This is the most romantic novel I have ever read! I adored Sunny (new book boyfriend for me) and Bhanu together. The banter, the chemistry, the setting all made for the perfect mix of fun reading time for me. I will be seeking out more books by this author. Bhanu's love of Ube actually made me buy a package to try and I love it now too.

This was a really fun read. I enjoyed the characters a lot, along with the setting. I loved the commentary on tourism in Hawaii. The pace of the story kept me reading, and I finished the book within a couple days. The main characters had excellent chemistry and I felt like the progression of their relationship felt very natural, considering the situation. I've read a lot of books that follow the same trope of fake dating at a wedding, but this one had a very fresh feel to it. Overall, it's a solid romance and an A+ beach read.

What To Expect-
🌞Fake Dating
🌞Dual POV
🌞One Bed
🌞Witty Banter
🌞Slow Burn
🌞Grumpy/Sunshine
🌞Third Act Breakup

The Design Of Us is a peferct summer read. You follow the main Bhanu and Sunny to Hawaii. I loved that this story takes place in Hawaii. This book was filled banter and the romance was a slow burn. Which made it fun. I really liked how the characters talked about love for their culture and traditions. It was beautiful to learn.

This book was so much fun. It’s about Bhanu and Sunny, who were coworkers and rivals who have a not so great relationship at work. Bhanu goes to the Big Island on vacation, and runs into Sunny, who is there for a wedding. His ex is also there and not treating Sunny well. Bhanu overhears this exchange and blurts out that she is Sunny’s girlfriend. You can guess what happens next. 😏

*spoilers*

From the get-go - this book was absolutely for me. The cover is breathtakingly gorgeous. I LOVED the power of women in STEM. I am a fake dating lover. It’s my top trope. Combined with only one bed? Can’t go wrong. Ever.

I adored Bhanu. She was so witty and smart. Her and Sunny’s banter was *chef’s kiss* amazing. I found myself cracking up during so many parts of the book and I highlighted A LOT. Like.. a lot. I loved how she was protective of Sunny and how it led her to say she was his fake girlfriend. I loved her anxiety and how it was portrayed. I loved her love of Hawaii and respect for the people, culture, and environment. I loved her sister and her family. The scene in the villa with Sunny, Bhanu, Diya, and her parents had me cackling.

Speaking of Sunny!!! Yes!! He was everything I want in a love interest. Funny? Yes. Nerdy hot? Yes. Teasing? Yes. Yes to all!!! He noticed everything about Bhanu and was so loving and careful to her. He truly cared about her feelings and respected her so much. He apologized when he made mistakes and he DID BETTER. The man was amazing. I loved how he loved his family and friends, and how much he wanted to love Bhanu.

Their relationship developed so naturally and the heat between them was evident. They had great chemistry and I laughed so much, along with tearing up. The slow burn was done SO well (seriously they don’t even kiss til like 70% through) and it’s so satisfying. This was just a beautiful story and I cannot wait for everyone to experience it.

Thank you so much @berkleyromance @berkleypub and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a fake dating trope and The Design Of Us does it so well in this fun and delightful #romcom

This book is low on spice but high on witty banter, hilarious interfering relatives and friends that help to bring Bhanu and Sunny closer together. I love that all of this hilarity takes place at a destination wedding in Hawaii- the ultimate romantic getaway.

Bhanu and Sunny’s little office squabbles turn to romantic gazes as they both try to fight their growing chemistry and feelings. It is so lovely watching them fall in love.

Thank you to @berkleyromance for my ARC.

What a great enemies to lovers, fake dating romance! I got a lot of laughs and all the feels from this. Man, the tension between Bane and Sunny was OFF THE CHARTS. I loved the way the author set the scenes and the building chemistry between the two MC’s. I also really enjoyed going back and forth between Sunny and Bane’s perspectives, and getting an understanding of how each person was feeling in the moment. This is the first Sajni Patel book I’ve read, but it certainly won’t be the last - I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a banter-filled, fun, romance!

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Fake dating shenanigans ensue in this lovely novel from Sajni Patel. Bhanu and Sunny are workplace rivals who spend a week on the Hawaiian islands pretending to be a couple, and grow closer as they learn more about the truths of each other while navigating the quagmire of their increasingly intricate web of lies told to their meddling family and friends. Sajni Patel explores topics of conservationism and emotionally abusive relationships, while also creating this fun and enjoyable romance plus engaging side characters as well.

