A rivals to lovers, fake dating, workplace romance, medical rom-com with dual pov. This book has so many great tropes! I found it difficult to get into this book because the competition between Mira and Lucien was a bit intense for me and I didn't like that everything was a game to them. However, once the fake dating started and the competition and games reduced I started to enjoy the book. It was a good, quick read that I'm sure others will really enjoy.

3 stars for this enemies-turned-lovers medical romantic comedy!

Lucien and Mira have been sworn enemies since high school when Lucien rejected Mira's romantic advances... or at least that's what she thought he did. They have spent the next many, many years being rivals on every level. Lucien followed Mira to college where they both hated each other and pushed each other to be the best heart surgeons they could be. Their coworkers are sick and tired of their competitive nature. One day, they get caught in a precarious position, and Lucien tells their boss that they are dating to save face and save their careers. The pair need to learn how to fake-date quickly so as not to arouse suspicion. While they are fake dating, they both realize their true feelings for each other. Can Mira and Lucien overcome their egos and finally express their mutual love?

I am starting to realize that *I hate* the miscommunication trope. I've only seen one book that really does it well, and "Lucien and I" is, unfortunately, not it. One simple conversation devoid of ego would have fixed decades of strife and hurt and pain between Mira and Luci. They drag everyone else into their messes along with them instead of just talking it over!! UGH! It's a little hard to believe these two people are doctors being as immature as they are. Their attitudes are just so toxic and negative towards each other that it's hard to relate to them as characters. The biggest positive for me is that author Sasha Clinton reeeeeeeeeeeally knows how to write steamy scenes. WOW. I mean, *really* good. Can't wait for her next book. Unfortunately, there are some plot points that are introduced but don't really go anywhere, including (but not limited to) an entire mafia connection for no purpose? Weird. This was a mixed bag for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sasha Clinton, and Xpresso Book Tours for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review in any way.

First of all thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. I was so stoked for this book based on the description because I love a good eniemes to Lovers and fake dating trope. Also it was compared to Grey's Anatomy and the hating game which I love. I can honestly say the overall story was a cute concept. I just couldn't get into the main characters. They were both very immature and childish. The bickering between them was just off putting. Cute concept but didn't need so much bickering.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! I was immediately sucked in to this book with the banter and drama. Definitely reminded me of Greys anatomy. Some of the “miscommunication” didn’t sit well with me, but some of the smut sure made up for that. I haven’t read anything like this before and I liked the medical drama aspect of this.

Lucien and I was a cute read. Think of The Hating Game and Grey’s Anatomy but much much kore rivalry.
Mira and Lucien have known each since high school. They both had crushes on each other but due to a miscommuncation they begin to become competitce in everything. They go together from school, to university and to their fellowships at the same hospital where they were graduate soon.

At times, their competiveness drove me crazy. I found Mira to be immature in the first half of the book because of the competiveness and she was super annoying about it
Lucien was a cocky bastard. His ego was HUGE and sometimes I just shook my head with the way he acted.

I think this was the downfall to me for this book. The banter was pretty good but the competitiveness and immaturity was unrealistic for a pair of 30 year old doctors.

The writer left alot to the readers imagination. Mira is Indian American but yet there was no culture really brought into the book unless it was through her mouth who Mira can’t stand.
The character descriptions were minimal and I just needed MORE.
The attempted sexual assault where the h kicks the ‘attempted rapist’ in the head after he essentially calls her bad in bed
H saying that the h has so many enemies. I dont get it, where did he get that idea from? And why was this thrown in? It felt like another reasong to bring in more angst.

Overall it was ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for me.

It was a great idea but just needed more.

If you like:
Fake dating
Workplace romance
Medical Drama
The Hating Game book
Character Growth

They grab it!

Thank you to @netgally for providing me this ARC in return for an honest review.

A fun read. Enemies to lovers for Mira and Lucien, who are fake dating to save themselves from getting in trouble at work, but will it lead to more for them both? A great read, looking forward to more from this author

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
STEAM: 🔥🔥🔥

Mira Krishnan and Lucien Stone have been at each other's throats since high school. Yet, they cannot seem to be rid of each other all the way to their surgical fellowship at NYU. You would think that they would tire of the bickering, but it seems that the only people who are tired of it are their colleagues.

