Dev is a Desi soap star. Jia is a beauty social media influencer. They started talking after he slid into her DM’s. When he gets cagey about meeting her in-person after moving to the States, Jia confronts him at a party, but he doesn’t know who she is. Turns out she’s been catfishes. But neither of them can stay away, and when the tabloids —and their families— get involved, they quickly go from strangers to spouses. Can love blossom when marriage is rushed into?

I loved this modern Muslim woman’s romance! Jia and Dev both follows propriety and modesty according to Islam, and I looked forward to seeing how this steamy romance author would make those scenes happen. It does drag a bit at the end, though. It feels like the final complication/miscommunication was thrown in there because the editor said it needed something more— that there wasn’t enough conflict between the male and female leads.

On the chaste to steamy scale, it’s a 5.

Diverse reads:
- Jia is a practicing Muslim who wears a hijab and prays in the story. Her family is South Asian, but Jia grew up on the East Coast.
- Dev is Indian; his mom was Muslim and his dad Hindu, but Dev while very polite is non-practicing.

First Comes Like was pure escapism -- I'm not usually a big romance reader, but I really fell in love with Jia and Dev's relationship. While they had their fair share of drama, I found them to have great chemistry from the start, which is usually my biggest complaint with romance. They didn't feel forced and I believe truly respected and cared for one another. Dev was super swoon worthy, but Jia ultimately stole the show. She understood her weaknesses and could admit when she was wrong, but she was also confident and self-assured.

Most importantly, this story stood out for the way it dealt with diversity/representation in the media through Dev's new acting job in the U.S. and the role of social media and influencers on body positivity and self esteem through Jia's career. These are important topics, and as a POC, I really valued the way it didn't shy away from these issues but complemented the fun, light-hearted air of this romantic story.

I've enjoyed reading many of Alisha Rai's entertaining romance novels, and I thought I had already found my favorite, but now I know it's FIRST COMES LIKE.

Rai's talent really shines in this fresh story about a sweet Muslim influencer and a devoted Bollywood hero. Protagonist Jia Ahmed is relatable despite her beauty and social media success, yet is the tragedy-ridden oldest brother and grandson Dev that will capture readers' hearts. Their innocent courtship and fauxmance is delightful, but its Dev's backstory and family reunions that will grip readers.
This is definitely Rai's best book to date and shows her depth of talent. Congratulations.

Thank you for the ARC

Twenty-nine-year-old Jia Ahmed crashes a Hollywood party to meet a man she’s been texting with for over a year, but Dev Dixit doesn’t know who she is. A social media influencer, Jia has millions of followers for her online makeup tutorials. Dev, a famous Bollywood actor, is in L.A. for a filming project. Everyone thinks he’s wealthy, but his brother recently died, leaving Dev his debts along with guardianship of a teenage daughter. Dev’s grandfather left him an inheritance if he marries by age thirty-three, a few months away. But Dev won’t bow to pressure and has no plans to marry. Still, he can’t forget the gorgeous, confident woman he met at the party. Give this rom-com a chance, and you’ll be rewarded with a refreshing take on a familiar storyline.

Jia and Dev go from catfishing to fauxmance to like to love in Alisha Rai’s latest book First Comes Like. It’s the third book in her Modern Love series.

Jia is a makeup influencer thinking about making a career change to something offline.

Dev is a descendant of Bollywood royalty trying to strike out on his own with a television series set in America.

This book is so charming. If Hallmark made movies with completely diverse casts,, this would be the perfect Hallmark movie.

You will fall in love with Jia, you will fall in love with Dev and you will be cheering for them to reach their HEA.

This is also a great relatable family story. Dev’s complex family situation and the dynamic between Jia and her sisters and mother creates drama and humor
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This was my favorite of Rai’s Modern Love series. I would have liked an epilogue for updates on favorite characters and to see into the future a bit for Jia and Dev, but it was still a delightful book.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The third book in Alisha Rai’s Modern Love series is something of a departure, but no less delightful. Beauty influencer Jia Ahmed dreams of running her own company, and of meeting IRL the Bollywood hunk she’s been chatting with online. But when she attends a swanky LA party that Dev Dixit is at, he looks at her without recognition. Was it catfishing or is he just a jerk?

