Girl Gone Viral is a slow burn friends to lovers romance featuring Katrina, the reclusive millionaire best friend of Rhiannon, the heroine from The Right Swipe, and Jas, her head of security. So they have some princess/bodyguard vibes going on, which I love. I also really enjoyed Jas's meddling family and the Northern California farm where they live.

Rai's characters often deal with serious, ripped from the headlines issues. Some are expected like the internet privacy debates that arise from viral posts, and the mental health representation that seems to be in all of her books. But I was surprised to see her address the pardoning of war criminals as well. There's a lot packed into this book!

Jas and Katrina's romance is such a slow burn that it feels like the end of the book is just the beginning of their story. I know that book three in the series will feature Jia, who is currently Katrina's roommate, so hopefully we'll see more of them in her book just like there was lots of Rhiannon and Samson from book one in this one.

While I enjoyed Girl Gone Viral, I just didn't love this book as much as the previous book in the series. I think that's because both characters were kind of cinnamon rolls and the romance took so long to develop. I just wanted a little more oomph.

I love Alisha Rai and I thoroughly enjoyed this second book in this series. Every character is well developed and unique, the characters made me fall in love with them immediately. I read this book in one sitting and FLEW through it. Highly recommend.

OᐯᗴᖇᐯIᗴᗯ: Katrina is at a cafe with her sexy bodyguard when she meets a random stranger and they strike up an innocent conversation. Unknown to them, a woman at the next table is live tweeting their exchange and they are about to go viral. (Think the lady on the plane and the unsuspecting pair sitting in front of her). Katrina wants to hide from the publicity so her bodyguard takes her to his family farm to wait out the media hype and they end up testing the boundaries of their employer/employee relationship.

ᗰY TᕼOᑌᘜᕼTᔕ: I fell in love with Kat and Jas from the start. I loved the way they were with each other no matter the situation. He was so protective of her, and you could tell it was for more than his job. Plus, Kat was a strong business woman who did not shy away from standing up for herself when it was needed. This was a perfect, romantic adventure!

ᖇᗩTIᑎᘜ: ★★★★★

I enjoyed Rai's The Right Swipe and I enjoyed this follow-up as well. I appreciated the open discussion of panic attacks and anxiety and how both can impact anyone - even people who have a great deal of financial independence and privilege. This book also did a nice job of exploring privacy violations in a world that seems to be all online all the time, surfacing the way that assumption can impact and exploit people who don't agree to participate.

Katrina is trying to deal with her anxiety disorder and new-found feelings for her bodyguard when she accidentally goes viral as #CafeGirl. Scared someone will recognize her and cause problems, she escapes with Jas to his family's farm, where their feelings for each other are sure to come out!
I really liked the characters, especially the secondary ones--the meddling friends and family! They were flushed out (even though some were introduced in the previous book) and entertaining. I also liked the varied descriptions of mental illness and what different disorders look like for different people (anxiety, PTSD, etc.), and how people can work through and live with these feelings.

Hey y'all! I hope week whatever this is of quarantine is going well for y'all! I had to take my dog to the vet this morning (it wasn't anything life threatening, but he had to get some vaccines and the vet though it would be best if he got them now rather than waiting another month or two for everything to open back up) and the little fatty has gained 2.5 pounds! On a big dog, this wouldn't be that big of a deal, but the ideal weight for my mini corgi, sheltie, australian shepard mix is 14 or so pounds- he's 17.5 right now, so he's chunky. We gotta cut down on the snacks. 

Speaking of snacks, I just read a book that was definitely a snack (I'm sure I'm not actually using that right, but whatever, we're going to go with it lol). Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon for letting me read Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai! This book comes out tomorrow, April 21, so make sure you grab it then! 

