The Design of Us checked all my boxes of something I'm looking for in a fake dating read!

Bhanu's life revolves around one thing and one thing only: UX. Set to perhaps get a coveted promotion, she jet sets to Hawaii to spend time with her sister. She's here to unwind in the villa and soak up the sun. Yet, while walking she comes upon a conversation with colleague/enemy Sunny and his rude ex-girlfriend. Deciding to save him in the moment, she lies and says she's his girlfriend...for a wedding that he's in. Both have to come together to put on a "happy couple act" for Sunny's best friend's wedding. What happens in Hawaii, must stay in Hawaii...especially when it comes to these two lovebirds.

I flew through reading the Design of Us, particularly taking a liking to Sunny's POV and his family relationship. Those moments with his Dad towards the end of the book had my heart aflutter! The comical friend group, the loving (yet meddling) sister and the dancing in the villa scene made this book one that I hope to see a sequel to in the near future. While the ending did feel a little bit rushed, I felt it was well paced out otherwise with each POV getting the right amount of "in page" time. Those looking for a dual POV, enemies/colleagues fake dating to lovers read should pick up The Design of Us today!

A well written love story with a lot of technical jargon! Enemies to lovers for sure, but how can you not fall in love with Sunny and Bahnu in their own right before they even fall in love!

As a STEM girlie myself I love books that get into technical jargon, but I realize this may not be for everyone. I thought their story felt believable and love the "real life rom com" feel and descriptions in the book! Great read!

I’m not gonna lie, I saw that this was fake dating and the narrator was Soneela Nankani and that was all I needed to know. I immediately added this to my TBR and I remember like checking everyday to see if it would be added to the app. And when it finally was, I immediately downloaded it. And I wasn’t disappointed.

So this Grumpy/Sunshine book was a BIT of a surprise for me. I’m not usually one who likes Grumpy/Sunshine books, but this one had an incredible cover, fake dating as a trope, and was set in Hawaii. So I gave it a shot anyway. And although I wasn’t a huge fan of Sunny, I didn’t think he deserved what happened to him. Lordt I was so sick of that person. I think I would have done the same thing that Bhanu did just to shut them up!

The romance was cute! I could tell their chemistry back when they were still arguing about everything. I DO wish that the chemistry they had at the beginning was carried throughout the story tho. One of my favorite things about fake dating is when they decide that they have real feelings so they start doing like subtle things to make those feelings known. But in this one, they both were too scared to make a move and I was annoyed that I didn’t get that. She didn’t even want to say there was a form of protection in the basket. And maybe I’m old school but if you can’t say that part, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it? Idk.


Real Rating was 3.5

The only thing about the romance I didn’t care for was the ending. I hate when they spend so much time arguing and then finally do it but they’re still arguing, and then the third act break up and then it’s the end and then BOOM last chapter and they’re together. I always feel like I don’t understand why I sat there through a whole book just to see them just be together at the end and never see them really be together. I get that there are slow burns, but don’t make it so slow that you don’t give them their shine at the end too.

I LOVED the way she incorporated so much of the setting in this tho. I am a HUGE supporter of making the setting in books big, especially in realistic fiction, because there’s a lot of places I’ve never been. Books are my best mode of traveling, so I always live through the characters. And this one was no different. Especially since they were in Hawaii. But I loved the way she made sure to make the sister turn into one of the locals and to make sure that going there and being disrespectful to the people and the land is a terrible thing to do. I hope someone learns something from this. I know even I learned something very important….. I need to try something with ube because the way she wrote it in everything in this book? I’m trying to try that ube drink the sister made too because Lordt she made everything should so good.

This was cute and i really love visiting Hawaii with them. I do think there were some issues that could be fixed, but for the most part I enjoyed reading this Grumpy/Sunshine narrated by one of my favorite narrators. It definitely helped to make this already good book even more enjoyable.

I received a free copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group; all opinions expressed are exclusively my own.

