I always love a good enemies to lovers trope, and add in a little fake dating with a medical world setting, and you have a winner in my book! Lucien and Mira have known each other since high school, and were bitter rivals till the end. Not much has changed now that they are completing their residencies in the same hospital. Their cheeky and witty banter and jabs at each other throughout the story made this and exceptionally fun read. I found myself laughing out loud with a perpetual smile on my face the entire time. There is some conflict of course toward the end, and I loved it when Mira and Lucien finally realized and admitted their feelings for one another.
Ms Clinton did a really nice job of bringing the story and the characters to life and I got pulled into Lucien and Mira's world right from the start. Both were such strong, sharp-witted characters and I couldn't help but falling in love with them. I also enjoy seeing the story unfold in both characters point of view, so that was definitely a plus for me. There was no question about the strong chemistry between them, and their banter and interactions were heart fluttering and swoon-worthy. The story was delightfully cute and I really enjoyed it. If you're looking for a fun, quick and light read, that will put a smile on your face then you definitely will want to pick this one up. Glad to have had the opportunity to read this one!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Jumping on the bandwagon of medical/uni rom-coms this was no different to the usual romance novel crowding my local bookshop. That being said was well it written and engaging. Loved the characters and looked forward to picking up the book every evening.

'

I could not finish this book.

Whilst I enjoyed the story I was not completely pulled into it. But I do want to come back to it at a later date.

The description of this book looked like it was right up my alley. Grey's theme? Check. Workplace romance? Check. Enemies to lovers? Check. Lucien and I literally checked all my boxes, and I should have loved it. Sadly, I do not think I have ever given a book this low of a rating, and like a lot of people who review ARCs, I've read a lot of books.

Here's what I liked: 
I cannot think of a single thing that I enjoyed about this book. Other than the hate-reading, because I am fueled by spite.

Here's what I did not like (it's a long list folx, sorry in advance): 
Mira & Lucien's backstory was nonexistent, so the reader is thrown into their animosity without really having a solid grasp on why the animosity exists in the first place. Lucien's bravado fell very flat and was not particularly convincing. By page 13, I realized that the writing had absolutely no flow to it, which was not a great sign. Every sentence felt like being jerked around like a marionette, but the direction changed each time. So I found that both distracting & disorienting. For a little while, there was a strange emphasis on sleeping with people who were of legal age?? Since the MCs are both adults, it should not have to be clarified that they are sleeping with people who are over 18... Then, in the year of our lord 2022, the author uses the word "friendzone," which is not a thing. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the friendzone is a myth made up to guilt people into sleeping with friends whom they only see as platonic. *steps down from soapbox* Now, because there hasn't been enough strangeness, now there's a Mafia subplot with one of the patients in the hospital?? At this point, I don't even know anymore. Additionally, the writing has not improved by this point in the novel; it still feels like I'm on a small boat in very choppy waters & it's quite disorienting.

Now on to the next chunk of plot points that make no sense! 
Lucien & Mira meet for dinner, I think at one of their houses, & the conversation turns to a confession of self-harm from one of them, or at least SH was alluded to. This struck me as an odd thing to confess to someone that the character allegedly hates. I understand suspension of belief in fiction to a point, but I did not buy this interaction at all. This leads to my next point, which is that I never felt any chemistry between the main characters. The lack of chemistry was really the downfall of this book, in my opinion. Finally, and this is a recurring theme in all of my reviews, can we please stop comparing penises to steel? I do not get the comparison, & furthermore, I do not like it.

Despite wanting to like this book, it went over like a ton of bricks. Towards the end, this was definitely a hate-read, kind of like not being able to look away from a car crash. I'm sure this novel is great for some people, but I was certainly not one of them.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I liked the spice, but it overall wasn't the book I wanted. Early comments from Lucien ("I basically sleep with anyone who's legal") soured the book for me and I didn't finish it.

This book caught my attention with its cover which is graphical and cute, to say the least, to add to it a medical trope with rom-com on the top! Our main characters are each other nemesis as rivals for a very long time, as they are both working as cardiothoracic surgery practitioners and their hospital has only one place for permanent work..
Mira and Lucien have to take care of their banter that goes wrong and they are on the verge of being expelled - it's a DISASTER! So to prevent it they have to play a game of fake dating to save their careers and future. Mortal enemies that need to cooperate - yes, I will read it, always, and both Lucien and Mira are well written and developed in this setting.
What I also liked was a part of their corporal interactions - sexiness was strong and what can say - hate sex is HOT, and Ms. Clinton can write it very well and give readers all the singles in our bellies.

I could never dislike a medical or STEM related romance novel. The BANTER and ROMANCE UGHHH. I will never not want to live a life like this.

