This book blew me out of the water! Incredibly diverse with a kick ass main character and what a genuine romance. I loved all of the characters in this book and the plot went way deeper than I was expecting it to and I really enjoyed it. Definitely a new favorite!

Unfortunately this one wasn't what I expected. The cover suggests romcom which this definitely isn't. What's more I hated the heroine, she was bitchy and she always put work first. While the hero was sweet I couldn't believe how he still wanted to be with her even though she treated him so badly. I couldn't stomach it.

Alisha Rai, man. I've been seeing her books and hearing her name for ages, but this is the first book of hers I've finished. I'm pretty sure it's one of the rare romance novels I'll actually re-read. This book has everything about contemporary life - the struggles of app-based dating (ghosting sucks! so do unsolicited dick pics!), #MeToo, CTE in football players, and plenty of diverse characters who have an impressive solidity to them.

It's feminist AF, with each character having complicated emotions. Plus all of the side characters are given unusual reactions to this situations - something that so rarely happens. Rhiannon leans on her friends more than her new lover, which is realistic and actually very adult of her. The sex scenes are pretty adult too, with lots of consent to amp up the heat. I found myself getting a little watery when Rhiannon or Samson opened up (not only to one another - often to family or friends).

In short, if you're looking for the reasons that romance is a literary genre that should be taken seriously, look no further.

Received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rhiannon and Samson are two damaged people. Their story is one borne in the age of technology and fast responses. The story brings up issues that are common in our current society and deals with them in a positive and uplifting manner. The two characters along with their friends are using their struggles to make the world a better place. You will enjoy the stories strong bonds of friendship and families. There are some steamy and fun scenes that will fulfill your fantasies. A great story with lots of heart.

There’s a strain of romcom shenanigans that delights in extensively mortifying a perfectly ordinary heroine. You’ll find none of that nonsense here.

You will find the heightened reality and tropey goodness you’re hoping for. There’s no real road map for smart choices when you end up fake-dating your one-night stand so your rival online dating sites can milk the publicity. Heroine Rhiannon is smart and ambitious and makes a lot of very understandable mistakes: she clings to her trauma coping mechanisms, she is prickly and suspicious, she has real baggage imperfectly wrestled with at the start of the story. But the narrative is not interested in punishing her for these faults, the way some romcoms might be (looking at you, Bridget Jones).

Rhiannon is one of Rai’s signature heroines: a mix of banter and broken edges, always human and relatable and deeply, deeply loveable. The quintessential best friend, the one you root for even when she’s kind of fucking it up.

Our hero, strong, steady former pro football player Samson, has plenty of wounds of his own—deep losses that still hurt and that call him to prevent other people from suffering in similar ways (family members lost to CTE and ALS). It’s a brilliant contrast with Rhiannon in so many ways: she was attacked by someone she loved and trusted who proved predatory, while Samson has had one loved one after another taken from him by accident and illness. Both characters wade into the waters of grief, but they’re approaching it from different sides of the river. It’s an extraordinary, subtle fountain of conflict that is almost more than the romance can bear.

Almost being the important word. As with Rai’s fiercely tender Forbidden Hearts series, so many of this book’s characters are all trying to take care of one another as best they can: a listening ear, a grounded focus to stem a rising panic attack, thoughtful advice and support at the lowest moments. Rai crafts a space of kindness and acceptance to offset an often vicious world: her protagonists don’t have to change their essential nature, they only are pushed to find better ways of being in the world. There’s a sharp meta edge to the story, an awareness of the way our culture frames romance and the ways in which that either buoys or fails us. There’s an extended dialogue on the definition of fuckboy that alone is probably worth the price of the book.

The Right Swipe has a lot going on in one book. Rhi is the successful CEO of a dating app (think Bumble) that she founded. She’s been pursuing the reclusive owner of a more traditional dating site, Matchmaker (think eHarmony/Match) in the interest of purchasing it and expanding her brand.

When she goes to a Matchmaker party in hopes of connecting with the CEO - she is shocked to see the new spokesperson for the site is Samson - the man she had one great date with months ago - and then he ghosted her.

This book covers a lot of topics - the business dealings between the various dating companies, professional football and CTE, sexual harassment, speaking up and believing women when they do. All of these topics were handled well - but I did feel it pushed the romance to a smaller role side plot rather than the key focus. This isn’t necessarily bad - but good to know if you are going into it expecting a more traditional romance where their relationship is really the bulk of the story.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rhiannon Hunter broke off from her old Dating App company to start her own, changing the ever growing technological world of dating. Rhi only Swipes Right for Occasional hook ups and that's it. She controls her dating life with a few key rules: Nudes are only okay if asked for, If someone stands you up there are no second chances, and protect your heart (never sleep with the same man twice). But her latest match, Samson, an ex-football player, ghosted her and now has suddenly reappeared. They both can't stop thinking about that magical night. Samson happens to be in business with a rival, and proposes a project together that will be good for both companies. It's one thing to keep it professional in the street, only physical in the sheets, but what about when the heart gets involved?