What an absolute joy of a book! Absolutely everything you could want in a romantic comedy if you like the following tropes; enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, grumpy meets sunshine, only one bed, loving families, and supportive relationships. Set in beautiful Hawai'i, the book makes use of the wonders of the setting while also reminding its readers of the difficulties faced by the colonized islands. This is a rom-com for fans of the genre!

For sensitive readers, there are references to racism, misogyny, colonization, environmental dangers, animals in danger/distress, toxic relationships, and depictions of emotionally abusive and manipulative relationships.

Coworker rivals AND forced proximity? The Design of Us is a fun and flirty vacation read, perfect to keep the summer vibes going. Listening to the audiobook in one sitting definitely helped with the pacing, there were a few plot points that could have felt stilted in the written version but I had no problem with in the audio. Sunny is so gone for Bhanu and if there's one thing I will always love is a man down bad. It could have been a smidge shorter but I still really enjoyed it!

Note: Vikas Adam can narrate a man A N Y T I M E

Very easy and funny read. The main characters were very likable. This story includes tropes of fake dating and enemies to lovers. I appreciate the respect and homage to both Hawaiian/Polynesian culture as well as Indian culture. You can tell the research the author did to give such authenticity. This was my first read by this author and look forward to much more including the yellow book read by the FMC, Bhanu! Also a future "where are they now would be nice".

Bhanu and Sunny are known at work for having a somewhat tempestuous relationship. There are even bets placed on who will explode in meetings first. Well, not explode, they're professional after all.
But now they're on vacation at the same time. And at the same resort. Which is what allows Bhanu to overhear Sunny's ex-girlfriend being an absolute jerk to him. Bhanu doesn't like other Sunny but this woman is absolutely being ridiculous. So she steps in and defends Sunny? But what gives her that right? Well, she's his new girlfriend, of course. Oy vey. Suddenly, the two are having to appear to actually enjoy each other's company.
Like most romances, this does mean that they are in close confines and that they are going to fall in love. But the journey on this one is fun. I did like that Bhanu had social anxiety but it felt like more of a plot point than an actual aspect of her character. Other than that, I liked both Bhanu and Sunny as characters and enjoyed the book.

Four stars
This book comes out July 16, 2024
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

3.5 stars. The design of us gets high marks for setting, discussion of Hawaiian foods, and a decent work-enemies-to-lovers plot outline. On the other hand, I think it could have benefitted from more editing. Shortening it up a bit by cutting down on the pages the MCs spent on emotional wallowing in their own heads would have helped. And I was surprised at how otherwise competent, confident, socially adept, intelligent individuals were so clueless when it came to their own chemistry, and overall relationship. Especially Bhanu. She was almost childish in her on again, off again relationship denial. A little bit of clueless? OK, that moves the plot along. But this was too much.
All that said, I did finish The Design of Us and will probably read Sandi Patel’s next book.

I am very sad to say that this was a miss for me. I absolutely loved the premise and wanted to like this but it was really difficult for me to connect with the characters and there were some frustrating things that were just personally not for me.

Right off the bat, I didn't enjoy how detailed they were about their jobs. I don't know if it's because I also work in UX on a product team but that was just absolutely not what I wanted to spend my time focusing on. I also did not vibe with both of the main characters constantly checking into work and obsessing about work while they were on vacation. That's such a toxic trap so many people fall into and I felt like who they were at their jobs became the entirely of their personality. It was also a bit of a bummer how much both of them were complaining. Like - you're in Hawaii on vacation, can you be a little more appreciative of what you're experiencing. I give Sunny some leeway because of the situation with his ex, but it was still a bit over the top.

There were some things I did like. I thought Sunny and Bhanu had decent chemistry together (but If I had to read the phrase "well-lubricated wheels" when describing the steamy times I was going to throw the book out the window), and I liked the fake-dating moments.

Overall, this one personally wasn't for me but I could see others absolutely enjoying it.

