My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Romance, Romcom, Contemporary Romance
Spice Level: Very spicy after about 75%
Language: Sister calls her a B as an endearment, and F-bombs start at about the 75%
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, One Bed, Forced Proximity, Vacation Romance, Office Romance

Quarreling coworkers make for a fun romance. I loved how the setting was away from the office. There was a lot of forced proximity because of the destination wedding for Sunny's friends. His ex will leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Two workaholics trying to relax on a vacation is innately funny—it's just not in their mode of operation. This book is a lot of fun. More spice than to my taste, but that's just me.

If you love spicy romance, this book is for you.

Happy (vacation) reading!

Have you read a Sajni Patel adult romance before? No? Well, take this as your sign to do it.

I feel in love with Patel’s romances with First Love, Take Two and then had that love reinforced with The Trouble with Hating You and now The Design of Us! (The Trouble with Hating You even made an appearance in this story!)

This rival-coworkers-turned-lovers set in HAWAII (ugh I need to go) is the perfect summer read. So perfect that I didn’t want to put it down for two days 😅 Bhanu and Sunny are fantastic. All their bickering and caring for each other was wonderful. I also loved all of the side characters, especially Bhanu’s sister.

I highly recommend checking this one out. It’s going to be published on July 15.

This was my first Sajni Patel book and adored it right from the start! This was an easy and enjoyable read that I would highly recommend this summer.

I was super excited for Bhanu with her job in UX and her honest and real mental health struggles made this a big want to read for me. I love a good enemies to lovers and fake relationship plot and the slow burn between Sunny and Bhanu was fantastic. The support and love they end up giving each other is awesome and I love how Sanji highlights this.

Also, the Hawaiian setting was dreamy and there were many supporting characters (her sister and her sister's boyfriend especially) who really helped make this book stand out.

Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fans of Elena Armas and Emily Henry will love Sajni Patel's newest romance!

Bhanu and Sunny are coworkers in UX/UI design and are often at each others throats during video calls; they always have been since they met a year ago. Bhanu takes time away from work to regularly visit her sister in Hawaii, only this time as she's sitting at the hotel bar enjoying a drink, she hears a familiar voice: Sunny's. Sunny came to Hawaii for his best friend's wedding, but didn't expect his toxic ex-girlfriend to berate him for being single on his first day there. Bhanu jumps in to save her colleague from being belittled (and protect her own peace), claiming to be his girlfriend, inadvertently committing to a weekend of wedding festivities with her work nemesis. As the events and meddling family members draw them closer together, it becomes harder to identify what's acting and what's real. What happens on the island stays on the island, but will they be able to resist crossing the line to protect their working relationship?

I LOVED the characters in this book. As a south asian woman in STEM, I felt really seen. I loved that this story wasn't just about the two main characters; it was also about family dynamics and relationships with friends too. Bhanu and Sunny also aren't your typical romance leads - their personalities can't be simply bucketed as one trope or another (even though this book is marketed as grumpy/sunshine, I would actually disagree!). I really appreciated getting to read a unique perspective through them. On top of lovable characters and a great plot, the pacing of the book was perfect and tension was SO GOOD.

The ending was quite abrupt and I wish there was more!! There were some unresolved plot points that left me feeling slightly unsatisfied. But overall, this was a fantastic read!

⭐️4/5
🌶️0.5/5 almost closed door

I unfortunately did not finish this book. There was a significant amount of stream of consciousness writing that was both boring and irrelevant. 67% of the way through this book and I am neither engaged or entertained. The only reason I made it this far is to try and give a fair review. There were moments here and there that kept me going however overall I did not find myself even marginally interested in finishing. I tried my best but I was starting to even avoid my kindle because I was so focused on finishing.

I hope it resonates with others! Not my cup of tea

I’m sure this book isn’t as bad as the opening makes it seem (I hope not!) but I just got the ick. Bhanu has a tangent about her coworker can’t pronounce her name and fights back, and then the male lead comes in and calls her “Bane” multiple times. For all I know it tire to “bane of my existence,” but following a passage about not being able to pronounce the name of a woman of color, it just felt gross.

The Design of Us is another fun desi romance from Sajni Patel!! This fake dating romance set against a destination wedding in Hawaii was super fun. I loved the grumpy sunshine dynamic between Bhanu and Sunny (and how both of their names have to do with the sun). The forced proximity between them as they shared a villa led to some great tension-filled moments! The writing felt a little unnatural in the first few chapters, but in the second half, things read more smoothly! This book definitely has a slowburn for the first 200+ pages so be aware of that if you are expecting a more fast-paced romance. I will say that this book felt steamier than Sajni's previous books, which I loved! I think fans of her previous works will definitely love this one as well!

