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A review by kingrosereads
Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
4.5
Hands down, a FANTASTIC romantic comedy. Dating Dr. Dil is a Shakespeare-inspired (The Taming of the Shrew)desi romcom filled with hilarity, secondhand embarrassment, generational trauma and, of course, love.
Since it’s a (sort off) retelling, you can kind of already guess what this book’s about. But we have 30 year old, Kareena, a badass attorney that works for a start up that helps women start their own business. She lives with her dad, grandmother, and her younger sister. Her mother died years prior. Then we have Prem, a cardiologist trying to start a community health center in the South Asian community within Northern New Jersey (yay the New Brunswick/Edison area!). He’s originally from California where his parents still reside. Three years prior, Prem’s fiancé dies suddenly. Kareena has put love on hold for the sake of her career, but now she’s ready for love, marriage, and family. However, her dad springs on her that he’s selling the house her mother built and she has 4 months to find her jeevansathi (life partner/soulmate) by her sister’s engagement party, otherwise, her dad won’t give her the money he’s set aside for her to either pay for her wedding or a down payment on a house with her future-husband.
Prem, also has the same deadline to raise enough money to pay for a building for his community health center. His mother offers to pay him if he would just PLEASE get married. They meet one night at a bar and it’s an instant connection. Things are going well, when Prem leaves in the middle of making out with Kareena without explanation. The next day, they run into each other on the Dr. Dil Show (a local South Asian network show) where Prem hosts and he starts talking about how love is an illusion and the emotional aspect of relationships cause health problems. This results in a very public, very vital argument between Prem and Kareena that may or may not have ended with Kareena throwing a bottle of Pedialyte at Prem.
And they HATE each other. Despite this, Kareena’s aunties try to match the two of them. This gives Prem the idea to fake a relationship that becomes a fake engagement so that Kareena can buy her mom’s house and Prem can get the funding for his clinic. Kareena is resistant because she wants love, and she’s not about to risk her reputation when their fake engagement ends (the South Asian community is still hella patriarchal and misogynistic when it comes to relationships). Eventually, she caves and they start “dating”, the only problem is Kareena is falling for Prem and he still doesn’t think love is real.
I want to start my thoughts off with saying how much I enjoyed the cultural aspect of this book. It was clearly written for a desi audience in that there wasn’t an over explanation of the food or traditional clothing or rituals. There were a few translations, which felt natural given not every desi speaks Punjabi and Hindi (the two languages the Mann family speaks other than English). It just felt natural and like a romance novel, not a book working hard to explain a non-Western culture to a white audience. If you’re a white person (or just a non-desi) expecting the author to take the time spell out their entire culture in this book to make you understand, this ain’t the book. Better yet, read the book, and use Google ya fool. It’s a great book and you’re gonna miss out on it because you can’t take three seconds to Google what a Patiala salwar is? *rolls eyes* sorry that’s my rant after seeing some toxic, bigoted remarks about the book. Okay off my soapbox and on with the review.
Okay so at first, Prem REALLY irritated, I mean Kareena was a little intense in the beginning, but she was hangover and the man left her in a compromising position without explanation. So I get it. He’s clearly a fuckboi (and not just cause he named his Johnson) since he pursued Kareena knowing she wanted a love match, regardless of the benefits of a fake engagement, it was a dick move. But all was forgiven when I found out he was a Swiftie like Kareena and his go-to album is Reputation? A man after my own heart.
Quick critique: A few grammar issues and repetition (one happened within a few sentences where Prem says “Here goes nothing” twice. Which that was a genuine repeat, but there were other things repeated).
The naming of his penis (why Charlie?) was a little weird, and I HATE awkward euphemisms (I will barf over “velvet steel” or “meat”). But then I noticed that it was just Prem, like Kareena was straight up calling it a penis, I thought something had to be up. The fact he was a fuckboi was like an “ah ha that’s why” moment. Then I watched a video of Sharma explaining the choice and I was like AH that makes soooo much sense. It wasn’t until 5th grade health class I was told my parts were not called “a flower”. So I get it.
