2.5 stars rounded up

Ouf this book. I was so excited to read it as I'm a cardiac nurse and the two MCs are cardiothoracic surgeons. The hospital setting was fun and I enjoyed the medical terminology!

My biggest problem was the miscommunication trope and overall immaturity from two fellows. Like.. beyond whiney and unable to communicate, inappropriate in front of patients like this just wouldn't happen. They sounded like two 16 year old children.

The steam was just okay, I just couldn't get past the immaturity. Ugh.

Thank you netgalley for this earc in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled through this one. I loved the premise and the start, but it seemed like the plot was messy and confusing.

I loved this book!! The chemistry between Lucien and Mira was awesome! The years or hating and pinning in equal measures made for great tension and chemistry between our two main characters. I found the banter between Lucien and Mira to be hilarious. This was such a fun read and I really enjoyed myself throughout the book.

The author has a penchant for omitting descriptions at times. It took me until chapter 4 to find out what sort of immigrant our FMC is (South asian btw, from Tamil Nadu) and what she looks like aside from the vague description of her being “taller than most girls”. 👩🏻‍🦯 Aside, from that there’s a weirdly attached drama between the fmc and her mom, because why ever would immigrants treat their children nicely! It didn’t even seem to be rooted in actual reason, the mom was just pushy because they were immigrants who gave up alot lol … I couldn’t stand it.

Due to the mommy issues the fmc is an absolute sucker for academic validation and male attention. So she chases said mmc from high school to college and med school and then goes so far as to choosing the same medical field as him because she’s obsessed with rivaling against him and winning. Despite all that, they’re still relatively close? Almost friendly. Their relationship didn’t make sense to me, it had a lot of chemistry but like everything else it simply lacked depth and didn’t stick out. 🤷🏻‍♀️ The mmc is also “rich” and there’s a lot unnecessary bicker about that- the fmc is bitterly jealous and the mmc is a privileged asshole.

At one point, while they’re doing it- he rips her shirt apart and even pauses to remark at how easy it was cause she only buys cheap clothes. 🧍🏻‍♀️?

If you can look past sloppy minor details it’s enjoyable!

The story of Mira and Lucien’s fiery love/hate relationship/rivalry drew me in very quickly. I loved the hospital drama/ romance that reminded me of a Grey’s Anatomy storyline that included humor, sex and a dash of true love. This was a really enjoyable read - I didn’t want it to end!

I am sorry to say I dnfed this book at 44%. . Just not a book for me. The premise was good though. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is without a doubt an enemies to lovers book! If you’re a fan of this trope then you’ll definitely want to get your hands on this. I loved the banter between lucien and Mira and their chemistry was so so there. I rated this a 3.5. The reason being is that I would have loved to learn more about Mira being Indian - American and also would have loved a little bit more about their rivalry! All in all I think this book checks the boxes for enemies to lovers and fake dating.

Dnf @ 3% wow so early i know!!! Its just why does she needs to do things he wants to be in life.. If he wants to be a surgeon.. She needs to be a surgeon so she can be WAYY BETTER than him!! Like girly what... I understand ur mother not be happy with ur accomplishments and is very happy when Lucien does something good. But like oh my GOODNESS its messing with my head. Like the hating game I SWEAR... sadly i dnf'd it

This is the cutest rom com book ever. Lucien and Mira have been competing for who is better for most of their life. Neither really knows how this rivalry started but they both believe the other broke their heart in high school. Both have a boat load of insecurities to work through, and when one thing leads to another. They wind up having to put their rivalry aside and be friends to sell this whole fake dating situation. But what will happen when maybe they don’t really dislike each other it’s just them trying to hide their feelings for one another.

Lucien and I is a haters-to-lovers rom com between two cardiothoracic surgery fellows and rivals from childhood. I enjoyed some of the hateful banter between the characters, but the rivalry was a bit overemphasized. I struggled getting through the middle portion of the book.

Fake dating and enemies to lovers are two of my favorite tropes but I just did not like this one at all. I did read the author's book Henry and Me and I hated Lucien in it so I'm not too shocked that I didn't like him as a character in this either
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sasha Clinton for this ARC.

Grey's Anatomy meets The Hating Game.