This book is full of fake dating but real feelings. Bhanu and Sunny are both dedicated to their job—maybe even too much. The only thing that seems to distract them from work is bickering with each other. This book is a fun, quick summer read set in the beautiful Hawaii. Also Bhanu’s love of ube is so real.

Tropes:
-Only one bed
-Fake dating
-Enemies to lovers
-Closed door romance
-Workplace romance

🖤Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for a copy of the ARC.🖤

When Sunny vacations in Hawaii to visit her sister, the last thing she expects is to bump into her work nemesis. And when Bhanu pretends to be Sunny's girlfriend to get him away from his ex, they're forced to act as a couple on a bunch of different activities for the wedding Sunny's there for.

I really enjoyed this book. It's an easy and fun summer beach read with a gorgeous setting and a slow-burn love story. Bhanu and Sunny have a great enemies-to-lovers, fake dating romance! They work together, don't like each other, and are competing for the same promotion, so there's a lot of tension between the two. The banter, the humor, and the way they slowly grow closer in a super romantic location made my heart melt.

I also love how understanding and supportive both Bhanu and Sunny were with each other's boundaries and mental health. I totally related to Bhanu and her anxiety. And when Sunny ignores his own fears to help Bhanu? Whew, I kind of fell in love with him. I think, deep down, they really cared about each other for far longer than they realized. Plus, how can you resist a man with a Denzel voice? Impossible! lol

The dual perspectives are also great, as you get to understand both characters' thoughts and feelings. I also liked the secondary characters as well as the food, culture, and messages about tourism and respecting the places you travel. Overall, it's a cute and fun rom-com and one I'd recommend to romance readers. Special thanks to Berkley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

Very cute romance with some STEM and Indian and a Hawaiian cultures thrown in. Bahnu and Sunny go from supposed enemy coworkers to fake dating when they find themselves vacationing at the same time and place. The ice melts between these two and the characters are lovable. Overall a feel-good romance. Coming July 16, 2024!
#berkeleypublishing #netgalley #thedesignofus

The book follows two colleagues, Bhanu and Sunny, who both work at the same tech firm and find themselves vacationing in Hawaii at the same time. Circumstances cause them to fake date and the rest, as they say, is somewhat predictable rom-com history. This was a fun and quick summer read. The plot, while predictable, is still pleasant! The characters are well defined and I was definitely rooting for the FMC and MMC to get together. I especially loved the details specific to Hawaiian and Indian culture sprinkled throughout the book.

Where the book falls flat for me is the authors tendency to be prescriptive in telling us exactly how a character is feeling or what they are expecting to happen. I prefer books which read like a slice of life, where the reader puts together the puzzle pieces by being shown what’s happening rather than being told.

Overall, I would recommend this as a light vacation or beach read. Just don’t expect this to something you come back to over and over again.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This book was pretty middle of the road for me. It’s your typical workplace rivals to lovers kind of thing. For most of the book I had a very hard time understanding why they were so antagonistic towards each other. But I’ll be honest even when they explained why, I still didn’t understand why these two characters disliked each other so much. I also just never really felt the chemistry or the tension between these two characters until probably about the 60% mark in the book and honestly that feels way too late in the story to finally feel some chemistry between the main characters. Overall I felt it was a fine book. Nothing that really excited me too much as a reader, it didn’t feel super memorable, but I enjoyed it while I was reading it.

DNFed at the 60% mark, because I just could not believe that these two characters actually cared about each other. I enjoyed learning about Desi culture, but I did not think they had any chemistry.

In The Design of Us by Sajni Patel, a single impulsive lie sets off a weeklong escapade of pretend romance for two quarrelsome colleagues at a picturesque destination wedding. Set against the stunning backdrop of Hawaii, the intricately described setting adds depth to their captivating slow-burn love story. The characters are expertly crafted, and the plot unfolds at a deliberate yet engaging pace, allowing readers to fully immerse themselves in the narrative.

Bhanu works in user experience at a tech company and beings her A game. In fact, she's hoping for a promotion - the same one her coworker, Sunny, is vying for. When the bickering workplace rivals end up at the same Hawaiian resort on vacation, a reservation snafu leads them to sharing a villa. Not only that, but Sunny's ex girlfriend is less than kind and Bhanu tells her she's Sunny's new girlfriend to get her to lay off. Unfortunately, Sunny is there for a wedding and now all his friends expect the "happy couple" to attend all the pre-wedding events. Excursions, very excitable Indian families, and cultural perspectives on food and customs come into play as this romcom continues.


