When I first saw Nisha’s publishing deal announcement that she was writing a series of desi romantic retellings of Shakespeare’s stories, I was immediately intrigued and have been waiting for one to release since. But I also have no clue about the plot of Taming of the Shrew, so I can’t comment anything on how close or not it is to the original. I can just say it stands very well on its own.

This was quite enjoyable to read all the way through. Nisha’s writing has a way to make you feel good and that’s what I felt for the most part. We have a sassy and true romantic at heart heroine Kareena who is happy to be working in the field that makes her happy even if her pay doesn’t live up to desi parents’ expectations. And Prem is a cardiologist who believes love only increases the risks for heart health. How these two come together is pretty explosive and funny, but one undeniable thing is that their chemistry is off the charts. She is a strong independent woman who knows what she wants and will not lower her standards just because she is thirty. And despite whatever misgiving he has about love as a concept, Prem is a considerate, attentive and respectful guy and they seemed so perfect together. They both also had a couple of amazing bffs and I have a feeling we might see them getting together in the upcoming books of this series.

But my problem with the book has to do with the families. Firstly, because this series is titled “If Shakespeare was an Auntie”, I’m glad depicted four delightful aunties who could be meddlesome as expected but also sweet and a bit more progressive than I would have thought. But it’s mostly Kareena’s family that infuriated me. Bindu, her younger sister is a full on Bridezilla and always taking advantage of her elder sister, disrespecting her but expecting only affection in return. But I liked how Kareena decided to deal with her towards the end.

But it’s both her father and grandma who were typical desi elders taunting Kareena for her choices and emotionally blackmailing her to get what they wanted. At this time in my life, I’ve realized that contemporary (or maybe even historical) romances don’t work for me because I’ve become too cynical. Even though I can still appreciate them when I need some fun, I’ve also understood that I should stay far away from desi romances. While it’s cool to see protagonists like myself on page, it’s very hard to listen to the elders on page regurgitate the same nonsense that I hear everyday irl from my family, and I absolutely have no interest in reliving all of it while reading as well, because books are my only source of joy these days.

Anyways, let me not dampen anyone else’s mood with my problems. This is a super fun romcom with interesting characters, sexy chemistry, great friends and some cool aunties and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something like that. It’ll probably take a few months or an year for the next book to release and I hope I will be in a much better headspace to appreciate a desi romance novel by then.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Definitely a fun read, recommend it.

Ms. Sharma has done it again, y'all. I've adored all of her books and this one is no exception. I wasn't sure how a romcom Taming of the Shrew would work but its handleded with care and critique and made for a really fun read.

I really loved Kareena and Prem. Their relationship is cute and believable, especially the conflict. I cried for them, because I'm soft, but it was a good cry. We learn a lot about Prem and his goals but I wish we got more of Kareena's life out side of her family and relationship with Prem. She's working her dream job but we don't learn much about it other than "helping women in business."

Overall, a good time. Def recommend .

Perfection! The way these two meet and then go viral, the way they fake it until they make it real, the side characters, the nod to Shakespeare…it’s just all done brilliantly!

I LOVED IT SO SO MUCH.

My god was this book amazing. The desi rep, the calling out of toxic practices, the smut 👀👀, everything. Dating Dr. Dil is a beautiful romance and i cannot get enough of them. Prem and his friends manage to be desi f boys and still be absolutely amazing, a literal dream come true. Might i add- desi rep, love love loveeeeee.

Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma was a fun rom-com and definitely a fun read. The author, Nisha Sharma, actually made the characters in the book in their 30s which is more realistic instead of the normal romcom college age crowd.

I really liked Kareena and Prem. The had chemistry for days and their banter made me laugh out loud. The writing was fantastic and overall it was a really fun and fast read.

4.5 Stars, 3.25 spice

Yes!!! This was so good! Thanks to Avon publishing and Netgalley for my digital Arc. This is an honest review.

Dating Dr. Dil is probably my second favorite Rom Com I have read this year (right behind It Happens One summer by Tessa Bailey).
This book was unique, funny, sassy, spicy and heartwarming.

I loved that the main characters were 30 & 35 (so many romances are like college age). I felt that many of the expectations Kareena was being held to were things I feel pressure for, and overall just found her circumstances very relatable. I loved the passion that we see between her and Prem, enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and this book didn't mess around, they were very much so enemies.