The Right Swipe is a modern twist on dating in the 21st century. I was pleasantly surprised with this book! Alisha Rai did an amazing job creating strong characters who I connected and sympathized with. Don't let this book fool you, it touches on some more serious topics as well. I loved Rhi and I was rooting for her the whole time to open her heart up! I love "Temporary Relationship" themes in Romance novels. I also love a good strong female lead!

3 stars: I'm an Alisha Rai superfan, so it's hard for me to say that I didn't love this. I didn't hate it either, but a lot of didn't work for me.

What I loved: sex-positive, feminist main characters. I've read a lot of books about modern dating lately, and I liked how Rai presented a world in which dating apps were for everyone. In a lot of books the main characters are using the apps to find "the one," which is great, but women/people are often just looking for hookups, and Rai depicted that well.

I also liked the CTE/sports aspect of the plot; it once again shows how much thought Rai puts into her characters and her books. So many sports romance have football player main characters, but without discussing the realities of that lifestyle. I also appreciated the lack of judgement in Rai's writing.

What I didn't love: the characters all fell flat to me. Or perhaps they were TOO much. Samson was too nice, too understanding, too perfect. And Rhiannon was too much his opposite. Once the story progressed, I understood Rhiannon a little more, but I still felt like they were foils for each other. Rhiannon was slightly more interesting than Samson and that's because she had some flaws. But even the side characters were too much of one things--too eccentric, too stylistic, too whatever. They felt more like ideas of people than actual people.

I also didn't love the romance--it never made me feel anything. I love romance books because they get my heart and my head involved, and while I think Rai did a great job of making me think about certain issues, I never felt like I connected to anything. I didn't laugh, I didn't swoon, and I didn't feel all that sad for anyone either. Unlike in Rai's other books, I never got the sense of friendship & family & humanity.. I never forgot I was reading a book.

All in all, I finished this book pretty underwhelmed. If this is your first Rai, and you felt similarly, I highly recommend trying out another one of her books!

PS: If you've enjoyed the steaminess of her other books, the heat level in this drops significantly but not to zero.

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ecopy in exchange for an honest review.**

"Every time you hurt someone, you break off a little piece of them. Not only do they have to live with that broken piece, then the next person who comes along has to figure out a way to spackle that spot. Your behavior has ripple effects."
The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai is a steamy, contemporary romance. The book is about Rhi and Samson. Rhi and Samson met on Rhi's dating app - Crush. They hooked up, he ghosted her, she thought of him as dead. They meet up again and their attraction is still there. I loved the dating app aspect of this book. I loved these two characters and their stories. They both had aspects of their background that are very serious issues. Rhi was harassed out of her last job. Samson is a retired football player who's father and uncle both have had brain damage from playing football. I really enjoyed how Alisha Rai brought up these topics. It's important to bring them up and see how characters deal with them.
A wonderful read and I highly recommend this book! Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollins for giving me an Advanced Reader Copy. This book will be available for purchase on August 6!

For Alisha Rai fans who might be nervous about a different direction indicated by that (adorable) cover, don’t worry. This book still has all the Alisha Rai elements you know and love. The Right Swipe has the right amount of angst, sex, social issues (like consent and CTE), diversity, a strong, wry heroine and a professional football player. What’s not to love?

This book was just OK for me. The main character was a bit much for me. She had a very strong personality which I can appreciate but this was a little too much for me. I appreciated the modern dating aspect but it was tough to get past the main character.

I'm enamored with this book! The perfect blend of romance, humor, and social commentary for new and contemporary romance readers. I was thrilled by the diversity of the main characters and can't wait to read more from this author.

Trigger warning: Sexual harassment/coersion
SUCH a good book! I loved the normalization of POC characters. I really liked that CTE was talked about from such a place a vulnerability and readers are able to see a glimpse of how impactful this condition is and how something needs to be done to protect the players. This is why books are so important - they allow us to learn in ways we otherwise may not bee able to.

Rhiannon is an amazing woman and I was able to relate with so many things in her life.

3.5

A story of an independent woman and finding love in the modern world. But it also delved into how it is being a business woman surrounded by men.
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Rhiannon meets Samson Lima through her own dating app but after “ghosting” her she doesn’t want anything to do with him ever again. However, circumstances push them together. This book shows just how much the dating world is changing. Rhiannon has a jaded view about love and throughout the book we see her struggle. She slowly begins to see that Samson just might be the real deal. If you’re looking for a book about finding love in the modern world you might like this one.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my review copy!

I was really excited to pick up The Right Swipe, after binging my way through Rai's Forbidden Hearts series earlier this year, especially after I found out that the heroine in Right Swipe was tangentially related to the hero in Hurts to Love You. I was *not* disappointed!


