novels have been adapted into successful Bollywood films such as 3 Idiots, 2 States, Kai Po Che and Half Girlfriend.
The New York Times called him the ‘the biggest-selling English-language novelist in India’s history’. Time magazine recognized him amongst the ‘100 most influential people in the world’, while Fast Company, USA, listed him as one of the world’s ‘100 most creative people in business’. Chetan writes columns for leading English and Hindi newspapers, focusing on youth and national development issues. He is also a motivational speaker, screenplay writer, YouTuber and podcaster.
Chetan quit his international investment-banking career in 2009 to dedicate his time entirely to writing and driving positive change in the country. He studied at IIT Delhi and IIM Ahmedabad. He is married to Anusha, an ex-classmate from IIMA, and they have twin boys, Shyam and Ishaan.
About HarperCollins India
HarperCollins India publishes some of the finest writers from the Indian subcontinent and around the world, publishing approximately 200 new books every year, with a print and digital catalogue of more than 2000 titles across 10 imprints. Its authors have won almost every major literary award including the Man Booker Prize, JCB Prize, DSC Prize, New India Foundation Award, Atta Galatta Prize, Shakti Bhatt Prize, Gourmand Cookbook Award, Publishing Next Award, Tata Literature Live!, Gaja Capital Business Book Prize, BICW Award, Sushila Devi Award, Sahitya Akademi Award and Crossword Book Award. HarperCollins India also represents some of the finest publishers in the world including Harvard University Press, Gallup Press, Oneworld, Bonnier Zaffre, Usborne, Dover and Lonely Planet. HarperCollins India is also the recipient of five Publisher of the Year Awards – in 2021 and 2015 at the Publishing Next Industry Awards, and in 2021, 2018 and 2016 at Tata Literature Live. HarperCollins India is a subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers.
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