I am beyond grateful to have received an ARC and I am still hungover from this book.

Wow! I am still processing how much tension and lust. Nisha Sharma had me not wanting to put this book down. Prem and Kareena caused so much laughing out loud, smiling, and wanting more. This was the first of the If Shakespeare Was An Auntie trilogy and I cannot wait for the next installment. It was funny, hot, sexy, and filled with highly realistic and relatable characters. I never thought I would be be attracted to a man that named his pecker 😅
You will not regret adding this to your TBR!

Man, I wish I had loved this more. This is a story inspired by Taming of the Shrew, which piqued my interest. Kareena is 30 and decides she can finally focus on her love life now that she's got her work situation in order. She does mean LOVE life-though she is Desi, and arranged marriages are accepted and sometimes encouraged, she wants a love marriage like her parents had before her mom died. Her timeline is put on the fast track when her dad tells her that he's planning to sell her childhood home, a home she's always wanted to own because her mother loved it, as soon as her younger sister celebrates her engagement party. Enter Dr. Dil, real name Prem, who she meets one night at a bar and has great chemistry with but then finds out as a heart doctor, he doesn't believe in love, or the lasting feeling of the chemicals that create "love." But they can both play a role for the other in getting things they need, so they decide to sort of fake date, until those pesky feelings get in the way.

I can enjoy the give and take of a good "doesn't believe in love/desperately believes in love" dynamic. The steamy scenes were HOT (though I could've done without Prem naming his penis and talking about it as if it were personified, but also Prem eats ass, so...bit of a good news/bad news situation there...) I also really liked the exploration of culture and expectations, which I think provided a new twist to the Taming of the Shrew inspiration.

Ultimately, though, I just really didn't like Prem as a love interest for Kareena. I felt like he didn't listen to her and didn't respect her wishes. He keeps calling her Rina, even after she corrects him; he just shows up at her house uninvited. He shows up to a cafe where she is on a date-already a bit of a red flag for me-but then acts as a "white knight" when she has an allergic reaction, and when leaving her in the hospital room, secretly tells the nurse to give her an allergy test even though Kareena has explicitly said she doesn't want that, and then thinks to himself how funny that is. Then he shows up to a stranger's house while she was on a date and barges in to "rescue" her because she hasn't texted him back. I didn't like that shit in 50 Shades of Grey, and I didn't like it here. If somebody shows up where you have not asked them to be, unless it is a public place and an accident, I just don't find that cute or romantic. On the other hand, there are definitely readers of mine who will be into this particular combination of tropes, it just wasn't for me. I'd definitely like to read more from Sharma, though.

I have very conflicting thoughts about this book! I overall enjoyed it - it definitely had its funny moments, had some good banter, and was steamier than I had anticipated. I would put this in the sorta enemies-to-lovers / fake fating romance trope.

But I did have some issues:
1) We really needed more character development for both Kareena and Prem. We didn't really get a good look at Kareena's life outside her family and I just couldn't buy into Prem's view on love and WHY he felt like that... this was somewhat answered all the way at the end and yet it was a constant conflict throughout the whole story.
2) I really did not like a lot of the supporting characters - truthfully, most of Kareena's family drove me insane and soured the story for me. Don't get me started on her sister...
3) Prem calls his * you know what * "Charlie" ... multiple times... and I couldn't get past it LOLz

Rating: 3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Avon books for giving me the chance to read Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Do you believe in love?