💭 Things I loved: Bhanu's sister and her boyfriend, both of whom lived in Hawaii, were funny, sweet, and extremely hospitable. Bhanu had social anxiety and was not afraid to speak out about it when needed; also Sunny was very attentive to her desires about being in soci situations. Loved seeing a successful woman in STEM. Overall, a great little summer read. I had a hard time getting into in at first, and some of the character descriptions were a little repetitive. If you're a fake dating, tropical setting, workplace romance fan this is for you!

Bhanu is visiting her sister Diya in Hawaii like she always does. Sitting by the pool, she overhears a woman degrading someone, when she looks she can’t believe it. Its SUNNY! Bhanu and Sunny constantly bicker at work, but he’s a great dev, so she decides she can’t let this woman keep at it when they’ve got a huge project to complete at work. In an attempt to defend Sunny, and get this woman to shut her trap about him not having a plus one for this apparent wedding they’re attending, Bhanu says SHE is his girlfriend. Oh my god the look on Sunny’s face when BANE says this!

This unlikely couple have to blast the acting to convince Sunny’s ex that they’re really together. Apparently something Bhanu is very good at. So good the lines become blurred between what’s real and fake. The banter and bickering becomes a fluent love language as Bhanu realizes there’s more to Sunny than she thought from their interactions at work. He’s funny, charismatic, caring, and that DENZEL VOICE does it for her! Their passionate stares BURN and their foreplay is 🌶️🌶️🌶️

But what will this all mean when the week is over and they have to return back to work? Will the fake relationship end or will the slow burn ignite? 🔥✈️

Bhanu is visiting her sister in Hawaii, she is supposed to be relaxing and not thinking about work, which is hard for her to do, especially when she's up for a big promotion. She's happy to at least be away from her work nemesis, Sunny. The man has a way of constantly getting under her skin.
Sunny isn't thrilled to be spending his time off in close proximity to his ex, Sejal, unfortunately their mutual friends are getting married and they are both in the wedding party. He arrives at the resort and finds out his reservation had been canceled and now he has nowhere to stay, to make matters even worse, he runs into the last person he wants to see on vacation, Bhanu.
I've enjoyed the author's other books but this wasn't my favorite. I didn't care for either of the characters and just didn't feel the chemistry between them. I was annoyed that it took so long for them to finally discuss what caused them to dislike each other, and that just made the story drag. It didn't really pick up pace for me until the last 25% of the book. I did appreciate that the ending wasn't dragged out and that everything worked out well.
Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm torn in my review of this because I wanted it to be so good but I feel like it fell short, like everything just needed a but more. The romance was super cute and a lil spicy but I needed more of the romance build-up. The characters were great and I loved Bhanu and Sunny but again, I needed more personality dev from each of them. Not to mention the lack of character description, the only way I think Sunny was described the whole book was that he filled out a t-shirt and had a "Denzel voice" which got really repetitive.

However, I am still giving it 3 stars because ut kept me hooked just enough to not want to put it down and I was hard core routing for Bhanu and Sunny to be together.

3.5 ⭐️

The Design of Us is an easy summer beach read for those looking to turn their brains off and enjoy the ride! The ending was a bit rushed, but overall I had a fun time with this one!

Read if you like:
👥 Dual POV
😈 Enemies to lovers
✨ Fake dating
🔥 Slow burn
👏🏽 Diverse cast of characters

Pub date August 27, 2024.

Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the ARC in change for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🫑 (Closed-door romance)

Thank you Netgalley, Berkeley Publishing Group, and @sajnipatelbooks for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rounding off AAPI month with an author I met a few months ago while she was promoting her fantasy book is The Design of Us. Bhanu and Sunny are work nemesis. They're not even frenemies until they coincidentally vacation in the same place, a fancy resort on the Big Island. Bhanu is visiting her sister while Sunny is attending a destination wedding for his best friends. When a booking mishap causes Sunny to lose his reservation, he is not only without a room but at the mercy of his ex-girlfriend who seems to be on a mission to make his life miserable. Bhanu steps in to interrupt her tirade and off we go with fake dating shenanigans.

I love a good enemies to lovers, slow burn plot but this actually got me a little worried in the beginning because I felt zero chemistry between the MCs. Usually when I read this trope, there's something between the MCs that they hate that they are attracted to but in this book, Bhanu and Sunny properly DISLIKE each other (with a capital D). The latter even calls her ‘Bane’ as in bane of his existence. As the story progresses, we see both characters develop feelings for each other at a pace that feels appropriate. Despite their dislike for each other, they were incredibly respectful to their boundaries and learning each other's mental health struggles. This book also moonlights as a guide on how to be a respectful tourist when visiting the Hawaiian islands. Although this was a closed door romance, the tension and payoff were still 👩🏻‍🍳😘.