I loved this book, it was so nice being able to relate to the FMC career wise and personality wise. This book was a lovely slow burn and I loved how it touched upon the typical south asian experience. Sunny and Bhanu were so fun to read about and their banter cracked me up. I read this book in two sittings and would recommend to anyone that wants to read a south asian romance with a little spice and lots of laughs.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book. I received a copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Work rivals to dating — fake dating that is. When Bhanu and Sunny both head to Hawaii for a long overdue vacation, the two rivals somehow find themselves in a fake dating conundrum while enjoying all Hawaii had to offer and a destination wedding…

I had an excellent feeling about this book from the beginning — the premise? Classic romcom fair. Tropes? Some of my faves. The look? Gorgeous - did you see those colors? 😍 Add to that it’s an author I’ve read and loved before and I was sold.

Ms. Patel did not let me down, delivering a story full of banter, fun, classic romcom moments and lots of feels. The really enjoyed both our mains, Bhanu and Sunny. I love that we got a dual POV - it always adds a bit more to a romance for me to be able to get a peek into the minds and feelings of both characters. Their banter was fun and I appreciated the slow turn from rivals to fake dating partners to more.

The location was fun to read about and I felt seen to have a character that actually had to deal with heat issues. It feels like everyone always is miraculously fine in warmer climates, no issues or a one time one. It’s nice to ‘see’ someone balance struggle with it and still enjoying a new location and all it has to offer. I also loved seeing some anxiety representation, I’m always a big fan of realistic portrayals that show / talk about the experience and how it exists in someone’s everyday life / experience. I also loved a hero who was empathetic, and tried to be there and assist without trying to ‘fix’ it.

My only nitpicks or wishes in this case, would be one the inclusion of a brief epilogue or family meetings and two less Denzel voice references. On the voice reference it’s a minor nitpick, just felt unnecessary later on. For the other, I really enjoyed the ending, just would have liked to see their families get up glimpse their happiness up close 😊🤷🏼‍♀️

Overall, I really enjoyed the story - a fun, fast and light read that was easy to get swept up in. To those who care, there were a one or two spicier bits, though easy enough to read around.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own and freely offered.

They say what happens on island, stays on island.

The Design of Us is the perfect beach read for the summer! Take a trip to Hawaii and pair this book with an Ube treat! In this novel we follow Bhanu and Sunny, two co-workers as they take a one week vacation to Hawaii. For Bhanu it's a vacation and to be with her sister, for Sunny it's to attend a destination wedding for his good friends. However, when Bhanu and Sunny run into each other at the same hotel and to avoid questions from his friends the two agree to a fake relationship.

Yes this is a romance, but I loved how Sajini highlighted travel and tourism etiquette in her novel and I want to share my thoughts. Something my sister instilled into me is that whenever we travel somewhere we respect the culture, customs and environment that we visit. We take the time to learn the history, explore local areas, and try our best not to feed into the tacky tourist experiences. Whenever we've done all of the above, we leave with a new respect and appreciative of our time in the country (once again, shout out to my sister). Travel is a luxury and being mindful while visiting a country is such an important part of it. I’m so glad Sajini highlighted this throughout the novel.

The scene of diving to get a plastic straw to save the turtles (aka Honu) 🐢, visiting a coffee tour that showcased how a specialty coffee is grown, to finally showcasing the culture.

Could. Not. Put. This. Book. Down. Stayed up into the early morning to finish it. This book gave me all the visceral feels and tugs. It felt like a sense of healing to witness their story blossom the way it did and it witness their growth.

I love Sajni Patel’s books - The Trouble with Hating You and First Love Take Two are one of my absolute favorite romance reads. The Design of Us is now added to that rank. Easily one of my most favorite reads of 2024. Also loved the nod to one of her books, masterfully woven in.

I loved Bhanu and Sunny and their banter, their teasing, their support and protectiveness of one another. I LOST it when Sunny does the thing he’s afraid of for Bhanu so casually on the boat. 🤭 (no spoilers) and the end was perfection. So much growth for him and “he” (the perfect book boyfriend written author Sajni) has such a way with words.

Grateful for this opportunity to be an ARC reader. Will also be pre-ordering a physical copy bc I gotta have my favorites!

2 🌶️ several spicy ish scenes

- fake dating
- rivals to lovers
- one bed
- workplace romance -ish
- destination wedding

A little bit slow to start, had some technical jargon that was hard to understand, but only just a little bit. But I really got into it once they arrived at the hotel. Really cute story, enemies to lovers. Really loved the banter and how they grew together. Wish it had a bit more spice but overall, good. Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book.

i really wanted to like this book, but it really fell flat for me in a lot of spots. it was really hard to root for the main couple because their growth as a couple seemed to happen behind the scenes rather than on the page. i'm sure this is a book a lot of people will really like, it just wasn't for me.