For his part, Dev can’t stop thinking about the beautiful woman in the headscarf who seemed so pleased to see him and then so disappointed that he didn’t know her. Perhaps he should track her down to apologize? But he’s also busy with his orphaned niece and his uncle and trying to get his US acting career off the ground.

I don’t want to give anything away, but the beats of this story were different than a typical Rai novel. Jia is a devout Muslim, which colors the story without being its central focus. She and Dev were very sweet as they got to know each other. There was a bit of instalove and the ending felt slightly rushed, but I hope it all works out for them!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review.

First off, I've been waiting for Jia's book ever since I first read about her in, Wrong To Need You. This book however, left me wanting a little more. Everything was just fine, the only exciting thing that did happen was at the beginning and that was it.

What a fun book! I've loved following Alisha Rai's other books and this one was special.

Beauty youtuber Jia Ahmed is trying to prove to her whole family of doctors that dropping out of med school to pursue her youtube career was the right move.

The grandson of Bollywood legend & a powerful Bollywood actor of his own Dev is trying to break into the new market of Hollywood TV while raising his niece even though he's not sure he's a good parent.

When Jia confronts Dev for ghosting her on social media, only for both of them to learn that Dev's cousin was catfishing Jia, Dev sets to work making amends to Jia. Through various hijinks both of them end up in a faux relationship that is obviously real to everyone but them. Their chemistry jumps off the pages and melts your heart!!

First Comes Like is a sweet love story. The plot is complicated, involving mistaken identities, pretend romances, wills with contingencies and all sorts of other familiar tropes. However, it works well. Alisha Rai's characters are always multi-dimensional and flawed, which helps to make them relatable. This title is different from most of her others in that the romantic relationship is quite chaste. It was nice to see this in a contemporary romance.

I've been waiting to read and review this book for so long, and so going into this read, I was already quite excited. I devoured Alisha Rai's first two books in her "Modern Love" series, The Right Swipe and Girl Gone Viral, where we were briefly introduced to Rhi and Kat's third roomie, Jia, who's a popular beauty influencer. Now, it's Jia's turn for some love. We start off with a nervous Jia about to crash a Hollywood party to meet her crush Dev, an international actor, that she thinks slid into her DMs a year ago. However, he doesn't recognize her and she realizes that she was catfished. Like the previous two books in the series, we see back and forth perspectives to get insight into both Dev and Jia's inner thoughts. While he doesn't recognize her, Dev is quite mesmerized by her beauty and confidence from the moment he saw her at that party. Also, it was great to see that Rhi and Kat both still have their HEAs with their love interests. That made me squeal once again because I love to see that. This book was a tad slow to start, especially in comparison to The Right Swipe and Girl Gone Viral, and I was just waiting for more than one hundred pages for that heat and action to pick up. And honestly, I'm just not as invested or feeling the butterflies as I was reading the first two books, this feels a lot slower. Back to the story, Dev wants to make up for the catfishing and agrees to fake date each other to appease her parents as they keep getting to know each other and the feelings deepen. There's a lot of build-up, but then during the road trip scene, that's truly the book's turning point for them and the book because that's where things start to pick up.

The POVs flip midchapter in some parts, which can be a bit abrupt at times. However, this book is still cute and true to Rai's style. Yes, it's less steamy and more romantic compared to her other books in the "Modern Love" series, but once again, I couldn't put it down. This book makes such a sweet addition to the series with a cute HEA and a similar style to the other books -- as soon as the pacing picked up halfway through.

I think Jia’s story was the sweetest, most lighthearted and well written one of the series! Ms. Rai adroitly and gently handled the sensitive issues like beliefs, conservatism, tradition, religion, grief, abandonment, self respect. Without provocation and trying to give political, social messages, she drew the line so professionally for giving us a unique romance and meaningful, motivational, poignant family bounding story with lovely characters.

Both Jia and Dev were decent, genuine, adorable MCs from the beginning and even though their love story seems like moved a little faster, it was not another example of haphazard, abrupt insta love. They clicked together as soon as their eyes met. Their chemistry was so obvious.

