Prem and Kareena gave me such joy through this whole book.

I loved their insta connection and their feeling of being pulled together. I loved their banter, it was excellently written.

What I loved most was Kareena. I loved that she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty and the emphasis on her fixing her own car, her own house. The fact that she didn't need a man and worked hard to prove herself and then make the mental decision that she wanted the companionship, not that she needed it. Prem's ability to really see her, to encourage her, to remember the little things she told him one drunken night. It all worked and flowed so beautifully.

My favorite scene in the book, the scavenger hunt murder mystery at the museum. It was so fun to see their competitive natures, to see the brilliance in Kareena, and that brilliance really lighting the fire for Prem. He wasn't turned off by her brains or her competitiveness.

Dating Dr. Dil features a few of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers and faking a relationship. Both Prem and Kareena are facing pressure from their families to find a spouse, though they have some fundamental disagreements on what makes for a successful marriage. My one quibble: I wish we had gotten more time with Prem’s family to really understand his perspective, especially since Kareena’s challenging relationships with her family were so well-written. As someone who’s also dealing with my mom’s death, and trying to maintain the childhood home I love, I definitely relate to Kareena’s drive to be able to save the home she loves so much. I wish we saw more honest portrayals of these challenging dynamics between adult children and their parents, and Nisha Sharma really nailed it.

It’s also worth noting that this is a romance with a healthy dose of spice - no fade to black scenes here! I thought the chemistry between Prem and Nisha really sparked on the page, but it was definitely on the more explicit side, so if that’s not your thing, you may not love this book. I thought it was just the right amount of spice for the story and showed that while they definitely had strong physical attraction, the characters also developed deep and meaningful love for each other over the course of the novel.

I hope we’ll hear more from this author in the future; there are a connections between Kareena and Prem’s friends that I hope turn into sequels, as I’d love to revisit these characters!

I really wanted to love this book, but just didn't work for me on a number of levels. I found Dr. Dil to be incredibly off-putting. Besides the initial terrible impression he made by leaving her in a compromising position and just walking away to take a phone call, he later yells to her "If you hit me, I'll hit you back" and I frankly lost any respect for him right then and there. Regardless of whether or not it was an empty threat, I have zero tolerance for heroes who even joke about such things. He really is an asshole.

This was such a fun book!! I really enjoyed the characters, the VERY true to life Aunty squad, and the story in general. I think it was a bit too steamy for a mainstream romance novel (almost read a bit like erotica), but enjoyable in any case. I think the realistic portrayal of the Indian American community of New Jersey was my absolute favorite part - I found myself laughing and nodding along to so much of this story!! Definitely an author I have enjoyed reading in the past, and look forward to in the future as well!

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

*Thank you Bonkers Romance and NetGalley for the ARC*

This was a fun, light contemporary romance with some elements of fake dating.

Kareena is a successful lawyer who is under pressure from her family to get engaged within a very short time frame, but she is insistant that she will only get married if it’s a love match. Prem is a cardiologist trying to fund a community clinic for the South Asian community, and does not believe in love. They meet in a bar and have an instant connection, but circumstances lead to them having a very public confrontation that put them in a bit of a mess. It becomes clear that the solution is for them to fake an engagement.

A central conflict between the two of them is their seemingly different definitions of love and the age old question: “what is love?” I sometimes felt like yelling at the characters, and maybe forcing them to read and discuss “All About Love” by bell hooks as an antidote to their epistemic disagreement. The nerd in me wishes the book spent a bit more time digging into the meaning of love, though I did appreciate how the characters resolved this for themselves.

This book had some hot steam and a lot of really fun side characters. I loved Kareena and Prem’s group of friends, the Aunties group chat (😂), and Kareena’s family (though her sister was a bit grating). I really felt like I was immersed in this New Jersey South Asian community. There were a lot of scenes involving food, and I am now going to have to hold myself back from over-ordering from my favourite Indian restaurant.

A solid, quality, hot, low-angst contemporary romance.

🌶🌶🌶🌶/5 high steam

Thanks to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Dating Dr. Dil!

There was a lot to love about this book: firstly, it was inspired by Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, and I think the plot fit so well for this modern retelling! (10 Things I Hate About You was also based off this play so I knew the vibes would be similarly excellent.) Kareena, the female lead, was an absolute badass. A lawyer with a penchant for sweater vests, who fixed her own car, took care of her family, and refused to settle for anything less than spectacular love. You couldn’t help but root for her the whole time!

