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A review by bookishlybouv
First Love, Take Two by Sajni Patel
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Preeti is a stressed out resident doctor, and the pride of her parents. She’s almost engaged to a man of her parent’s choosing, but there’s just one problem - she’s still hung up on her ex, Daniel. When fate (and a little meddling) have Preeti and Daniel briefly sharing an apartment, things start to heat up again between them. Will they come back to each other after 6 years apart, or will their families stand between them again?
I had so much fun reading this book, even more than The Trouble With Hating You! While I am not Indian or in medicine, I felt a really strong connection with Preeti from the moment she began describing her anxiety. It is so easy for depression and anxiety to cloud your thoughts and make you feel worthless. I recognize her thoughts all too well as she spiraled. The care that was given to Preeti’s journey of getting help was great - medication and therapy deserve to be discussed more!
There is a stigma on medical professionals who struggle with mental health - but that’s not realistic or helpful! Thank you to Sajni for speaking about this.
I also found the discussion of racism and respecting your elders to the point of ignoring their harmful behaviour to be very powerful. There was a lot of toxicity that Preeti and her parents had to deal with - much of which came from their own family. The idea that someone should get away with this behaviour because they are an elder is something I have a really hard time with, especially because I was not raised in a traditional Indian family.
The romance was sizzly and fun, but fades to black before we get to the really spicy bits. I loved the two together - the way that they support each other is beautiful.
CW: As stated in the Author’s Note, this book does discuss mental illness, racism, and has a brief fetal demise scene.
I had so much fun reading this book, even more than The Trouble With Hating You! While I am not Indian or in medicine, I felt a really strong connection with Preeti from the moment she began describing her anxiety. It is so easy for depression and anxiety to cloud your thoughts and make you feel worthless. I recognize her thoughts all too well as she spiraled. The care that was given to Preeti’s journey of getting help was great - medication and therapy deserve to be discussed more!
There is a stigma on medical professionals who struggle with mental health - but that’s not realistic or helpful! Thank you to Sajni for speaking about this.
I also found the discussion of racism and respecting your elders to the point of ignoring their harmful behaviour to be very powerful. There was a lot of toxicity that Preeti and her parents had to deal with - much of which came from their own family. The idea that someone should get away with this behaviour because they are an elder is something I have a really hard time with, especially because I was not raised in a traditional Indian family.
The romance was sizzly and fun, but fades to black before we get to the really spicy bits. I loved the two together - the way that they support each other is beautiful.
CW: As stated in the Author’s Note, this book does discuss mental illness, racism, and has a brief fetal demise scene.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Racism
Brief fetal demise scene