Thanks you to Berkley for the eARC! All opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this book as I loved Patel's other work, however, the characters and their tech world just took me out of the story from the jump. I didn't feel attached to either of them and couldn't really follow the story as I struggled to finish this book.

Every time I picked up "The Design of Us", I was whisked away, and could not put this romance novel down!

Firstly, this cover is absolutely stunning!

Sajni Patel's writing is so full of heart, and her storytelling and world-building are breathtaking. From the first page to the last, this book drew me in on an emotional journey, and there is so much heart, wit, and chemistry flying off of the pages.

(Possible Spoilers!):
Bhanu and Sunny work in the same office, and are enemies-of-sorts. When they both happen to be in Hawai’i and run into one another, and Bhanu sees Sunny's ex being horrid toward him, she immediately steps in and pretends to be his girlfriend. However, soon, they are put into a situation, and Bhanu and Sunny decide to continue the pretending. Soon, the more time these two spend together, their feelings begin to deepen and change. What happens? You will just have to read to find out!

With culture, family, friends, enemies-to-lovers, beautiful locations, fake-relationship to more, forced proximity, and so much more, this novel truly has so much in it.

If you enjoy Contemporary Romance, I highly recommend this book! I so look forward to reading what Ms. Patel writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC of this novel, and to Berkley Publishing Group for having me on the blog tour! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed this romance and it had all the tropes I love.

The chemistry was there and even though I'm not a fan of slow-burn romance, the writing style kept me engaged and did not leave me feeling disappointed. Even though I don't prefer closed door spicy scenes, the chemistry was clearly there and the lead up was written so well!

I also enjoyed the inclusion of the cultural representation and accuracy of it. The accurate way social anxiety was portrayed.

I loved Sunny's friends and how they were welcoming of Bhanu. I absolutely loved the relationship between Diya and Komo. Diya was hilarious and I loved her personality. And the way she helped Bhanu be prepared for the wedding was incredible. Best sister award!

I really enjoyed the ending and it felt more realistic and not overly dramatic or fake.

Bhanu is taking a vacation to Hawaii to visit her sister and the last person she expects to see at the resort is her grumpy coworker Sunny. Sunny is there for his friends’ wedding, where his ex is also a bridesmaid. When Bhanu sees Sunny’s ex criticizing him for being single, she jumps in and pretends to be his girlfriend. To make matters worse, the resort has a room mishap so Bhanu offers to let Sunny stay with her. Between fake dating for the various wedding events and staying together, Sunny and Bhanu begin to see a different side of each other.

This book made me want to take a vacation to Hawaii with all of the history and scenery. This was a fun story with some of my favorite tropes (enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine and a badass/smart woman in STEM). I enjoyed seeing them get to know each other better and thought the friends’ wedding made for some fun events/storylines. This was a fun summer read!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

My biggest issue with this novel was the immature bickering between our main characters and how juvenile their interactions were. I just couldn't get past it and it was tough to read. I didn't feel much chemistry between them. The burn was just so slow I lost patience. Overall this wasn't a memorable read for me.

Love and Ambition Intertwine in Sajni Patel’s Design of Us

Review:

Design of Us by Sajni Patel is a heartwarming and compelling contemporary romance that beautifully blends themes of love, ambition, and cultural identity. Set in the bustling world of Technology specifically with a software team where Bhanu is a UX Designer and Sunny a software developer, the novel follows the lives of two talented individuals as they navigate their careers and personal relationships.

Me personally geeked out seeing words like Jira, Agile, developer, sprints etc in a south asian romance novel since thats my day to day! Also, it’s summer and who doesn't love Hawaii! I havent been to Hawaii ( yet ) so I lived vicariously through this book. I really liked the Grumpy FMC vibe!

I wish there was a little more romance and chemistry with Bhanu and Sunny which felt like did not happen until the about 70% of the book was finished! If you love workplace romance, summer in Hawaii vibes, fake dating to scorn the ex, sisterhood themes plus of course a south asian romance then check this out!!!!