Rhiannon Hunter is a badass entrepreneur who started her own company and developed a dating app geared toward females (built to help navigate and mitigate all the hurdles that come with dating while female). She's looking to buy out another, older, dating company after the death of one of its founders when she runs into Samson Lima, whom she'd previously had a one-weekend-stand with a few months previously.


Things happened directly after their hook-up and what Rhiannon and Samson had been optimistically hoping might turn into a romance crashed and burned after Rhiannon believed that Samson had ghosted her. Now they're thrown back together for an ad campaign after it turns out that it's Samson's aunt who owns the company Rhiannon is trying to buy. Samson wants to win Rhiannon back, but Rhi isn't sure she wants to give him another chance due to the nastiness that was her previous relationship.


This book was AMAZING and exactly what I've come to expect from Rai: Snappy dialog, a diverse cast, a plot that doesn't shy away from discussions on real-world issues (being a black woman in a heavily white male industry, the importance of Consent in relationships, both sexual and otherwise), and super steamy sex scenes.

Five out of five stars! Would absolutely recommend!

The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai follows Rhiannon. After she’s forced out of her previous company Swype by a jilted ex-lover, she joins develops Crush a swipe-based dating app to rival Swype. Then there’s Matchmaker, the oldest and only non-swipe app left on the market. At a tech conference for the apps Matchmaker has a new spokesperson, Samson Lima former NFL football player. Who also just happens to be the one night stand who ghosted Rhiannon on the beach over the summer.

Rhiannon runs into Sampson who has a legitimate reason for his no-show. But Rhiannon’s already been crushed in the past and she’s not about to give second chances. Sampson vows that he’s not the guy she thinks he is if she’ll just give him another chance. Plus she’s been wanting to possibly buy Matchmaker and Sampson’s personal friendship with the founders may give her the in that she needs. Can these two figure out dating in the digital age or is Rhiannon ready to swipe left on the whole thing?

I enjoyed this one overall. Rhiannon is very prickly and it takes her a long long time to drop her defenses and let anyone in. She wears a full suit of armor at all times to protect her heart after being hurt so much in the past. Sampson is patient and continues to prove to her that she can trust him, if she for once will just give him the benefit of the doubt and not assume the worst. I liked watching her tough exterior slowly crack. I do think the romance in this one is a little more of a subplot and the jockeying between the tech companies was a little more the focus. The steamy parts were great but this story is very much Rhiannon’s journey of escaping her past and letting her walls down. Sampson also has his own storyline about concussions and CTE (chronic trauma encephalopathy) resulting in former NFL players who sustained repeated concussions that I thought was really well done. They both have such strong individual arcs with the romance in the background for those who like books where the relationship isn’t the only focus, this may be a great place to start! The Right Swipe is out Tuesday August 6th!

Arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really loved this book. The representation is GREAT plus I love how fiery the main character is! I really enjoyed the modern take on romance and all of the parts having to do with dating apps! I'm giving it 3.5 stars because it did take me longer than usual to get into the story, this isn't an all time favorite but it is worth picking up especially for the topics covered and the representation.

The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai is a contemporary romance set mostly in California within an idyllic setting of rich, smart, and beautiful people. Rhiannon Hunter is incredibly intelligent and ferocious in her business. Her main objective in this Romance novel is to acquire a matchmaking business, not fall in love with Samson Lima, the face and limited shareholder of his aunt's Matchmaker business. One of the most intriguing aspects of this novel is how the characters grow independently to ultimately come together for love. It was a very well crafted narrative. The author is clearly knowledgeable of present-day dating and sexual positivity terminology, which are sprinkled throughout the story. Consent between the two are clearly defined and sexual safety when the characters are so new to each other is established and helps comfort the reader that these two characters aren't irresponsible in their lust and developing bond.
<spoiler> The challenging aspects for me with this novel are Rhiannon's trust issues. She absolutely went through a horrible experience, but as a creator of a dating app, albeit one that allows and accepts 1NS, I expected her to be more open and less fearful of Samson's intentions. TBH, I can't conceive of any person entering into a 1NS without a higher level of trust that they won't be murdered at some point in their tryst.
And Samson was very much a cinnamon roll, but at what cost? Yes, there should be conflict within a Romance to make the couple work through them and grow together rather than apart. I just felt they were more apart than together. And he seemed to have to work harder to prove he was a good man and would be the man for her. Yet, the sex and magnetism between them was hot. So it left me questioning if it was sex that was masked as love. </spoiler>
I appreciate Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for this read. I recommend it to Romance readers of Contemporary Romance and modern stories of dating, sex, and consent.

I adore the premise of the book, but wanted more gritty details in how the story was built. A++ female lead, and clever tie in with characters from previous books

Really adorable contemporary romance, perfect for those who enjoy a little comedy with their romance. Really sweet, and a fast read.