Now, I have never read Nisha Sharma before, and I have never read a romance book where booth main characters are Indian. I really enjoyed seeing the marriage culture, and the familial expectations from the inside. In my own culture arranged marriages aren't done, so it was enlightening to see how one might view an arranged marriage as a preferred option to a love marriage. Unfortunately, Kindle was not cooperating with Hindi translation so I did have to do some google translating. I did really enjoy looking up the different formal attire that was talked about though, such a beautiful culture.

The fake dating trope (or fake engagement trope) was dangled as an option throughout the book and I am so happy that it was not officially used. I find that the fake dating trope is overly predictable, Kareena was adamant she did not want to move forward with that because she knew it would end way worse for her than for him, Love a character who has brains and foresight.

Also I really liked that Kareena is a well educated, career focused (passion focused), romance reader, home renovator and works on cars - SHE DON'T NEED NO MAN. *snap* Love to see a strong independent women.

I enjoyed Prem's POV chapters immensely, but boy, can men be stupid. LOL. and that was the whole point, he needed to reconcile his own feelings for this all to work out.

I don't usually bump things all the way up to 5 stars unless they really get stuck in my head or make me cry, so we didn't get quite to that point. Also I would have liked a little bit more in the epilogue, other than the column (which the column gave me a little bit of Lady Whistledown vibes, anyone else?). But I would assume we will see more of their relationship in the background of future books (which I am assuming with be about Prem's and/or Kareena's friends?)

Overall a really wonderful read, I am excited to read the next ones!

EDITING NOTES -
location 190/5371 typo 'J ust leave it'
general note about the texting conversations - the Aunties group is well labeled with the Whatsapp chat name, but it just jumps right into the texts with other people and I was confused at first if they were in the same conversation. Not sure how this will look in the final copy/sound when read on audiobook. May want to look at labeling them as well.

Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4358584068?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dating Dr. Dil is probably one of my favorite spicy romcoms I’ve read all year, and I’m so glad it delivered on my high expectations.

Inspired by Taming of the Shrew, Dating Dr. Dil is the story of a hopeless romantic Kareena and Prem, who doesn’t believe in love being necessary or even healthy. Despite being a hopeless romantic, Kareena is a self-possessed career woman and who knows what she wants. And Prem, despite his cynicism, he is funny, lovable and cares about his friends and community.

After a sexy night at the bar gone wrong, Kareen and Prem are thrown together on live TV on Prem’s TV show and Kareen eviscerates Prem for abandoning her the night before. Despite this, the connection between the two sparkles. Both are facing an issue that they can help each other out with: Kareena’s dad has promised her childhood home to her if she can become engaged before he relocates to Florida in four months. Prem on the other hand, needs to raise funds for a community health clinic. With the help of some meddling aunts, Kareena and Prem end up faking a relationship.

While the set-up for the fake dating is a little convoluted, the whole plot is an incredibly heart-warming and real, the side characters of Prem’s friends and Kareena’s aunts are absolutely hilarious, and the steam is A+. Nisha Sharma also can write explicit consent into her scenes seamlessly in a way that is just hot and doesn’t feel shoe-horned in. Bonus points for texting exchanges with grandma where the grandma writes in all caps. We’ve all got one!

This book is so relatable and real and the growth on both of their parts is rewarding to see. Kareena’s vulnerability and conflict with her family and Prem’s refusal to open up to love because of trauma just make the HEA so much more complex and like they really deserved it.

I really enjoyed this book! It was interesting to have a book with the fake dating trope that was perfect yet so different. Incorporating enemies-to-lovers and a quest for true love, and you’ve got Dating Dr. Dil. Kareena’s character growth was spectacular and I really enjoyed reading about her dating mishaps, interactions with her aunties, and of course, her time with Prem. I found it difficult at times to understand why she was a pushover with her family but by the end I was proud of who she became (yes, I was proud of a fictional character). Side note: this book was hella spicy and I was HERE FOR IT!

Thanks NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dating Dr. Dil caught my attention because of it's cover!
Yeah, yeah don't judge a book by it's cover and all that but sometimes you got to.
Am I right?

To answer my own question yes, I was right!
This was a 5/5 stars!

