First Comes Like is book 3 in the Modern Love series. It is refreshing not to read a typical romance novel. I enjoyed reading about a different culture and a non-white perspective on love, dating and marriage. Jia Ahmed is a beauty influencer who is crushing on Bollywood hottie, Dev Dixit after long text conversations. Jia surprises Dev and shows up at a party he's attending so they can meet in real life. There's one problem: Dev has no idea who Jia is.

Jia has been catfished. She's devasted but Dev is smitten and can't get Jia out of his mind. Their paths across again and they agree to date. I liked the window into the Indian culture. I only had a vague understanding of their culture before reading this book. I appreciated how traditional, respectful and chivalrous Dev was with Jia. When Dev started watching all of Jia's beauty videos, I melted. That was so sweet. I enjoyed Jia and Dev's large extended families.

This is a sweet romance and I welcome reading more books with different perspectives on love. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I’ve been a fan of Rai’s Modern Love series since the first installment. Unfortunately, this was my least favorite of the three. While this did its job being a diverse and fluffy romance, the characters just didn’t do much for me. I found Jia more compelling in the first two books where she was a side character. I think her and Dev’s motives were a little convoluted and I just wasn’t that invested. Overall this was fine, but sadly I was expecting more. *ARC provided by NetGalley for review.

Thank you for allowing me to read and review an early copy of this book! The following is my review, as posted on my Instagram booksta account (@brews4books) and Goodreads:

🎉 Book Review 🍻
📖: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ~ I absolutely devoured these books over the last two weeks! They are adorable! The characters are diverse and complex without feeling forced. The story lines tackle a variety of important issues in a relative, sensitive way without feeling heavy and burdensome. The relationships between the women, their partners, their families, and colleagues are authentic and natural. Although they are fun, romantic novels, they are also empowering and thought provoking! While you don’t necessarily have to read them in order, I personally feel you will get the most out of the character and relationship development if you do! I highly recommend picking up a copy! Enjoy!!!
🍺: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 ~ Everything about this beer seemed perfect to pair with this series! The can colors match the book covers...Crush was the name of Rhi’s dating app...and Zero Gravity is how I imagine each woman felt as her crush swept her off her feet! 💞 Although this beer is a little “spritzier“ than I would normally enjoy, it is light and refreshing, just like these books!
@williammorrowbooks @harpercollins @bookclubgirl @alisharaiwrites @zerogravitybeer #TheRightSwipe #RhiLovesSamson #GirlGoneViral #KatrinaLovesJas #FirstComesLike #JiaLovesDev #Frankie #EveryonesSummerCrush #NetGalley #goodbooksgoodbrews

This story is so sweet and soft. Jia Ahmed is an influencer who's been catfished by someone pretending to be Bollywood star Dev Dixit. When they meet in person, it's a disaster. But wait, they end up fake dating!

If you're expecting the high heat of many of Alisha Rai's other books, you won't find it here. Jia is Muslim and is waiting for marriage to be intimate with a man. It focusses much more on the familial relationship of the characters, particularly Dev's family.

I was enchanted by Dev. First there's how he watches all (ALL) of Jia's videos and buys the beauty products she recommends. Then there's how he's trying to be a good parent to his orphaned niece who wants to just be a kid.

It's also the first book I've read that implies the existence of a recent pandemic and includes characters dealing with the after math of that. I think it's a bold choice. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but it's hopeful to have characters on the other side of it in a world that feels normal.

Overall, I found this book to be sweet and soft and just what I needed.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you so much @williammorrowbooks & @avonbooks for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Yes yes yes yes yes! I neeeed to read the first two books in this series. This was SO good! You might be wondering why I haven't started this series yet. Wellll, I'm asking myself the same thing!

Talk about an amazing couple right here! This made me laugh aloud & squeal (as usual). I'm so happy to have gotten to read this. I love it so much!

Also THIS COVER! Like hello??? YES.

Totally current and on-the-nose with social media right now! I loved the character diversity - a much needed change in the rom com circuit. Because I'm not a you tube ride-or-die person, I didn't totally relate to the protagonist, but that's just me. Not a knock on the author.
I wouldn't pay full price for this novel. But I'd definitely pass along because it's a fun read.

Thanks to Book Club Girl Early Read Program & NetGalley for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own. #FirstComesLike #NetGalley

This was a sweet, contemporary rom-com of two people and their developing relationship, from meet cute "fauxmance" to happily ever after. Think of this as Crazy Rich Asians with Hindu/Muslim families. Just when I thought I had it figured out, the plot would twist with more quirks and curve balls. It was refreshing to have authentic Indian cultural traditions, clothing, food, morals, and faith (Muslim and Hindu) as part of the lifestyle of the main characters and their families.

At the same time, these characters were extremely contemporary with Jia an online influencer for skin care and makeup and Dev a well-known Bollywood star who comes to America to be featured in a Hollywood TV show. For a change, the characters are actually chaste and respectful of each other. Jia has her phone alarm set to go off for morning prayers and often wears a hijab. Dev is conscientious of appearances and careful to protect Jia's reputation. But like all rom-coms, there are a couple of descriptive sex scenes, though they occur after the couple are married.