While Kareena was a flushed out, developed character, I did find a lot of the other characters flat. I was definitely hoping for some more resolution with side characters, like Kareena’s sister, Bindu. Maybe we’ll see some additional books following this one to bring more to these characters! 🤞🏻

This was a SEXY book (like at least three descriptive scenes) with a LOT of Taylor Swift references (always an absolutely plus in my book). At one point, the male lead literally puts on Reputation!!!! Icon behavior. Excited to see what Nisha Sharma writes next!

Kareena Mann and Dr. Prem Verma meet at a bar (Kareena was celebrating her 30th birthday) and when Prem receives an emergency call, he leaves Kareena alone. Of course, she views this as a rejection, and while at a taping of his tv show, she tells him off. Because of Kareena's rejection, Prem loses an investor he needed to help open a medical clinic and is in need of finding some quick money. Kareena also received some surprising news that her father is selling the family home sooner than expected, and while she wants to buy the house, she does not have the funds to do so. Her father will gift her money if she's engaged. Thus starts a fake relationship of mutual convenience. Kareena can get the money from her father to buy the house, and Prem in a relationship may change the investor's perception of him and reconsider investing in his medical clinic. The only problem is that Kareena is interested in finding someone to love, and Prem doesn't believe in love.

This was a very cute "love" story with some very steamy scenes mixed in. I enjoyed the various meddling aunties, a very fun scene at The Met, and the slow burn of the fake relationship. Kareena also was a strong female character who was comfortable being herself and willing to find love in her own way.

I devoured Dating Dr. Dil in one evening. I was hooked from the first chapter! I laughed, craved paranthas & pani puri, felt anger, was swept off my feet by Prem, and more while reading this book. Kareena and Prem are wonderful together. The chemistry between the two is undeniably electric. The steamy scenes are STEAMY. I can confidently say that they are one of my favorite romance couples.
I loved all of the aunties in the story! The aunties are funny and full of love for Kareena. On the other hand, Kareena's sister is a Bridezilla and she got on my nerves. I wanted to yell at her and Kareena's dad during some parts of the story.
I love that Nisha provides a Taylor Swift playlist at the end of the story. Thanks!
If you haven't ordered your copy, you should hop on it quick! This is a story you will want to reread and will become a favorite.
I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
TW: loss of a loved one (off page)

Somewhat despite myself I have always loved The Taming of the Shrew, Every adaptation I have seen has entertained me immensely despite the play's misogynistic overtones. So I was pleased that Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma was not only another wildly entertaining retelling of this classic tale, but also managed to thread the needle carefully through potentially problematic themes. What Sharma did with this story was smart, sexy, and fun. I'm looking forward to the companion novels with the friends of the main characters!

Thanks to NetGalley for this arc !
I’m in love with this book ! Nishas did a good job writing it! I read this book in less than a day.



Reena And Prem have so much chemistry 🔥🥵as soon as I was finished with this book I wanted to read it again. Reena was a bad ass I loved how independent she was and stuck to what she wanted. Oh and those auntys! I wish I had those women in my life !! Easy 5/5 !!!

This had a lot of things I usually love in romance novels like enemies to lovers and fake dating, but man, did this miss the mark. Both Prem and Kareena were insufferable characters. It was so hard to root for them because their “enemy” banter has a little too much animosity, Prem doesn’t know the meaning of consent and constantly badgered her to date him, and even though Kareena’s family treated her badly, the fight Prem had with them at the end had him saying things that I would never want my lover to say to my family (even the members I don’t particularly like). I wish I liked something about this but I really, really did not. Though, still give it a read because I seem to be in the minority.

PS I hope the editors fix the Taylor Swift Playlist at the back of the book because “I Know A Place” is not a song but “I Know Places” is

Mixed feelings. I wish there had been more exploration into who Prem and Kareena are as individuals- because the attraction was so physical in nature, I felt like their emotional connection just wasn't all there.

Do you need to read this book? YES, RIGHT NOW BUY IT! I absolutely loved it l, the South Asians representation is on point. Plus it takes away so many misconceptions about arranged marriages in today’s world for Desi kids who have been born and raised in the west. But I mean, enemies to lovers, fake dating, BLACK KURTA, and Samosa Foodfight. I mean those alone should make you pick up the book.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I couldn’t put it down once I started. It was funny and super steamy. I loved the banter. And I promise you WILL be hungry after reading.

The Taming of the Shrew is one of my favorite Shakespeare comedies, so I loved seeing a new adaptation or retelling of it. Nisha Sharma does an amazing job of making this story her own. There are just enough bits and pieces of Shakespeare, but you definitely know that it's the author's story.