You're giving me an enemies to loves story with a sassy hopeless romantic lead and a male lead that doesn't believe in love?
Count me in!

This book elicited a lot of emotions from me. I think it was because Kareena was such lovable and realistic lead. She knew what she wanted, was headstrong, and she didn't want to settle. ( Same girl, same )

Kareena has to deal with a lot of unnecessary grief from her family.
This was the first time I read a book with South Asian leads but I could understand some of the family demands and how unfair they can be.

Not gonna lie I wanted to smack some of these people in the head.
( I will talk about this in spoilers closer to release.)

Prem, Dr. Dil. Be still my heart.
He was total Husbandoo material with the smack and the flirty banter!
He was the reason for all my emotional turmoil!
Because here I am rooting for him and Rina but at the same time I know that she deserved better. But he HAD the potential to be the guy she deserved!

I loved their banter and those first encounters after they meet at the bar were so great! ( Spoilers )
Because it really cemented what we were going to be getting into with these two.
Their relationship was so cute, fun and flirty and oh my some scene had me clutching my non existent pearls because WOAH!

Now something that I really enjoyed was that conflict was always there in the back of our mind.
It felt so organic for it to pushed to the surface when it did even if it broke my heart. It was necessary.

I really like the supporting characters, their friends and oh my the Aunties were so funny!
Over all this was such a fun yet very emotional read. I woke up in the middle of the night to continue reading it and finished it at somewhere around 4:30AM.
This was my first Nisha Sharma book and I will be putting her other books in my TBR ASAP.

I'm placing an order for a signed copy first thing in the morning!

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ★★★★.25 stars

✍️ One Sentence Synopsis: Hopeless romantic Kareena Mann and notorious love-denier Dr. Prem Verma have one thing in common: an egregious amount of money is being held over their heads and the only path available to this money is by being married--however, the two join forces to out-smart their family members/the public and get... almost... everything they want.

💭 Overall Thoughts: What a lovely read this was! At the 15% mark, I had a bad taste in my mouth due to Kareena's family and Kareena's own (childish) reactions. However, I decided to sleep on it, and lo and behold, the next day I was able to look past this distaste and I'm so glad that I did! This book held so much more emotion than I was expecting, and the romance that began as something explosive with passion, turned into something so soft and sweet.

What I Liked:
👍 The Romance: Kareena and Prem's love story was an absolute delight. From strangers flirting at a bar to enemies on camera to rivals with a common goal to friends, and then FINALLY to lovers... these two truly did it all. Their banter and the many tropes employed in their story will have you unable to put this book down, I can guarantee that!
👍 The Steam 🌶: I wasn't actually expecting smut here, but what a fantastic surprise it was! There were only a handful of scenes, but they were quality scenes, for sure. Prem is a giver and we love him for that.
👍 Climax/Grand Gesture: Prem's participation in the "climax" portion was like letting out a breath I was holding in for far too long! He said what I think we were all thinking from the very beginning of this book. The grand gesture aspect was so sweet to me and again showcased that Prem is a giver in more ways than one.
👍 Relatability: Regardless your cultural background, I think there's something relatable for everyone in this book, in respect to Kareena's search for love and refusal to settle. It's a common pressure across most of the world that a woman's "marriageable" years are a ticking clock, and 30 is a daunting cutoff age for many to be married by. As if we need a ring to prove that we're not alone in the world! Kareena is unmoving in her values to marry for love, and rather than having no fear in this, she looks it right in the eye. I think Kareena's determination in the face of cultural pressure is something everyone will find admirable.

What I Didn’t Like:
👎 Prem's "Love" Hang-Up: At first, I accepted this. It is explained fairly well, and it's manageable for most of the book. But there was a certain point reached where I thought it was just plain silly for a 35-year-old man to still be this stubborn.
👎 Kareena's Family: This is referring to Kareena's sister, father, and occasionally her grandmother. I understand that these characters were written as to be dislikable, but it doesn't stop me from disliking this part! Her sister being a self-absorbed princess and her father (and occasionally grandmother) being oblivious to Kareena's intelligence beyond her "too independent & unmarried" status was so frustrating. This was the element that gave me a bad taste when I began reading. The book has just begun and the majority of character we've met so far... are all assholes! There was a certain call-out here that relieved my frustrations here, so this is only a mild complaint now.