Girl Gone Viral 4/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads: OMG! Wouldn’t it be adorable if he’s her soulmate???
I don’t see any wedding rings [eyes emoji]
Breaking: #CafeBae and #CuteCafeGirl went to the bathroom AT THE SAME TIME!!!
One minute, Katrina King’s enjoying an innocent conversation with a hot guy at a coffee shop; the next, a stranger has live-tweeted the entire episode with a romantic meet-cute spin and #CafeBae is the new hashtag-du-jour. The problem? Katrina craves a low-profile life, and going viral threatens the peaceful world she’s painstakingly built. Besides, #CafeBae isn’t the man she’s hungry for...
He’s got a [peach emoji] to die for.
With the internet on the hunt for the identity of #CuteCafeGirl, Jas Singh, bodyguard, friend, and possessor of the most beautiful eyebrows Katrina’s ever seen, comes to the rescue and whisks her away to his family’s home. Alone in a remote setting with the object of her affections? It’s a recipe for romance. But after a long dating dry spell, 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…

OMG so this reminded me of that #planebae stuff that happened back in 2018 maybe? I remember how gross it was when it was happening, so being able to read a book based on something similar from the woman's point of view was great. Also, I loved Katrina when I read the Right Swipe, so I was super excited to be able to read her story. I feel like there was so much more to her backstory and her trauma that we didn't know about in the summary and in book one, so it was really nice to get to know her better and to understand why she was the way that she was. I also loved the South Asian elements- hello brown people! I loved Jas and his family and their farm! This was such a great book and I cannot wait to read more books by Alisha Rai!

If you’re looking for a contemporary romance with humor, depth, sexiness and diversity you must read the Modern Love series. This is the second book and you could totally read it on its own but the first book, The Right Swipe is fantastic as well. I like to think of these books as smart romances with heroines who may be flawed but are sharp as hell and their issues and problems are handled in a mature and believable manner. Add in a super cute romance and kick ass feminist characters and I was a happy girl.

I do want to warn that there are some heavy issues discussed here, PTSD, anxiety, and panic attacks just to name a few but they’re really well balanced with lighthearted plot aspects so I didn’t feel like it was too heavy. This had a few steamy moments but it was more tender than the first book and was lacking a little of the heat and chemistry of TRS but I didn’t care, I was totally into Katrina and Jas and adored how sweet they were together. Definitely recommended by me for any romance fans!

Girl Gone Viral
By: Alisha Rai @alisharaiwrites
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai from @netgalley and @harpercollins. The pub date for Girl Gone Viral is April 21st.
I read The Right Swipe in record time, and Girl Gone Viral was no different. They’re different books - this one is a little less steamy (🔥🔥🔥) - but equally as good. I’d highly recommend!
#callireads2020 #romcomreads #romance #NetGalley #GirlGoneViral #alisharai #ARC

4/5 stars!

Take a second and imagine you wake up and your favorite person has made your favorite breakfast. You have the day off from work, and absolutely nothing planned. You feel at peace and loved, and this day off is what you needed to soothe your soul.

That's how this book made me feel.

This book was such a welcome distraction during these stressful and anxiety inducing times. It had everything: likable and realistic characters, a cute dog, a romance years in the making, and a narrative on how hey, maybe we shouldn't spin up our own story on someone just trying to go about their day and thrust them in the spotlight.

I loved Katrina and Jas, and really the whole cast of characters. As someone who suffers from severe anxiety, Katrina's anxiety and panic attacks were so realistic and portrayed in a respectful way. Likewise, Jas was just so lovable, and the perfect male romance interest. His thoughtfulness and protectiveness of Katrina gave me butterflies, and I could read a whole book about them just going about their daily lives and growing old together. I also loved all the "side" characters, like Bikram, Andrés, and of course Rhiannon, Jia, and Doodle. I say "side" because while they weren't the main focus of the story, they were all present throughout the book and added another layer of depth. This whole book is full of cinnamon rolls and I LOVE THEM ALL.

The underlying message of the story, how maaaaybe not everyone wants to go viral, was also important in a time of social media and oversharing. I love a good meet cute story myself, but I had never really considered the repercussions going viral might have for someone. This was eye opening, and now I find myself thinking back to all the viral cute stories over the years and wondering how the people at their center fared.

