Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
First Love, Take Two is a second chance story about two very successful people who fell apart due to non communication, and familial obligation and expectations. After reading book one in this series I found myself really excited and interested in Preeti and Daniel's story. I'm not always a fan of second chance romance but I thought this one was done well. You could see how much both Preeti and Daniel really still loved each other so much and how much each of them hated that the relationship ended, and the reason the relationship ended felt very realistic. This book tackles racism and classism from both of the main characters family and friends, and I thought that it was handled well. One thing that I really appreciated as a Black reader was how Sajni Patel wrote Daniel; everything from the way she described his appearance to his demeanor. It wasn't a comment about his brown skin once and then nothing else, and he wasn't written in a stereotypical way. This book is full of so many tropes that I love including forced proximity, second chance and roommates to lovers. Just like the first book in this series there is an amazing friend group, and I am really hoping we get a third book in this world.
challenging
emotional
funny
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
First Love, Take Two
The Trouble with Hating You, Book 2
I Picked Up This Book Because: Cover lust.
Media Type: Audiobook
Source: LV-CC Public Library
Dates Read: 3/20/23 - 3/22/23
Stars: 4
Narrator(s): Soneela Nankani
The Characters:
Preeti Patel:
Daniel Thompson:
Preeti’s girl squad, both Preeti’s and Daniel’s Parents, Daniel’s sister
The Story:
A second chance romance, again. This is a tale of a college couple torn apart by families who don’t think their blend of religions/cultures can mix. I think Preeti bears the burden of these decisions but Daniel definitely feels the pressure too. I’m so happy Preeti learns to stand up to those in her family who mean only harm to her and those who love her. When you’ve been raised where elders are to be respected beyond anything else it can be the most difficult thing to do.
I waited a long time to read this book, due to access, but it was worth the wait.
The Random Thoughts:
The Trouble with Hating You, Book 2
I Picked Up This Book Because: Cover lust.
Media Type: Audiobook
Source: LV-CC Public Library
Dates Read: 3/20/23 - 3/22/23
Stars: 4
Narrator(s): Soneela Nankani
The Characters:
Preeti Patel:
Daniel Thompson:
Preeti’s girl squad, both Preeti’s and Daniel’s Parents, Daniel’s sister
The Story:
A second chance romance, again. This is a tale of a college couple torn apart by families who don’t think their blend of religions/cultures can mix. I think Preeti bears the burden of these decisions but Daniel definitely feels the pressure too. I’m so happy Preeti learns to stand up to those in her family who mean only harm to her and those who love her. When you’ve been raised where elders are to be respected beyond anything else it can be the most difficult thing to do.
I waited a long time to read this book, due to access, but it was worth the wait.
The Random Thoughts:
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
what if... brown people just had fun for once?
honestly this book was more stressful than it was fun. i also was told that preeti and daniel were meant to be but never actually got why. and there was way more traumatic and intense scenes than there were romantic so.
honestly this book was more stressful than it was fun. i also was told that preeti and daniel were meant to be but never actually got why. and there was way more traumatic and intense scenes than there were romantic so.
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Medical content
Moderate: Bullying, Miscarriage, Blood
Minor: Sexual assault
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
First Love, Take Two was a sweet and heartwarming second chance romance!
Six years ago, Preeti Patel left the love of her life, Daniel Thompson, because of her family and his. And she's spent all that time running from not just her chance at happiness but also avoiding every reminder of him. But when chance and her meddling friends place her in a position where she can't hide any longer, she finally has to face her past and come clean about why she really gave up on the best relationship she's ever had.
This is a story about second chances and fighting for what you want. But it's more than that too. It's about living with mental illnesses and fighting the stigma around it. It's about living not for others, but for yourself. It's about standing against the ideologies of racist people and standing up for what's right. And above all else, it's about love and about choosing love regardless of what's being thrown your way. It's rare that I really get to see my own culture represented in the pages of a book. But every time I do, I'm surprised but not just the similarities I find to my own life but also the differences. The ways in which I'm luckier than a lot of people and seeing the ways in which people are stifled by the traditions and cultural norms placed on them by their community, always gets me. This book deals with a lot of extremes. But where it looks at the negative extremes, it also shows us the positives.
