Jia things she has been messaging with Dev Dixit for over a year, so when he moves to California for work, she crashes a party to meet him face- to-face... only to have him not have a clue who she is. It turns out that someone is Dev’s family has been masquerading as him. In order to save face (both of them are in the public eye), they pretend to date.

I love how low-key the drama was in this book. Not to say that Jia and Dev don’t have problems and their lives aren’t stressful, but it felt so relatable. They both have family obligations, want more from their careers, and bring baggage and insecurities that are collected just from being human. But they don’t lash out at each other. Their relationship is a source of comfort for both of them and I love the communication and straight-forward-ness of everything.

This was my first Alisha Rai novel and it certainly will not be my last. I am planning on reading the first two books in the Modern Love series sooner rather than later.

Jai is a famous social media beauty influencer who has been involved in an online flirtation off of and on with a soap opera star and part of a hugely famous family of Bollywood actors. While he is hesitant to meet in person, Jai decides to make it happen and shows up to an industry event. There, things do not go as planned when he does not appear to know who she is.

Jai, who moved to the United States for a change in his acting career, realizes that someone must have been messaging Jai pretending to be him and offers to make it up to her. After Paparazzi posts pictures portray them to be in a romantic relationship, Jai asks Dev to pretend date her to help save her public reputation and escape her family’s disappointment. Jai has his own family drama and concerns but is happy to help this women who he can’t stop thinking about.

I loved reading Dev & Jia’s story which was unique in so many ways. I cannot speak to the accuracy of same but the discussions of religious beliefs and family dynamics I found to be insightful and handled respectfully. This was definitely more sweet than steamy but I enjoyed it just the same.

If you enjoy diverse, slow build, sweet, good natured romance novels this is definitely a great one to pre-order now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Publishers for the arc in exchange for my honest feedback.

This is just what I needed amid these dreary winter lockdown days. It was full of light, cheery vibes and the kind of innocent love that makes you hopeful for mankind. (lol. Seriously, when will covid end?) This one has a fake relationship turned real trope. There’s a hijabi heroine and a Bollywood star. They’re respectful and family oriented. Need I say more? A delightful, modern story that’ll be released on Valentine’s Day.

Such a fun finale to an amazing trilogy. I’m just sad it took me so long to read these books. First comes Like can be read as a stand-alone but I’m so glad I binged on the first two last month as they provided great context to the friendship and family dynamics. I really enjoyed the Indian and Pakastani representation (though I’m not own-voices so can’t speak to accuracy) and the Bollywood references. This book (like the others in the series) does an amazing job illustrating the power of friendship and sisterhood. And it isn’t quite as steamy as the first two books but was definitely a sexy, fun slow build. Recommend for fans of authors such as Jasmine Guillory and Alexa Martin.

Thank you Avon and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

DNF. Unfortunately, this was a book I started multiple times but could just not get into. I appreciate having the opportunity to read this book (as well as an ALC from LibroFM), it was just not a good fit for me as a reader.

Fun, interesting, quick read! Both the main characters (Jia and Dev) are likable. Interesting, though predictable storyline.

Received this ARC from Net Galley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest review. This is the third installment in the Modern Love trilogy and I think it was the best of the three. It had everything I wanted: romance, new beginnings, deception, paparazzi, and cat fishing. I enjoyed the third of the female characters, Jia. It’s definitely not necessary to read the other books in the trilogy, but I would recommend them all.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First Comes Like is a great modern romance: YouTube Star Jai has been chatting on social media with Bollywood star Dev and has totally fallen for him... until she meets him at an event, he has no idea who she is, and she realizes she’s been catfished. But, when paparazzi catch the not-couple together, a fake dating cover story develops.

I adored this book! I felt myself just grinning throughout the whole thing. I usually don’t love the fake dating trope but this was done well. We see a lot of depth in both lead characters as well as a lot of great secondary story development. There are appearances of characters from Ms Rai’s other books but this is easily read as a stand-alone without losing any part of the story.

Overall, if you like YouTube/make up vloggers, Bollywood movies, or just love a good complicated family story I highly recommend this sweet romance.

I bought this book was interesting because the people were very religious and modest, which added an interesting twist to the typical rom-com.

This book was really good. I’ve read the whole series now and Dev is my favorite guy. I LOVE how into her craft he was. I could really tell why they fell in love - which is hard for romance novels sometimes!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Alisha’s romance novels have a special place in my heart, so I was already excited for the release of this trilogy finale. And then when I got the opportunity to be a part of the blog tour, I was ecstatic. And this book lived up to all my expectations.

Jia is such a wonderful character. As a South Asian woman, I personally know how hard it is to defy our parents’ expectations from us and carve our own path, so Jia choosing to be a beauty influencer with an ambition to do more is really very admirable in my eyes. Dev on the other hand is an Indian soap opera star trying his hand in American television, but I loved how down to earth he is and knows what his priorities are. Even though their relationship takes a very unique and slightly unconventional path, I loved the bond they formed with each other and they just felt perfect for each other. Her impulsive nature and his steady supportive calm are great complements and i thorough enjoyed reading about them.