It’s amazing how much I related with Kareena given our different backgrounds. She’s a first gen WOC, I’m a fourth gen white woman, but we’re both older daughters, and have these impossibly high expectations placed upon us. Hers is more about proving that her parents’ sacrifice in uprooting their lives in India to move to the US was worth it, whereas mine is trying to make my education worth the money my grandmother has put into it. Luckily, I’m not pressured into getting married, but I definitely receive plenty of passive aggressive comments about how all my younger brothers are in relationships and I’m not. And I definitely had to try much harder than my younger siblings to just get a scrap of recognition and praise, whereas they try less hard, and get all the attention. I’ll never truly understand what it’s like to be Indian-American, trying to navigate the South Asian community and their expectations as well as the discrimination that comes with being a POC in the States, but there’s pieces in this story, something inherently human, that I feel anyone can connect to, whether you understand the culture or not. And THATS just good writing, my friends.
Okay, so, this book definitely taught me something about myself I was completely aware was a thing. I needed to take a break from reading because I was genuinely upset and crying. I’m at least 87% sure that it wasn’t the intended emotional response when Sharma was writing these chapters. One of my favorite 90s romcoms (and Shakespeare adaptation) is 10 Things I Hate About You (peep the book cover and movie poster) and it elicits a pretty emotional reactions from me, but not like when I read this book. It probably has something to do with being inside the characters’ heads and seeing it play out longer than a 2 hour film. But reading Kareena being in love and Prem not loving her, then her willing to settle with a man she loved who wouldn’t love her in return was hurting me. Literally, from chapter 25 until chapter 33, I was trying so hard not to cry. And clearly, that says what I think about loving someone who can’t love you back or thinking that’s all you deserve. Just so gut wrenching. Also, tell people you love them. Your friends, family, partners. Tell them! Actions are important but so are words!
But this book was HILARIOUS. Seriously, I was cackling. It wasn’t attractive. But I was sharing snippets with my friend and we were just dying over them. And oh my god, the spice? Girl, chef’s kiss. Like I’m used to covert cartoon cover romance novels, but Jesus H Christ, this was a whole other level. It was HAWT, like I’m still not over it.
I imagine desi readers will find this book pretty therapeutic (or hella stressful) and non-desi readers will actually learn about a small piece of desi culture. It’s not the books intention, but it’s a side effect of reading it, and, regardless, you’re gonna read a funny and hot ass romance novel.
READ IT, FOO!
Since it’s a (sort off) retelling, you can kind of already guess what this book’s about. But we have 30 year old, Kareena, a badass attorney that works for a start up that helps women start their own business. She lives with her dad, grandmother, and her younger sister. Her mother died years prior. Then we have Prem, a cardiologist trying to start a community health center in the South Asian community within Northern New Jersey (yay the New Brunswick/Edison area!). He’s originally from California where his parents still reside. Three years prior, Prem’s fiancé dies suddenly. Kareena has put love on hold for the sake of her career, but now she’s ready for love, marriage, and family. However, her dad springs on her that he’s selling the house her mother built and she has 4 months to find her jeevansathi (life partner/soulmate) by her sister’s engagement party, otherwise, her dad won’t give her the money he’s set aside for her to either pay for her wedding or a down payment on a house with her future-husband.
Prem, also has the same deadline to raise enough money to pay for a building for his community health center. His mother offers to pay him if he would just PLEASE get married. They meet one night at a bar and it’s an instant connection. Things are going well, when Prem leaves in the middle of making out with Kareena without explanation. The next day, they run into each other on the Dr. Dil Show (a local South Asian network show) where Prem hosts and he starts talking about how love is an illusion and the emotional aspect of relationships cause health problems. This results in a very public, very vital argument between Prem and Kareena that may or may not have ended with Kareena throwing a bottle of Pedialyte at Prem.
And they HATE each other. Despite this, Kareena’s aunties try to match the two of them. This gives Prem the idea to fake a relationship that becomes a fake engagement so that Kareena can buy her mom’s house and Prem can get the funding for his clinic. Kareena is resistant because she wants love, and she’s not about to risk her reputation when their fake engagement ends (the South Asian community is still hella patriarchal and misogynistic when it comes to relationships). Eventually, she caves and they start “dating”, the only problem is Kareena is falling for Prem and he still doesn’t think love is real.
