Reviews

First Love, Take Two by Sajni Patel

sarahanne8382's review

Go to review page

4.0

Preeti is balancing a lot - finishing her residency and all the extras that being the head resident entails, finding a job after residency (hopefully with the the same practice she's doing her residency), figuring out if she can make this relationship with a "perfect" Indian boy work, finding a place to live now that her roommate got married.

When another friend offers a temporary solution to her housing situation, she's thrilled, until she realizes that the temporary apartment comes with a roommate - her ex. How can she admit to the love of her life that she ended their amazing relationship because she was a coward? Even as she tries to move on with a new man, there's no denying she still holds strong feelings for this man from her past.

There's plenty of steamy chemistry between the leads as they spend most of the book denying what their body language keeps making obvious (the cover image perfectly portrays this vibe). To give them credit, they both hold off satisfying their urges for a long time because they both know that there are real issues they have to deal with before they give their relationship a real shot. And these issues have to do with their families and communities they grew up trying to keep them apart. The way that both work to respect the parts of their culture that nurtured them while making it clear that they have no space for the toxic parts was really comforting to see. It's clear that Preeti and Daniel are building a strong foundation that will withstand the pressures that initially pulled them apart.

zischke's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective tense fast-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

4.25

bananafishpie's review

Go to review page

medium-paced

3.0

karinataco's review against another edition

Go to review page

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

krystalanddogs's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

So mid. I was honestly going to give it a 2, but the end bumped it up for me. The writing is so cringe at times it almost became a hate read for me but sometimes that's what you need in a romance. 

It doesn't have a third act breakup, which is fun, but that's just kind of because it's a second chance story anyway

amym84's review

Go to review page

5.0

I love a good second chance romance and this one pretty much says it all in the title but I love how #sajnipatel not only tackles love and relationships here but also family obligation and how much our culture/beliefs play into our own happiness. It's often a difficult road, but the journey is worth it! Oh, and that cover

rdesanto's review

Go to review page

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One of my favorite romantic reads. Sajni Patel twists a rather complicated love story into a beautiful tapestry that pulls on your heartstrings. In the end, Love always wins.

lindsaysofia_25's review

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is exactly what I look for in a romance! The chemistry between the characters was the driving force that kept me reading but the other plot lines were still intriguing. I enjoyed reading about Preeti's medical career and I found the stories of the main characters' family and cultural backgrounds well-done and equally interesting. Patel truly struck the perfect balance with this book! Reading it felt a lot like the YA romances I read in middle and high school in that I got butterflies on behalf of the characters and was truly giggling at times. While of course I love a good sex scene, I also appreciated the style of fade-to-black in this book as it felt right for the vibe of the novel and definitely didn't take away from the chemistry between the characters. My only complaint is that the writing was sometimes a little too explicit in the sense that I wish there was more figurative language instead of just telling me what's going on, but that fades into the background once I get engrossed in the plot... which always happened quickly when I sat down to read! 

gayathiri_rajendran's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I had so much fun reading this book. This is the second book in the The Trouble With Hating You series. This focuses on Liya’s friend Preeti and her love life. It has the roommate trope which I’m a huge fan of. There are so many important topics in this book other than the romance such as racism,mental health stigma etc. I thought the author did a good job trying to bring that to the forefront along with the romance.

The story moves at a slow but steady pace but there are a lot of developments as the story progresses. The word building is crisp and good. There is a lot of angst as well as emotional turmoil within the two main characters and that is brought out beautifully in the story. I was able to empathise with the characters on certain aspects. As an Indian,I found several things relatable in this book. This was a good second book in the series and I can’t wait to see whose story comes up next.

inaa21's review

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-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

5.0