Both of their family members’ involvement into their relationship, the misunderstandings, class differences, inheritance problems, being legal guardian of his deceased brother’s niece and past family resentments are also well told, emotional. In my opinion, they were the most entertaining, heartwarming parts of the book.

The quick and brief summary of the story: Jia Ahmed knows the secret of being great makeup artist and tells her secrets on her videos effectively which makes her one of the greatest influencers. But now she’s getting closer to 30 and feeling old for this job, dreaming of starting her own makeup products business and she has been also chatting with Bollywood star Dev Naik for months and she’s charmed by his lyrical messages.

She thinks it’s time to meet him in person whether he suspiciously cancels their recent meetings at last minute emergencies. But Jia is invited at the same party he attends and she’s determined to surprise him by facing him in front of the crowd.

But as you may imagine their first encounter doesn’t go well as she’s planned. It’s obvious she’s catfished and Dev Naik has no idea who she is. But Dev couldn’t forget their encounter. He feels like he’s enchanted by her beauty and as he sees her walk away upset he wants to make sure she’s all right by using his contacts to reach her.

They both finally find out the catfishing schemes is connected with Dev’s recently deceased brother. Dev wants to compensate the humiliation his family caused to her and then the paparazzis catch them together. Their pictures are all over the tabloids! Unfortunately both of their families see those pictures.

Jia’s reputation at the stakes and Dev’s acting career can be ruined by rumors which gives them a idea to solve both of their problems: fauxmance! Acting like fiancees help the families stop worrying and Dev gets rid of being criticized by conservative and traditional audiences.

But of course a few dates later their blossoming romance kills any chance to have fauxmance between them.

Overall: it’s easy, fast, entertaining feel good read! There is no unnecessary drama, cliffhanger, angst, extreme circumstances. It’s natural, genuine, heartfelt family bond, sisterhood, friendship and love at first sight novel!

I’m giving four vivid, traditional, smiley, sweet stars!

This series is getting so much better at each book.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this lovely reviewer digital copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
I enjoyed it sooooo much!

I am between a 3.5 and 4, so I rounded up since I haven't read Alisha Rai before. Jia, Dev, and all of the side characters were fantastic, but the plot was a bit absurd at times which kept me from fully loving the story.

Jia Ahmed is an internet famous fashion and beauty vlogger who is determined to turn her internet fame into a successful career that will make her family proud. She has fallen for Dev Dixit through their online communication and can't wait to meet him in person now that he is living in LA. Dev is a famous Bollywood actor who emigrated to the US after the death of his brother to care for his niece and try his hand at American television...and has absolutely no idea who Jia is. They intend to go their separate ways once they realize Jia was catfished, but fate, and the paparazzi, gets in the way. To save Jia from embarrassment and to prevent a media scandal, they decide to fake date once rumors about their relationship grow, but it quickly becomes something real for both of them.

I loved every character in this book and their relationships with each other. Jia's friends and family were fantastic, and I now want to read the other books in the series to spend more time with them. Dev's complicated relationship with his family was also very interesting and made him even more likable.

The romance was actually the weakest part for me which I wasn't expecting. They didn't communicate directly much at all which left both questioning the other's feelings on multiple occasions and kept me wondering what was keeping them together. They also became super serious very quickly to the point it felt rushed, but there was enough there that I could believe it would grow into a strong relationship with time.

The first two books in the series were awesome reads so I had high hopes for Jia's story. When first introduced in an earlier series, I loved that in a family of doctors, Jia is crushing it as a social media influencer.

Jia thinks she's been texting with Bollywood royalty/superstar Dev. But when she attends an event, just so she can meet him in real life, he has no idea who she is. Embarrassed and heartbroken, Jia realizes she's been catfished.

Then Events Happen and Jia and Dev find themselves in a full-blown faux-mance.

This is a sweeter, softer, less steamy story than the first two books in the series. But the book has the same strong women helping each other vibe. Jia has her friends and her sisters, who even when they don't like her choices, still have her back.

I appreciated that mentions were made about Jia and one of her sisters having been seriously ill - a nod to Covid and how it affects lives. I loved that a Muslim woman who wears a hijab was a meg-successful social media beauty/lifestyle influencer.