💞 Read this if you liked: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne and The Shaadi Set-Up by Lillie Vale.

⚠️ Content Warnings: Death of a parent (discussed), sexual harassment (depicted as chat messages)

I have conflicting feelings on this one. I really liked Kareena and Prem - I loved their banter and they had a ton of chemistry. The writing was fantastic and overall it was a really fun and fast read.

I was really bothered by they way Kareena’s family treated her (hence the one star knock off), but I also don’t want to focus on that too much since it might be due to cultural differences. The Aunites were fantastic and I loved the little bit we got of the friend group.

A modern update of ‘Taming of the Shrew’ is a difficult needle to thread but the author does it admirably. Prem is smarmy and compassionate and Kareena is very honest yet guarded and vulnerable.

There first meeting doesn’t go well and Kareena’s sister surprises both of them in their second meeting on live tv. Their second meeting goes even worse than the first one did.

However, Prem needs money for his medical clinic and Kareena needs money to buy the house she grew up in as her father is retiring and moving to Florida. The idea of a fake engagement is cooked up by Kareena’s aunties.

Prem buys into this idea first and it is this part of the book where I struggled. I know he is trying to convince her of their fake engagement but I wish he had had more respect for her boundaries.

However, once Kareena agrees to the fake engagement scheme the book becomes pure delicious rom com magic complete with scorching chemistry and aunties in restored cars and Kareena’s father learning to appreciate her. I read the the half in one sitting.

A very high four star read. This book was provided to me by the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a romance that gives you the good feels reading this. I love reading about the Indian culture in this book and the traditions. Seeing Prem's and Kareena's journey from the bar to love was cute in itself.
I didn't really get the Taming of the Shrew from this story though. So, I had to look deep into this story to see the similarities in the book. To me, there wasn't enough and it frustrated me in way that I wish there was a little to it.
To me it just didn't understand where Prim was coming from when it comes to why he was holding off on his feelings for Kareena or why he suddenly was pursuing her. Like in the beginning he was so against love but in a drop of the hat he was ready to get into a relationship with someone. To me, that didn't make sense.
The smut in this book was a little too much for me personally. Not exactly my cup of tea.
If I am not overanalyzing it, this is a great romance and a great read.

I have read a few other books by Nisha Sharma and enjoyed them. I loved this book!! I thought it was a wonderful story. I loved the character interactions and was drawn into the story. I would recommend to others.

Dating Dr. Dill is about Kareena and Prem, who end up in a fake-dating arrangement - and it was really believable and REALLY good!! The characters had a lot of depth, and the book featured very strong women which I loved. Kareena is such a badass, she loves restoring her family house and her mother’s old car (so into her) and knows how to stand up for herself.

I did want to see more of Kareena and Prem falling in love since they seemed to get there pretty quickly. There were some super-steamy moments that were fun to read too!

Overall I definitely recommend this for a fun, diverse romance! It will be released on March 15th, 2022. Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for sending this arc for an honest review!

If your looking for a fake dating trope or engagement trope babez then this book will fill up that hole inside of you. For starters the Asian rep was immaculate. I am not Asian myself but I truly enjoyed reading the story in a perspective of someone who isn’t white. It was such a joy seeing the development between katreena and the doctor especially because their point of views on love is very different. But believe me when I tell u their interactions had me melting every time.

4.5 ⭐️ Stop what you're doing and read this book!!!

Dating Dr. Dil is easily one of my favorite romantic comedies of all time! Inspired by Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, the story is about a love-phobic TV doctor trying to convince a love-obsessed lawyer that they are meant to be together. There is so much hilarious banter, amazing sexual tension, passionate romance, loveable characters, and more! I laughed so hard and even needed to take a few moments to cool down when things heated up.

This was my first novel by Nisha Sharman and will not be my last! And I guarantee Dating Dr. Dil will become the next big contemporary romance. So be sure to pre-order today (releases March 15, 2022).


So what did I love about this story?

Everything! No, really, I could go on and on about this book! But for the sake of time, I'll try to be brief. (Try being the keyword 🙈)


I am completely obsessed with Kareena and Prem! ❤️ It's rare in any rom-com for me to relate to or even like both the main characters, but Dating Dr. Dil nailed it! Kareena is a smart, independent, sassy, down-to-earth lawyer, and Prem is a loyal, sexy, pragmatic, playful doctor. Put them together, and BAM!!! You've got the ultimate power couple. They have my entire heart, mind, body, and soul! I freaking love them!


