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A review by nerdynatreads
First Love, Take Two by Sajni Patel
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
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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.