♡Faking date
♡Rivals to lovers
♡Medical romcom
♡Dom/Sub fantasy

I struggled between 30-50% in this book, as I was waiting for the middle to get going. However once it hit, I flew through it. I loved the banter between Mira and Lucien, as they was always in competition to best each. I really enjoy the MCs growth in this book aswell.

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5 /5
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

I felt 50-50 after reading this book. On the one hand, I adored their characters and their hilarious bickering; some were clever, while others were amusing. Their chemistry was also good. I definitely got butterflies in my belly. But on the other hand, I didn't get the medical romance vibes from it.

So, in terms of the character, I knew that if Lucien and Mira communicated well with each other, this story could easily be skipped. But, when we look at their family history, the most difficult thing for them is to clarify everything. Mira Krishnan, as someone who grew up in an Asian family with a tiger mother, I completely understand her. Your personality will be formed similarly to Mira's, it will be difficult to communicate something because you do not want to disappoint. You'd rather show them the results of your work than explain the process to them verbally. All of this, in the end, will make you feel insecure and sensitive because you need people to acknowledge your hard work. You need others to say it to you because you clearly cannot.

And you can tell a lot about Lucien's character by looking at his parents. I don't want to give any more details away. Mira and Lucien were both terrified of getting hurt and losing each other. They would rather "feel" that they were living a "happy" life, even if there was a lot of unnecessary stuff in their closed baggage that should be reorganized so it does not spill.

What made me wonder was that when I read or watched medical romance dramas, their portrayal of medical jobs was always busy, as if they didn't have a social life. Love must find a way to fit into their busy lives, which is what makes it interesting to read. However, I believe their lives are more balanced in this book. They have time for vacation and can go on dates, and they even have an understanding boss who doesn't always threaten to fire them if they make a mistake, such as fleeing and failing to attend a competition representing the hospital after being chosen for it. I'm not sure which is more real.

Overall, I would have given it four stars if the final 30% hadn't been so cringe-worthy. I enjoyed the plot development, but the way to solve each problem was far too simple.

Recommended for those who like:
- Medical romance
- Romance Comedy
- Enemies-to-lovers
- Same age rivalry
- Workplace romance
- Fake dating
- Dual POV
- Steamy

Content Warnings: sexual content, childhood trauma

I absolutely adored this book!
I sailed through this and would absolutely recommend it to any lover of Grey’s anatomy and romcoms. I absolutely adore the enemies to lovers trope and Grey’s Anatomy will always be my guilty pleasure! I felt the first 1-2 chapters are the only reason that i didn’t give this book 5 stars! I felt the longer the book progressed the less juvenile and more exciting the interactions became. I found the relationship between Mira and Lucien were a little childish and forced at the beginning but picked up speed by chapter 3.

I LOVED Mira so much. I was rooting for her through the whole book. Lucien was mostly amazing but it really bugged me every time he bragged about being rich. I get that it was a point that was supposed to be made so he looked more like the bad guy in the beginning but even as their romance started, it just bugged me when he flaunted it. That being said, I adored Mira and I loved the whole story. This book was a lot of fun and I definitely recommend it.

This was a cute book, loved that is was set in the medical field! I loved the bickering the characters had between each other. The sex scenes…WOW.

This book takes the WORST trope (miscommunication) and stretches it over 20 years so the main characters are awful to each other before they are "forced" to fake date and realize they do like each other. But I'm supposed to think that really and they love each other deeply? Yeah, I didn't like it at all and it smacked of emotional abuse given Mira's self-esteem issues.

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

Very good book, enjoyed it.

I adored this book! I’m a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers romance, and I also work in healthcare so I felt like this book was made for me!
The story follows Lucien and Mira, two surgeons who have been competing with each other ever since they met in high school. After one altercation goes too far, they are forced to either get along or say goodbye to their careers. I really loved the witty banter and chemistry between Lucien and Mira, however I did feel like their rivalry went a little bit too far at times. I also wasn't a big fan of the big romantic gesture in the end which felt a little cheesy to me. Other than that, I did really enjoy this story!
If you are a fan of Grey’s Anatomy, The Hating Game, or The Love Hypothesis this one’s for you!

This story was SO much fun! Greys anatomy is one of my favorite shows and to read it in a book that also blends in the hating game? Wonderful! Their banter and encounters were so much fun.