I absolutely loved this book and these characters. I am so glad to see diversity among characters and the stories behind them were so beautifully well written. I really enjoyed how much of the history of the farm and the grandparents and the museum was in this story. I enjoy romance stories and I’m the typical white lady in her 30s reading it but why does every romance book, author, and character have to be like me! The world is nothing like me and there are so many people writing now and I am so HAPPY that these characters are being written and PUBLISHED!! Finally!!! More women and men are finally being represented in the romance genre and I love it and this story is so beautiful and fun. I love the farm and the horses and the family. I love this author and I can’t wait to read more from her!! Terrific!!

I think Alisha Rai just murdered me. That last line was EVERYTHING.

It's not a secret that I'm an Alisha Rai fangirl and so it's not really surprising that when I got an ARC of Girl Gone Viral, I almost screamed despite being in court at the time. (Yes, I check my email while I'm in the courtroom, but listen, there's a shocking amount of downtime for me in that room.) Anyway, after Avon/Netgalley made my whole day, I told myself I would wait until I survived 2019 to actually read the book, but lol, that was actually definitely not happening. I think I did make it a month though, so kudos to me for that. And then I read it and... I absolutely adored it. I think I may even have liked Girl Gone Viral more than The Right Swipe, which is high praise given that The Right Swipe was one of my top ten 2019 releases. So let's break it down, shall we?

To set the scene: Katrina King is a former model with a heavy past who doesn't really like to leave her safe spaces for fear of having a debilitating panic attack while in public. But one day she is at her favorite local coffee shop that is much too crowded and a random man asks to share her table because of the crowd. A potential meet cute? Well, that's certainly what the random woman at the table beside her decides and she starts live tweeting their interaction, full of exaggerations and embellishments, including a happy ending. When Katrina finds out, she freaks out and Jas Singh, her gorgeous bodyguard suggests they go hide out in a cabin he owns. The two of them both have feelings for the other they are convinced they can't act on, but, um... Things happen.

Why I loved it: I mean, first of all, did you know mutual pining could be done this well?? I think I'm just so accustomed to it being one person pining for a long time and the other person just discovering the other person as a romantic partner that this mutual pining thing kind of caught me off guard and I loved it. Secondly, no one does family angst the way Alisha Rai does family angst and Jas has family angst to spare. It's incredible and I especially adored how his relationship with his brother is handled. Third, the friendships in this book are so great. I loved seeing Samson head out to talk to Jas and make an effort to pull Jas into his group of bros. And Katrina's friendship with Rhi and Jia is really great. Fourth, I just really liked this slow burn realization that they (Jas and Katrina) could go for what they want (each other) and it would be okay. I loved seeing Jas be there for Katrina when she was having a panic attack. I loved seeing Katrina grapple with her mental health and always try again.

My Quick Squabbles: I do think, like with The Right Swipe, that the end feels a little rushed. There are quite a few narrative threads that feel open in this book and that's not necessarily bad, but it's an interesting choice.

Overall: But honestly, I loved this book. I think Katrina and Jas are great characters and I really liked them together. I want to re-read the book again because of how much I enjoyed my time with it the first time around. So I definitely can't wait to have my own finished copy!

I really loved Rai’s Book The Right Swipe so was happy to get this ARC to read. I really liked Jas and Katrina. I thought the topic was relevant in how the internet affects our privacy. This was a solid follow up. I will recommend this to library patrons.

Synopsis: Girl Gone Viral follows Katrina King, an ex model turned reclusive investor who craves privacy above all and her dutiful bodyguard Jasvinder who helps maintain her safety. On one rare outing Katrina shares a table at a crowded coffeshop with a beautiful man. This completely innocuous interaction is live tweeted by a woman sitting near them with a meet-cute spin and suddenly Katrina has gone viral on twitter. As the internet hunts for her identity, her bodyguard Jasvinder whisks her away and as they hide out together on his family farm the two must come to terms with their mutual pining.