Perhaps my only criticism was that the plot with Jas and McGuire felt almost like an afterthought. It was touched on in the beginning, forgotten about for most of the book, then brought back up again at the end. I think it was an important story that wasn't given enough page time and really felt glossed over. All the other side stories were well done and fleshed out.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a cute and feel good romance that touches on some deeper issues. I hope there's another installment in this series, because I am loving it! Many thanks to Avon and NetGalley for my review copy.

The Right Swipe was one of my favorite romances last year so I was looking forward to the follow up. I was intrigued by Katrina when we met her in the first installment, and I enjoyed reading her story. There were a lot of great tropes in this--he's her bodyguard! There's so much mutual pining! The characters are wealthy and can do whatever they want, and they have dramatic backstories, which makes for a fun read.

Katrina was such a sweet character, with a quiet strength even after everything she has been through. And I thought Jas was the perfect match for her. He's protective but he's been through his own trauma so he understands her. I wish we could have seen more of their earlier interactions through flashback. How long have they been pining for each other? When did it turn from friendship to more? We don't get to see as much of that on the page, since they have already known each other for so long.

I really liked the friendships in this book. Rhiannon is back, as well as her assistant Lakshmi. (When will Lakshmi get a break from saving everyone else's butts and get her own story?) I also liked seeing Jas open up to his friends and start to spend more time with people. It's something you don't see as much with the Heroes but men need friendship too! I'm looking forward to Jia's book and hoping to see more of these side characters in the future.

This is a grown-up love story. I loved seeing new romance from those over 40. Addin in family dram on all sides, a long history together, traumatic backstories and pushy friends this was perfect. I loved the way that "going viral" seemed like a good impetus for accelerating change that was already underway and that the main and supporting characters stayed true to the character development from previous novels set in this world.

Trigger Warning: Emotionally abusive parent, internet doxxing, PTSD

Reclusive former-model Katrina King's world goes from low-key lusting after her longterm bodyguard to being the second half of a viral live-tweet relationship—a relationship that was completely made up. Terrified of being outed, Katrina flees into the country with Jas, her bodyguard, and both slowly start to realize they have sparks for each other.

This was hella cute, but before I get into the review itself, this celebrity-gossip hungry nosy neighbor has a PSA:

Please, for the love of whatever you hold holy, do not live tweet other people's relationships.

If you find yourself tempted, follow these actions:

1. Assess the situation. Do you know, for a fact, what is happening? If no, don't tweet.
2. Think about how you'd feel? Talk about invasion of privacy.
3. If you absolutely must because you cannot contain your sense of squee, group chat that thing. Don't spread it on social media.

Also, second PSA: don't propose in a public place without thoroughly vetting this with the proposee. Just. Don't.

Okay, with that pesky business out of the way, on to the review!

I'll be honest, I was underwhelmed with The Right Swipe, and since I had requested this book before reading book 1 (whoops), I felt obligated to give it a try. And it more than delivered!

I definitely wanted to read more about Katrina, and this book was a delight with deeper undertones.

Katrina's past comes into light, along with her slow creep back into the public sphere after suffering through panic attacks intensified by an emotionally manipulative and abusive stage-father, and Jas's past is also revealed.

I might have rated this higher because of Jas's past, which hit on a lot of things that I felt so keenly. Particularly his courage in calling out a war crime, and the massive backlash that he and his fellow soldier received in being the whistleblowers. The sense of isolation and hurt from that incident and its aftermath, in addition to the PTSD he suffered from all of the other things he experienced before that, made my heart ache. There is nothing more painful than being forcefully driven away from the community that claimed it would cherish you for life, particularly when you did something painfully brave.

They used us until we were useless and then tossed us out, even while paying lip service to the ideals we were told we served.


Moral courage is harder than physical courage, and Jas paid that price in spades.