When they got caught in a compromising position that could have endangered their fellowship graduation, they had to pretend they were a couple. But the more time they spent together, the more it seems like their fake relationship isn't so fake after all.

My kid plays competitive sports, and she's what her coach refers to as a second-half player. It means that she does not really play to her full potential until the second half.

Having read Sasha Clinton twice now, I would say that her books are more like second-half players. The beginning of this read was a bit chaotic. I did not experience Mira and Luci's bickering as long as their colleagues, but it sure felt that way by the third chapter. If the miscommunication trope could drive, it was definitely putting the pedal to the metal. Their chemistry, however, kept me going. An underlying sizzle accompanied every zing they threw each other's way, and Clinton did a great job of supplementing it with small details of Mira and Lucien's thoughts.

The second half -- after they got caught and had to start fake-dating -- was better. They still thrived on miscommunication and misunderstanding, but we get more insight as to what is driving the animosity. As a first-generation Asian American, reading about Mira's challenges with her mom felt like reading my own thoughts about growing up: the pressure of not being good enough, the challenges of being a sensitive kid trying to make it in an emotionally stunted environment. I definitely could relate to when Mira had to seek validation from other places to compensate for how she grew up.

If you have read Henry and Me, how Lucien turned out should not come as a surprise. While this book can be read as a standalone, I feel like I would not have been as sympathetic to Lucien and his social awkwardness if I did not read the previous novel.

The second half was also more enjoyable because that sizzle I mentioned earlier? It becomes a raging fire as Luci and Mira's suppressed emotions come to the surface. Boy, does it manifest into epic spicy moments that are definitely a level-up than what I would normally expect from a romcom.

If you love rivals-to-lovers, I recommend getting this book. Be patient with the first half, because the payoff in the second part is worth the wait.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Sasha Clinton and NetGalley for providing an ARC. **

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc. This review is wholly my own.

This is yet another enemies to lovers book based in an occupational setting. This time with doctors in a hospital setting.

I am not really sure what I can say that hasn't been said before about this type of book. It is pretty standard. It is extremely predictable, but with that said, it is a cute story.

💡Disclosure: I received a free eARC of this book on NetGalley.

📚 I had a great time reading this one. This was a “get back from class and read straight through” book, which like NEVER happens to me as an evening law student with a full-time job during the day. Once I was in, though, I was in.

📚 I loved the banter. I appreciated the subtlety Clinton uses with it—that these two can only banter so ferociously because they’re so attuned to one another that they can tell when they’ve gone too far. I haven’t read The Hating Game, so unfortunately I can’t compare this one to the enemies-to-lovers touchpoint perhaps most useful to other readers, but one criticism I’ve heard of THG is that for some readers, it goes too over the top on the hate—so much that you can’t understand why these people “like” each other. Here, it’s easy to see why Lucien and Mira like one another, even as it’s also easy to believe they are both so wrapped up in the drama neither can see what’s really going on.

📚 ALSO, I loved the stuff with Mira’s mom. Their relationship felt real and genuine—layers of hurt and failure to understand one another. It was very cathartic to see the relationship strained to enough of a breaking point for them to need to tell one another the truth.

📚 Is sixteen years of bitter rivalry over the top…? Sure, but only in the way that one wants out of a romance novel. This is a genre reader’s book. Pretty high steam level, a little spicy. A judicious sprinkling of tropes and genre conventions. This is definitely one I’ll recommend to my friends in med school, if only to hear what they have to say about the medical stuff (heavily weighted toward the beginning), lol. And this will be an author to watch for me.

*Disclaimer: I got an ebook arc copy of Lucien and I through Netgalley. The following review contains spoilers and all opinions and thoughts are my own.*