Katrina is a really interesting character.. I loved that she believed in romance and enjoyed being around her friends and cooking. I love that she seemed like she had a really good heart. She was trying to save a business that wasn’t very successful. She also has a panic disorder and anxiety which I can relate with, I really loved the discussions around therapy and how her friends supported her whenever she had her panic attacks. Rai was in the military and dealt with PTSD. I like that both the characters were relatable on that level. I liked the story it was cute! And I liked the ending!

I received a free E-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of my thoughts and opinions are my own.
Katrina King is a woman, who would prefer to live her life out of the spotlight. So when an innocent talk with a stranger at a local cafe turns into an internet viral phenomenon , Katrina King is willing to allow her bodyguard/friend, Jas Singh to take her to place to hide until the whole thing blows over. Katrina isn’t sure she can trust her instincts when it comes to love—even if Jas’ every look says he wants to be more than just her bodyguard… But can being alone with her secret crush be the opportunity she needs in order to make her move?
First, I would like to say I really enjoyed this book. It really reflects the times we live in and I believe it will resonate with this current generation! The characters were well written and were flushed out really well as the story moved along. I thought the pace of the story was really good. The author did a great job creating a slow burn between two characters, who were so well suited for one another. I loved how Katrina and Jas both had a painful past, but were able to grow and support each other through the obstacles of the situations that arose due to the consequences of others' actions. The author had a great use of language without an overuse of extra details or filler. The author was very mindful of discussing emotional and mental abuse when Katrina talked about her past and her father. I felt the ending was a little rushed and did not feel the whole situation with Jas' grandfather was necessary, but it made for a good laugh. Overall, I would recommend this book to people who love social media or love a slow burn between a bodyguard and a client. I will look forward to reading more by this author in the future

Girl Gone Viral does a lot of things well: portrays historically underrepresented backgrounds and nationalities with (as far as my knowledge extends) sensitivity, authenticity, and nuance, placing them in main character prominence, showing their beauty and desirability. Both Katrina's and Jas' lives involve a good bit of coping; they both carry baggage and scars from their past. I appreciated again how complex psychological and emotional challenges were portrayed: thoughtfully, intelligently and sensitively. I also appreciated how the main characters empathize deeply with each other and make each other feel safe. In complementary ways, Katrina and Jas love each other in such a pure, giving, manner. They support each others' growth and healing. That's a true love story right there.

For me, this started off and stayed quite slow well into the book. Pacing was not the book's strong suit. Not until at least 50% was I invested and drawn in and if I hadn't felt a sense of obligation and a desire to push through since having been given an advance copy, I may well have shelved this book before I hit the point that finally drew me in. I'm a firm believer that a book needs to hook you, and I would say Girl Gone Viral spent too much time laying the background for the viral situation, as well as explaining Katrina's anxiety.

All in all, while I felt this story lacked somewhat in its structure and pacing, it makes a solid contribution to the romance genre; portraying diversity and mental health issues with sensitivity, intelligence, and nuance. The world needs books that show us bodies and backgrounds beyond Western and white and never a personal problem. I love how Rai writes delightful, original and diverse characters. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for my complimentary advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book, though the romance honestly took a back seat for me compared to all the other pieces of the story. I cared about that part, and was happy with the end, but I cared more about the resolution of the other story lines than the romance. I loved the friendship of the women and their support of Katrina. I also really enjoyed the character development throughout the book. Katrina and Jas are both complex characters dealing with deeply personal problems and the author does a good job of explaining them to the audience without making them into caricatures of people with PTSD or anxiety. I also loved the theme of family throughout the book – both the family you are born into and the family you make for yourself.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Synopsis: Girl Gone Viral follows Katrina King, an ex model turned reclusive investor who craves privacy above all and her dutiful bodyguard Jasvinder who helps maintain her safety. On one rare outing Katrina shares a table at a crowded coffeshop with a beautiful man. This completely innocuous interaction is live tweeted by a woman sitting near them with a meet-cute spin and suddenly Katrina has gone viral on twitter. As the internet hunts for her identity, her bodyguard Jasvinder whisks her away and as they hide out together on his family farm the two must come to terms with their mutual pining.