The friendships that have developed throughout this series and fully in display again and I can’t describe how much I love all these brilliant strong women Alisha has created. We get to see some fascinating older women too in the form of Jia’s mom and Dev’s grandma, and it was such an overall excellent ensemble. The plot is entertaining and sweet, the pacing is just fast enough for us to want to know what’s gonna happen next already, and the characters are so lovable. I also loved that Alisha decided not to go with unnecessary break up/make up subplot because I was really dreading that third act which has become so predictable. But Alisha never disappoints and I should have just trusted her writing.

In conclusion, this is a very lovely romance with a sweet couple and full cast of supportive side characters. If you have enjoyed any of Alisha’s novels previously or just like romance novels with smart heroines and nice heroes, this one is perfect for you. I can’t believe this series is already over and I can’t wait to see if Alisha will write a spin-off with Lakshmi’s story next.

This sweet romance follows Jia, a beauty influencer who discovers she's been catfished by an Indian film star when she goes to meet him at an event. When Jia meets the real Dev a dinner to clear the air and gets answers ends with a photographer capturing them together. They decided to start fake dating after word gets out to Jia's family that the two are an item- but they soon discover they may like each other enough to date for real.
This was a very slow-burn taking the characters' conservative backgrounds into account and is much less steamy than the previous books in the Right Swipe series.
Still, it was a sweat read for romantics at heart and those who love Rai's characters.
Many thanks to Avon Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I thought this was a cute story but nothing crazy special. I have a hard time reading stories that involve catfishing but i like the way this one ended. I learned more about Jia and Dev's culture, including Bollywood. I listened to the audio of the book and it helped me through some drives.

I loved the first two books in the series and this one was no exception. Rai is the master (mistress?) of balancing love and steaminess in her novels as well as always writing diversity into her characters and plotlines.

This installment fits in well on many aspects (the strong social media storylines, and the emphasis on female friendships) but different in one big way: there isn’t much sex. Because it follows Jia, a social media influencer who has decided to wait until marriage to have sex, we have a mostly chaste book with lots of romantic elements.

Even though that’s not usually my preference, there’s enough love and sweetness to make up for it, and the longing that the characters have for eachother fills the void where the physical aspects would usually be.
You definitely don’t have to read the other books in order to enjoy this one but it’s great to see Katrina and Rhiannon moving forward with their fabulous lives.

I hope this isn’t the last in the series, because I’m really hoping we get Lakshmi’s story next.

It's interesting to see Rai go in such a sweet direction! I think the combo of slow burn and slow narrative pace kept me from truly loving it. It got off to such a strong start but it took a while to really kick into gear with the fake dating trope. I think this is a great pick for people who love lots of involved family in romances and people who like the intersection of faith and romance.

This is the first book I've read by Alisha Rai and I'll most likely read more. It has a little more depth than most rom coms and I like that Jia is very much an independent woman, not just waiting around for a man.

Alisha Rai’s third installment in her Modern Love series is unique from the first two. Both The Right Swipe and Girl Gone Viral had instant attraction and visible chemistry between the two main characters. First Comes Like, on the other hand, begins with a catfishing scandal between two celebrities. Dev and Jia have an incredibly slow build up to the establishment of their relationship-- if that is not for you then you probably will not like this book. However, I thought the foundation laid for their friendship that ultimately grew into mutual respect and caring, and then love was realistic and the ideal set up for marriage (or a long term relationship in general). While this book was quite different from the rest of the series, and therefore not what I was expecting at all, I really enjoyed it. Rai provides an up close look into the lives of two incredibly unique characters through her use of multiple points of view. Jia is a Muslim beauty influencer and Dev is a former Bollywood star from a family of famous actors and actresses turned into a B list Hollywood celebrity. They are able to provide a different side of the Hollywood/LA world as well as an insight into their respective cultures, which many readers are likely not familiar with. Overall, this was a beautiful story that I am so glad I picked up. I am definitely looking forward to more of Rai’s works in the future!

Meet the book that kept me up till 2am because I couldn’t put it down (thx for the digital copy, @avonbooks). I was so caught up in Jia and Dev’s story, it was so sweet and enticing! I’ve realized I’m a sucker for a good story that shows strong family ties and really enjoyed how the family relationships play out. I will definitely be buying this to add to my shelves when it comes out on 2/16!

Quick read about a beauty influencer (Jia) and a Bollywood star (Dev) with lots of family baggage. They meet through her being catfished through Dev's social media accounts and then develop feelings for each other in real life. I liked the characters but nothing really happened in this book. There were a few moments with a tiny bit of tension (i.e., Jia incorrectly interpreted what Dev was thinking, worried about it, asked Dev about it, and it was resolved) but it just sort of plodded along with no real excitement or tension. It was a sweet story and I liked seeing how different cultures approached marriage but I was hoping there would have been more to the plot.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!