Most of the characters have a charming air about them, their personas vastly differing from each other. Special attention to detail has been given to bring out their dynamic personalities and their striking qualities. For example, we aren’t just told that Kabir is an exceptionally talented crossword maker, we see its proof throughout the narrative.

The novel starts with the 'saba who is the protagonist of the story. Yes, she is the main and important character of this book.This Novel is not like any other novel in the Market. It is a completely different experience and believes me you would love it. This book is about Saba Minhas, an army brat. It is set in the time frame of late nineties. The story begins when she has decided to enter an army girls' hostel . Her first day, introductions, washing clothes for seniors in return of a help, about the different girls found in a hostel, the stylish one, the bully one, the calm one to the drug addict one. She has all of them in her hostel. Combat Skirts is a wonderful book that will touch your heart and soul. I quite loved this book to the core. As are the uncles and aunties. Drawn with a sharp , but never malicious, pen the colonels and their wives are people you almost know . Two: The army hostel is a well-disguised jail. The rules are very strict and should be strictly adhered to. And in the end, they don’t leave Saba much room to exercise the so-called ‘freedom’.

She is new to the city and has some acquaintance families in the city, but she prefers not to be too close to them. The description of people and places ( ..the visitors’room was like any other anteroom…”) are so vivid as if the words are getting transformed into objects and characters on celluloid. People my age who are children of '90s are surely going to find this a trip down the memory lane and I believe this book will liven up their own teenage and college days and will continue to do so even when they reach the age of 90. #CombatSkirts isn't going to get old for the next 100 years. Please mark my words! The narrative hit me hard from the very first line. I liked the spirit of saba, who kept a positive attitude even in hopeless and traumatising situations. I also liked the fact that the author has given multiple points of views in this book. Although the book is written for young readers, I feel that it has a universal appeal. I laughed and I cried while reading this book. There are wonderful lessons about friendship and kindness which everyone should remember and apply in their life.There are not many novels which are both plot and character driven and this certainly stands out on that front. The narration is impeccable and every reader can feel everything happening in front of his own eyes as author has incorporated a very visual way of writing. The tale makes you nostalgic and yearning for more once one reaches the fag end. Saba has been dreaming of leaving her family for a very long time. Her parents were toxic and harsh to her. When she finally leaves her home and enrols in an army hostel to study law, her life changes forever. The newly found liberty is like a breath of fresh air to her. But what happens when she's torn to choose between 3 different suitors? Whom should she choose? Her old crush? The college hero? Or the hot lieutenant? She has to make a decision. Which one should it be? What awaits her in the future? Will she make the right choice? Grab a copy soon to find the answers. Like the movie 'Lagaan', which I felt was intelligently made and has all the right notes in it, this story too has all the right ingredients to make it a superb plot- a love story weaved around a girl's search for something to be valued for. A beautiful sentence in it sums up, 'I gave up the need to be a good girl'. Now, I wish to see a movie made on this. Loved reading the book, a different story than the usual ones and the title and cover are also unique in their own way. Saba is excited about the new life, but the city only disappoints her. The army hostel is too strict to live in. The army aunties who live around her never get tired of passing on the juiciest details about her life in the city. Major cause of her disappointment is, she has three boys dancing on her fingers who mess with her to no end.

I really liked the character of protagonist Saba because she really showed up as a great personality. The story share about her experiences which are really good to read. The college life, the fun and everything related to college days will make up smile and you will find yourself lost in your college days. The conversation over boys and the usual hostel fights over boys is just so funny and relatable. I can relate to so many things which are described here about the girls hostel life. There are so many other characters too in the story like Anika, Kabir, Adil and Faiz and they all really played their best roles to make the story more entertaining. The main character Saba has a sprinkle of army brat, sprinkle of humour, and sprinkle of charm which she goes about throwing on every boy she meets. She gets multiple coffee offers by boys of her college and the special Adil Singh.But apart from that her ability to make all those observations so vivid through the crafty use of words for rest of the world to see is something extraordinary. What a beautiful language has she used. An amazing talent she is and then what an underlying philosophy behind all those romantic escapades of the '90s! Absolutely charming. Overall, the plot is satisfactory and engaging. I love how hilarious this book turns out! It will work as a stress buster because the smile on your face while reading this book will continue throughout the story. This book makes you laugh and forget what's going on around you, you will forget your life problems and get lost in this happy world. The characters are well described and looks so real. This book will make you remember your college days, your first crush and your college life.