Katrina is a really wonderful and fascinating character. I loved that she was a sappy romantic who loved to cook for her friends, was obsessed with animals and always willing to swoop in to save drowning businesses. She also has a panic disorder and anxiety, I really loved the discussions around therapy and how her friends supported her whenever she had her panic attacks. The care with which Rai treated mental health in the book was really great and extended to our male lead as well. He is a veteran with ptsd and his subtle journey to accepting support and opening up to the possibility of therapy was lovely. Both Kat and Jas are really caring and selfless people which i think helped them mesh well as a couple because they wanted nothing more than to make sure the other was happy and comfortable. Additionally I liked the emphasis on family and how difficult those relationships can be, as well as found family dynamics, it was very wholesome.

Onto the plot:
So the social media aspect of this provided some interesting discussions on privacy and how terrible the internet tends to be with boundaries as well as the really flexible nature of the social discourse online. HOWEVER, I do feel that in a way it felt slightly underdone. The anxiety that Katrina has about possibly being doxxed in the internet's frantic search for her identity is a very valid concern, but something about the way it was written didn't make the danger feel imminent to me. My heart was never pounding worrying for her safety and I must admit that I kinda hoped it would be more exciting because of the bodyguard aspect. This book really is not exciting at all if I'm honest, it's more slow and meandering but nice in it's own way. AlsoI felt like some of the stuff regarding Jas's military past coming back to haunt him felt slightly shoehorned in and I never mustered up enough feeling toward it to care about that side plot personally. But I did enjoy the discussion of Jas unpacking some of his trauma.

Now to talk about the romance itself:
Jas and Kat have been pining for each other and the mild angst of that was cute, when they finally came together I admit I was hoping for a more fiery union but I think these characters are two very soft people and the gentle and understated nature of their relationship reflected that. I do think however, that similarly to The Right Swipe, there was not always enough focus on the romance. There is so much going on in the character's lives and career wise which I personally found fulfilling but it sorta made the romance feel drowned out at times and I think Rai could have cut out some of the fat and given us more domestic goodness and scenes of the couple interacting to sell us on the fact that they are a great couple (they are but it could have been emphasized more).

Overall it was really enjoyable and really the little things I'm pointing out didn't necessarily hinder my enjoyment but I want to make sure everyone goes in with the right expectations.

Cw: parental abuse, emotional abuse (past), veteran with ptsd

Alisha Rai's Girl Gone Viral was completely delightful. The first book I read of hers was last year's The Right Swipe and it was fun to revisit the characters from that book. Again, Alisha has created characters to root for who have difficult backstories, which makes a happy ending that much sweeter. Her characters are just so likable and the relationships (romantic, family, and friendships) are beautifully written.

Katrina is a former model who was emotionally and psychologically abused by her father/manager. Her bodyguard, Jas, has been with her for nine years, and he does an excellent job of looking out for her—because it’s his job and because he’s in love with her. After a stranger in a cafe tweets about a fabricated meet cute between the anonymous Katrina and a guy she shares a table with one crowded morning, she needs to escape so that her privacy can remain intact. Jas invites her to his family farm. In the classic “there’s only one bed” version for the extremely wealthy, Jas and Katrina finally make a move. But can her fear of her father and his coping mechanism of burying all feelings deep inside prevent this new relationship from sticking?

The relationship vibes are good and on par with The Right Swipe. But Katrina’s extreme optimism and wealth are highly unrealistic. Her “former teen model + tortured soul + escapist marriage to a not-creep + kidnapped and returned home after the ransom was paid + silent investor to struggling start-ups + actually only visits a few places due to panic disorder” is just a tad too far suspension of disbelief for me. Like, I get that this is a romance, but Rai takes an few too many liberties for my tastes.

