This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

💞🔬Realistic treatment of life's ups and downs📈
4-4.5🌟 stars
I am a romantic at heart and loved the way the main couple in this novel found each other briefly and, apart for five years due to neither's real fault, meet again for a second chance.

Knowing Me Knowing You (loved the title!) felt like a real slice of life in the bio tech world, where a scientist with a great idea can miss out on success because of the company's bottom line. In this case, it seemed CEO Daniel was a toxic influence and Alex, the female scientist lead, had her hands full heading her team of researchers while tolerating Daniel's "clever" babble and divisive management techniques.

But Alex's main dilemma is falling all over again for a guy who may now be the one who ends her job and her project's chance to make it to the market to save lives. The company's ailing finances force them to seek input from a management consultant team (including Alex's refound man) and recommendations for streamlining and job cuts, particularly in r&d. This conflict was an interesting twist that seemed to have no easy or happy outcome, plus it definitely dampened the chances of a happy romantic end.

Gihan, the business consultant male lead, was harder to connect with through much of the story because he held himself back emotionally and let his mother's death and the family aftermath provide justification for his reluctance to commit. But his kindness, consideration and attachment to Alex do come through. I found his waffling not unrealistic but a bit frustrating.

Happy, problem-free romance can be boring for me and this novel escaped that by including the curve balls real people get thrown every day in their search for professional success, personal health and happiness. It's a well-written, good romance and it ends on a positive note.

Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

I loved these characters. It is a second change romance of sorts. Alex and Gihan met five years prior on NYE and then lost contact. Now they are thrown back in each other's lives due to a work consultation. They both have past traumas surrounding relationships and love. It's a slow burn but totally worth it. It feels like the one that got away.

Content warnings are included at the beginning of the book so read those but be prepared for discussions around cancer, grief and death of a parent.

This was my first time reading the author and whilst it was a cute story, it didn’t have anything to grab me. The characters were okay but I struggled.

Five years after a chance, brief, meeting on New Year's eve Alex meets Gihan again - when he is brought in as a management consultant to where she works to streamline the company.
This is one of those slow burning stories that grew on me, part of a series but easily read as a standalone. Both Alex and Gihan had issues that they had to work around, but there was an unmissable spark between the two even after a very brief meeting. I could certainly relate to being the subject of a consultancy looking to streamline the company where I was working which gave me "a chance to find new challenges" in management speak. Yet again this is a story where you want to knock the two main characters' heads together, but in the nicest possible way. There is discussions around cancer, both surviving and losing people to it, but very sensitively done. In summary a slow, thoughtful book that I ended up really enjoying and I will now have to look for the other books in the series.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

Knowing Me Knowing You is a nicely written book about second chances at love. It's an easy and cute read with some nice moments. For those who love Ali Hazelwood books that are set in the STEM world, this would be a similar read but without the spice. The characters, including the side ones, are well written. The main thing that bothered me in this book was after a while it started to feel repetitive. But if you're looking for a quick, easy romance to read then I'd recommend it for that.

After a horrible break up on New Year's Eve, Alex meets the perfect stranger, with whom she never hears from again. 5 years later, she meets him again at her workplace, where she could be made redundant based on his input.

I loved the South-Asian representation and how cancer was dealt with sensitivity. However, it did begin to feel very repetitive and the miscommunication was very heavy throughout the book. I didn't feel for any of the characters (besides Penelope who is a dog) and it wasn't quite an enemies-to-lovers (which is why I originally requested it), but more of a second-chance, miscommunication trope, which I don't personally love. I also didn't feel much chemistry between the character's after around 45%.

This is interconnected with "Picture Perfect" and "Playing for Love", but can be read as a stand alone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I liked the premise of the book and enjoyed the first half of it. I thought Gihan and Alex had good chemistry, and I was excited to see where it would go.

However, I became increasingly frustrated with Gihan's flakiness and the mixed messages he sent Alex. His constant waffling got monotonous. It was entertaining enough to get 2.5 stars, but I was disappointed with the second half of the book.

This story was brilliant, the characters flowed from the page and it was so satisfying to read.
After many, many misunderstandings Alex and Gihan have finally found each other and I hope that they continue with their happy ever after, superb!

Knowing Me Knowing You is a cute, cozy, comfort romance about second chances and grief.