I am feral for a good fake dating, rivals to lovers story and I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Also learned so much about UX and how much planning goes into building these big websites.

The characters were soo relatable, especially as an Indian woman in STEM. THE NAME MISPRONUNCIATION!! There were also some very important themes of mental health and how it may cause us to misunderstand others because we don’t know what they’re going through. Like Sunny with Bhanu. Their banter and chemistry were fantastic. Also I LOVED the setting. Made me want to go back to Hawaii stat. I appreciated how environmentally conscious the author was in the details.

Thank you to NetGalley for being able to read this early.

I always say this about Sajni Patel books, but I will say it again: I appreciate when the main characters have ACTUAL problems that affect their love life.

Sajni did a great job of putting our two main characters, Sunny and Bhanu, in juxtaposition and making us care about them equally as well. At no point did I feel that I liked one better than the other or that their reasoning was absurd or contradictory to the story being told. The romantic scenes ranged from cute, funny, and extremely sexy and I loved every minute of it. This is what I feel a Enemies to Lovers should be like.

Also for anyone that might want the audiobook, Soneela Nankani and Vikas Adam are narrating it so you're going to have a great time.

DNF @ 40%. I tried to keep reading this book and it just misses the mark for me, which is really unfortunate because I was so so excited to get to this one for this month as a perfect summer romance. I really enjoyed the introduction to different cultures that Patel brought into the book, as it is a Desi romance set mainly in Hawaii, I appreciated how she mentioned local food, customs, and traditions while also providing us with great background on our main characters and their culture. Where it fell flat for me is mainly in the execution, the dialogue specifically does not flow naturally, feeling at times stilted and not realistic, so much so that I would say portions out loud to see if the words rolled off my tongue in a way that made sense, and they just didn’t. I loved the setting and some of Patel’s lush descriptions capture Hawaii so well but are interrupted by thoughts from her characters that we get over and over about their work, how they strongly dislike one another, and these thoughts bring back that stilted language. This is all to say I really wanted to love this book and sing its praises, I loved the premise, I love some of what I read but the further I got the harder it was to look past the flaws. Thank you, Berkley and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Berkley Romance, and NetGalley for the e-arc gift! The Design of Us, out now!

In true Sajni fashion, The Design of Us included bickering/bantering between the main characters. This was a slow burn romance that had all the right burn to it, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for them to do something, anything! The meddling families is a must, to see Bhanu’s sister and parents want to know every detail and knew before her that she was in love with Sunny, was the epitome of a perfect fake dating ruse. And Sunny’s friends and family also being so involved because he was the only single one in the group? Also saying he was in love from the past. Oh this was just so perfect! “Untethering myself from Bane was like sawing my soul in half. And that shit was killing me.” Like 🤧

I think the whole story was laid out so beautifully. Starting off with Bhanu and Sunny’s interactions then them finding out they’re at the same vacation spot in Hawaii, to randomly going on a fake dating bind. I also truly liked seeing them explain their past and present feelings toward things and situations, it allowed them to open up so much and leave it out in the air for the other to decide how they feel. Sunny was so incredible. Seeing how he reacted around Bhanu, and the way he truly did things she appreciated and worked on being a better person in a relationship was so cute. Paying attention to the little things! And Bhanu, I just adored her no-nonsense attitude and how precious she was🥹

This was like The Trouble with Hating you 2.0 and they *make an appearance* here, which I ate up! No, but genuinely, thank you Berkley for the gifted arc, I am so thankful I got to read them, because it’s Sajni, and I truly do love her romcoms. 🫶💜

- Sunshine x Grumpy
- STEM Rivals
- Fake Dating
- Enemies to Lovers

First off, thank you Berkley and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review. I unfortunately did not finish this book. The story itself and tropes were all there, but the writing style was not for me. I found myself not picking the book back up after a chapter or two and couldn’t focus. This one wasn’t for me, but I know it will be for other people!