Nisha Sharma’s novel Dating Dr. Dil is a fun but heart-wrenching reimagining of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew set in modern day New Jersey starring two South Asian leads. The dual point of view book starts on romantic Kareena's thirtieth birthday where she is hit with a torrent of uncomfortable surprises and family expectations. On the night of Kareena's birthday, she meets love-phobic Prem who she clicks with immediately...until he leaves her in a compromising position at a bar which leads to a blow-up the next day. Prem experiences similar family expectations: both families want Prem and Kareena to get married soon now that they're in their thirties. Both characters are provided financial reasons why they should get engaged. If Kareena gets engaged then she'll get the money her father has put away for her marriage and she wants to use that to buy her late mother's house from her father who is retiring and planning to sell their family home. If Prem gets engaged then he will get the financial backing he needs to open a community health center directed at the healthcare of the South Asian community in New Jersey. So Prem comes up with a plan: they pretend to get engaged to get the money they need to fund their dreams. The main conflict is that Prem believes love is fake and that a lasting marriage is built on a connection and partnership, while Kareena believes in love marriages. This is a problem because Prem has a tv show where he talks about how love causes stress to the heart and how love should not be a deciding factor in match-making. His show has a high population of elder members of South Asian communities in the U.S. which Kareena believes creates more pressure for women within their communities to get married by or around thirty. This is something seen throughout the novel as Kareena attempts online dating.

This book is fun and cute but it also has serious moments due to the family expectations of getting married as soon as possible and because both Kareena and Prem have lost people very dear to them. There are lots of hilarious shenanigans and these two manage to have a meet cute and a meet ugly which you don't read about everyday.

Dating Dr. Dil is out now so go check it out!

5 out of 5 stars

Okay, so I have mixed feelings about this book.
The beginning was wonderful. I enjoyed the humor, the main characters meeting and their interactions.
About halfway the story took a strange turn that took me out of the book. I don't know any grown man that refers to his member in third person regularly, like all the time. It just seemed strange and not how a normal person acts? IDK maybe it's a me problem but it took me out of the story every time it happened.
Also, with that in mind, I was not gung ho for the hero. It seemed immature most of the time and I couldn't really understand his appeal besides that fact that he's successful.
The heroine was great. I really enjoyed her character and would love to see her pop up now and again in future books.
Plus the spice was good (if you could get past Charlie).
Overall, would I recommend this? I think so. The writing is good, humor is solid and the other characters make up for the meh hero.

A sizzling enemies to lovers drama about a feisty thirty year old woman in search of true love who falls for the cocky doctor who doesn’t believe in it. After reading about a billion romance novels with overly involved aunties and overbearing parents, this one is by far my favorite! Packed with great banter, steam, and the best comebacks, this is a highly entertaining and whip smart read that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Kareena is starting to look for Mr. Right and can’t seem to find him, so when she finds out her dad’s about to sell the house, Kareena will stop at nothing to get her hands on the money to keep her childhood home. After all, the house means more to her than anyone, so even if she has to fake an engagement to the insufferable Dr. Dil who doesn’t believe in true love, she’ll do it.

The chemistry between these two made this book come alive. If you know me at all, my one complaint recently is that I’ve read too many books with overbearing Indian parents. So call me relieved when I found myself loving this one with its great friend group and a cocky hero with a dirty mouth. This is one Indian romance that stands out among the rest!

While I really enjoyed the south asian rep and overall plot of this book, the rest was not for me.

I found the dialogue strange and very cringey at times, as well as some of the main character traits. Was it really necessary for him to refer to his dick as "charlie" all the time? WEIRD.

I also found the salacious parts of the book to be, well, just not my taste? While reading a sex scene my husband saw my face and said "stop reading sad books" because he thought I was about to cry.

And lastly, the trope of a man being in love, acting like he's in love, but refusing to say "I LOVE YOU" was just one big eye roll.

But, I LOVED the aunties..

Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy - all opinions are my own!

I really hate to do this but this book is so boring and unoriginal and also kinda cringe. i hated prem's ridiculous views on love and his reasonings. kareena's strong mindedness and the instances of south asian culture were my favourite part!

This book was so so good! I loved everything about it! Loved the writing and the characterization. THe supporting cast of characters was fantastic!!

Definitely a good read!!