Lucien and I was a swoon worthy rom com perfect for fans of Grey's anatomy and the hating game. The enemies to lovers was so well written I finished the book in one sitting. The spice in this book was also fantastic! Plus the author creates really well side characters that you are sure to love. Overall this was a 5 star read I will be recommending this to all my friends.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

4.25 ⭐️

This is a dual POV rom-com starting 2 cardiothoracic surgery fellows that have been rivals since high school. Fake dating, one bed, it’s always been you, and (unfortunately) miscommunication tropes abound! I loved their chemistry and spice! It was a nice fluffy romance that I delved into so quickly.

I related a lot to Mira’s self doubt since it was how I was when I was younger; it was so freeing to see her feel worthy and loved through love.

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!

This book had serious The Hating Game vibes and oh, how I do love a good enemies-to-lovers romance.

Mira and Luci are heart surgeons and man, it's freaking hard. They have no life outside of the hospital and … each other. They have been obsessed the other for 16 years. They are so lonely and spend all their time playing petty one-up games while all along pining for each other.

It's the pining in this book that did it for me. The tropes in this book! Miscommunication, fake dating, throw in wa stuck in a one-bed room, caring for one of the sick MCs, doing acts of love for each other that alter their career choices … this book has it all.

It's a tad sad that the two missed out on more than a decade of real love because they wouldn't admit to their feelings, but they make up for it. Lots of open-door sizzle, so be prepared. They are just a couple of surgeons who have a LOT of pent-up frustration.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sasha Clinton for providing me an e-copy of LUCIEN AND I.

I rate LUCIEN AND I four out of five stars.

I loved this book so much. The rivalry between Mira and Lucien was both hilarious and pointless. They make a great couple and they could have avoided a lot of heartache if they had just communicated with each other sooner. I always love a happy ending and this one did not disappoint. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

Lucien and I

I wish that I could give this book more than 1 star... I really do. However, there were just too many things that didn't mesh in this book. For starters, and this is the most glaring issue, there are several inconsistencies in this book. Not just your regular run of the mill typos, but legitimate story holes that don't add up. It's hard to be into a story when the story isn't keeping up with itself. Many times scenes were described one way and then the characters acted in ways that wouldn't work with the layout of the scene, and sometimes chapters would completely undo information we'd previously learned first-hand from a character. I think that this author could have done better story planning or perhaps note-taking to keep these glaring issues from happening.

Typos are to be expected in an ARC copy, so that didn't really factor into my rating, but I just wanted to out it out there that there are in fact typos.

The other thing is that I really didn't like the portrayal of these people's romance. First their sworn enemies that people are literally trying to keep apart while simultaneously liking each other, then fake dating, then seemingly real dating (?) and somehow willing to throw their life's work away for this person that a few months ago they couldn't stand? It just doesn't feel real to me, it doesn't feel plausible. I will say that I find it hard to believe that Mira mirrored her whole life to Lucien's because she hated him so much that she had to be better than him at even his job. Arguably, she could have been doing it for her mom too, but I feel like the motivations of these characters was just too hard to follow.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC of "Lucien and I" written by Sasha Clinton. It was released on September 26th, 2022.

Overall, I rated this novel a 3/5 stars!

The novel tells the story of Lucien and Mira. The two of them have been in competition with on another ever since high school. And as grown adults, they are both working as heart surgeons.

Read if you enjoy:
*high school academic rivals to lovers
*anything medicine/doctor-related
*fake-dating

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy.
Disclaimer: I was given access to this ARC for free in exchange for my honest review.
So this story is described as if Greys anatomy meets the hating game. They were right.
The story follows Lucien and Mira who have known each other since high school, now in their fellowship for cardiothoracic surgery. They have been rivals since then. There is always this animosity between them and there is the need to do better than the other one.
So enemies to lovers, fake dating, “office” romance, and the constant bickering as well as well the the constant longing because “spoiler alert” they like each other but they are both too prideful to say something.
The story comes together when due to a misunderstanding they must pretend to date in order to avoid being kicked out of the program. It’s a bit of a slow start but I loved every minute of it.
The banter they have and the constant need to one up each other made for a very fun read. there was a bit of medical talk but nothing too big. The side character are fun but a bit cartoonish, not too developed but its alright.
I was not expecting the spice of the book. I was fooled by the cure cover and I was pleasantly surprised. Lucien is not afraid to take control.
There is surprisingly deep conversation that takes place between Mira and her mother that really brought tears to my eyes. Dealing with the expectations that Indian parents have for their kids and how that can affect their relationship with their children.

I thought the premise of this book had so much potential, and I love a good rivals to lovers story. But Mira and Lucien spent far too much time being unnecessarily cruel to each other. Some of the stuff they said to each other, I never would have been able to get over and end up with that person. And other than physical attraction, I never saw a deeper chemistry between them. I felt like I was just being told they were soulmates but I couldn’t see that in their actions.