I love reading stories where the culture is heavily prevalent in the book. I like that I'm learning about another culture while also getting a great story.

I loved the little dating app text exchanges between Kareena and her possible suitors. Those were super funny and relatable (some unfortunately).

As I said before, I loved this book. It's one of my favorites of the year, so far. I can't wait for the next two books in the If Shakespeare Was an Aunty Trilogy. We get just a taste of what will be those relationships in this book and I'm excited to see which adaptations will be used for those.

5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kareena Mann has been pegged by her family as a “difficult woman.” What that means in the Desi community of Jersey City is that she’s career oriented and driven and still single at thirty. Perhaps she’s set her standards too high, they tell her. Now she’s torn by an ultimatum - she wants to buy her house from her father before he retires, but the only way she’ll be able to afford the downpayment is upon receiving the money her father has set aside for her upon the occasion of her engagement. Set on a love match, but running short on time, Kareena is determined to do what it takes to buy the house she grew up in.

When she meets Dr. Prem Varma at a bar, they have instant chemistry. Like, make out in the back office chemistry. Until she finds out that he’s also Dr. Dil, a local TV persona who makes claims about how love is actually medically dangerous for the heart. But he needs her as much as she needs him - he needs funding to create a community health center dedicated to serving the needs of the South Asian population in New Jersey, and showing his investors that he’s in a stable relationship should be the winning combination. But even in a fake relationship, can a woman looking for true love find any kind of happiness with a man who says love is harmful?

If there’s a contemporary subgenre I read more of than any other, it’s Desi Romance, and this one did not disappoint! This has shades of Taming of the Shrew/10 Things I Hate About You/Kiss Me Kate, but I wouldn’t explicitly call it a retelling. While I’m often annoyed at the “thirty is the benchmark for getting married” trope and also that of calling a career-driven woman with standards “difficult”, in the setting of the expat South Asian community it works. Kareena and Prem have undeniable chemistry, and there are complex layers of family expectations on top of their fake relationship.

I really enjoyed Dating Dr. Dil and breezed through it in under 24 hours, because I couldn’t put it down. It’s also one of the spicier desi romances I’ve read. And if you read “Dr Phil” at any point instead of Dr. Dil, don’t worry, Sharma lets Kareena lean into that comparison.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a very successful Southern Asian American retelling of The Taming of the Shrew. A standout element of this story was learning about Indian/Indian American culture. Also, the set up definitely felt unique from the typical popular romance books which I appreciated, and I enjoyed how their culture and upbringing contributed to how the romance played out. The specific family dynamics of Kareena’s family were really interesting to me, as someone from a very different cultural background, and seeing how Kareena navigated tradition with her own values and goals for her life was a wonderful element of this story.

I loved Kareena as a character. I appreciated how committed she was to her passions and unwilling to compromise on the things that are important to her. She knew what she wanted and she remained faithful to that, but she was still open to trying new things and growing. I really saw elements of myself in her character!

For the romance, the highlight for me was definitely how obvious it was that Preem paid attention to the things that were important to her and used that to show her love. His thoughtfulness was so touching and clearly meant the world to Kareena. I especially enjoyed their date at the museum. I do wish we had seen a moment where Kareena had reciprocated that attention to the things he liked and did something to make him feel special and loved.

**Potential spoilers in this paragraph**
Two stand out moments for me were the conversations at the end of the book between the love interests and their parents. I appreciate how honest Prem was when he finally asked his mother about the way that love factored into his upbringing and their home environment. It really helped me understand Prem better as a character and show how the love language he was raised with vastly differed from Kareena’s. I am also glad that Kareena’s father came to his senses and finally prioritized Kareena’s happiness at the end of the story. I also thought it was impactful when he explained that, though she didn’t see it, his relationship with her mother wasn’t without its difficulties. As someone who really relies on the advice and wisdom of my parents, I found these two moments especially touching and powerful.

One issue I had with this book was the fact that it had such a large cast of characters but I feel like I didn’t really get to know anyone outside of the main couple. At the end of the book I was still getting confused trying to keep track of all of the characters, especially the younger ones. Especially for a story where family and community are so important, I wish some of the side characters had been better developed and fleshed out.

Furthermore, the scene at the end with Prem and her family felt unrealistic and out of character, especially given the cultural dynamic, and the use of the word Charlie did NOT work for me!