The way Preeti's family gets to hold onto a piece of their homeland even though they're thousands of miles away. The way they have a community that supports them and stands beside them through everything. The way that Preeti found the acceptance she needed from her family when she stood up for what she wanted. And the way that her friends and family came together, both in times of joy and pain.
The actual romance was built slowly but steadily. They had to find themselves in the wreckage of their initial relationship before being able to rebuild it. And that gave them a stronger foundation and helped them find their way back to one another.
Preeti and Daniel's inner circle were their strongest supporters and without them this book probably wouldn't have happened. So I can't not shout out their friends and family whose meddling was the entire reason why they finally confronted one another. I also have to mention the ways in which the author handled Preeti's anxiety and depression. The stigma around it is real, and I liked that they showed the baby steps she took to combat it, and find a way to curb her own illness. And the way Daniel stood by and supported her through every step of the way just showed how perfect they were for each other.
This book is real and true. Sajni Patel wove an intense but heartfelt story about two people from completely different backgrounds whose circumstances were more similar than they could have imagined. It's a wonderful story about strength and loyalty and above all else, love, and I'd definitely recommend it!
Full review at https://echoesoutloud.wordpress.com/2021/09/05/review-first-love-take-two-by-sajni-patel/
*Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for sending me a copy of this in exchange for my honest review!*
First Love, Take Two was a sweet and heartwarming second chance romance!
Six years ago, Preeti Patel left the love of her life, Daniel Thompson, because of her family and his. And she's spent all that time running from not just her chance at happiness but also avoiding every reminder of him. But when chance and her meddling friends place her in a position where she can't hide any longer, she finally has to face her past and come clean about why she really gave up on the best relationship she's ever had.
This is a story about second chances and fighting for what you want. But it's more than that too. It's about living with mental illnesses and fighting the stigma around it. It's about living not for others, but for yourself. It's about standing against the ideologies of racist people and standing up for what's right. And above all else, it's about love and about choosing love regardless of what's being thrown your way. It's rare that I really get to see my own culture represented in the pages of a book. But every time I do, I'm surprised but not just the similarities I find to my own life but also the differences. The ways in which I'm luckier than a lot of people and seeing the ways in which people are stifled by the traditions and cultural norms placed on them by their community, always gets me. This book deals with a lot of extremes. But where it looks at the negative extremes, it also shows us the positives.
The way Preeti's family gets to hold onto a piece of their homeland even though they're thousands of miles away. The way they have a community that supports them and stands beside them through everything. The way that Preeti found the acceptance she needed from her family when she stood up for what she wanted. And the way that her friends and family came together, both in times of joy and pain.
The actual romance was built slowly but steadily. They had to find themselves in the wreckage of their initial relationship before being able to rebuild it. And that gave them a stronger foundation and helped them find their way back to one another.
Preeti and Daniel's inner circle were their strongest supporters and without them this book probably wouldn't have happened. So I can't not shout out their friends and family whose meddling was the entire reason why they finally confronted one another. I also have to mention the ways in which the author handled Preeti's anxiety and depression. The stigma around it is real, and I liked that they showed the baby steps she took to combat it, and find a way to curb her own illness. And the way Daniel stood by and supported her through every step of the way just showed how perfect they were for each other.
This book is real and true. Sajni Patel wove an intense but heartfelt story about two people from completely different backgrounds whose circumstances were more similar than they could have imagined. It's a wonderful story about strength and loyalty and above all else, love, and I'd definitely recommend it!
Full review at https://echoesoutloud.wordpress.com/2021/09/05/review-first-love-take-two-by-sajni-patel/
*Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for sending me a copy of this in exchange for my honest review!*
This book has so much potential but capitalizes on so little of it. The trope is one that I really enjoy (starting in the middle of the relationship/getting back together) but there was so much that kept me from blowing through it. The dialogue is really rough and even though the plot mechanizations are interesting, the author doesn’t do anything fun with them. I really wanted to love this but I think part of reading POC romance is holding them to the standard that I would hold everything else. That being said the cultural impacts on Preeti and Daniel are great parts of the book, but I wish that their story was as carefully written as those impacts. (2.5/5)
funny
relaxing
fast-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
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
☆☆ YouTube | Tumblr | Instagram | Storygraph ☆☆
5 by 5: Second Chance Romances || 5 Romance Reads and Reviews
y’all, right out of the gate I was loving this, with meddlesome friends setting these two up in an awkward situation, forcing them to finally talk about their past and the TENSION because of it!! So dang good. In fact, that’s one of the biggest highlights in regard to the romance, the tension.