As a minor note, in an early Lucien chapter, he mentions multiple times that he hooks up with anyone who is legal, which I personally thought was the creepiest way his penchant for sleeping around could have been described. I was never able to shake the image of him going after barely 18 year old girls.

I was very excited when I read the synopsis of this particular novel, and I think the reason I chose it was the line "Grey's Anatomy meets The Hating Game." I am a huge Grey's Anatomy fan, and I actually enjoyed The Hating Game (the movie more than the book tbh... sorry) so I was curious and I sent a request to read the ARC of Lucien and I .

So, first of all, what is Lucien and I?

Mira Krishnan (the main female character) is a cardiothoracic surgery fellow whose three big goals in life are:

1. Achieve superstardom in the field of heart surgery.
2. Crush Lucien Stone by showing him that she’s the superior heart surgeon.
3. Fall in love with someone who is NOT Lucien Stone so she can erase her 19-year-long crush on him.

Lucien (the main male character) and Mira have been rivals since high school, and she’d like nothing more than to wipe that smug, overconfident smirk off his devastatingly handsome face. But when their rivalry goes too far and they’re caught in the middle of a fight by the program director, Mira’s life changes. To avoid being expelled from the fellowship for failing to conduct themselves in an appropriate, collegiate manner, Lucien and Mira are forced to lie about dating each other so they can dismiss their behavior as extreme flirting. But going on fake dates, vacations, and spending time together makes them realize that underneath all the jibes and rivalry, there's potential for something more…and perhaps, instead of looking into other people’s hearts, they need to look into their own. 

With that synopsis, yes I was total in!

When I received my YES to read this ARC I was really happy but hey, the time!!! I'm writing this review today sunday september 25th at 9:35pm and hey! the book is gonna be published TOMORROW!! September 26th!!! So I think this is a new version of elegant late!

I have to be 100% honest, I enjoyed the book but only a portion of it. I think the idea is good but FOR ME not completely great. I mean, the Grey's Anatomy vibe is fabulous but the are other stuff in the story that personally I think are extra (and not in a glamorous way).

POSSIBLE SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT!

The thing with the rivalry I think it was a little bit too much at the beginning I mean, the are adults in there 30s, professional doctors acting 24/7 like 5 year olds all the time in front of EVERYONE, even patients, and I know it's fiction but idk I couldn't tolerate the mood!

It was a looooooong introduction. At the beginning I was kinda tired of the same situations over and over again, I mean it was quiet obvious that Lucien was crazy in love with Mira since chapter 1, and Mira too but she was more in a defensive position all the time. They were obsessed with each other since high school so of course they are in love!!! Stop being so dramatic and kiss for God sake!!!

Anyways, even if its a little bit slow at the beginning and you want to kill them pretty much all the time, its a nice read, a classic enemies to lovers with fake dating included, but I have to say that the fake dating part it wasn't completely good to me, the reason was kinda dumb I mean if you're in a hospital and you have a fight with another doctor and your boss is mad with you, you talk to HR not fake date someone! But yes, it's a novel and it's fiction so bad luck for me!

If you are into romcoms with medical vibe and want to have a light reading to enjoy, go for it and fall in love with Lucien Stone and Mira Krishnan, I have to admit that I laugh sometimes with them!

Publishing date: September 26th, 2022. You can buy this book on Barnes and Noble, Kobo, IndieBound and Amazon.

I received a eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

Oh boy, this was a fun, odd ride.

I have to start by saying that I wouldn't like for my doctor to be someone who finished medicine not because their goal was to help the sick, to find a cure for cancer or something in that direction but the goal was to beat their rival. Why would you put yourself through med school to beat someone at it? I mean, the competition can be good for growth as a person and as a professional in your field of expertise, but not if it is your sole motivation just to be better from that one person.

Now, I did have a problem in the first part of the book connecting with the characters and how shallow they seamed to be, but... I did like the furder development of their banter and the fake dating. The banter on the social media was perfect.

Overall the story and the writing was interesting and keeps you reading but some parts felt displaced. The best way for me to describe it is that it was a solid tree with beautiful branches but with a wrong kind of leaves on it. It is odd at first but at the end you except it as it is, interesting in its own way...

I was hoping this would be similar to The Hating Game but with doctors, unfortunately for me it wasn't.
The main characters acted too childish for my linking (especially considering they are in their mid thirties). I just didn't find it believable. It took me out of the story.
The spice was good though! There was some awkward dialogue though.
Not for me, but I can see this being a popular book on TikTok.

Enemies to lovers/fake dating trope...my favorite. Although I felt like it was a bit flat for me. Their competition was a little much and kind of drove me crazy. I also felt that the characters themselves were a little bland. I couldn't really get a sense of who they were or really connect with them.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sasha Clinton, and Xpresso Book Tours for providing me with an ARC copy of this book!