It was a very cute book, but it was slow. It took me longer than normal to read this book, as I just wasn’t excited to pick it up.

I thought the Design of Us was just okay. It's barely a workplace romance since it's not set in the office, though thankfully that's obvious going into the story. It was a little disappointing that there wasn't more tech talk, like there was more "tell" than "show" about their careers. Regardless of how I feel about s3x in books, in this one I think it would have been sooo much more satisfying if it was left to constantly building tension until the end. It went downhill after they get together.

I wasn't convinced by either of the main characters. Like, Patel was trying so hard to convince the reader that she is shy and demure--and he is serious and cranky, except they weren't actually? It didn't make sense to me.

But with that said! This is my honest and very personal opinion. I liked her other romances and YA more, and I'm picky with contemp romance anyway. I think bigger fans of the genre will enjoy this one.

Thank you to Berkeley Publishing and Netgalley for an eARC to read and review.

Of course when Sajni Patel writes I have to read!
I love Sajni Patel and her writing it's always so easy to just immerse yourself in the story and feel so connected to the characters. I loved Bannu and Sunny's story and their characters.
This story takes place on vacation so it's like that little "damn I wanna go on vacation and fall in love with someone" vibes or fantasy that some people may have.
Thank you Sajni for this eARC always looking forward to your worke
Tropes or things you may like:
-Opposites attract
-South Asian characters
-Takes place in Hawaii
-Fake dating

There is something about Sajni's books that always hit the mark for me. The Design of Us was no exception. Everything about this book was my catnip and it did not disappoint. Bhanu and Sunny are office rivals. They communicate through snark and underlying insults anytime there are Zoom meetings they both attend, but under it all, lies just a bit more.
Bhanu is visiting her sister at the resort she runs when low and behold she runs into the last person she thought she would, Sunny. Not only is Sunny there, but his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend (along with a whole wedding party of friends). Seeing the way his ex was tearing into him for not being all that she wanted, Bhanu has had enough. She steps in to pretend that she is his girlfriend so he can save face and hopefully be the focus of everyone's pity.
Sunny has no idea why Bhanu would do this. He isn't interested in getting close to anyone, let alone her, but he has to admit that it's nice that everyone doesn't feel bad for him anymore. The charade grows legs and it becomes bigger than they were intending, but it also feels bigger in their hearts too. As Bhanu and Sunny open up and squash one another's misconceptions about each other and love, they are staring at their perfect match.
When I tell you there were MULTIPLE times I got butterflies, I am not lying. The chemistry between these two that were felt on page and lept off the page was fire. This was just the book I have been looking for.
Thanks to Sajni Patel, Berkley and Netgalley for an early copy.

While I have really enjoyed all of Sajni Patel's books this one didn't hit the same high note as the rest. It wasn't quite as un-put-down-able as the others. That being said this was still a great, entertaining read I'm sure many will love.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Berkeley, for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

For me, there was too much user experience jargon and talk rather than the story of Bhanu and Sunny. Having read the author’s past works, I had high expectations and this did not read as cohesive as past works. There could be some editing to this advanced copy to help pull the story together more. All in all, Sajni Patel is a gifted author that I still enjoy, it is just this title did not seem to have the same signature style I enjoy from her.

4.5 Stars

Imagine this: stuck in Hawaii with your work nemesis, fake dating at a destination wedding. Sounds like the beginning of a rom-com, right? Well, that's exactly what happens to Bhanu and Sunny in this delightful read.

So, what did I love about it? This book is like a rom-com dream come true, blending enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, and opposites attract tropes flawlessly. Bhanu and Sunny are not your average characters; she's a boss queen with sass, and he's got that cool, calm demeanor "with a voice like Denzel Washington". Plus, the Desi representation adds depth and richness to the story, which I totally vibed with. And let's not forget the serious stuff – it tackles workplace dynamics, toxic relationships, and microaggressions in a relatable way.

But hey, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. For me, the constant reminders of Sunny's "Denzel voice" got a bit repetitive. And while the romance is cute, I wished for a bit more development, especially early on. Plus, the resolution of conflicts towards the end felt a tad rushed to me. Like, communicate more, people!

Overall, "The Design of Us" is like a breath of fresh Hawaiian air – fun, romantic, and just what I needed to escape reality for a while.

Thank you to Sajni, Netgalley and Berkley for an arc of The Design of Us in exchange for an honest review!