Anywho, after the whole #Cafebae and #CuteCafeGirl go viral, and the douchecanoe Katrina politely rejected reveals his douchecanoery by claiming that they were indeed an item, Jas spirits Katrina to the countryside and coincidentally reveals his own family issues.

In my mind, corn and clowns and farms all go hand-in-hand. And bears. Are there bears?


I loved his family.

Particularly his grandfather, who was fucking hilarious, underhanded and just not ashamed at anything when it came to bringing his family together.

Jas's family dynamic was awesome, particularly since he was the child who left while his non-heir-to-the-family-fortune stepbrother stayed and ran the show.

I also loved Katrina's culture shock, going from the glamorous city life to the poor countryside, and then realizing that there is country rich, too. And that there are no bears near Sacramento. Not so sure on the clown side.

The best part of the book was Katrina and Jas' growing relationship, as they navigated from client-employer to something deeper, and both learned that they had to open up and make themselves vulnerable in order to make their relationships work—and that despite having lived with each other for nine years they still didn't know everything about each other.

Rai did a fantastic job in subtly calling out the trope of alpha men being so utterly devoted to their heroine's every need and whim that their own desires become whatever the heroine wants. Jas has lived his entire life devoted to Katrina, and it's funny (and honest) how quickly his "whatever you want I want" answers become old, fast, despite it being the ideal for men. I liked that Jas slowly grew his own motivations and learned to express what he liked, and how he realized that it's not healthy to utterly devote yourself to one person's every whim. It's good to be a little selfish, too.

I liked their relationship and I liked where it was going, and I also liked the supporting characters. This is definitely a much better entry in the Modern Love series, and I'm intrigued to see where it goes next.

Also, the rep in this book is off the charts!

The only things I wasn't fond of was the resolution between the initial cause of drama, and how quickly and easily some very complicated situations were wrapped up.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review

I really wanted to like this book because the first book in this series was a disappointment to say the least. And even though I liked Katrina and Jasvinder as individuals.... as a couple? They were boring because their romance was boring. I feel like the author spent too much time in the attempt to get these two together and for me...as a reader, by the time this couple did say "I love you" to each other, I was not interested any longer.

I won't be continuing with this series.

Alisha Rai continues her fantastic Modern Love series with Katrina King's story. Katrina is enjoying her time at a friend's coffee shop when she's approached by a man. The interaction ends, but it's not long before #cafebae and #cutecafegirl are trending on twitter and everyone agrees they're OTP. However, Katrina has had enough of the spotlight and is trying to desperately stay out of hit. With the help of her sexy bodyguard, Jas, they escape to safety to his family home.
This modern love story is one for the ages. I loved learning about Katrina and Jas' backstories and the chemistry between them was amazing.

I enjoyed this latest installment in the Modern Love series because I could relate to Katrina. She has a ton of PTSD issues and suffers from panic attacks. She's isolated and only interacts with a select group of people, personally and professionally. I love the way she handled her father and the media frenzy. People like Ross and the girl who fictionalized their encounter are honestly some of the grossest people, so I'm glad Katrina stated point-blank that none of it was true. However, I did feel that it was a bit anticlimactic. The entire story revolved around this CafeBae conflict, and in the end it's easily resolved by Katrina's statement. Then we hear nothing else about it for the last 10-15% of the book.

At first I loved Katrina and Jas's relationship. I love tropes where the love interest is either a bodyguard or in some other position that involves protecting the woman he loves. However, they didn't kiss until halfway through the book, and then they don't actually engage in intimate acts until at least 60% in. The lovemaking happens in the very last chapter. For a romance novel, I would've liked to see more...romance. Of course, there are little things that can be just as intimate - touches and expressed sentiments and oral sex. Sometimes this can hold up a romance without going any farther, but in this case I felt it was a little lacking.

