This was a fun, cute read. It took me a while to get into it, and there was a lot going on, but I would recommend it. It was my first by this author, and I will be going back to read the other stories in this series.

Can catfishing lead to love? It can when in the hands of talented author Alisha Rai. First Comes Like starts off with a modern problem and turns it into a sweet romance. Dev and Jia’s story is an excellent blend of modern and traditional that shines thanks to its incredibly charming leads.

Jia is easy to adore. She’s a social media influencer and beauty expert working toward getting her own makeup line one day. Jia’s family may say she’s “too much” but she’s exactly right as-is. Jia has a bright personality, a kind heart, and a quick mind – she’s a true triple threat you’d absolutely want as a friend in real life. When she learns she’s been catfished by someone using soap opera star Dev Dixit’s social media account she’s mortified. Between worrying what her family will say when they find out the truth and the paparazzi sticking their cameras into her business, Jia needs a quick fix and it’s Dev to the rescue.

Dev is a total sweetheart. He’s got a heart of gold and a sweet, protective, and supportive nature. Dev is raising his niece in the wake of his brother’s death and it was lovely to watch him with his family. Dev isn’t perfect but he tries so hard to do what’s best for the people he loves. It’s a testament to Rai’s talent that he doesn’t come across as too perfect. If a fake romance is what it will take to solve Jia’s problems than Dev is happy to help. And the more time they spend together the clearer it is that the two of them are simply meant to be.

Because Jia and Dev are such likeable characters it’s easy to fall into their romance. There’s an easy chemistry to them that makes the pages of the story whizz by. I liked how they simply clicked on every level, appreciating and supporting each other at every turn. There’s not much drama and very little angst in First Comes Like and that was fine by me for the most part. I do wish there had been more to the story at the end to see Jia and Dev grow more as a couple. Things felt left up in the air with their lives and professions – likely by design – but even with this issue I was still confident Jia and Dev would be able to navigate whatever obstacles came their way.

First Comes Like is the third book in Alisha Rai’s Modern Love series but it can easily be read as a standalone. I was delighted to revisit Rhiannon and Katrina and the strong female friendships in this book made my heart sing. I also adored Jia and Dev’s families. The dynamics can be messy, but there is love there that radiates off the page. And it would be remiss of me to talk about this book and not note that Rai treats Jia and Dev’s religions, cultures, and traditions with respect, making the characters and the world they inhabit feel all the more real. I’ve adored every book in the Modern Love series and First Comes Like is no exception.

I adore this series SO much and have been so looking forward to getting Jia’s story. This had a sweeter feel to it than the first two books, a softer more romantic side and I think it’s because of how tender Dev is 🥰 I can’t speak on a personal level as to how well portrayed the religious aspects are, but I can tell you that I loved learning about another culture and was thrilled to have a female heroine in a hijab! Read this is you like fake dating, smart heroines, and complicated and entertaining family dynamics

First Comes Like was an adorable story that made me smile! Jia decides to be bold and gets an invite to a party in order to meet up with the guy she’s been talking to after he slid into her DMs. The catch is that the famous actor has no idea who she is and isn’t the one she’s been talking to! Of course it doesn’t go as planned for Jia but she does spark Dev’s interest.

I love the family and friendship dynamics of the story and how we all might need to communicate better in our relationships. I liked learning about the cultural differences when it came to weddings and relationships. Cute addition to the series.

The finale of Rai’s Modern Love series is fun and displays Rai’s author agility.

I’ve been reading this series since book one. My reviews of both The Right Swipe and Girl Gone Viral show me that my feelings towards this series haven’t waivered. I love the books, but each one misses the mark a tiny bit for me. In the grand part of storytelling, Rai has created a series of very different stories, with extremely different characters I believe they do a decent job of showcasing how social media has impacted romantic relationships and changed things.

The characters themselves, Dev Dixit, former Bollywood star and Jai Ahmed, a Muslim-American influencer on beauty is fabulous. Both characters have interesting backstory’s, even more interesting internal baggage and each one ends up getting involved with the other though not quite as intended. This story goes from a catfish to friendship and it’s so fun to watch it evolve.

