I am a BIG fan of yearning in my romance novels, so if you like that in the books you read, you're going to enjoy this one. The hero is not the best communicator, and part of that is he's suffering from PTSD, and thinks that if he never talks about it, then it'll get better and go away, and that's something he learns that he's going to have to work on in the future, but he doesn't actually do it in this book. This book is more about him learning he has to be better at communicating and asking for help and what he needs, and that's a great story. I hope that in the next books they check in with this character, so I can see that he's doing better.

The heroine is also suffering from problems, and I like that she is further in her journey of healing. She has a therapist, she's working on her problems, and she's not yet problem free. I really like that you can see the difference. She's also not the best communicator with the hero, which is really because they'd rather have the relationship they have then no relationship at all. And they are both worried that if they talk about their feelings they'll ruin their friendship. WHICH IS LIKE ONE OF MY FAVORITE TROPES. So... yeah, I really liked this book.

I am SUPER interested in who is going to be the next person with a book. Can't wait to read it!

Love, love, love! This was my first book by Alisha Rai and now I'm excited to go back and read more of her novels. This was a great slow burn and I really liked both of the lead characters.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins Publishers, and Alisha Rai for the Advance Readers E-Copy.

Katrinas life was never easy at age nine her mother passed away. Her dad then took over raising her, but for his own gain. Her father was Psychological and emotionally Abusive. One day at an event she meets Hardeep, a Wealthy older man, where they strike a deal to get married. He wants companionship and she wants to be rescued from her father. To add to Katrinas anxiety she is one day kidnapped and held for ransom. Causing her to have PTSD and severe panic attacks.

The first paragraph to me is A need to know before going into this book. When you first start out reading this book your hit with so many questions that are later answered. It’s to a point it kind of drives you a little batty because you want to know why Katrina has PTSD and severe anxiety attacks. Why is this happening? Why is she like this? Also Katrinas husband dies but you don’t really know why you can only guess old age. It never goes in to details of why he died just he just plain kicked the bucket. So many unanswered questions at once.


There’s also the subject of Katrinas kidnapping/ being held for ransom. There’s a lot of details being left out, I would liked to have had a little more back story details on the kidnapping.

Then there is Jasvindar, who is Katrina’s bodyguard who has been there since she married Hardeep. He also has a history of PTSD from his time in the military. They both suffer from their past and you think it would make them clash but it brings them together. Jasvindar doesn’t like to open up about his past. So when Jasvindar sweeps Katrina away from all the #cutecafegirl girl gone viral fiasco. They get a chance to really get to know each other and it’s there at Jasvindar’s family farm we really get to get a look inside at Jasvindar.

Girl Gone Viral brings up a lot of important factors that we can learn from. PTSD is not something to play around with. Don’t let people bottle their emotions up they are not a burden. The internet oh boy oh boy social media. Its well it’s on kind of crazy. It really can ruin your life and take control of you. Sometimes what we think are harmless pokes at people could really be doing harm to people.

When a book holds my interest, I generally read it within one to two days. Sometimes I stay up until the wee hours of the morning as I cannot put the book down. I started reading this book over a month ago and it just did not hold my interest. I found the story to be slow and boring with little or no chemistry between Katrina and Jas. Since I received an advanced copy, I felt obligated to finish the book but it was a slow read.

This books is fun, and the romance builds. I love a story where the two romantic leads are stuck in the middle of nowhere.

Most importantly, I felt that mental health was very well-represented. Nothing was sensational or exploitative. Normally, I feel stressed reading such things, but I felt that this book was warm.

I liked this a lot. I thought their chemistry was fun, the story was fun, all the friends were fun. I will definitely keep my eyes open for the next book in this series!

I've been procrastinating on this review. I came in with the highest of hopes and enthusiasm with this one! The premise is fun, the blurb, inviting and the cover, super cute! 


Unfortunately Girl Gone Viral fell a bit short for me. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it because there were a lot of parts where I did. The writing I must say is stellar and flows very well but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I had to TRY too hard to love it, if that makes sense? 

There are a plethora of characters in this book, all with something to love but for me it was hard to fall for the main characters, It was too slow burn for me and took me awhile to finally get into the story and by the time I did it was too little too late.

