*2.5 stars ⭐️*

Likes:
Firstly, I did not find any glaring problems concerning the Muslim representation. However, I am Malay Muslim, and cannot comment on the Pakistani-American (heroine Jia) or Indian (hero Dev) rep here.

✨Jia is a practicing Muslim: she prays, doesn't drink and it's not shoved in your face which I liked. It was just a part of her and her daily routine, and it's refreshing to see myself represented in that way in a female romance lead.
✨I liked how Dev was always very respectful of Jia and in their marriage, especially because he comes from a different culture.
✨I liked how they didn't rush intimacy until near the end. I know not a lot of people were fond of that, but I do know it's quite realistic for a lot of Muslims.

Disikes:
◦ My main problem with the story is that it kinda lacked charm. Chemistry. Fun. The fake-dating aspect was alright, but the overall romance was so tame and lackluster. Just plain boring.
◦ Also, a TikTok dancer was in this and it felt weird. Could've left that out lol.
◦ There were a few sweet moments here and there, but seriously not enough for good chemistry. It wasn't fun, or had funny banter. The relationship between the MCs wasn't passionate; they didn't feel like friends, honestly, maybe a bit more than acquaintances I'd say.
◦ Also, Jia had some strong insecurities, but they were never given proper backstory or any build-up. It was all tell and no show from the beginning and I couldn't relate to her at all aside from that she's Muslim. Dev's story was more interesting since he's a bit of a single dad and has custody of his biological niece.

Overall:
Underwhelmed with the story. Wished that Jia was a more interesting character in terms of personality and backstory. I just wanted more oomph to their relationship, pre-marriage.

A big shout out and thank you to Lonely Pages Book Tours for including me in the tour and to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!

First Comes Like is the first book of Alisha Rai’s I read and I regret it. Why? Because I should have read them all. I should’ve already known about her and her writing and I should’ve already spoken to fifty million people about it. I’ve wasted too much time. This book is everything one would look for when in search of a comfort read. You won’t be tossed into the wave of the unknown, rather you’ll be gently released into an ocean of familiarity.

The setting may not be familiar, nor the plot. But the people are. The story is. It resembled something my friend would tell me, or I would experience through a day; like a call from a parent, an embarrassing moment, quiet joy in our work place or a shared smile with someone dear. It was all very real to me. The strangest part is finding this realness with a YouTuber and an actor–both of whom technically my life barely has any correlation with. I loved how Alisha brought the well known statement (that even the most famous people in this world are just that: people) true in her narration.

The writing was my absolute favourite part of this book. Alisha brought sensitivity into every single letter of her book. The narration is extremely gentle and the characters are all kind or reveal kindness at an unexpected moment. Absolutely nobody stays under darker light, almost always revealing light within them that we may have never expected to perceive–just as it happens in real life. This was something heavily supported by the dual perspective. I’m a very wary fan of dual POVs because sometimes the narration falls flat when the voices aren’t caught well or there are discrepancies in the switch. But Alisha pulled it off so well that I have a special respect for dual POCs now, because it brings a layer of understanding and insight into both protagonists and their lives separate from their feelings for one another.

The characters… I mean what more can I say that I haven’t already (hopefully coherently) gushed about? Jia had my heart much much earlier than I would’ve expected and she certainly retained it through the story. Her moments of fear, kindness, bravery and even pettiness made her very very human and I never felt that the character gave way to the plot by losing their personality. Dev is one of the most kind, gentle and responsible people I have read in a while and I have to say I was just as moved by him as Jia was throughout the story. He resembles everything we would expect in a person and while he’s never without flaws, he’s always ready to apologise and rework himself. The secondary characters are all very very multifaceted, be it the friends, the family or the acquaintances who appear on scene. Everyone seems to have a perspective they work from and no one is ever completely perfect or irredeemably flawed.

Five stars. Easily. A special mention to the dedication. It may not be earth-bending-awesomeness, but like Alisha’s book, this too was quietly moving… the kind that stays with you forever. It was the first thing I highlighted and the last thing I came back to see once I was done. I highly recommend this book (if all the gushing wasn’t evident). Have a wonderful day and stay super super safe. Also, as always happy reading and don’t forget to drop by on the other tour stops! ❤

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for the complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. .

I'm really enjoyed this diverse romance about Jia, a beauty influencer, and Dev, a Bollywood actor, making his way in Hollywood. This is a fake relationship trope which is one of my favorites.

What I really liked about this book was that Jia was a strong female lead who wasn't afraid of standing of for herself. I also liked the look into the influencer life as well as the Bollywood actor trying to make it in Hollywood.

So I did not read the previous books in the series so I did have a bit of a disconnect from some of the characters because of this.