Now, I won’t lie, I seen some other reviews for this book and there are some conflicting opinions about the heat level as well as the attraction between the main characters. My opinion is this, I feel like Dev and Jai have great chemistry that will only deepen with time. I loved how this book was different, how their coming together was different, influenced by their upbringing and backgrounds. To portray characters and a story so opposite of the other main characters in the series and still keep the same kind of tone and goal is a challenge that Rai pulled off.

Would I have liked more sexual tension between the two? Sure. Did it fit the characters? Nope. The story played out with a lovely Bollywood flair as well, which I think fit Jai, since she’s considered the one that’s ‘too much’. One could argue that Dev’s Bollywood Queen grandmother can compete in that category.

For fans of the series, this book also gives a nice touchbase on the relationships from the other books, ties into a previous Rai series and continues to build on the contemporary romance universe the author has created. Also, I now have a serious interest in Indian food and fell into a google hole of different varieties/recipes of roti and curries. My family is going to be at the mercy of my experimentation.

~ Landra

First Comes Like
By: Alisha Rai

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Quote: “People com in and out of our lives, and we have to enjoy the parts in the middle. But I think it’s okay to not enjoy all the parts”

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc in exchange of an honest review.

This book follows Jia Ahmed: a youtuber influencer that shares beauty secrets with her followers. As she became closer to her 30’s, she started to felt old for the job and started to dream to build her own make up line. Jia has been chatting for months with the Bollywood star ,Dev Naik and she can’t wait to meet him. When she finally arrange “a meeting”, she realizes that she have been catfished.

First Comes Like, is by far my favorite book from the Modern Love Series. I loved the chemistry between both characters and the diversity of representations the book offers. It gave me a lot of insight about Muslim culture. I also loved the respect of each character for the each other culture and support between them.

Overall, it was cute book and I enjoyed very much the knowing process of each family members. I read it over Valentine weekend and it was the perfect read

Thank you to Avon books for gifting me this copy. I love seeing BIPOC leads on romance covers so this one intrigued me immediately. I found myself charmed by Jia and Dev and their families (even though they pull some sneaky, questionable stuff) as they are both good people trying to make a living and find their true passions in life. This was actually a pretty wholesome book with a relationship that starts unconventionally but evolves along a pretty level track without any major bumps. Some people might want more ongoing drama but I didn’t need it and found myself smiling along with the story.

I love the inclusion of modern social media as part of the plot in this series, these books couldn’t have even existed 20 years ago and that blows my mind. I didn’t grow up with influencers and bloggers but have loved reading stories that contain them. They truly have changed the way relationships play out as evidenced by Jia and her strive to carve out a career in the beauty industry and Dev’s family dramas playing out on a worldwide platform.

This story is not an instalove story but I did find it close and that may not make this right for every romance lover but if you want something that is just a quick sweet read I would recommend.

Well I had all intentions of going to bed early... but I just couldn’t go to sleep wondering what was going to happen with Jia and Dev. This “slow burn” romance was super cute. And again, I really loved that Rai was able to get these 3 stories to be completely different and captivating even though they were modern love stories.
This was was definitely the most PG of the series and I am holding our for a Lakshmi and Tina installment please!!
Thank for being mixed raced couples, Muslim couples, non religious couples... 🤞🏾gay couples!! I really enjoy how you tell a story and was happy to spend my valentines week with these characters!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Charming, engaging, a delightful escape.

The characters were engaging and relatable. I appreciated Alisha Rai’s care for mental health. Jia was not perfect, which made her more charming. It was fun to see the dynamics in her relationships and watching her grow.

I would definitely watch a film/series adaptation. The styling would be beautiful. Rai offers enough about the characters to be satisfied with this story, but I look forward to learning what they do next. Plenty of opportunities for more stories.

This was not just a love story between a woman and a man. Our heroine engages in positive self love and care, love in her friendships and family, and love for her community. A joy to read.

I will be adding the rest of Alisha Rai’s Modern Love series to my to be read list.

The third volume in Alisha Rai's Modern Love series, this story centers on beauty expert and influencer Jia Ahmed who meets Bollywood star Dev Dixit, who Jia has been DM'ing for years. One problem - he has no idea who she is. She's been catfished. Dev can't get Jia out of his mind, and the two eventually engage in some friendly fake dating to placate the paparazzi and impress Jia's family.

I loved this book because the protagonists were so unique. It's not often that a romance novel focuses on traditional Muslim characters, and I appreciated that focus. The author handled the cultural issues in a way that seemed to me to be very sensitive. I also appreciated the focus on family and female friendships.

This was an incredibly sweet, positive romantic story.

This book has all the tropes.
Catfishing
Fake relationship
Interfering family
Super supportive friends

Jia is an internet influencer. Dev is a Bollywood star.
They meet. They talk. He watches her videos. It takes them a while to realize they are each what the other is looking for in a relationship. This book is like a warm cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows.

Content warning for Alisha Rai fans, they don’t touch and/or kiss until 90% into the book. And I am ok with that. It was a great read.

Wow, this one has to be my favorite book in this series.

Alisha Rai does such a great job of representation in her books and portraying diversity in relationships. I felt like this one showed the cultures in such a real and interesting way without betraying the morals of the cultures. I was really impressed and this made me want to read other books with this same cultural representation!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Let me tell you that this is a cute,  funny,  sweet, a little over the top book that everyone needs in their life. I devoured this fast paced crazy rom com and have no regrets, besides the fact that I need more Alisha Rai in my life. 

Jia, a beauty influencer has been having an online relationship with a soap opera star named Dev. Her friends think she is being cat fished because they've never met in person,  but Jia  has confidence that it really is Dev she's talking to. Jia plans to run into him at an event and when they finally bump into each other Jia realizes he friends were right she wasn't talking to the real Dev. After the meeting Dev can't get  Jia out of his. The paparazzi begin to publicize their "relationship". Which gets their families involved and a crazy whirlwind adventure ensues.

I received this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Jia is a social media influencer and thinks she has caught the eye of a member of a famous Bollywood family. But when she finds out he is in town she has to meet him in person. But instead he doesn’t even know who she is. Broken hearted and embarrassed she finds out that she has been catfished.

But Dev Dexit cant get her out of his mind and when he finds out what his twin did to her he wants to make amends. But starting a faux dating romance with Jia in his struggling world at the moment just seems to be difficult at best. But as these two get to know one another could there be real feelings for a HEA?

This story moves slow at times and it just seemed a little bit lacking a true love connection and the feels for me. Otherwise I would have loved it!

If you're a Muslim hijabi (like me), you've probably been eyeing this book with mixed feelings. If you've read any of Alisha Rai's books before (like me), those feelings have probably been veering more towards dread than optimism because Alisha Rai usually writes deliciously steamy romances, which doesn't jive when your heroine is Muslim.

Let me put your mind at ease: it's a pretty good book.

On the day Jia Ahmed meets Dev Dixit, she feels nervous. It's not that she lacks confidence--she's a YouTube influencer, and she and Dev have been DMing for months. But he's been avoiding her requests to meet, even though they're finally in the same area, and so he's not exactly expecting her. But Jia has connections, and it's easy to wrangle an invitation to the party he's attending. But when they meet, Dev doesn't know who she is, and Jia's heart shatters.

Dev has no idea who this woman is, but he can't get her expression out of his head. When he finds out how they're connected, guilt drives him to meet with her again. And when the paparazzi turn an innocent picture into something else and Jia comes under fire from her family, he's happy to play along with her fake dating plan. Anything to spend more time with her.

Okay, so first things first: the representation.

I really loved that Islam was just everywhere in this book. It was part of Jia's identity and not just an off-hand mention of "oh, btw, she's Muslim". There are numerous phrases used throughout like "inshallah", "mashallah", "assalamu alaikum", and it's not translated or explained or obfuscated in any way. It just is.

It's always difficult to talk about how accurate a representation is because, as with most things, it's kind of subjective. The way I practice Islam isn't the way everyone practices Islam, and there should be room for multiple viewpoints in literature. That said, I want to summarize briefly what the representation was like for me.

Things I loved:
* Jia wears a hijab
* She gets up for morning prayer. High five!
* She doesn't drink
* She doesn't date
* There is no premarital sex
* She prays to God to help her with things

Things that missed the mark:
* There is some hugging before they get married and an almost kiss
* Dev isn't Muslim

How I practice Islam leaves no room for marriage to someone outside of the religion, and any touching that's not, like, "I'm about to fall on my ass CATCH ME" or something more serious than that is also a firm no-go. This is why I'm rating the book 4 stars instead of 5, but others will feel differently about those things than I do.

With regard to the plot and the characters, I thought it was pretty cute and lighthearted. The conflict mostly arises from lack of communication (of course...), but not about the issues where I was dreading it. I found myself pleasantly surprised at several points where I was expecting a confrontation and instead, everyone acted like mature adults.

Both Jia and Dev are total cinnamon rolls. Jia records herself little affirming messages on her phone, which is the most adorable thing ever and I wanted to pinch her cheeks every single time. Dev is sweet and extremely proper and aware of what would be crossing a line when it comes to Jia and their relationship, and I loved how, even though he isn't Muslim, he still has respect for Jia's faith and isn't trying to pressure her into anything. Their relationship is a very slow burn, which not everyone will like, but since the one thing I really hoped to find in this book was no sex before marriage, I was ecstatic.

I also loved both Jia's and Dev's families. I have no idea if there are more books planned, but I did get the feeling there might be room for a couple of books for Jia's sisters? So maybe there'll be one with two Muslims at some point.

The moment I saw a hijabi on the cover of First Comes Like, I knew I had to read it. (I'm a proud hijabi too, just in case you're wondering). This book was everything I wanted in a story with a Muslim female lead, and so, so much more. I'm so glad I got the chance to review it and be a part of such a beautiful book's blog tour! 💜

First Comes Like is the third book in the Modern Love series by Alisha Rai, but I had no problem reading it as a standalone. The story follows Jia and Dev as they navigate their love story with the music of paparazzi, cultural issues and social differences playing on the background. I loved reading about their relationship, and all the drama surrounding it. 😂 It was a fun, enjoyable read through and through. Even thought the book was a light-hearted read for most of the part, I was pleasently surprised with how the plot carried a realistic depth whenever required.

Jia and Dev were both such fascinating characters to read about. I loved the chemisty and understanding that they shared!. Their growth from fake-dating to actually being in love was such a joyous ride! I adore couples who grow together, and Jia and Dev's relationship reflected that aspect perfectly. They wore both fiercely protective of their families, and it was interesting to see their relationship play out amongst religious differences ~ which is honestly a huge deal in brown households!

The highlight of reading First Comes Like for me was definitely Jia's life! She was such a relatable character. I've never read a book with a beauty influencer before, and Jia being a hijabi was just like the cherry on top of an already delicious cake. I loved how she saved positive messages in her phone to help her get through troubling times. It was honestly, the best thing ever to find a character I connected to on such a deep level. The muslim representation was perfectly written as well. Modern dating, and how social media plays the biggest role in that aspect was expressed in the best way possible too, in my opinion.

The whole book made my Muslim, brown girl heart so, so happy. I can't wait to pick up the first two books in the series. 💖

Even though I’m only reviewing First Comes Like, the latest book in Alisha Rai’s Modern Love series, I actually binge-read all three books in the series last month. Usually I’m terrible at keeping up with series, but once I started this one, I just couldn’t stop reading. What hooked me on Modern Love is the way Rai writes her main characters. I love the mix of strength and vulnerability she infuses them with and of course, the chemistry is always off the charts. I also love that, as the title of the series implies, all of the books are modern and focus on where many people turn these days when they are looking for love, social media.

First Comes Like follows Jia Ahmed, who is a very popular beauty influencer on social media. She’s busy making connections and trying to build her brand and has no time for men, although she’s willing to make an exception for Dev Dixit, a sexy Bollywood soap opera star, who has recently slid into her DMs and started flirting with her. Jia decides to score an invite to a party for his new film so that she can finally meet Dev in person. All is going swimmingly until she meets Dev face to face and he says he has no idea who she is. Awkward! It quickly becomes clear that someone has used Dev’s social media account to catfish Jia; the question is who. Things between them take an even more awkward turn when paparazzi photos of Dev and Jia embracing become public. Even though the photos are in actuality way more innocent than they seem, the public and both of their families flip out and that’s where things got really fun.

I had so much fun with this book. I loved the chemistry between Jia and Dev, especially watching their relationship evolve from her wanting to kill him at that first party to the two of them working together to concoct a plan on how best to deal their families. I also really loved the focus on their beliefs and culture, in particular the respect Jia and Dev each gave to the other’s beliefs as their relationship grows. I also thought it was wonderful that Dev was so respectful of Jia’s career. He didn’t think it was silly or shallow at all and even watched all of her videos and even helped her film and take photos. The two of them were just really sweet together and I was of course rooting for them to continue to grow closer.

I wouldn’t call this a hot and steamy romance, but it’s definitely a sweet, slow burn and I enjoyed every page of it.

Alisha Rai has become an author that I'll automatically read, and First Comes Like was a much anticipated read that delivered for me. I'd love to shove this series, as a whole, into the hands of readers who think of romance, in the genre's entirity, as a smutty monolith (yes, these readers are out there, even in 2021). This series has shown how much nuance can be in within the genre, even when taking the lens of social media/internet dating as a continuing thread throughout. The Right Swipe, Girl Gone Viral, and First Comes Like have showcased three very different characters with different social, religious, and cultural backgrounds- and their different attitudes and beliefs to love, dating, and romance.
All that said, I really enjoyed getting to finally see Jia's story and her perspective. Dev was a sweet and supportive male lead, and I thought their story had so much heart.

I love this series! I have enjoyed getting to know Jia in the earlier books, and was excited to read her story. She is an Influencer who also happens to be Muslim. And I liked that while she's Muslim, and it's part of who she is, it wasn't the whole story. She's the youngest of many sisters (5, I think) and the majority, along with her parents, are doctors. She is living in LA with the main characters of the first two books read them!). She thinks that her family doesn't take her or her career seriously (she has millions of followers!).

Jia has been communicating with Bollywood star Dev Dixit through social media. She has developed what she thought were reciprocated feelings for him, and, when he accepts an acting job in LA, she manages to get an invite to party where he will be. And, to her embarrassment, he has NO idea who she is. However, after a series of events, they end up fake dating (I love how fake dating creates a false sense of intimacy where the characters can get to know each other at a faster pace than usual). Unfortunately both Dev and Jia's family wants to meet the other and their stories grow more complicated by the moment.

This book made me smile and laugh out loud multiple times. I loved Jia's thoughts and personal reflections. There were doable perspectives (Dev had his own chapters), and I liked having his perspective as well. I felt that the first half moved along beautifully. The second half was a little slower for me. It almost felt like real life- we started with the initial rush of a new (fake) relationship and then moved into the complicated reality of figuring it out. My fingers are crossed that the series continues!

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

I've really enjoyed this series but didn't connect as well with this one. The troupes just weren't my thing. I still appreciated the modern romance, witty writing, and as always amazing representation that I've never seen in the romance genre before. Our two main characters try to balance their families' expectations of them while staying true to themselves. You get this series trademark females in the tech world with the heroine who is a YouTube makeup influencer trying to figure out her next career move. They start to fake date to keep up their reputations but quickly fall for one another (that's the troupe I liked best). However, the ending felt rushed and I felt like it lost the chemistry between them.