What I liked: The book starts out really well, the flashback to five year before sets the scene really well and makes you want the two of them to be together immediately. I really appreciated the way grief was depicted in the book. Watching Gihan process his mother‘s passing years after the fact was very hopeful in a way. I also thought the side characters of Jake, Maureen and Leila were very well done and made the story that much more loving and cute.

What I didn’t like that much: After a while, the back and forth of both Gihan‘s and Alex‘ inner monologue became a little repetitive. While it is of course understandable that both of them were processing their emotions, the book ends up being very heavy on the inner monologue, which is fine, and keeps talking about the same thing again and again. A lot of the trains of thoughts Gihan especially was having kept repeating in detail and I saw myself lose interest after some time.

I would definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a sweet, quick read, but it is not particularly new and engaging for the entire book.

Another great book from Jeevani Charika. I was delighted to be given an ARC of 'Knowing me, knowing you' by Harper Collins, Netgalley and Jeevani Charika. I didn't realise it was interconnected with Playing for Keeps and Picture Perfect, but it was so lovely to meet some of those characters again.

Alex and Gihan's story is set in the world of STEM, so has elements of the Ali Hazlewood world (but not a spicy one ;-) ) There's quite a bit of frustration running through this book, two stubborn MCs who have complications and misunderstanding stacking all the cards against them. Lots of lovely supporting characters and moments right the way through. I love Jeevani Charika's ability to describe scenes in such a way that I can really visualise the environment. A solid 4 stars and I'd highly recommend!

Alex is a little unlucky in relationships. She seems to fall, a little too quickly, in love, and that can scare off a guy. After a particularly harsh break-up, one New Year's Eve, she meets the perfect stranger, and after sharing some special moments, she never hears from him again.
Until five years later, when he turns up. At her workplace. With a high chance that he might recommend she be made redundant.
Gihan, the man in question, is a good guy, though. So many misunderstandings, both five years ago and during the course of a couple of months in the present, mean that he is not always shown in the best light to her.
It's not so much enemies to lovers as misunderstood yearnings and missed chances.
There are references to cancer throughout which are dealt with sensitivity.
I love a bit of contemporary fiction that has South Asian representation in it, and Jeevani Charika does this well. She incorporates a little background and culture through the book while not making it about that very same thing. We see Gihan as a regular human, but also an insight into his cultural background. I especially liked the scene when he goes to the temple. I felt the serenity he felt.
This book continues the story of a side character from previous novels of the author, Picture Perfect, and Playing for Love; however, it is a standalone and can be read as such. I enjoy reading stories that have characters from other books intertwined within, as we see the progression of other familiar faces, as well as the story in hand.
A lovely read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital for an ARC.

Advance reader copy on net galley. I enjoyed the story of Alex and Gihan as it was a good and light hearted second chance book that had some trickier themes discussed. I liked the references to Gihan’s family and culture that run throughout the book, and also how it didn’t romanticise cancer or illness. That party of the story I felt was fleshed out well. I also enjoyed the dual points of view so you understood both sides.

I felt like some parts of the story were a little too repetitive for my liking, such as the regular mentioning of Alex and Gihan meeting five years ago. At parts I felt like the characters were a bit two dimensional but they had enough about them overall to keep you reading. I also think the description should mention it is the miscommunication trope too as I don’t think it did and it wasn’t enemies to lovers (which did attract me to start with).

In summary, I would recommend to another romance fan if you like second chance romances.

This was a cute second chance romance read with a great little village of characters (I’m not just talking about Penelope the dog) and it brings into it some obstacles to keep the reunited Alex and Gihan apart despite the very evidence lust (we all see it) drawing them closer together. It was interesting to see their dynamic change as they spent more time together, and to see them trying to navigate their past and also their complicated present where they’re not necessarily on equal footing and have to try and maintain some form of professionalism. It makes this a very slow burn!

I wouldn’t label it as enemies to lovers and the plot relies heavily on the miscommunication trope from the outset, which was a little frustrating, but it’s overall a fun romance with some great characters and enough plot to keep it interesting beyond the romantic element. I also loved to see Sam and Nero from the earlier books in the series making appearances.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

This book is a captivating journey through the depths of imagination. Its rich storytelling and well-developed characters kept me engaged from start to finish. With its thought-provoking themes, it transcends genres and offers something for every reader. A must-read for anyone seeking a literary adventure.