I was in the mood for a fun and sexy rom-com and Dating Dr Dil was perfect! It also contained two of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers & fake dating. This was super steamy with so many parts that made me giggle. I even teared up at one sad part. I loved all of the South Asian culture in this story too! The food, the clothes, the aunties! My favorite romance of the year so far! This is the first of the If Shakespeare was an Auntie series and I will definitely read the rest when they come out.

Thank you to #NetGalley & @avonbooks for the eBook ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

CW: loss of a parent, sexism,

You've got Kareena, a successful business woman who just landed her dream job, she's smart beautiful romantic. She is loyal and has a big heart. All she wants is to keep her mothers memory alive and have a love marriage like her parents. She now has 6months to buy her mothers house before her father puts it up for sale.
Then you have Prem, a cardiologist who just wants to open his own practice to focus on helping his community. He for one doesn't think love in sustainable nor what keeps a successful relationship going.
After an almost one night stand Prem see's how they can be mutually beneficial and assisting each other to getting what they both want, by entering in the fake dating trope!!!!!!

I absolutely adore Kareena! She's a first born child in her family. She is a handywoman always fixing the house fixing the car etc. She is an amazing older sister and respectful family member. Aside from my love for Kareena there were two things I really loved about this book.
The discussions! Kareena & Prem have some really great discussions about their culture and expectations of first born child, doing what's expected of you, not wanting to disappoint your parents. There was one scene where Kareena talks about how their parents came to America and sacrificed so much for their children to have the opportunities. Now this is not a new discussion yet the way it was explained was made me understand people that I have known in my life that much more. On the other hand Prem responded (I cannot remember specifically) in a way that basically says you can't always live for our parents.
The second, would be when Kareena's family was called out for how they treated her. How they dont realize what an amazing person she is and how much she does for everyone. Man that was so satisfying to read.
The aunties in this book are hilarious! They are overbearing and of course all in the business but they love Kareena so much.
Both main characters have some great supportive and honest friends and I think the author is working on a book for one of Kareena's besties and I am beyond excited!

When I heard Nisha Sharma was writing a series of Shakespeare-inspired romance novels I knew immediately that I would have to read them. And then when I saw the cover of Dating Dr. Dil that only doubled my enthusiasm.

Sharma has written the modern day Taming of the Shrew romance we deserve. Kareena is now 30 years old with the job she loves after putting love and romance on hold. When her father tells her he is going to sell her mother’s beloved house unless she can come up with the funds to buy it, the only way she can get the money is to get engaged in the next four months. Prema, the titler Dr. Dil is also in need of an engagement as he tries to prove to investors and his mother he is serious about starting a community health center focused on the needs of South Asian immigrants.

Just like the Shakespeare play, the two butt heads rather spectacularly until their chemistry can’t keep them apart. And oh my goodness the chemistry in this book. The best parts are when Kareena and Prem are together and it’s explosive and fiery in the best way. The arcs for both the characters, particularly Prem, were really well done and I loved his journey from seemingly not believing in love to no longer being scared of it and wanting to embrace it in his life.

Where some Shakespeare inspired works stick very true to the source material I felt like this was a much more loosely inspired story which made it so interesting to not know how it would turn out but also enjoying the ways it did fit with what I knew already.

I can’t wait to see what other plays Sharma is planning on utilizing and to see what she has in store for Rina and Prem’s friends!

I can’t stop thinking of this quote: “If love existed, this woman would have his heart, and he’d willingly take his scalpel to carve it out and give it to her.” Major swoon Prem! Also every time he called her “honey” 😍

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon for letting me read an advanced e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 1 of If Shakespeare was an Auntie series and is a winner for me. I am obsessed with it and so happy that I got to read an early copy of this book. It's a perfect recipe of an incredible rom-com with enemies to lovers, fake dating, meddling and matchmaking Aunties, family drama, Love phobic Hero who thinks Love is an illusion, Love Obsessed heroine who thinks Love is more than just an illusion, great friendships, banter, a lot of steam, and last but not least grand gesture.