I will say that I will try this author again, while this story didn't pull me in hard, I'm sure it will work for others.

This was a super-cute follow up to The right swipe; I loved all the characters (and would gladly read books about each of them!)

**I recieved an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**
Kat has not had an easy life. She lost her mother young, was abused by her father, and married young to escape him. She was kidnapped, scarred, and left with debilitating panic attacks and a fear of crowds.
Jas is a vet. He suffers from PTSD but has put aside all of his needs to make sure that Kat is safe.
There were so many things that I loved about this book.
Neither of the main characters is perfect. They are scarred and flawed. They have pasts that they are unsure how to deal with and feelings for one another that they don't know how to move forward with.
Both are caretakers in different ways.
There is not a moment that "fixes" everything.
I loved that they are awkward with one another and that they have to clarify how they feel.
I loved that when there are sexy times, they are realistic. Smells, tastes, sounds are not ridiculous or over the top..
I also loved that this story is about both of them in equal measure. They are equally important to the story and to the HEA.
I can't wait to read Jai's story.

RATING: 5/5 STARS

GIRL GONE VIRAL was adorable! It was just the slow-burn romance I was looking for. Katrina and Jas were the sweetest, most kindhearted characters. I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop from client-and-bodyguard to couple-in-love. I like dual POV chapters in romances when they are done well; in this novel, both main characters' personalities shine.

I was excited that this book was so open in addressing mental health, the benefits of therapy, and the importance of an accepting community of family and friends. Katrina and Jas individually experienced traumatic events and I thought how Alisha Rai touched on the negative impacts of that was well done. And bonus points for the diversity! This book was inclusive of different ethnicities and sexualities.

This was my first time reading this author, and she had me hooked. I will definitely be checking out her other novels!

A sincere thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Social: @_shelf.awareness on Instagram

Girl Gone Viral is the latest entertaining book by Alisha Rai, although this one is more of a romance than erotica.
Her characters are well-developed and endearing, and like in Swipe Right, they have timely and realistic issues that modern women and men can relate to. As always I appreciate her inclusivity and diversity with character demographics and background, which is so important at this time, especially with RWA's recent inappropriateness.
Girl Gone Viral keeps me as a Rai fan, and I look forward to the third book in the series (which I assume will be about Hijabi Jia).

Thank you for the ARC!

Loved this title more than even the Hate to... books! I devoured it as quickly as I could and was then immediately sorry it was over. Hope there are more to come in the series.

I loved it. LOVED IT! Alisha Rai's "Modern Dating" series has been the most relatable thing I've read all year. The first book, The Right Swipe, tackled ghosting culture, as well as the #MeToo movement and women in tech. This one discusses the lack of privacy in a world with 24/7 news cycles, wildly popular social media platforms and video cameras in everyone's pocket.

Katrina, our heroine, goes viral in a #PlaneBae-inspired Twitter thread when a nosy cafe patron imagines a meet-cute between her and a retired model. Katrina, not only loves her privacy, she requires it for her well-being and mental health. Herself a former model with a traumatic past, she has recently been working through her agoraphobia and and doing what she can to maintain a sense of security. That's also why she keeps Jasvinder Singh in her employ. 😉 Jas has served as Katrina's bodyguard for nearly 20 years. We learn he is the strong, silent type and has amazing good eyebrows. I loved him from jump.

Katrina and Jas make a v. cute couple who don't realize they're in love with each other. (Yes! Give me all the pining!) And while both are a bit out of practice when it comes to relationships, that never becomes a source of contention between them. (I really, really, REALLY loved how, at times, they'd both just be like "yeah, I may suck at this but I want it to be good for you.") Beyond the romance, they provide each other with solid support as they work through their individual demons: Katrina and her desire to remain out of the spotlight and Jas and his demons surrounding his military experience. I have to say that one of the things I love most about Rai's writing is that her novels frequently include practical tools you can use to improve your own mental health.

One v. minor concern I have is that Katrina and Jas' romance doesn't feel like the main event in the story, even though I REALLY want it to be. #CafeBae and Jas other conflicts take up nearly equal amounts of the story. I loved this romance and was only minorly miffed that I couldn't get more of it.