Lucien and I is the first book I've read by author Sasha Clinton. The description of the book pulled me in because of my background in the medical field and my interest in all things romance.
The book is about Lucien and Mira, and they are cardiothoracic surgery fellows working at the same hospital. The two characters have known each other since they were in high school and have been in competition with each other. Back in high school, they both had secret crushes on each other, but due to teenaged awkwardness, each felt rejected by the other, so they used that fuel to become competitors and rivals in everything they did. As time goes by, their constant bickering lands them in hot water with their boss and with colleagues who are tired of dealing with it too. One night, Mira is tired and hasn't eaten after being on call for 24 hours, so she gets woozy and Lucien goes to help her and their boss and colleagues find them in what they think is a compromising position from their rivalry. Thinking fast to save their jobs, they both come up with a plan to fake date each other. They decide to wait for 8 months until their graduation to keep up the farce, create a dating contract and learn how to be believable to those around them. Both Mira and Lucien are very guarded people due to their relationships with their families. Mira doesn't have a great relationship with her mother, and her dad passed away during her medical residency. She feels inferior and has insecurities because her mother makes her feel like she is never good enough. Lucien comes from a wealthy family, and both parents are doctors who pressure him to follow in the family footsteps. If you read between the lines, you can tell that each one of them is broken in some way from past issues and the need to be the best is fueled by different parts of the events that have happened in their lives. As the walls come down, and the fake dating goes on, both Mira and Lucien each figure out that the other had a crush on each other and things start to click that the animosity comes from a deeper place. Through a series of events in the book, they finally each realize they can love each other for real and admit it out loud that somewhere along the way, their feelings are real for each other.
I know there have been a lot of mixed reviews about this book, and about the characters and the maturity level etc but, but I personally loved the book. I couldn't put it down. There were many times that I found myself laughing out loud and reading different lines to my husband about these two characters' bantering back and forth. I wanted to reach through the pages and be like enough ready just tell each other you love each other and stop being so stubborn! You have to dig deeper and read between the lines when it comes to the characters and truly understand where each person is coming from to understand why they act a certain way towards each other. Give it a chance and find out for yourself. I hope you like it as much as I did.

I DNF'd this at 25%. I loved the idea of this book (especially since it was advertised as a Grey's Anatomy meets the Hating Game) but I just couldn't get behind their bickering. I love a good enemies to lovers and a workplace fake dating romance. But for all the talk about how smart the two of them were, they were just acting so dumb. I usually try to get farther into books before DNFing them, but I really wasn't enjoying this and it felt like a chore to read. I wanted to love it, and I loved the idea of it, I just didn't enjoy the writing style and the characters. Like I can't imagine going into thousands of dollars of loan debt to become a heart surgeon just to compete with someone.. Like it just was too much for my liking. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Described as Grey’s Anatomy meets The Hating Game, I was instantly intrigued. Workplace rivals have to fake date to avoid getting in trouble with their surgical fellowship director when they’re caught in the middle of a fight, and one of them has been in love with the other at least half their life? Sounds like a recipe for an epic book. But this was a mixed bag for me. There were some nice high points in the book, like finding out that they were each in love with the other but couldn’t admit it because of their rivalry, and the big romantic gesture. But then the constant negativity and a few icky bits like his snobbishness and the ways certain things are just mentioned too casually (eating and exercise habits) were turnoffs for me.

You had me at Grey's Anatomy and you lost me in the miscommunication trope. This was just plain frustrating! I can't stand when characters are supposed to be grown adults and they act like teenagers. I finished this one simply because it was an ARC and I felt obligated.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Obviously, as I've been a huge ER and Grey's Anatomy fan, the blurb hooked me.

Unfortunately, the medical part is minimal (maybe not a bad thing when you're made to believe that all four cardiothoracic surgeons fellows get to have their weekend to go visit the Niagara Falls together... very unlikely according to me).

Anyway, on the romance part, it's not that there is no chemistry between Mira and Lucien, as in fact there is plenty. But so much misscommunication makes this story almost annoying. Thinking that it's been this bickering for fifteen years... OMG, I am glad not to be one their fellows or family.

