4.5 rounded up!! I really really enjoyed this one. The characters were so relatable and I’m a sucker for a second chance romance! It showed the growing of family and love. This is definitely a must read!!

There are so many layers to this book. First of all, it's a lovely romance -- it's a second-chance story, it's got the roommates trope (love!) and Daniel, the male lead character, is massively likable.

But it's more than just a romance -- it's a story about family, about loving your partner where they're at, about mental health and about being yourself. I didn't read the first book in this series before grabbing this one, but I'll definitely go back and read it now!

First Love, Take Two is the second book in Sajni Patel's romance series, but you can read this as a standalone. Similar to the first book, this has a GORGEOUS cover!! I can't get over it. Ok, moving on.

First Love, Take Two is a second-chance romance with some forced proximity thrown in. The main character Preeti Patel is finishing up her residency, battling her diagnosed anxiety, trying to find a job, a place to live, and all while managing her parent's expectations. Her Indian parents and community want her married and settled, and here she is schemingly set up by one of her best friends, about to move in with her ex from 6 years ago, just as a temporary solution...

Daniel was the love of her life, and the feelings are still there. Can they get past the same issues that caused their split in the first place?

Things I loved about this book:
-How Sanji Patel didn't shy away from talking about Preeti's anxiety; it was such an essential part of the story
-The side characters, especially Daniel's Grandparents
-Allll the food and cooking!
-The friend group that we saw in The Trouble with Hating You

I did a combo of reading and audio with this one and the narrator, Soneela Nankani, was perfect! I felt like she captured Preeti's feelings and emotions perfectly and kept me fully engaged while listening. Thank you to Forever Pub and Hachette Audio for the review copies!

What an amazing sequel!! I loved everything about this book, from the relationship between Preeti and Daniel, the way mental health was handled, as well as the ANGST!! I didn't have a dull moment reading this book.

This is a swoony second chance romance that will also have you laughing. If you like a foodie romance, you would def appreciate all the food references.

After breaking up six years ago due to familial and cultural expectations, Preeti and Daniel unexpectedly have a second chance to be in each other's lives again... but as roommates! Preeti is dating someone new and is expecting to get engaged soon. But, her anxiety is letting her know something is not right. The story was full of tension and pining.

This was such a good one!! I will admit it has been a while since I’ve read The Trouble With Hating You, so I was a little confused about that storyline at times. Preeti and Daniel’s story was so well done and I enjoyed reading about them. It was frustrating reading some parts of their story, but that’s what made it real! I hope we get to read more from this group of friends soon!

Having not read book 1 in years, I was confused as heck jumping straight into this plot with no context. The writing of this book, the flow of scenes and conversation, often felt weird to me too.

A exes to lovers, second chance romance, share the bed trope.

Cw: racism. Family drama. Mental health.

Wow wow wow. I wanted to finish it because I couldn’t get enough, but I didn’t want it to end ! Forced proximity. Interracial. Jealously. The chemistry between them, to want so badly, but knowing you shouldn’t! Daniel is a total dream. Handsome, smart, patient, and so kind. Of course, the fairytale is that he is rich. And Preeti is strong headed, so smart and unapologetically herself

follow-up to the The Trouble with Hating You turned out to be more of a win than I first expected. At the beginning, I struggled a bit with liking the main character but as the novel progressed, I found myself rooting for them more and more.

In my opinion, the author tried to squeeze in a few too many different issues but this was an entertaining read you can fly through but that has depth that some romances definitely don’t attempt to tackle.

This was a great book! As someone in an interracial relationship who also has anxiety I really felt this book deep in my soul.

I alternated between laughing, crying, and swooning and then getting hungry from the food references.

Preeti broke up with Daniel 6 years ago due to familial and cultural expectations and pressures. An unexpected second chance forces Preeti and Daniel together again - this time as roommates. But the pressures to please and meet the expectations of her Indian community has the potential to tear them apart again.

Preeti and Daniel had a difficult path ahead of them with racism from Preeti’s family against Daniel, and Preeti’s mounting anxiety as her desires clashed with family and cultural expectations. Preeti’s anxiety was palpable and I hurt for her.

Parts of the book had me alternating between wanting to yell at them both to open up and talk and then in the next moment sobbing big tears. At one point I was in favor of them running away and hiding out from family so that they could figure out things on their own without familial interference.

absolutely loved! This sequel is a wonderful edition this *insert sad face* duology. Preeti and Daniel are my new OTP. Second chance is one of my favorite tropes and they did it so damn good. the grand gestures so beautiful and heartwarming because they were just what was always supposed to happen. the side family stories are equally as interesting and bring another confrontation like book one. I adore this series

A cute romcom with a bit more substance than normal for the genre. This was a second chance romance, which is sometimes a bit cringey for me but this one was done well although it was a bit predictable. I liked how the story tackled racism and the overall judginess within the south Asian community.

This wasn't quite a home run for me because I had read several OMG Amazing books recently, but it was perfectly pleasant.

I enjoyed being back in this world. This book is about Liya's best friend, Preeti. 1) her aunties are terrible. 2) Daniel is a dream. 3) Gotta love the tropes present in this one. I enjoyed reading this.

a nail-biting tension-filled romance with such a wonderful second chance element. I loved how well fleshed out both characters were and the family dynamics were very well done, Preeti was wonderful and i loved that it was a romance between two people of color and what complications come with it. Would love to see this as a movie!

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for sending me and ARC in exchange for an honest review. I tried this book a couple of times and honestly couldn’t get into the plot. The writing was well done, the story just wasn’t catching my attention. I think I had a difficult time connecting to the characters in the story. It just wasn’t the book for me.

Thanks Again!

thought I would love this one so much, but I can’t say I did. Didn’t hate it, but it just wasn’t what I hoped it would be.

Let’s start by saving I really enjoyed the forced proximity and one bed trope here. I loved the girl friend group and the close family dynamics. A female doctor and what I thought was a good insight into a person dealing with anxiety and depression. But…

I felt like Daniel was almost too perfect? And Preeti was too oblivious. Again this is a total me issue and I say it with every romance I read so I should have learned by now but I just prefer dual POV so much more than single POV. I also don’t love the super smart female MC who at ever turn is just like “oh but he doesn’t want to be with me” when the male MC consistently shows evidence to the contrary, especially when we’re seeing all these good things he does from HER POV!

I feel like this whole book could have been resolved by just having a conversation so it was drawn out far too long. And the ex staying best friends with your family? That’s a whole big huge NOPE for me.

I’m glad Preeti grew so much over the six years discussed in this book, but it didn’t do it for me.

I’ve had this on my NetGalley shelf for so long, I’ve tried to read it a couple of times but never got into it. I finally gave it a real go and just realized it’s not for me. It’s not badly written, I’m just not interested in the story. I gave up around 20%. Nothing gripped me! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.

First Love, Take Two is one of the best second- chance romances that I have read. I'm generally not a fan of the trope, but this novel exceeded my expectations!

Daniel and Preeti must share an apartment for a short period of time, as a friend offered her apartment to both of them while she was away. The trouble? The apartment is really only fit for one (or one couple). As the two are forced together, memories of their past relationship easily return, both good and bad. Patel also discusses the importance of mental health, and how it affects everyone. Patel writes with such understanding how it feels to struggle with mental health, which makes the story that much more relatable.

With humour, and heartfelt writing, Sajni Patel tells the story of past loves, past pain, but also the happiness of the past. The characters were fun to know, and so well-rounded that I could easily identify with them. It was a pleasure to read this story so full of familial love, alongside romantic love, and the depths one would go to protect their loved ones no matter what.