I've also been loving how diverse Rai's books are and this one was no different. It made up only a small portion of the story, but I really appreciated sense of history and legacy behind Jas' family. Definitely pick this one up when you can! I've already pre-ordered it for myself.

Katrina King is a former model, now a reclusive investor in start-up ventures. She has significant anxiety, and wants nothing more than to disappear in public. During her weekly outing to her local cafe, a busy dining area leads to Katrina sharing a table with a stranger. A fun, flirty conversation that ends with Katrina rejecting a dinner invitation is overheard, rewritten, and live-tweeted as the meet-cute romantic story of the year, including a photo of Katrina. While her friends assure her that they only knew it was her by the details and the fact that they see her on a day-to-day basis, Katrina panics that the general public may once again discover her and disrupt the life she has created for herself. Fortunately, her bodyguard, Jas, has a family home in the middle of a farm where no one will think to look for Katrina, even if they do figure out that she is the #cutecafegirl. Unfortunately, Katrina’s secret crush on Jas may not be able to stay secret in close quarters.

This was a fun, mostly lighthearted novel, nearly perfect for a long plane ride. My favorite thing about the story was that the big break-up scene that is pivotal to so many rom-coms never came. There was enough to keep the plot and story moving without manufacturing a misunderstanding between the lead characters, which is a fun switch up from the standard. The consequences of unwanted viral fame are deftly handled without feeling like Rai is sermonizing. So why not five stars? There are some instances, particularly around Jas and his grandfather, that seem a bit overdone, and then others, like the circumstances around Katrina’s previous marriage and her start as an angel investor, that are glossed over.
Recommended for: Fans of Jasmine Guillory’s work and modern romance novels.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

YAY! Another Modern Love book by Alisha Rai. I loved the last book in this series, The Right Swipe, and I was so excited to get this ARC to read the second one. I loved that ultimately I didn't have to know anything about the first book to enjoy this one. Katrina and Jas are the perfect duo, neither thinks the other would want anything to do without outside their professional relationship. Katrina is such a fascinating character and I loved getting to dive deep into her personality to find out why she is the way she is.
Jas is not your typical bodyguard. He's complicated, flirty, and totally head over heels for Katrina. The major conflict in this book is honestly one of the best parts about it. Our society thrives on those viral social media moments and I've never thought to think about the people going viral and whether or not they want it. It was an interesting perspecitve that changes how I feel about that a little bit.

Another perfect romance from Alisha Rai! The love story is wonderful, of course, but she tackles so much more here -- anxiety, PTSD, privacy and consent, internet culture, family expectations. It's funny, poignant, and full of lovable characters. I will be recommending this book widely, and it is a very strong candidate for a future book club pick!

I liked this one a lot, and it's timely, given the uproar in the romance world right now - she is Thai-American, his family is Sikh. And like with Rai's The Right Swipe, she addresses contemporary issues in a thoughtful and respectful way, with nothing cookie-cutter about her characters.

I liked Rai's first book in this series. I LOVED this one.
I found the storyline so poignant, and learning about the Indian-Californian farming experience was eye opening for me. It's a surprisingly deep romance given the light premise, and I applaud Rai for making the issues we dance around front and center in her books.

Move over Rhiannon and Samson and make way for Katrina and Jas!!!! A former vet and a former model, both of who come with their own host of trust issues make for an amazing couple in Girl Gone Viral. Oh, and did I mention he is her bodyguard?! Cue the Whitney soundtrack please.

Girl Gone Viral is now one of my favorite romances. Despite the fact that Katrina and Jas both had issues, they didn't play games with one another and were honest about their struggles - an issue I have with a lot of other romance novels - and I was glad to see was not the case here.

A few steamy moments, plenty of tender ones, and an internet viral sensation somewhere in the middle - Girl Gone Viral is just the romance we need for 2020!

I really enjoyed this book. There were so many different layers to the story and the characters. I loved the chemistry between Katrina and Jas and that their connection had built over years instead if falling in love at first sight. Katrina's friends and Jas's family were amazing and I'd love to know them in real life. Sometimes the family you make for yourself is more important than the one you're born into. The story is hilarious, sweet, and at times heartbreaking and I will definitely be reading more of this author.