This book is only in Preeti’s POV, meaning we get a lot of depth around her and I feel like she’s a very well-fleshed-out character, from her relationships with her friends and family, discussions of her mental health, and the stigmas that affect her because of it, her strengths, her insecurities. All of it is so well done. But Daniel, by comparison, is pretty bland and too perfect. Sure, we see he has an independent streak that rattles his father, but apart from that, he doesn’t have much personality. And unfortunately, this never really changed. I loved that he knew Preeti and respected her, but I really think if he was more built up as a character, they would have been even more convincing as a couple.
An extremely important factor in second-chance romances is whether the two leads actually feel like they have a history, and thankfully, these two do! Particularly in the little moments, Daniel knowing how to handle Preeti’s panic attacks, callbacks to funny moments from their relationship, and Daniel’s grandparents absolutely adoring Preeti. Along with the tension, this makes me even more invested in their eventual reuniting. However, it’s pretty clear as soon as they interact that they’re still both in love. They sort of just… fall back into dating? There didn’t feel like their relationship was repaired back to that point.
There’s also a serious side plot, regarding the community Preeti’s family is in, the same as the first book. However, this time, due to Daniel being black, it’s specifically looking at racism and issues that arise from dating outside both Preeti’s race and religion, plus slut shaming. Really loved this whole situation eventually boiling over, but you can see how that’s going to happen from a mile away.
The biggest issue I have is miscommunication. Preeti never told Daniel why she dumped him when they were younger and it was dragged out longer than really necessary. Just talk, for christsake. It shouldn’t be that difficult, since you two were so in love and clearly still are. They only really laid out everything after they were sort of forced to because of other people getting involved. I get the slow burn for tension and drama, but I also want to see their relationship growing and building off of their previous mistakes. I just don’t think we really got that.
5 by 5: Second Chance Romances || 5 Romance Reads and Reviews
y’all, right out of the gate I was loving this, with meddlesome friends setting these two up in an awkward situation, forcing them to finally talk about their past and the TENSION because of it!! So dang good. In fact, that’s one of the biggest highlights in regard to the romance, the tension.
This book is only in Preeti’s POV, meaning we get a lot of depth around her and I feel like she’s a very well-fleshed-out character, from her relationships with her friends and family, discussions of her mental health, and the stigmas that affect her because of it, her strengths, her insecurities. All of it is so well done. But Daniel, by comparison, is pretty bland and too perfect. Sure, we see he has an independent streak that rattles his father, but apart from that, he doesn’t have much personality. And unfortunately, this never really changed. I loved that he knew Preeti and respected her, but I really think if he was more built up as a character, they would have been even more convincing as a couple.
An extremely important factor in second-chance romances is whether the two leads actually feel like they have a history, and thankfully, these two do! Particularly in the little moments, Daniel knowing how to handle Preeti’s panic attacks, callbacks to funny moments from their relationship, and Daniel’s grandparents absolutely adoring Preeti. Along with the tension, this makes me even more invested in their eventual reuniting. However, it’s pretty clear as soon as they interact that they’re still both in love. They sort of just… fall back into dating? There didn’t feel like their relationship was repaired back to that point.
There’s also a serious side plot, regarding the community Preeti’s family is in, the same as the first book. However, this time, due to Daniel being black, it’s specifically looking at racism and issues that arise from dating outside both Preeti’s race and religion, plus slut shaming. Really loved this whole situation eventually boiling over, but you can see how that’s going to happen from a mile away.
The biggest issue I have is miscommunication. Preeti never told Daniel why she dumped him when they were younger and it was dragged out longer than really necessary. Just talk, for christsake. It shouldn’t be that difficult, since you two were so in love and clearly still are. They only really laid out everything after they were sort of forced to because of other people getting involved. I get the slow burn for tension and drama, but I also want to see their relationship growing and building off of their previous mistakes. I just don’t think we really got that.