The South Asian representation in this book touched me and made me feel seen and connected in a very special way as I grew up with similar family values.

Kareena Mann an attorney by profession is a strong heroine. She stands up for what she believes. I liked her character and loved her dedication to her late mother.

Dr. Prem Varma breaks all the stereotypes attached to desi guys. He is a Cardiologist and believes that Love is an illusion and can impact the heart’s health. On several occurrences in this book, he proves that this is not what his heart believes.

If you like reading books with South Asian representation or if you are looking for a diverse read, I will recommend this one to you. This is my first book by author Nisha Sharma and I can't wait to get to other books by her.

Thank you so much Avon Books for the gifted advance copy of this book.

I could not put this book down!
I appreciated reading the MCs’ experiences as children of immigrants, especially the FMC’s relationship with her family.
Also I absolutely enjoyed reading Prem being such a simp for Rina all the while saying he doesn’t believe in love. Sure my guy, sure.

i absolutely enjoyed this charming, entertaining desi romance from beginning to end with its whirlwind of a hate to love romance that also has a focus on family dynamics and culture affecting dating. definitely a switch up in the usual fake dating trope format readers are used to as our mains kareena and prem in their 30s being pushed by their family to get married even if it's not a love match.

what made this story much more interesting and fun was kareena and prem's vastly different viewpoints on the concept love with kareena being more of a dreamer believing in true love and soulmates while prem on the other hand doesn't really believe in love at all. as a surgeon who does his research, his scientific based beliefs he concludes that the feeling of love fades and a relationship can never last based on it, rather for relationships he sees it as a partnership of a good match of two people being compatible for each other.
so when both find themselves in need of money on a deadline, both their parents are willing to give if both are able to find someone, where prem tries to convince kareena they could work well with the definite chemistry they have and both getting what they need but kareena stubbornly refuses wanting to find a love match of someone who could love her back even with her short deadline.

we then see prem take rina, as he calls her, out on dates that are just so much fun to read as they take adventures truly a hopeless romantic's dream. oh and whew this one has a bit of spice i didn't see coming at all but didn't deter my love for this story and the insane tension between the mains made it all the more delightful. as they spend more and more time with one another, both of them struggle to come to terms with the growing feelings. prem frustrating as he is, i adored his subconscious romantic side with him remembering every little detail rina has told him about herself and what she loves, and with rina how when she loves, she loves deeply which is displayed how she is with her family. this story has so many laugh out loud moments especially with meddling aunties but also emotional moments particularly with rina and her widowed dad, i genuinely teared up near the end.

being the first in a series, i'm assuming we're for sure going to see the stories of rina's best friends paired up with prem's friends as clues were given out throughout this story and i'm beyond excited to read. so for anyone looking for a swiftly engaging story that pulls you right in with character banter, high tension, and nosy families, i truly recommend picking this one up!

Ahh this book was so 🔥

Kareena has it all the dream career she's in a great place in her life but oh yea she's not married or have a family yet. Being 30 and single is like a death knell to your ovaries. Well for everyone that seems to care about your personal life lol.

I was single or actually just getting into a relationship that led to my marriage at 30 so I feel for her. My big sis was so annoying with her fairytale relationship where they met when she was 14, I thought that I would meet my future husband at 14. Well that was faulty logic. Enough about me and my life choices. Yay sisters though they can be rough.

Kareena finds out that her father is selling the house they live in which she is attached to since her mother decorated and designed it. Well if she gets engaged her father will give her basically her dowry since he has money set aside for her wedding or a down payment on a house. 

When she goes out for drinks she has a spark with a handsome stranger that ends painfully then she sees him the next day and starts the fun wild ride.

This was modeled on Shakespeare and my absolute favorite play btw, Taming of the Shrew and now looking at it I can see all the parallels. 

I loved the Elizabeth Taylor version and watched it a million times as a kid. 