And this isn't a spoiler as what quintessential romance doesn't end in a happily ever after marriage? If you're looking for a sweet rom-com with miscommunications, interfering relatives, and a contemporary sensibility, I recommend you read First Comes Like.

I loved this book! The characters in it, the storyline, Dev!!!! It was great! It was the perfect mix of sweet and cute. A great romance read for February.

Jia’s character was so charismatic and likable. I fell into a friendship with her immediately as I began to read. I couldn’t stop rooting for her, her happiness, and her success. While there wasn’t a ton of steam to this one I thought it was romantic and funny. There were parts I laughed out loud.

There was a decent amount of drama that kept me interested and further wanting to read. I loved the concept of faux romance to real romance and all the cultural aspects of this story. Also, the family dynamics were spot on especially between Jia and her sisters. I love to read stories about sister relationships since I have a sister of my own.
I think there was depth to this book and worth the read!

I am so happy to have been able to have the opportunity to read and review this title.

Very current, tropetastic, diverse, and inclusive. Also, probably the sweetest and slowest burn of all Alisha Rai's books I've read so far.

I liked both Jia and Dev., the Pakistani-American beauty vlogger and the Bollywood-Royalty TV soap opera star. They're both conservative and modest in their own ways. She in her observance of her Muslim faith. He, to distance himself from the scandalous image of the other Dixit men. Their journey to happily-ever-after was riddled with catfishing, fake engagement turned oh-so-real, and miscommunication due to insecurities. It took a while but they got together in the end and I believed in their romance.

I also liked all the family dynamics, both blood and found. However, I'm missing the angst and steam that are the signatures of Ms. Rai's previous works.

Another great entry in the Alisha Rai's Modern Love series. I loved Jia getting her own book - she's a 20-something Muslim woman who works as a YouTuber and influencer. She was great as a supporting character in the first two books, but it was great to hear her story. In the first scene, she heads to a fancy party in order to meet Dev Dixit, a television actor from a super famous Bollywood family who has just moved to the US. They have (or at least she thinks they have) been communicating through DMs for a year, so she's shocked when he doesn't appear to recognize her. It turns out, she's been catfished, but this is a romance novel, so she and Dev end up getting thrown together in a fake relationship that evolves into a real one. Even though I get frustrated in my contemporary romances when characters COULD SOLVE EVERYTHING BY HAVING A SINGLE CONVERSATION (which is definitely the case here), I still really enjoyed this book and thought that Jia and Dev were pretty adorable.

In her third book in the Modern Love series, Alisha Rai opts out of insta-lust and instead goes for a bit of a slowburn romance that perfectly fits the natures of Jia and Dev.

It all starts with an unfortunate case of catfishing. Jia was convinced that she'd been exchanging those sweet texts with Bollywood star, Dev. She decides to make the bold move to meet him in person when he's in LA to film a new show. Their interaction is the stuff of nightmares because Dev is caught off guard and has no idea who she is. Humiliated and angry, she runs off leaving a perplexed Dev to fight out what just happened. Sure enough he does and feels this immense responsibility to make things right with her. Right there, THAT is what sets Dev apart immediately. He's so super conscientious about things and people, he can't let go of what happened so he reaches out to Jia. She initially wants nothing to do with him ever but when being seen with him might get her parents and family off her back for her career choices, she offers up a different way for him to make it up to her. A fauxmance could serve them both well.

First Comes Like has a different tone to it. It's not flashy and as I said earlier, it's not insta-lust. It's a gradual progression to romance based on becoming friends first and then leading to more. Dev has always maintained a low profile opposite to that of the rest of the men in his family. It's like his goal is to be under the radar and not be embroiled in scandals. What's most wonderful about this story is how much their different cultural backgrounds play in to their relationship for which there's a deep mutual respect. There's no deep conversation about it just that it's something they get about each other. Which reminds me, can we please take a moment to adore this cover and acknowledge how monumental it is that there is a brown, hijab-wearing Muslim woman on the cover of a romance novel? This means the world to so many women looking for representation. And on the same level, Dev is a huge supporter of Jia's career. Being an influencer is still a suspect choice in the eyes of some families, but he sees her remarkable skills and encourages her. He's seriously a sweetheart.

The hardest time I had with this was when the families became involved. I'm just so uncomfortable with families in general pushing for marriage before the parties involved even know how they feel or have any feelings for each other in the first place. I felt their presence only rushed matters and I guess it didn't feel quite as romantic to me because it wasn't an outcome that happened in its own due time. It also seems that Jia and Dev become weird around each other after that, like they've suddenly forgotten how to communicate. They had such a good rhythm going and then it was all thrown off.

I enjoyed First Comes Like because of its different approach to a romance based on the personalities and cultures of its hero and heroine. I'm glad for the change of pace and it just fed my soul to read two genuinely lovely, decent people become closer. Alisha Rai is a supberb writer and I'll go on reading this series as long as she keeps churning them out.

~ Bel

A truly sweet read for today's crazy times!