This sweet romance is tropey and sweet. Faking dating, there’s only one (1!) bed, and meddling families.

What made me love Dev: he sees Jia’s work as important when everyone else in her life saw it as unimportant and too much. He’s also a really great parent to his niece.

What made me love Jia: she’s not struck by Dev’s fame- she wants to know the real Dev. I really connected with Jia- feeling out of sorts with her career and her life. Jia is a bubbly, charming character. Also, she must be making bank to afford two rents in LA!


CW: death of sibling and parent, grief, panic attack, implication of Covid-19, on page sex, cat fishing, miscommunication, classism, parental pressure, racial microagressions,

After absolutely loving Katrina's story in Girl Gone Viral and then feeling meh about The Right Swipe I knew I wanted to give Alisha Rai another shot at the Modern Love series. This book was fun, and had some of what I liked in the previous books, but it did not recapture the magic of Girl Gone Viral for me.
Jia & Dev were unique characters - totally unlike any I've read in romance so far - so I really appreciated that. Overall, I felt like their story was a bit rushed and chaotic so it came off as unbelievable to me. It kept escalating from a crazy scenario, to an even crazier one, to an absolute buckwild one. Sometimes that can be fun, but the tone of this book was not zany, it was quite sincere despite its rom-com elements. It's worth reading just for the diverse and interesting protagonists, but it's not going on my favorite romance lists.

I’ve really enjoyed this whole series & how each book not only featured friends but strong female leads!! I love the female empowerment Alisha continues to put into each character per story! Jia is our influencer makeup artist, video sharing heroine! She’s starting feel like it’s time for a change in her life & she wants to start her own makeup product business. Jia has also been chatting up a known Bollywood star. Jia decides she wants to finally meet in person but when she get stood up, Jia decides to meet Dev face to face at a mutual party they will be attending.....things don’t go as planned. Jia gets catfished! Thus starts a new journey between Jia & Dev! These two start a fake relationship when caught in a picture together & their families see.....but what they really start to get are feeling for each other! I really liked Jia’s character! She’s amazing! But I did feel these two did lack some tension & slow burned a bit. All in all a fun entertaining read to HEA!

I read this as a buddy read with a friend, and I think this is the best one of the series! I couldn't wait to tuck in and read it. It was incredibly cute and I found Dev to be a great book boyfriend. He might be one of my favorite book boyfriends!

I loved the slow burn between Jia and Dev. One thing that bothered me -- and this is true for all romances -- is that they just never really shared how they actually felt with each other. Solid communication would've eliminated 95% of their issues. But that's an issue in any, if not all, romance books.

However, I felt like the ending was a bit rushed. I'm not sure if that's because I was reading a bit quickly, but after all the slow burn and set-up, major plot points happened all at once.

I wonder if the author is planning another installment in the series! If so, I have some ideas on who it could be.
•••
Thank you Net Galley and Avon Books for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I was really excited to read Jia's story in this series. I really enjoyed reading more about her background and personality, as these were not really discussed in the other two books in the series. The dynamics between the two families with similar backgrounds, but different experiences and traditions, was really nice--showing how people are not homogeneous, even when from similar areas of the world.

I do like the romance trope of "fake dating," but this novel missed the mark with that a little bit. The couple didn't actually fake date with the people they were trying to fool. I guess they were fooling themselves, at least for a while, of what their relationship truly was.

I was initially skeptical of the newest installment in Rai’s Modern Love series. The main character, Jia, is a social media influencer who creates videos about make-up. I tend to avoid novels about models, and wasn’t sure that I was millennial enough to appreciate this romance. But First Comes Like might be my perfect pandemic read. It has a more lighthearted, fluffier tone than Girl Gone Viral, with a heroine whose thirstiness made me smile, and a down-to-earth hero who overcomes a tragic backstory.

***Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review***

I adored Alisha Rai's first two books in this series (The Right Swipe and Girl Gone Viral) and was so looking forward to Jia's story. While First Comes Like embodied a strong female lead, a sweet romance, and a cinnamon roll male lead, I was still left wanting something more.

I'm not sure what was missing in Rai's latest book. Or maybe it was that she put too much of the current world events into the story (while she doesn't outright name it, there are a number of references to Covid-19). Either way, I didn't feel that I could totally escape into this story.

First Comes Like does give beautiful representation to Muslim American culture. This representation isn't just shown through Jia's character, but also through how Rai handles the steamier parts of this book - which don't come until towards the end of the story. Rai focuses the story on the emotional connection between Jia and Dev, while keeping the physical connection between them inline with their respective cultures.

In all, this was a cute story and I enjoyed reading it.