One small moment that really stood out to me was when Prem is worried about Kareena’s safety and decided to come to her rescue, only to discover she’s playing a lively game of D&D with new friends. The moment the dice fell out of her dates bag I was hoping D&D would make it’s way into the story and I’m so glad it did!

I loved Dating Dr Dil, for a variety of reasons. I really enjoyed the take on Taming of the Shrewsbury, I thought it was fantastically done, as well as the characters being fully fleshed out and believable. I also really appreciated the nods to pop culture and Romancelandia

I love a good Shakespearean reference, and when I heard that Nisha Sharma was attempting to do a Taming of the Shrew retelling with a Southern Asian shrew, making it a rom-com, and including VERY spicy (think lots of peppers on the Indian curry spice scale) scenes, I was all in. Add to that a fake-dating trope and a talk-show host doctor as the lead male, and I could not wait to begin.
Well, Dating Dr. Dil delivers all of this.

This is what Nisha Sharma has done so well; taken her characters from instant attraction-to-enemies-back to lovers in the blink of an eye. Prem (aka Dr. Dil—Cardiologist and host of a Southern Indian show about heart health) does not believe in love, preferring to endorse match-made marriages or marriage of convenience. Kareena, a self-driven confident lawyer, models her desire for romance after her parents’ love-match believing that a relationship is pointless without love at the foundation. But sometimes the brain wants what it wants and when there’s instant chemistry, Prem and Kareena find each other second guessing their long held beliefs. Throw in a little alcohol, a wardrobe malfunction and miscommunication followed by morning after regrets, and Prem and Kareena find it’s not so easy to escape each other.

Dating Dr. Dil had fantastic side characters in the form of well-intended but meddling aunties. I lived for the group text chats between them and Kareena and also enjoyed the texts between Prem and his mother. Some of the funniest moments were through text communication (Kareena deleting online match profiles, and Katerina’s texts with her friends). Text messages conversations were also used to amp up the communication between Prem and Kareena as well.

But the relationship I found the most frustrating was that between Kareena, her sister Bindu, and their dad. In true Taming of the Shrew fashion, the younger sister is spoiled and the favorite of her father (or so it appears). I felt like Kareena was left to fend for herself quite often while Bindu got a pass from everyone else in her family because she was engaged. Some of this family dynamic is what draws Kareena closer to Prem; without really realizing she needs an ally. I had one slight issue with a scene later in the book between Prem and Bindu that felt somewhat out of character for Prem. The whole scene became a little whitewashed and what could have caused major family drama in real life seemed to just be a little blip with the father.

But I could not end this review without discussing the sex scenes. HOT HOT HOT (the shower scene!) Prem and Kareena have the best chemistry and I was rooting for them through the whole book. As much as Prem wants to say he doesn’t believe in love, his actions towards Kareena are always with love in mind putting her first in every sense of the word. **Side note: Prem calls his manhood “Charlie” on more than one occasion and it completely threw me and did not match the style of the book. This aside, the love scenes are “Chef’s Kiss”; Nisha Sharma knows to to write pleasure on the page.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

QOTD: What's your favorite dish your mother makes?
My A: Her banana bread! 😍
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This book has been taunting me on my Kindle for months, waiting for me to finally read it. First of all, I LOVE the title/cover of this book. The last few years romance covers have gotten better and better. I'll admit, I 100% would've read this book no matter what the blurb said because I love the cover so much! 🤣😍
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This was everything I hoped for and more!
In this book you'll find:
- Fake Dating
- Enemies to Lovers
- Nosey Aunties
- Women supporting women
- Off the charts chemistry
- Swoon & Steam
- First generation adults
- Indo American culture

It will come at no surprise when I say that Nisha Sharma hit it out of the park and gave romance lovers a 2022 MUST read!

In this Taming of the Shrew retelling, Kareena Mann is hounded by her relatives to get married, since she is now turning 30 and her younger sister Bindu is already engaged; Kareena, a lawyer for a women’s foundation, doesn’t want to rush into love. Dr. Prem Verma, also known as Dr. Dil, has a small, anti-love talk show and wants to build a community centre, but he needs investors. Can Kareena and Prem work together in ways that mutually benefit each of them?

I thought this book was a great look at different aspects of Indian culture and provided an example of the pressure exerted on many South Asian people to get married. I learned a lot of things and thought that Kareena and her family were hilarious, but also sweet an thoughtful. It was an enjoyable read, quite funny at times, and I liked the use of instant messaging chats to show the back and forth between Kareena and Prem, the aunties, and other family members. Overall, a solid book.

Thank you to Harper Collins Canada for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.