I loved the way Alisha incorporated today's events into the story with a flair for making it still feel like a book that one could escape into.

"First Come Like" by Alisha Rai is a hilarious and heartwarming story of a social media influencer and a Bollywood star who learn to love among cultural challenges, family interference, and their own insecurities. It was wonderful to see my own family reflected in this story.

This book was just okay for me. I liked the premise, but the execution of the story felt awkward. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @avonbooks and @netgalley for the gifted eARC of ‘First Comes Like’ by @alisharaiwrites the 3rd installment in the Modern Love series (The Right Swipe, Girl Gone Viral, and now First Comes Like).
—
I am a huge fan of this series - each one represents multicultural characters and having lead boss females!! I also love when a series still mentions previous main characters, because I love seeing how they’re doing!

On to First Comes Like, this fauxmance was addictive and even though Jia and Dev were on the PG steam side - I thought their profound connection was organic and sweet. Alisha created a beautiful love story that was inclusive to both the characters culture and religion. Overall, a lighthearted 4/5 star read, just like the rest of the series.

So I did not realize that the author chose to set this book during COVID-19 times and never would've requested the arc if I had known. I totally respect the choice to write about the pandemic and masks and everything, but it's simply not what I want to read in a romance novel right now (I need the fantasy of normal times!). DNF.

Alisha has taken catfishing on the row of going viral without consent in #3 modern love series featuring Jia Ahmed who we might remember living with Karina from book #1 and book #3 of Hate to Love You series. Jia has always been on the background as the influencer well versed in internet and standing up for her friends in the first books , we get the whole picture of Jia with her insecurities, ambitions and her reality.

First comes like was PERFECT. I’m a sucker for surprise adoption trope and Dev was the perfect workaholic + caring person mix

Jiya is such an interesting character with her YouTube channel , her goals for her future and trying her best with her friends and family.

First comes like took on a lot of topics at once which made it kinda hard to stay on track. In the earlier books Alisha focused on the careers of either one of the character while giving us 100% emotions of both. First comes like has Dev’s family , romance and his career trying to make it at Hollywood while also featuring Jia’s romance , family , friends and her career as an influencer who’s getting old in the world with 15 year old tiktok celebs.

The side characters are as always a delight to read and leave us wanting for more from Jia Ahmed’s twin sister to Dev’s niece who all deserve their own book.

The steamy scenes in first comes like were unexpectedly tame but amazing nonetheless.

Wasn’t expecting to love it but it worked. Have tried this author but I think she’s best at South Asian characters. I think this is why it shined out of this series.

It had a lot going on but I loved it. It was a marriage of convenience/fake relationship that was culture.

Had a lot going on so often it was a lot to follow but 98% of the book was pinning, getting to know each other and such. I’m not sure what counts as a halal romance but it took marriage to get them to go that far and even that took nearly the entire book.

I really like when this author does what they do best, which is south Asian characters. When she does that its gold.

Near the beginning of COVID, I found Girl Gone Viral on Hoopla and absolutely adored it. I then read The Right Swipe (which actually is the first in this series), and loved that, too. So, when I was accepted to receive an ARC of this book, I was SO excited. A HUGE thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the ARC ebook and the finished copy!

All three could be read as standalones, as they focus on a different romance within a tight knit group of friends/roommates, but knowing each character’s backstory adds an additional layer. This book is far less steamy than the first two, but incredibly sweet. Jia’s journey to love has its troubles (catfishing, fake dating/engagement), but is just so fun to read.

Jia is Muslim, Pakistani, and wears a hijab. Dev is a Bollywood star who has just moved to the US. Because of their backgrounds and their family’s traditional and conservative values, this might seem like a slow burn romance, but I saw it more as just tender and sweet. It wasn’t insta-love, but their chemistry was evident from the get, and they took their time getting there, both out of respect for one another, their families, and themselves.

There’s plenty of family drama and baggage, hiccups along the way with their plan to fake an engagement, and real life in the way, which gives this sweet romance some extra depth. I really enjoyed it, and I liked the present day connections (it’s evident some characters had COVID, and TikTok is implied as well as Instagram, influencers, etc).

Absolutely recommend this series if you haven’t read any of the books yet. And there’s gotta be another one coming, right? Lakshmi’s story is next, right?!

This was a sweet and innocent love story. I loved the representation in this book of a woman wearing a headscarf as the protagonist. It's a fake relationship trope that's light and easy to read. It includes the big Indian family as well as some Hollywood glamour. I liked the inside look to Jia, a beauty influencer because it can be hard to understand how/what they do, and how someone can make a living off social media. I liked that it was portrayed and respected as a real job, because for some people it is!

I did however find it a bit stereotypical that they weren't allowed to be alone together or were worried about dating and what people would say. While there are still some more traditional South Asians, the majority are no longer like this, so I kind of wish we had broken that stereotype instead of reinforcing it. Especially with Dev being a Bollywood star, Bollywood is the same as Hollywood in the sense that societal norms apply differently, so it's even less likely for him to be traditional.

Thank you to Avon Books & NetGalley for the eGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.