First Comes Like is the 3rd book in the Modern Love series and is about Jia and Dev. The story is the perfect slow burn romance that allows the readers and the characters to take their time to know one another and I loved that. Dev and Jia are so completely opposites of one another but they somehow compliment one another and that made the story special. They were also HIGHLY respectful of each other and their beliefs which was also a nice things to see. I do wish there was a little more at the end. Just something added but Alisha Rai, how I have come to love your story telling.

I enjoyed this one! I'm learning that Rai's style isn't my particular brand, but nonetheless, I enjoy the characters she writes. I found some part unbelievable and a little too convenient, but I rooted for the characters and wanted the best for them.

Influencing, catfishing, paparazzi...this book has all the happening Hollywood makings and this is what made it so fun to read. The romance between Dev and Jia was sweet and romantic filled with tradition on her side and the celeb life on his. This was the first of the Modern Love series by this author that I had read- but its a standalone read. I did feel the ending was a bit rushed - considering the pace throughout the book but it was a sweet, easy story.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW HAPPENED FOR THE #AMWRITING PODCAST.
ALSO, FOR BOOKBUB: This book was a great time! It was my first one by Alisha Rai, but it won't be my last. And even though I jumped into the third book of the series, this book is a standalone and I didn't miss a thing. Jia's story is just terrific, and Dev is the perfect kind of swoony hero. I love their glitzy LA life, which is so different from my own. (Can I visit Malibu? Pretty please?) And Jia's influencer story made her an unusual heroine, and I loved that angle so much! A shout out to Jia's family, too. They're a fun bunch.

I haven't always been a fan of Alisha Rai's work -- the first two in this series didn't really do it for me. However, I really did enjoy this one! I really loved the characters and their backstories. The "catfishing" trope was hilarious and I appreciated the growth between the characters and their love story.

Alisha Rai's writing has significantly improved for me, as well!

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc!

At first glance, this book was a fun, lighthearted romance. Although it was based on a misunderstanding, Jia and Dev are always communicative and I love that for them. However, I couldn't help but notice many things that bothered me.

If a Muslim author had written Jia, I would not be rating the book as I am. But since she isn't, here are my main gripes. Jia thinks way too much about kissing and hugging and having sex with Dev. For a Muslim woman, this is weird and it's weird Alisha Rai decided to write a person of faith this way. Her hijab is also barely mentioned until she takes it off??

At first glance, this book was fun and lighthearted, but thinking back, there was a lot wrong with Jia's portrayal.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. This book tells the story of Jia, an Internet influencer, and Dev, an actor. Dev's brothers had been communicating with Jia as a "prank". When Jia meets Dev, she realizes he has no idea who she is. Their picture is taken by the papparzi and published. In order to protect Jia's reputation, they claim to be dating, and their relationship develops.

This was a sweet story with very likeable characters. It was a very enjoyable read, and I plan on reading the first two in the series.

Trigger warnings: catfishing, grief over the loss of a loved one, anxiety/panic attacks

Influencer Jia has been talking to soap opera star Dev for a while on social media, but they haven't met yet. Jia uses her contacts to get into a cast party when Dev comes to America. When they meet, it's obvious he has no idea who she is.

Dev researches Jia, thinking she may be a stalker. He finds that someone with access to his social media accounts had been leading her on. Determined to make it up to Jia, he meets her to discuss what happened.

When the paparazzi catches Dev and Jia together, they decide to fake a relationship to appease Jia's family. But faking the relationship becomes more complicated when they develop feelings.

Nepalese author Alisha Rai continues her tradition of featuring diverse characters in her novels. Jia is a Pakistani-American Muslim and Dev comes from a famous Bollywood family in Mumbai. Dev is a single father who is the guardian of his deceased brother's daughter.

This is the third book in the Modern Love series, and each novel revolves around a different roommate. In the first entry, Rhiannon finds love and the second involves Katrina's relationship. Jia is the final roommate to discover her man.

Jia's narrator Saira Ayers has a calming voice that embodies a modern American woman. Neil Shah reads Dev with an Indian accent, which adds to the authenticity of Dev's narrative. His female voices are pitched higher, which sounds a little silly.

Recommended for romance readers, especially those looking for a diverse cast of characters.

First Comes Like by Alisa Rai was a fresh take on the traditional trope of mistaken identity that is prevalent within the rom-com genre. Diving right into the book, I highly enjoyed how Rai spoke about modern issues such as dating through the nuance of her culture. This book was not your traditional, fluffy rom com, but I absolutely adored it and highly recommend it to readers of any genre.

This book was a quick, super fun read. The romance was down to earth and genuine. It had good conflict and solid character development. I can't wait to read the other books in the series. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy.