I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

First Love, Take Two is a deeply moving second chance romance. Highlighting numerous issues, like racism, mental health, and familial relationships, it does so with care and sensitivity, while also presenting a sense of lightness in the characters’ banter and interactions in the midst of these tough issues.

I love Preeti and completely empathize with her. Her struggles with anxiety spoke to me personally, even if I don’t have the exact same experiences with those particular stressors. But the impact of her residency, navigating the job market, her family’s judgments, an arranged marriage-in-the-making with someone she can barely tolerate…it was all so well conveyed.

I also loved her relationship with Daniel, especially given the history there and how her family played a role in influencing the breakup last time, what with the intense in-community racism and colorism. I love the way Preeti reckons with that the second time around, standing up for their love and supporting him, just as he supports her when she pursues help for her anxiety and depression.

While I did feel at times that the book could have used some of Daniel’s POV to flesh out the relationship, I also feel like Patel made the right call in writing the book solely from Preeti’s POV, especially when it came to addressing racial issues. She can speak from her experience as a desi woman, and I think it’s great that she wanted to tackle the issue of an interracial relationship. But experiences like Daniel’s would mean a lot more and be more personal coming from a Black author.

I loved this book, and would recommend it to anyone who likes diverse contemporary romance.

Thanks to Forever for an advanced copy of First Love, Take Two by Sanji Patel.

I really liked The Trouble with Hating You so was very excited for First Love, Take Two!

This is a complex second chance romance. Preeti is in her final months of residency and is stressed between trying to find a job and her traditional meddling Indian family. It's been six years since she dumped Daniel, but he's back in Houston and they both find the same temporary place to live and are thrown back together.

I loved all of the sparks between these two, even as Pretti tried to fight it. There was so much personal growth and learning how to stand up for yourself. I loved Daniel's grandparents and of course the wonderful friends who are there for you no matter what!

So masterfully woven in this book are important issues such as racism, mental health and going against cultural norms.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever for the ARC.

Last year I read The Trouble with Hating You and I really enjoyed it. Needless to say, I was excited when I saw the author is coming out with a new book.
First Love, Take Two was such a great read that touches on a lot of sensitive topics. Topics that people deal with every day. I love when books are real and readers can relate to them.
The love and chemistry these two leading characters had was so strong and undeniable. It took a long time for them to find their HEA. There were so many hurdles they had to get through, but at the end, their love won over everything else that was in their way.
I recommend this book.

Just about from the very first page - in fact - even in the first book of this series, The Trouble With Hating You - Preeti Patel had my heart in a vice. She was wracked with anxiety. This did not make her weak. Not at all. However, her anxiety was almost too much to bear at times. Preeti is about to find love, but not without its challenges. In fact, in this second-chance romance, Daniel Thompson is the man who owns her heart.

Why the challenges? First, we will start with Preeti's current circumstances. She is completing her residency and her roommate has recently married and will soon be returning from her honeymoon. Preeti doesn't have to move, but she feels the couple need their privacy and their space and she doesn't want to be a third wheel. Meanwhile, Preeti hasn't found a permanent position in the hospital yet. Things are looking up, sort of. She just might have a place to live - and a roommate. However, the roommate is none other than Daniel Thompson. Significance? Indeed. The two were once a couple, but her traditional family and roots got in the way.

Thus far in this review, I mentioned Preeti's anxiety, so yes, this book deals with mental illness. But, Daniel's case? He is black, thus the story deals with racism. Of course, Preeti doesn't have issue with Daniel's race; she is infatuated with him. It is her family, her culture, that has gotten in the way. In any case, the two are now roommates. So, the question that begs to be answered is this: Will Preeti and Dianel find common ground and overcome the obstacles that might prevent them from having a second chance in love?

I don't want to include a spoiler, but I did want to mention touch aversion when it comes to the serious nature in this book. When Preeti's parents presented her with marital choices, it was clear to whom she could grow to like and be comfortable around and who she couldn't. Points in favor to Daniel when it came to Preeti coping with that aspect of her emotional issues.

What a wonderful, emotional and endearing story. I am now a Sajni Patel fan and am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series and any future books that she writes.

Many thanks to Forever and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Medical resident Preeti is considering an arranged marriage when her ex, Daniel, comes back into her life. The spark between them is still there, but so is their reason for breaking up. Certain family members aren't shy in voicing their objections to the mixed-race relationship. Given their different backgrounds, is their love really worth fighting for?

Preeti and Daniel have a complicated relationship. Apart from their families, they're perfect for each other. But certain family members are toxic, and that plays into Preeti's anxiety. Thankfully, Daniel is strong, understanding, and devoted to her. These are beautifully developed characters who work hard for their HEA.

TW: fetal demise of a patient.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

In all the craziness of life, re: moving cross country, this book was my escape! Lovely, funny, serious and a lot more in between the lines - @sajnipatelbooks has a home run!! I loved her first book “the Trouble with Hating you” and I loved this one just as much!

So I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and honestly, liked it more than The Trouble With Hating You. Even though I am such a sucker for enemies-to-lovers, the way second chance romance was written here was wonderful! It was entertaining, I loved the family connections, and I loved the love story!!

Daniel and Preeti were adorable and lovable and I enjoyed the premise that brings them back together! I’m also glad the miscommunication/what happened in the past wasn’t dragged on too long, it felt right when it all came to the surface!

overall 4/5 read for me.

I was so excited for this book and it did not disappoint. Preeti and Daniel were such a great pair, but they had a lot of baggage from their previous breakup. They had to learn to forgive each other so they could move on-together.

Preeti underestimated herself many times in the story, but she was so smart and talented. Watching her journey to being more confident and standing up for herself and what she wanted was such a stand and applaud moment 👏🏽

Daniel is literally husband goals. He always knew who he was and what he wanted. He fought for them and was extremely supportive. He also cooks ladies and gentlemen so get ready to swoon.

I smiled a lot reading this book, but there were still some hard moments to read. This book has some tough subjects such as mental health and miscarriage. I can’t wait to read anything else Sajni Patel writes.

Four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First Love, Take Two is a second chance romance with a forced proximity trope. I loved the mental health representations. I also loved the chemistry between Preeti and Daniel. First Love, Take Two is not your typical romance. It is emotional and tackles mental illness, racism, and a brief moment of pregnancy loss. I also enjoyed the included Q&A portion with Sajni Patel.

This was an amazing book. I loved getting more time with Preeti. After reading The Trouble with Hating You I was expecting a dual narrator experience and at first I was disappointed, but I ended up loving the voice in this one.

Own Voices books are my new favorite romance. Patel writes this so well as she infuses her culture into her books. I love learning the culture while becoming engrossed in the story.

Preeti's story was so relatable for me on some levels. I'm not Indian, but I did grow up in a very conservative background that often had judgemental people. I loved watching Preeti become stronger and more willing to stand up for herself.

I really appreciated the anxiety awareness in this book. This could be a trigger for some, but for me it made me feel seen and I don't even suffer near the level of panic and anxiety as Preeti. Her character was so believable and realistically flawed.

I loved Daniel. He is everything you want in a book boyfriend. He takes amazing Cate of Preeti in so many ways.

Truthfully this review doesn't do the book justice. It was amazing.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

In Sajni Patel's emotional second-chance romance FIRST LOVE, TAKE TWO, Preeti, an Indian American, and Daniel, a Black American, defy the prejudice that broke up their relationship six years ago.

Kudos to Patel on the sensitivity in which she portrays Preeti's daily struggles living with an anxiety disorder.

And, Patel shares rich details of Indian cuisine and culture that bring the page to life.

I absolutely loved The Trouble With Hating You, so when I saw there was a second book releasing in this universe, I had to read it! This book is about Preeti and I ADORED her from page one! I saw a little bit of myself with Preeti - with my anxiety and the challenges that come with it. This is a second chance romance for the ages! Preeti and her ex, Daniel, become roommates after Preeti’s current roommates get married, so she feels they need their own space. Daniel is Black, which doesn’t fit her family’s perfect cultural life they had planned for Preeti - can their feelings for one another overcome that? This was a wonderful, emotional, endearing story. If you loved the first book in their series or just love reading about a second chance at love, pick this up!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Tropes: second chance & forced proximity.

The story follows Preeti and Daniel, ex lovers, who, after 6 years apart, end up sharing an apartment and are forced to confront their pasts, their breakup (and everything surrounding it) and their irrevocable connection to one another.

I can't really speak to Patel's navigation of race and interracial relationships, but I can speak to her treatment of mental health. This book provides one of the most accurate and heartbreaking portrayals of anxiety that I have ever read. As someone who shares many of the same triggers and fears as Preeti, reading her story felt both raw and powerful. Having Patel treat this with such care and compassion in her writing is incredible to see, and I mostly wanted to just thank her over and over again while I was reading. Daniel as a character is a dream, and the way he helped Preeti through her anxiety attacks was everything someone could hope for from a partner.

Overall, First Love, Take Two is a story that is full of tension and emotion. Patel crafts a plot and characters that are incredibly realistic which makes you invest fully in their love and growth- aka everything you want from a romance!! I loved her first book, I loved this one, and I can't wait to see what comes next!

I really enjoyed The Trouble with Hating You, so I was very excited to read the next book in the series. Unfortunately, I had a lot more trouble connecting with the characters in the sequel. Sometimes I felt like Preeti had put her life on hold for six years, and I got frustrated with how long Yuvan stuck around when he was clearly not right for Preeti. I did like how Preeti's Generalized Anxiety Disorder was portrayed.

This is the second novel in The Trouble With Hating You series. While you don't necessarily need to read them in order, it does help to get background info as far as what happened in the previous book. This is Preeti's story.
Preeti Patel has enough stress in her life. Trying to find a job after her medical residency, dealing with her traditional family, an impending engagement to a man she really doesn't click with, and on top of all that, her temporary living situation comes with her ex, Daniel, aka the love of her life.
I really appreciate how this author tackles the deep down, ugliness that is the Indian culture. I really enjoyed The Trouble With Hating You, and liked this book just as much. She definitely knows how to write chemistry between her characters. There were several "HOT" situations! Obviously, things aren't always happy endings, but for her characters it is, for the most part, and I so appreciate that. It may not be how real life is, but it gives you hope. I appreciate that the bigoted, racist, judgmental people don't necessarily change, but MANNN I was so loving it when they got told off! Growing up in the culture, I truly got a sense of "hell yea!" from those parts of the book.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Sajni Patel continues wow. I absolutely loved this and loved the forced proximity storyline. Very fun and romantic.

This book can be read as a stand-alone but is better read after The Trouble with Hating You. Unfortunately (fortunately?) I like this story much, much more than The Trouble with Hating You (which, imo, had a largely unlikable hero and heroine). I really, really enjoyed this one. It explores racism and community while also developing a beautiful second chance romance.

Preeti, our protagonist, broke up with her boyfriend, Daniel six years ago but the two reconnect when temporarily living together. What Daniel doesn't know is that Preeti never stopped loving him, and instead the hate thrown at her parents from their own community and Daniel's dad's urging of Preeti to leave Daniel are what resulted in their break-up. But now Preeti is on the path to being engaged to another member of her community, and societal pressure is at war with what she feels for Daniel. What's a girl to do?

This is one of those romances that makes you think, but doesn't cross the line into preachy, and gives great insight into a traditional Indian community. Also I love the descriptions of the Southern food cooked by Daniel's family--made my mouth water! I'm looking forward to the third book in this series.

Thanks to Forever for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

This book was so cute! It was such a good second chance love story that included some difficult topics and handled them with so much grace and care. Touch aversion, anxiety, intercultural relationships, sexual assault, and how all these things are handled in various communities. Not to mention all the other expectations that are placed on Preeti and other women within her community, such as doing all the cooking and cleaning and being polite to their elders instead of speaking up.

The beginning made me feel like I jumped right into the middle of a story, but really it was the perfect place to start, considering Preeti and Daniel were just about to be reunited for the first time in ages without either of them realizing it.

While there weren't any characters in this story with the same racial background as me, I could relate to certain aspects of Preeti's relationship with her parents and her community and the pressure she often felt to be the perfect daughter in everyone's eyes, to the point of hurting herself. And Daniel was so cute and so understanding and was so sweet with Preeti. I fell in love with them both and was rooting for them the entire time.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This is really a beautifully done love story, with important and sensitive handling of issues of anxiety and mental health stigma and race and interracial relationships. (There are lots of reviews from own voices reviewers that can speak to this representation). Daniel's understanding of Preeti and support of her as she works on her professional and personal life, as well as her anxiety, was really excellent to read. Additionally, Preeti's support from her parents and the friendships she has rounded out the story really well, and this had such a satisfying ending.
TW: <spoiler>Miscarriage/detailed description of a stillbirth. This scene came up very much out of nowhere, and is something that will make me cautious when recommending it. </spoiler>

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of First Love, Take Two by Sajni Patel.

This book was a light, fun read that made me smile a lot. I love a story about a second chance love, and this book delivered on that promise. I found the characters engaging and fun, and I was really invested in their outcome. I wanted them to be together, and I think that's a huge box for a romance to check!

I also thought the storyline was well-done and flowed nicely, and I thought the pacing was spot on. Sometimes I lose interest when a romance drags, but this one kept me hooked until the very end. Ii really like it!

My biggest complaint is that this book doesn't really stand out from other romances from similar tropes, and I didn't think the characters really stood out either. The story isn't really that unique, and I would like to have seen this book differentiate itself from other popular romances releasing this fall.

Otherwise, if you're looking for a good romance, this is a good choice for you!