The dual POV really added to the story. Both Kareena and Prem are amazing characters with unique personalities and differing opinions about love, so seeing the world from their perspective really allowed me to understand where they were coming from.

But I will say, Prem's belief about love got to be a tad frustrating when he clearly was in love with Kareena. He was so caught up on the semantics that he couldn't see what was right in front of him. I just wanted to slap him across the face (lol)! However, after learning about Prem's past, it's understandable why he would have such a standoffish approach to love. And eventually, his head finally catches up with his heart, so it all works out. 😊


The chemistry between Kareena and Prem is off the charts! I think one of the most challenging things about rom-coms is convincing the reader the two main characters are meant to be together. But Nisha Sharma, you freaking did it! The enemies-to-lovers vibes, fake-dating plot, passionate banter, and stubborn personalities made the tension explosive. I could feel the heat coming right off the page! 🔥 Whether Kareena and Prem are fighting or f*cking, there is so much fire, it could burn the world. And that's the only kind of romance story I want to read.


The spice was . . . holy sh*t, it was something else. 🥵 Whenever Kareen and Prem are near each other, there's so much sexual tension. So when they finally get together, it's mind-blowingly sexy! The things Prem does to Kareena. Not going to lie, my mouth was gaping wide open a few times. These scenes were HOT, and things only got spicier as the story went on! (Yes, there are multiple sex scenes. 🙌 )

There were some things Prem says in heated moments (like using the term finger f*cked, calling his dick Charlie, and referring to Kareena as a 'dirty girl') that I personally am not into. But then he goes down on Kareena three times in a row and would say things like, "Tell me what you want, Rina, honey. I promise I'll make it good." So yeah, I got over the parts that annoyed me real quick. Because when you're reading about a man as hot and generous as Prem, you let things slide.


I adore the nosey aunties! They are the real MVPs of this story because, without them, there wouldn't be a Kareen and Prem endgame. Even though they were meddlesome, they just wanted what was best for Kareena. Every scene featuring these lovely ladies was a treat and had me laughing my ass off. I hope they'll be playing a part in the next books in this series!


I enjoyed learning more about Indian culture. As this story centers around Indian American families, it showcased Indian dating/marriage customs, family dynamics, delicious foods, and traditional outfits. The writing is so descriptive that it felt as if I were experiencing everything along with the characters. I now need to go to a Punjabi party and eat delicious pani puris. 😋


Even though I'm not Indian, I'm a daughter of immigrants and definitely found myself relating to Kareena.

"Sometimes I think that we, as the first ones born in the U.S. feel so much pressure to excel because our parents don't know if their intercontinental move was successful until we are successful. . . We are the reward to their sacrifice."

Many children of immigrants feel pressure to be who our parents want us to be, even at the expense of our own happiness. Of course, we want to make them proud, but we also want to follow our own dreams. I'm proud that Kareena was strong enough to be true to herself, but it was hard seeing the way her family treated her because it just mirrored my own experience. I loved how Prem stood up for Kareen at the end and eventually, how her family came around to support her.



Overall, Dating Dr. Dil was an absolute delight and should immediately be added to your reading list! It's one of those stories that you'll find yourself reading over and over again and thinking about constantly. If this is what we got from the first book in Nisha Sharma's If Shakespeare was an Auntie series, I cannot wait for the next one!


Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.

What happens when you mix Kareena who believes in love, Prem wo does not think love is real, and a scheme that will benefit them both? You will need to grab Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma when it releases March 15th 2022 to find out!

This book has so much: great banter, enemies-to-lovers, faking dating, dual POVs, south Asian representation, aunties trying to help in situations that end up stirring the drama pot, and SPICE. There are also great discussions of traditions when it comes to family, love, and marriage.

I loved this book so much and already want to re-read it. I give it a 5/5 overall and a 3/5 on a spice scale.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book has so much banter, wit, humor, and yes, even spice, that I thoroughly enjoyed this romance novel. Full of a fake dating trope, enemies to lovers, it was honestly equal parts adorable and authentic that I really did not want to put it down, especially as I neared the ending! Gosh, so sweet, indulgent, and fun!