This debut romance novel from Naina Kumar may be my new favourite book ever. From the first page I was immersed in the story of Meghna and Karthik and their fake engagement with real feelings. Chock full of romantic moments and misunderstandings, this book had me kicking my feet and squealing the whole time.
One of the best things about this book is that its perspective switches between Karthik and Meghna so fluidly and I always felt like I got both sides of every single one of their interactions. While they were busy catching feelings for each other, I was busy falling in love with their romance one page at a time. It was the little things that really made this book special, from the beginning when Meghna threatens Karthik with certain death if he eats the pani puri she loves so much, to the countless spontaneous flights Karthik books to Meghna’s hometown just because his heart needs to see her.
Naina Kumar quite expertly created characters that felt like they could walk off the page and into my life and it was so much fun to get wrapped up in the drama of their lives. Meghna’s passion for her job as an English and theatre teacher despite the fact that it’s not the high-profile engineering career that her mother wants for her is something I can relate to because I am sitting here writing this review instead of being a doctor. There were so many similar moments in the book that felt so tangible and close to my lived experience which made this book so personal and the ending so rewarding.
Special thanks to Random House and Dell for sending me an ARC of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Five out of five stars
Paging Kait 