Diverse reads:
- Katrina is half-Thai-American and half-Euro-American. She suffers from panic disorder and severe anxiety.
- Jas is third generation Punjabi/Mexican-American. He suffers from PTSD.

Such a cute and real rom com story with diverse characters and a unique plot line.
I love that the author tied real issues into this making it a more fulfilling read,

This book is such a good followup to The Right Swipe. The focus on mental health was so timely and appropriate. Can Alisha Rai ever do wrong?!

I enjoy Rai's contemporary romances. The characters are complex, the action makes sense, and endings are always satisfying.

Katrina King has retired from the public eye. She doesn't venture far from her house and only to a few public places she feels safe (the backstory is sparse, but explains her current agoraphobia). Suddenly pictures of her are going viral and she the star of twitter's latest invented "meet cute." Hiding out with her bodyguard forces them both to consider what they're hiding from and how to confront ghosts from their past in order to build a future.

This is definitely a book I would consider rereading, which is a short list!

I read an eARC through Netgalley.

I absolutely adored this book! I was instantly drawn in by the diversity in the characters and the open discussion of mental health issues. Kat, is a former model who has experienced a traumatic event you learn about through the narrative, and suffers from PTSD and anxiety. She is engaged in exposure therapy and actively working on improving her mental health. Jas is her bodyguard, and has been with her for many years, he is quiet and powerful, but he has his own traumatic past as a veteran who was deployed in Iraq. Throughout this novel these two learn how to communicate with each other but also how to become the best versions of themselves and improve their lives. This is my first Alisha Rai book and I was blown away. It is very refreshing to see the increase in diverse narratives throughout the romance genre. I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley and voluntarily give my review

I was absolutely thrilled to have won this arc after reading The Right Swipe. To be honest, I loved this book way, way more than the first book in the series. There is so much chemistry by Jas and Katrina and I adore that they lean on each other in all aspects of their lives. I also love that they do struggle with their own demons but both attempt to fix their own situations before turning to the others. The smut was also perfect! 10/10 would recommend

Oh lord I loved this. I can't precisely put my finger on why, because I was a little annoyed by how easily the couple shifted into a love relationship--maybe it wasn't fiery enough for me? Except it clearly was, since now I'm telling you how much I loved it. Jas, the hero, was...*fans self* And Katrina, the heroine was delightful. Love her animal kindness and love.

Also, I so much love the way differences are folded into this book. Gay characters, characters with disabilities, POC...just all co-exist in a happy world, and I love it. (It reminds me a little of Schitt's Creek; when we're building worlds, we can make them look like whatever we want, and they may as well be lovely, accepting places.)

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

To put it mildly, this was a snoozefest and before I knew it, it was dropped before I even reached the halfway mark. I'm pretty sure I was more interested in the whole #CafeBae and #CuteCafeGirl concept a bit more than the actual storyline. But kudos to the author for featuring diverse characters since they're a rare gem nowadays.

This is the sequel to The Right Swipe I was hoping for. Characters were well developed, there was such a great representation of consent, and I loved that both hero and heroine were damaged but managed to make it work.

I was a little worried about reading this as I haven't read the first book in the series- still waiting on that library hold. I had no problems with having jumped right into book two. In fact, I can't wait to go back and read the first one. I loved the story of Katrina and Jas. I loved that it talked a lot about PTSD and mental health. Great read!
Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for the arc. I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I FFFFLLLOOOOOOVVVVVEEEDDD the first book! A new author to me that I love the story, the characters and everything in between. And Alisha did not let me down in this second installment that had me laughing, crying sometimes, and loving that partnership between Katrina and Jas. They have this way of making you really invest in their story and what is happening around them.

I am so excited to what else Alisha has in store for us because her writing has a special place in my heart now!