Another great addition to Alisha Rai's Modern Love series, this book continues a common theme that I love about her books: main characters who are great, 'flaws' and all, and who find love through learning to trust themselves and each other.

I liked the characters well enough but this story was much slower than the prior two books in the series. And the characters together lacked chemistry. Nonetheless, it was a fun read for what it is.

I really enjoyed this book but it seems like i didnt enjoy it as much as others who have already reviewed. I cant wait for this to come out though and more people to read it!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for my copy of First Comes Like in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series and was looking forward to Jia's story. And It started out good for me with the catfishing story line and them discovery, but the more the relationship developed between Jia and Dev, the less I liked it. I just did not feel that connection between them and was not invested in their HEA. I really expected Jia to be a stronger character with more grit, and she just felt more like a pushover to me. And I felt like Dev was just not enough for me, to insecure and closed off, and he was just not into Jia as much as I wanted him to be. I was glad to get to check back in with the Rhiannon and Katrina, and even more so to get to know Lakshmi bettter.

the worst ever muslim rep!

cant believe i had to sit through this train wreck. all it gave was a healthy dose of rise in blood pressure. also non muslims should stop writing muslim characters

This was a great addition to the series! I really enjoyed this and will definitely be reading more of Alisha Rai!

This shared universe romance is charming. Jia, a social media influencer, has fallen for soap opera star Dev--but what she's really fallen for is dialogue he's written. She's been catfished. And worse, she only finds out once she arranges surreptitiously to meet him in person, only to discover he doesn't have any clue who she is. Well, there's your setup. Dev is earnest and refreshingly real, and he really wants to fix the harm Jia's experienced. Despite the lack of a meet-cute, can these two make something real? Of course they can. Their respective friends and family have to reach an understanding, but readers will cheer for these two shy people, who live in the spotlight, to find happiness. This is another winner from Alisha Rai.

I am sorry for not reviewing fully but I don’t have the time to read this at the moment. I believe that it wouldn't benefit you as a publisher or your book if I only skimmed it and wrote a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for not fully reviewing!

I am a lover of all books in a series especially this one. I was beyond excited to receive an ARC of this novel. It was my least favorite book in the series. This book just didn’t measure up in terms of plot and character development. I would still read other books by this author.

I love the multicultural relationship in this book. Alisha Rai books are an auto buy for me and this one is perfect for those individuals who don’t like a lot of steam in their romcoms.

I will not hold the female narrator against Alisha. I could hear the personality that was SUPPOSED to be there. She didn't really do voices for the characters well...or at all. However, the man's narration was sublime and made it worthwhile.

I appreciated hearing the perspective of a semi-kind of-arranged marriage. Even if it was via catfishing on social media. It was cute.

Also, I enjoy reading/listening to different cultures and this was one of those windows in to a culture that I can only see from the outside as it's very different from my own. And I like learning more about it.

Every Alisha Rai book is better than the last. Her social media presence will also make this an easy sell for younger romance readers. Highly recommend.

An all-around heartwarming delight of a romance! Jia and Dev were wonderful protagonists that I was rooting for from the get-go, none of the plot-obligatory misunderstandings dragged on for too long, and it was a lot of fun to see the Hollywood setting through the eyes of two characters who were a bit jaded by it without being mean. I've read all the Modern Love and Forbidden Hearts books, and there is quite a bit of crossover in terms of characters from previous books showing up, but I think you could read this one without the others and still understand everything just fine. The new supporting characters stole the show, though! Adil Uncle should get his own book ;_; I would really like to have had more time for Jia and Luna to bond but I realize that that would have made the book too long.

Mainstream romance featuring an observant Muslim heroine (!) in extremely fashionable hijab (!!) and both hero and heroine have decided to wait for marriage and it's their choice and nobody is weird about it (!!!) is hard to find, so: if you're looking for that, here it is! If you're not actively searching for any of those things, come anyway for the absolutely bonkers and engaging plot featuring: catfishing, single dad must marry to preserve his adopted daughter's inheritance, fake dating to fool the parents, there was only one bed, we must get engaged immediately to save our reputations!, and the hero buying all of the heroine's skincare recommendations. Not for her. For himself, because he trusts her opinion.

Quick note because I saw a question about sexual content -- there isn't a whole lot, because the hero and heroine do wait for marriage, but the wedding night scene does NOT fade to black and I would not describe this as "clean" romance. I know folks don't necessarily expect a fade-to-black romcon based on a cartoon cover these days and it's not as spicy as, say, The Kiss Quotient, but there is sex and it is described on the page.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Influencers aren't always my thing, but the author writes the Jia Amed in a very real and complicated way. Family is the center of this book with all of its complications. Dev Dixit is a star as attractive in his personality as he is in his looks.

I am so happy to see the number of diverse romances that have been hitting the shelves this past year. If you are looking for a fake romance to lovers romance book that honors diversity and culture, this is the book for you.

First comes like, is the 3rd books of the Modern Love series of Alisha Rai and it didn't disappoint. The story is cute and does a good job of introducing the characters' culture. It is a little tamer on the physical aspect of the other books in the series but it was a good read.

I loved Jia and Dev. Their journey to their HEA was a joy to read. They manage to find their way to each other despite their families meddling.

A good read, probably my least favorite in the series. The characters, though endearing, felt like they were constantly at a distance from the reader, that we didn’t get to know them truly well enough to root for them.

books in the Modern Love series, and this is perhaps one of the sweetest ones. That's both a plus and a bit of a warning for those who is used to Rai's rather steamier offerings.

Beauty vlogger Jia Ahmed is a refreshing lead, actively engaging in the world of influencers and unapologetically enjoying the empowerment – yet also having bigger dreams. The meet-cute comes in the form of catfishing when she approaches Bollywood royalty Dev Dixit at a party after he's landed a role in the U.S. Even though she's been messaging with him for months, he has no idea who she is.

As they get to the bottom of the mix-up, the paparazzi get involved, which leads to the fake relationship trope. I enjoy this whole setup, and yet the progression feels rather tepid to me, which meant their expected attraction didn't feel entirely earned ... or at least a bit too intense too fast. I've been reading a lot of YA fare from Sandhya Menon lately though, and perhaps I've been used to that slower pace for the more puppy love in those books. Whereas here, I felt it was YA ... until it was serious.

Regardless, I enjoyed each of the character work, especially the building out of each family. There are some siblings or cousins I fully expect to get their sequels.

The voice in this book was much different from Alisha Rai's others in this series. The narrator's felt more stilted and formal. It read like an older romance novel, one of the pocket paperbacks with soft pastels and Fabio on the cover. It was charming and chaste. The parts that felt the most alive were when the reader saw our protagonists working on a soap opera set or dealing with influencer culture.

The third in Rai's Modern Love trilogy, First Comes Like feels slightly different from some of Rai's past work -- mostly in pacing and sex factor, as the two characters centered in First Come Like do not believe or engage in sex before marriage. With her characteristic smarts, Rai spins a new version of the "fake boyfriend" trope in this catchy and delightful romance that explores religion, culture, and individuality set against the backdrop of big, viral celebrity.