The story moved quickly - so quickly that I was sure my ARC was missing chapters. I wanted more! While not my favorite of the series, I still really enjoyed First Comes Like and would definitely recommend it. If you're looking for a cozy, fast-paced, quick read, low steam, sweet, diverse romance - definitely choose First Comes Like.

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is my least favorite book in the series. It was still okay, but everything felt so off. The catfishing, the fake dating, the family tension, the chemistry. It was a lot.

I'm a huge Alisha Rai fan, and I've been so excited for Jia's book in the Modern Love series. Unfortunately while I liked this one, it didn't live up to (admittedly sky high) expectations. What worked for me? Jia and Dev are both great characters. I've really liked Jia since she was introduced in Rai's Forbidden Hearts series. She's the baby in a family with 5 sisters, almost all of whom are overachievers (and doctors). Jia dropped out of med school to become an influencer - she has a popular Youtube channel where she does makeup demos and reviews. She's been very successful, but has seen engagement drop since a recent longterm illness (obliquely referred to, but definitely...covid). She also always feels like she's disappointed her parents and doesn't fit in. Meanwhile Dev is a wildly popular soap opera star from India who comes from a family of Bollywood stars. He moves to LA for a fresh start and to work on a TV drama I pictured as This is Us. (I've never actually seen that, it's just what I imagined.) Anyway, Jia thinks she's been talking to Dev via text for months, but when she introduces herself in person and he has no idea who she is, she figures out she's been catfished. This was a great set up, and again, I loved the characters. I also loved seeing Jia's close friends Rhiannon and Katrina, who were featured in the first two books in the series, and both Dev and Jia's families were a delight. (Dev's relationship with his niece and his uncle were especially sweet.) But I felt that the pacing was a little off in this book - the ending felt a little rushed, and a few story lines felt unfinished to me. I also love Rai's angsty books, and this one was very low angst. Which is certainly nice - it's a stress free read - but I wanted at least a little more angst. This was a good read, and I'd recommend all of Rai's books, but this was my least favorite of the series. It's still a great series, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that there will be fourth starring Lakshmi.

First Comes Like is the third book in the Modern Love series by Alisha Rai. But we met our heroine Jai all the way back in the Forbidden Hearts series, with her sister Sadia in Wrong to Need You. Jai, our famous and beautiful heroine, has been teased through other books as a gorgeous woman and entrepreneur with a mind of her own. Our hero Dev is a certified Bollywood star that has moved to America to film a show for a streaming service.
Cat-fishing, mistaken identities, and some super- like vibes later we have a romance that is sweet and cute.

Those that are a fan of Rai's steamier reads like Serving Pleasure or Forbidden Hearts series (a personal favorite) might be disappointed in the lack of angst and steam. But this book is a delightful and diverse romantic romp. Jia is sunshine incarnate. She is that bright orange dress that looks amazing on you when you question your all black wardrobe choices. Dev is a cinnamon roll hero that will sweep you off your couch (I mean he is a Bollywood star).

It is also the perfect romance to give to new romance readers or even share with your mom. You've been bugging your mom to read more diverse books, throw this at her face.

Readers will fall in love with Jai's sunny disposition and Dev's charm. Enjoy!

I know there is an audience for this book. It wasn't really me. The story was cute enough, and the characters were okay, but I didn't find anything to connect me to them as I have in the others in this series. BUT I LOVE that the cover looks like it does and that the characters are who they are. Representation matters, and I was happy to see it here, but it didn't live up to the first two in this series.

First Comes Like starts as a story of friendship amid social media and Bollywood fame and grows into a sweet romance. Alisha Rai throws the reader into the middle of social media influencer status with Jia Ahmed. Jia is a smart, careful businesswoman in the unforgivingly fast-moving digital world. And we, readers, fall in love with her because she is as insecure as we are, and as easily duped. Alisha Rai introduces Indian culture via food, dress, and family. She guides the reader into the social media influencer’s demanding world, and she gives a glimpse into the movie-making culture. I usually don’t care for beards on men, but I’d love to meet Dev Dixit.

The catfishing aspect was a little much, as was the sexual relationship which went from 0 to 60 as soon as they got married. I know that part of the story reflected the cultural background of the characters, but it left me wanting more in a romance novel. I wish there had been a greater build-up of that part of their interactions.