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farhana101's review
3.0
The first half of the book started off great, it was really cute. But then the second half of the book felt super rushed and I dont like that certain circumstances were somewhat forcing the 2 main characters to be together- it wasn’t a natural, organic progression of feelings because everything was happening so fast. I liked the main guy a lot but felt like he could’ve been fleshed out more in the 2nd half of the book.
abderiandumpling's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
marieintheraw's review against another edition
3.0
Unfortunately, this has been my least favorite in the series thus far.
nmfcarney's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
the_white_bear's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
laura_cs's review
4.0
Influencer Jia Ahmed is nervously excited to finally meet Dev Dixit for the first time. After all, they've been talking online for months, but real life is so different. But IRL is quickly heartbreaking when Dev doesn't have the slightest clue who she is.
Bollywood actor Dev is trying to keep things together: he's moved to California to make his debut in American television, he's now raising his tweenage niece after the death of his womanizer brother, and reconnecting with his mother's brother. He doesn't have time for romance. However, he makes time to figure out who Jia is and why she insists that they have been talking through some very personal private messages over social media.
They meet up again so that Dev can make sense of what happened and give Jia the answers she needs for how they got into a catfishing mess, the last thing they anticipate is getting caught by the paparazzi. While Dev's quick thinking saves Jia's face from ending up in the gossip rags, Jia's mother and older sisters quickly recognize a piece of Jia's wardrobe and demand answers. To save face and to prove she's not the screw-up they all think her to be, Jia declares that she and Dev have been dating. And after the pain that Jia has gone through, Dev is willing to play the part. But quickly the 'fake' part of their relationship is called into question as feelings develop.
While I love Alisha Rai and her Modern Love series, I entered this book with some hesitation. As far as I am aware, Rai is not Muslim, so I was interested to see how she handled two Muslim main characters. (Especially since there has been some back-and-forth regarding Jia on the cover's design.) Also not being Muslim, I can't 100% say that everything was depicted in an accurate and respectful manner, but having read books by and about Muslim women where romance plays a large role, I thought that the religious aspects of the book were handled well.
However, it does lead to my central complaint. The second half of the book felt rushed, and it didn't have to be. Jia and Dev do get married in the book, but that seems to largely serve the purpose of getting them into bed together. The first half of the book was this nice slow-ish burn, fake-dating trope book where we could see exactly where and how Jia and Dev were going to develop individually and come out stronger. But then it didn't happen; everything that could have been got dropped to push them to the altar so that they could, eventually, end up in the bedroom. Nothing feels truly resolved at the end of the book, and it's so hard to feel like the characters got a Happily Ever After when they aren't the characters we were rooting for at the beginning.
Bollywood actor Dev is trying to keep things together: he's moved to California to make his debut in American television, he's now raising his tweenage niece after the death of his womanizer brother, and reconnecting with his mother's brother. He doesn't have time for romance. However, he makes time to figure out who Jia is and why she insists that they have been talking through some very personal private messages over social media.
They meet up again so that Dev can make sense of what happened and give Jia the answers she needs for how they got into a catfishing mess, the last thing they anticipate is getting caught by the paparazzi. While Dev's quick thinking saves Jia's face from ending up in the gossip rags, Jia's mother and older sisters quickly recognize a piece of Jia's wardrobe and demand answers. To save face and to prove she's not the screw-up they all think her to be, Jia declares that she and Dev have been dating. And after the pain that Jia has gone through, Dev is willing to play the part. But quickly the 'fake' part of their relationship is called into question as feelings develop.
While I love Alisha Rai and her Modern Love series, I entered this book with some hesitation. As far as I am aware, Rai is not Muslim, so I was interested to see how she handled two Muslim main characters. (Especially since there has been some back-and-forth regarding Jia on the cover's design.) Also not being Muslim, I can't 100% say that everything was depicted in an accurate and respectful manner, but having read books by and about Muslim women where romance plays a large role, I thought that the religious aspects of the book were handled well.
However, it does lead to my central complaint. The second half of the book felt rushed, and it didn't have to be. Jia and Dev do get married in the book, but that seems to largely serve the purpose of getting them into bed together. The first half of the book was this nice slow-ish burn, fake-dating trope book where we could see exactly where and how Jia and Dev were going to develop individually and come out stronger. But then it didn't happen; everything that could have been got dropped to push them to the altar so that they could, eventually, end up in the bedroom. Nothing feels truly resolved at the end of the book, and it's so hard to feel like the characters got a Happily Ever After when they aren't the characters we were rooting for at the beginning.