I want to start my thoughts off with saying how much I enjoyed the cultural aspect of this book. It was clearly written for a desi audience in that there wasn’t an over explanation of the food or traditional clothing or rituals. There were a few translations, which felt natural given not every desi speaks Punjabi and Hindi (the two languages the Mann family speaks other than English). It just felt natural and like a romance novel, not a book working hard to explain a non-Western culture to a white audience. If you’re a white person (or just a non-desi) expecting the author to take the time spell out their entire culture in this book to make you understand, this ain’t the book. Better yet, read the book, and use Google ya fool. It’s a great book and you’re gonna miss out on it because you can’t take three seconds to Google what a Patiala salwar is? *rolls eyes* sorry that’s my rant after seeing some toxic, bigoted remarks about the book. Okay off my soapbox and on with the review.
Okay so at first, Prem REALLY irritated, I mean Kareena was a little intense in the beginning, but she was hangover and the man left her in a compromising position without explanation. So I get it. He’s clearly a fuckboi (and not just cause he named his Johnson) since he pursued Kareena knowing she wanted a love match, regardless of the benefits of a fake engagement, it was a dick move. But all was forgiven when I found out he was a Swiftie like Kareena and his go-to album is Reputation? A man after my own heart.
Quick critique: A few grammar issues and repetition (one happened within a few sentences where Prem says “Here goes nothing” twice. Which that was a genuine repeat, but there were other things repeated).
The naming of his penis (why Charlie?) was a little weird, and I HATE awkward euphemisms (I will barf over “velvet steel” or “meat”). But then I noticed that it was just Prem, like Kareena was straight up calling it a penis, I thought something had to be up. The fact he was a fuckboi was like an “ah ha that’s why” moment. Then I watched a video of Sharma explaining the choice and I was like AH that makes soooo much sense. It wasn’t until 5th grade health class I was told my parts were not called “a flower”. So I get it.
It’s amazing how much I related with Kareena given our different backgrounds. She’s a first gen WOC, I’m a fourth gen white woman, but we’re both older daughters, and have these impossibly high expectations placed upon us. Hers is more about proving that her parents’ sacrifice in uprooting their lives in India to move to the US was worth it, whereas mine is trying to make my education worth the money my grandmother has put into it. Luckily, I’m not pressured into getting married, but I definitely receive plenty of passive aggressive comments about how all my younger brothers are in relationships and I’m not. And I definitely had to try much harder than my younger siblings to just get a scrap of recognition and praise, whereas they try less hard, and get all the attention. I’ll never truly understand what it’s like to be Indian-American, trying to navigate the South Asian community and their expectations as well as the discrimination that comes with being a POC in the States, but there’s pieces in this story, something inherently human, that I feel anyone can connect to, whether you understand the culture or not. And THATS just good writing, my friends.
Okay, so, this book definitely taught me something about myself I was completely aware was a thing. I needed to take a break from reading because I was genuinely upset and crying. I’m at least 87% sure that it wasn’t the intended emotional response when Sharma was writing these chapters. One of my favorite 90s romcoms (and Shakespeare adaptation) is 10 Things I Hate About You (peep the book cover and movie poster) and it elicits a pretty emotional reactions from me, but not like when I read this book. It probably has something to do with being inside the characters’ heads and seeing it play out longer than a 2 hour film. But reading Kareena being in love and Prem not loving her, then her willing to settle with a man she loved who wouldn’t love her in return was hurting me. Literally, from chapter 25 until chapter 33, I was trying so hard not to cry. And clearly, that says what I think about loving someone who can’t love you back or thinking that’s all you deserve. Just so gut wrenching. Also, tell people you love them. Your friends, family, partners. Tell them! Actions are important but so are words!
But this book was HILARIOUS. Seriously, I was cackling. It wasn’t attractive. But I was sharing snippets with my friend and we were just dying over them. And oh my god, the spice? Girl, chef’s kiss. Like I’m used to covert cartoon cover romance novels, but Jesus H Christ, this was a whole other level. It was HAWT, like I’m still not over it.
I imagine desi readers will find this book pretty therapeutic (or hella stressful) and non-desi readers will actually learn about a small piece of desi culture. It’s not the books intention, but it’s a side effect of reading it, and, regardless, you’re gonna read a funny and hot ass romance novel.
READ IT, FOO!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Death and Death of parent