Also, the talk show and talk of love and how it evolved I found interesting. You can not believe in love but then when you find the right person those ideas start to change.

Thank you Avon and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for sharing this ARC! I was so excited to read Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma because it was one of my most anticipated romcoms this year, and as a 10 Things I Hate About You fan, I love a good reinterpretation of Taming of the Shrew.

The FMC, Kareena, is having a rough time being single with her birthday, her younger sister's upcoming wedding and judgment from family, but she doesn't want to settle for anything less than real love. She ends up meeting and hitting it off Dr. Prem who hosts the Dr. Dil show and of course, doesn't believe in love. Both realize they can help the other (Prem to save the investment for his community clinic and Kareena to save her mom's house) if they pretend to be in a relationship, but that doesn't go as planned for either of them. The best part of Prem and Kareena's story was their banter - both are so smart and know how to push the other's buttons!

I also loved Kareena's aunties, and they were one of my favorite parts of the book! I read this on vacation, and it was the perfect relaxing and fun read. I definitely recommend it!

Prem

Oh, I loved this. I'm a sucker for Taming of the Shrew, and the cover initially caught my attention as it reminded me of one of the posters for 10 Things I Hate About You. The chemistry between the two leads was fire. I love the trope where he falls harder. I laughed out loud many times, and especially loved the aunties. At times the supporting characters could be outlandish, but that's Shakespeare's way. Overall, I thought this was very well done. I can't wait to read more from this author, and will be recommending this at work.

Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma is based on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. Kareena Maan is a community focussed attorney looking for true love just like her parents. When Kareena turns 30 she is pressured to get get engaged or she would end up losing the home she adored that was built by her dead mom. She happens to meet Dr Prem Verma at a bar and hit off really well but unfortunately due to circumstances the date ends badly. Premise and Kareena meet again the next day when Prem is hosting a community focussed health show and they have a public show down that goes viral. Prem doesn't believe in love and Kareena is a strong advocate of love. Despite their differences, Premise needs funding for his community clinic and Kareena needs money for her house and they being together helps them get what they want. But is that enough?

I absolutely loved Prem and Kareena. There is so much fire and passion in both of them. I loved how culturally authentic the book is be it relationships within the family to friends and how that can vary in a spectrum. I loved the chemistry between the main characters, I find that sometimes lacking in romance novels by South Asian authors. Nisha Sharma did a great job with weaving a beautiful story with amazing characters. I had a little problem with Prem's cluelessness about love and how he figures stuff out. But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book! I am going to try scrambled eggs with chaat masala ASAP!!

Thanks to Avon books for sending me an ARC of Dating Dr. Dil.

Rating : 4.5 stars

This story will have you feeling all the feels and laughing out loud!

Dating Dr. Dil pulled me in right away. What was supposed to be a bar fling turns into enemies to lovers + fake dating, but despite their many differences and opposing views on love, Kareena & Prem have an undeniable connection. Their chemistry and banter is HOT and SWEET! The friendships are amazing! The story is also about finding the kind of love you want, and how cultural traditions, expectations, and obligations can influence or pressure one's life choices. But what I liked best about it was how Sharma wrote it in such a way that you feel like you've been invited over for chai to catch up on the latest happenings 😂.

So yeah, pull up a chair, because this is vibrant, buzzing with energy, and fast paced with some really good spice! I was laughing and blushing my way through this book! And ya'll are not ready for Prem, this cardiologist owns a piece of my heart!

what to expect:
- dual pov
- characters in their 30's
- opposites attract
- fake relationship
- laugh out loud romcom
- meddling aunties
- rich in food & culture
- amazing friendships
- grand & thoughtful gestures
- eating competition, fun dates & MORE ...
- South Asian representation
- Prem and Kareena's Taylor Swift playlist
- a Bollywood style romance with a Taylor Swift happily ever after
- 18+ 🌶 🌶 🌶 Gulab Jamun is forever seared in my memory