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!

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

Sadly, this is my least favorite of the three books in this series. I didn't find much relatable in the professions of choice for either of the main characters, and was very uncomfortable with the story arcs involving familial betrayal and lack of empathy with their family members.. I did like the relationship between the male lead and his niece and uncle. I still found the book to be pretty good, and I will read the next (assuming there is one) in this series. I'd even look forward to a book involving how these same main characters deal with the upcoming changes in their professional lives.

I’ve loved all of Alisha’s previous books but I think this one is my favorite. I loved both main characters and their rich backgrounds with their families. Both characters were from cultures I didn’t know a lot about and I love how they were weaved into their characters. I really liked this book.

3.5 wholesome + sweet + creative stars to this cutie! It’s the 3rd book in the Modern Love series and pub day is February 16th! Thank you so much to avonbooks + netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Like the two other books in this series, I really enjoyed that this book is full of modern dating scenarios, diverse characters featuring different cultural and religious beliefs, discussions of mental health, strong female leads, bonds of sisterhood and swoonworthy romance. Jai is a YouTube celebrity, famous for her makeup tutorials, who for over a year has been falling in love via her DMs with Dev, a Bollywood actor. Dev is finally in LA, working on an American TV show. Jai is excited to meet him except for one small detail- Dev has no clue who she is. Turns out someone has been catfishing Jai from his account their entire correspondence. Can IRL romance bloom once this misunderstanding has been cleared? This book was a fun, quick lighthearted read that brightened my day.

This was so cute! Even though it was a literal zero on the steam meter until very close to the end, the chemistry between Jia and Dev was off the charts the whole time! I loved the concept of how these two got together, and I think the conflict and confusion was realistic and wasn't glossed over too easily. I also really enjoyed the fact that Jia's and Dev's culture played such an important role in their relationship and their behavior throughout the book. It was not necessarily a "typical" romance, but I absolutely loved it. This is definitely my favorite of Alisha Rai's Modern Love series so far. I'm crossing my fingers that we might get Lakshmi's story next?!

My thanks to Avon and NetGalley for an advance reader's copy.

3 / 5

This was a really sweet book but it lacked tension and it was sometimes hard to get through because it felt like not much was happening despite the premise.

Jia is an influencer trying to get her metrics back up, Dev is an Indian soap opera star, and they’ve been dming for a little while. Or so Jia thinks. On the day where she finally gets ready to meet him it turns out she’s been catfished. Despite the circumstances of their first encounter, Jia proposes a fake dating scenario to Dev after the press releases a photo of them that elicits concern and outrage from her family. As time goes, however, they both wish the relationship wasn’t so fake afterall.

The premise sounded so exciting and amazing, and I have to say I went into it expecting a lot so the way the trope was executed was a little disappointing to me. It all started well with their meeting and discussing the fake dating arrangement: Jia’s parents set a date to visit and the publicity could help them both. However, we never see them having to act “being together”. Jia’s parents meet Dev once they’ve confessed they had feelings for each other and they never do anything for the press, on the contrary they try to stay hidden from the public. I wouldn’t say the fake dating has no impact on them because they do have some insecurities about it but it kind of fell flat. I think that overall the book lacked tension, and there were some wild plot points thrown in there but I never felt at the edge of my seat or any real angst.

Jia’s and Dev’s relationship was very sweet and there were a few moments that made me smile, but again, I didn’t feel a great deal of chemistry between them. I will even say that I thought a story between Jia and Lakshmi would’ve been so much more interested and I found myself way more invested in the three scenes they had together than the actual romance of this book.

I really did like the characters though! Jia’s perspective was very interesting as an influencer who’s been around a few years and is seeing these very young people thrive on different platforms (tiktok seems to be alluded to) and trying to not feel down about her own numbers, especially after her break. Her career choice also hasn’t pleased her parents and she feels the pressure of wanting to impress them and for them to be proud of her. She’s always felt like “too much”, too ditzy, too impulsive, especially compared to her other sisters who have become doctors and settled like it was expected of them.

Dev also hasn’t entirely lived up to people’s expectations. Instead of following in the footsteps of his ultra-famous Bollywood family to act in huge movies, he’s turned to television and soaps. While his career was still highly successful in India, he decided to move to California after his brother’s passing. He’s also now become responsible for his niece, Luna, and his brother’s crushing debts. I really loved his relationship and dynamic with both Luna and his uncle Adil. The three of them have become a little family of their own with their ups and downs but lots of love. Dev is truly trying his best when it comes to Luna, especially as he’s not fully aware of how his own brother treated her. She seems to have some unpacked trauma and abandonment issues but we can see throughout the book that she feels secure in her uncle’s love for her and that is everything.

Alisha Rai also proposes a different perspective than most books here with a muslim and demisexual heroine who wants to wait for marriage to have sex. This is always respected by Dev as he’s always attuned to her needs and wants, and never portrayed as something she should be pressured into.

Something unexpected is that I think there were some covert COVID refenres throughout this book. Jia is said to have been ill and had to quarantine from her roommates, her sister also got sick with lasting effects impacting her lungs, there’s talks of better work-from-home programs, and Luna also takes ill at some point. It’s never confirmed and the world isn’t affected by it beyond these few mentions, but I thought it was pretty relevant.

Overall this was a sweet book and although I wanted more from it, I still enjoyed it a lot!

This is the third novel in Alisha Rai's Modern Love series following Jia, a YouTuber, and her relationship with Dev, a Bollywood actor. Jia and Dev have been messaging via Insta DMs for a while and she finally wants to meet - however, Dev has no idea who she is when she walks up to him at a party. Jia realizes she's been catfished, but that doesn't explain why the texts came from Dev's official account if it wasn't him. Dev finds out what happened (I won't spoil), and him and Jia decide to get involved in a fake relationship for other reasons that I won't spoil... to their dismay, they begin to grow feelings.

I really loved Jia and Dev as characters in here. They had great voices and I think Jia in particular was a character who had depth and real insecurities that made sense for her past. Their romance is a lot more chaste (at least to begin with) than those in Alisha Rai's other books, but its super cute and they have lot of love and mutual respect for one another.

However, my main issue is the set-up. Of course, I knew what I was getting into with a catfishing plot, but I enjoyed the first two books and wanted to hear Jia's story. While I could understand the catfishing set-up, even after explanation, it still didn't fully come together for me. I think this may just be my aversion to this trope ... can we call it a trope? I understood using the plot as a way to explain Dev's family drama, but there were a lot of moving parts. It got a bit confusing and it made it harder to buy into the romance and their relationship initially.

I also wish I had seen more of Jia's career. She constantly discusses with Dev how important her career is to her, but there's only one or two scenes where she's actually vlogging. The beach trip I won't include since there was barely anything other than a small scene of Jia taking IG pictures. It made her backstory and insecurities about her job feel less grounded in the story even as I understood them and felt for her.

However, despite these issues, this was a fun read. They were a cute couple and even though the set-up was off for me, I liked where they ended up. I think this also discussed family expectations in a really nuanced way. I'd likely give this 2.5/5 or 3/5 but I would still recommend if you've enjoyed the other books in the series.


[I got an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, and also listened to the audiobook via Libro.fm's ALC program]