I enjoyed this book much more than the first in the series. For me, I felt the romance in this book shined greater than in the previous. Katrina and Jas are both quiet, sweet, and private people. They have been in love with each other for awhile, but it takes a series of events to change their lives enough for them to act on their feelings. It is SO hard for both of them to see what is in front of them, which gives me life when I’m reading a romance. I think this might have been my first bodyguard romance, but since Alisha Rai wrote it I had to read it. So many good things in this book: dog love, family, actual nice people getting their happy endings, real discussion about mental illness, and so much more. Alisha Rai is great at crafting a romance set in a backdrop of hiding from a modern phenomenon (going viral and the repercussions of it), and I was pleased with how she wrote about this experience. Also, the friendships in this book were amazing. Good to see Rhi and Samson again, and I hope we get to read Jia’s story!

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Oh, wow. This was such a miss for me and I am so sad it was. When I started this book, I thought the premise was so promising with how Katrina is a super private person, has anxiety, and hates attention, so when she goes viral, her bodyguard whisks her away to his farm house hours away. A bodyguard romance!? YES. Sadly, this book ended up being so boring and the romance was overshadowed by other storylines.

The story in this book was very slow moving and I hated how we still have a lot of unknowns about these characters' pasts. Katrina is a very complex character, but I feel like her backstory was not developed to its full potential. I still have questions about her relationship with her deceased husband and what happened to her that has scared her from having attention on her again. Then, with Jas's character, we didn't really get his full story until almost the very end and I wish that we had that in the beginning. There was drama currently happening the related to his past, but we only got conversations about it, not any confrontation with it or something more substantial.

As for the romance, it was sweet, but it didn't really go anywhere. Jas's issues with his family overshadowed his romance and I didn't really find myself caring about when Jas and Katrina were going to get together. There wasn't really a spark for me and I was more bored that anything while reading. While I really enjoyed The Right Swipe, I just wasn't a fan of this book.

Girl Gone Viral is a cute, sweet read that dealt with serious issues. It delved into invasion of privacy among others. I enjoyed it. It's very much a romance as well as a bromance and a shemance. It looks at relationships and their dynamics; the relationship between the hero and heroine, Jas and Katrina, the relationship they each have with their friends as well as their families and the relationship they have with themselves. I loved that aspect of it as well as the fact that they were both pining for each other unbeknownst to the other. I found it quite enjoyable and recommend it.

THIS IS SO CUTE.

I loved it!, this book is the perfect sweet escape and I adored the characters and the romance. 10/10 for me! :) thank you so much to Netgalley and Avon Books for approving me an advanced copy. I can’t wait to share a full review on Instagram and my blog!

Katrina King is best friends with Rhiannon and is her silent partner with their dating app, Crush. She is also a former model with a panic disorder and ptsd after surviving and escaping an abusive childhood. One day, after her therapy session she decides to hang out at the cafe where she met with her therapist and meets Ross. Unbeknownst to her, a couple sitting at the next table live-tweet the whole interaction and spin it as a romantic meet-cute. Katrina worries about being doxxed and with her bodyguard, Jasvindar Singh, they go to Yupa City where his family owns a peach farm. But Jas has his own demons and his own reasons for wanting to run away; a former soldier he served with shot him when he interrupted him attempted to kill an unarmed civilian and is up for pardon.

Jas and Katrina have been together for over a dozen years, since her marriage to Hardeep and then Jas stayed on as her security after his death. They both love the other, but neither is willing or able to speak up about their attraction and affection, due in part to the fact Kat employs Jasvinder. Being alone outside their familiar setting gives them a chance to open up to each other until they’re finally able to confess their feelings.

I really enjoyed this book and it was such a fun read. I loved and hated the oblivious mutual attraction (please just say something!!) and especially love the central theme of chosen family that comes up, especially for Katrina. I also appreciate the validation of platonic love as valid and not less than romantic love, as well as the various queer side characters. It is even implied that Kat’s husband, Hardeep, was asexual and another side character is aromantic. This helps this romance feel more welcoming to me as a queer a-spec reader.

Overall this was a really good romance and had a nice slow burn element thanks to the mutual attraction. I also loved the ways both Kat and Jas grow and navigate their boundaries and needs.