BUT (it seems like I hated this book this far) it reads so well ! It's funny, and so hot sometimes ! Lucien is such a nice guy. Mira has a serious inferiority complex and it was difficult for me to really like her as she couldn't trust Lucien no matter how kind he might be.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Fake relationship, Enemies to lovers is just my cup of tea
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Mira Krishnan and Lucien Stone have been enemies since they were sixteen. Always competing for the best grades, the best academic opportunities and positions in hospitals. But with the passing of time, the disputes heated up to the point of being found in a complicated situation by their boss
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To save the situation, both decide to pretend that they have been dating for a long time and the tension is part of their intimate relationship
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Having to pretend to be in love leads them to spend more time together, lower their guard and some memories of the past that leave secrets exposed
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It is an entertaining book Enemies to lovers, fake relationship and one bed with a mix of Grays anatomy, the Love Hyphothesis and the hating Game
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I really liked the first part of the book and the characters, although I couldn't get completely hooked on them, the plot seemed very good, including the third act, what I didn't like so much is the resolution, I'm not a fan of grand gestures, especially when they involve the attention of many people
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Thanks to Sasha Clinton and Xpresso Book Tours for give me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

After waiting to read this, I was disappointed. At 34 years of age, both main characters, doctors, are extremely childish. I found nothing likeable about either of them. The book was pretty short on details, we don’t discover that the FMC is Indian American until quite a way in, and her past and an ex named Tom are introduced to the plot, but not fully developed or explored. Some inconsistencies too. The FMC mentions at the beginning of the book what she knows about the MMC's family, yet in the second half of the book, she is having to Google them because she doesn’t know anything about them. While there was some chemistry between the FMC and the MMC, to me, it lacked depth and I was constantly being jarred out of the moment. For example, at one point while being intimate, the MMC rips the shirt off of the FMC and then stops to tell her how easy it was as she only wears cheap clothes. I just could not get past the childishness of the two main characters.

While Lucien & I did deliver on certain aspects, I’ll be referencing other fictional doctors for a second opinion. I’ll start with the positive highlights and what got my romantic heart pumping. We truly got an Enemies to Lovers trope instead of the usual bickering at the company fridge or stealing a coworker’s stapler. Lucien and Mira hated each other’s guts and the entire hospital knew it. Heck, the entire block probably knew it too. Their relationship certainly had a long way to go for an amicable status and they eventually got there with minimal collateral damage. Unfortunately, living up to that trope meant constant arguing. They behaved more like nasty children rather than the impressive cardiac surgeons they were purported to be. The immaturity factor was very off putting and didn’t make me want to root for them as a romantic couple.

Another shining light in this medical romance was Dr. Lucien’s bedside manner. While they may have argued like petty betties in the hospital, they weren’t lacking for chemistry off shift. Their fake dating wasn’t very believable until they finally confronted their true feelings for each other and ceded to their physical tension. While I was a fan of the genuine Enemies to Lovers branding, physical chemistry, and the lone beacon of medical romance surrounded by a sea of CEO’s, I didn’t care for much else in Lucien and I. The animosity was incredibly tense and I wasn’t sure if these two were a good fit romantically. If it’s difficult to convince the reader that your couple should be together, maybe you should rein back the dragon fire? From all their intense conversations throughout the book, they fought more like siblings than potential lovers.

While these two are certainly destined for couples counseling, it made me want to rewatch all my favorite medical dramas. I know Scrubs, ER, and Grey’s Anatomy will happily fill the void of blue scrubs with a side of pining. Mira and Lucien were volatile in the worst way and I figure their arguments always end up making up in the bedroom. It looks like I’ll take a hard pass on Lucien in order to focus more on the I part.

Going to be honest, this wasn't my favorite read that I had awaiting on my TBR pile. I always enjoy medical romances/chick lit probably because I grew up on grey's and ER. But, I felt the characters didn't hit home for me. I will say though that a lot of medical professions can be blunt because of all they do during their days. I ended up not finishing.

Lucien and I gives off huge Grey’s Anatomy plus enemies to lovers vibes! Mira and Lucien are longtime enemies forced into pretending to date each other to avoid getting fired. Unfortunately, both main characters were very unlikable and did not have many redeemable qualities. I am a sucker for a fake dating situation, but this was not my favorite.

Lucien and I is my first book by author Sasha Clinton. This book had a Gray's Anatomy feel to it, but it was very enjoyable and a quick read.

Mira is a cardiothoracic surgery fellow. She is constantly at war with Lucien, who she has known her entire life. Both of them compete in everything, from surgeries to their morning exercise routine. Everyone in the hospital knows about them and their hatred for each other. When they are caught in the middle of a fight(physical) by their director, they have to think quick before he puts them up to review with the board. So they lie. Now they have to spend their time pretending to date to keep their fellowships.