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.

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!

A STEM Enemies-to-lovers, opposites attract, fake dating, grump-meets-sunshine blended together so well!! Bhau and Sunny were such a fun couple and overall I really enjoyed the story. My only gripe was there was a sort of third act breakup that was frankly too much for me, it was over such a minor thing and literally two sentences would've fixed it, I just feel like it was unnecessary drama.

I absolutely devoured this book. I loved loved loved it! I will definitely recommend this to my patrons at the library.

Workplace nemeses, Bhanu and Sunny, never get along always bickering on Zoom calls so much there's a running pool about their verbal sparrings. But when they coincidentally end up at the same Hawaiian resort on vacation Bhanu to visit her sister and Sunny to go to his friend's wedding, things go from bad to worse. Sunny's ex gf public criticizes him flaunting her new bf so Bhanu jumps in claiming to be his new gf.

Now the web of lies must continue as Sunny's friends invite her to all the pre-wedding activites. But as the days go on, Bhanu and Sunny realize there might be more to the sizzling heat in their constant arguments...

This book was so good!! Sometimes, short timeline romance seem way too rushed/unrealistic with the main characters falling in love within a breath which prevents readers themselves from falling in love with the characters and the couple, but not in this book. Bhanu and Sunny's romance builds as they slowly open up and show genuine care for one another. I loved their love!

I also like how the serious topics were discussed throughout the book such as the often frustration around the lack of effort to correcly pronouce Bhanu's name, how Bhanu had to work harder to be heard in a male dominated space, Sunny's feelings of hurt towards his family's relationship with his ex, the toxicity of being in a relationship where the other person wants you to be someone different and never measuring up, social anxiety, respect towards the island and understanding of the effects of tourism, etc. Each serious topic was apart of them and the story, but the story didn't harp on about one topic and make it anyone's full personality. People are multidimensional and the author did a good job highlighting that.

Lastly, I want to say how much I loved Bhanu! I love her concept of love and her "silent" confrontation method and how she never felt embarrassed about who she was!

If you like rivals to lovers, fake dating, vacation romances, you should read this book!

Rating: 4/5
Spice Level: 1/5 (Closed Door Romance)

Note: I got this book for free from NetGalley, but this review is my own and left voluntarily.

2.75 out of 5. It was a cute, serviceable romance but it really just did not engage me in ways that I wanted to. The Start is too descriptive, it was a little toddler like, and it took too long to get into it. I really enjoyed her other books, the Trouble with Hating you and and First Love take Two, but this one just did not measure up to the same level for me. Its cute, it just doesnt do much more. I think my biggest qualm with the book, looking back is that this is very much a congelation of tropes and its a lot in just one. We have enemies to lovers, shared bed, fake romance, vacation, its a whole kitchen sink. However the key thing, the enemy to lovers is just not so well developed. We look back at why they hate each other and its just weak - its obvious they liked each other from the start. Once their romance starts evolving, I started enjoying the book more.

I just finished reading The Design of Us and I have to say, it's such a sweet romance novel! The story follows Bhanu and Sunny, who are rivals at work. When they unexpectedly run into each other on vacation in Hawaii, they're not exactly thrilled. However, things take an interesting turn when they end up pretending to be in a relationship just a few minutes later! This is where the story gets really interesting and I was completely hooked.

I love the fake relationship trope, and Sajni Patel did a fantastic job of making this book feel fresh and original. The relationship between Sunny and Bhanu is both amusing and relatable, and the story flows effortlessly. The Design of Us is 5-star read and I highly recommend it to everyone. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel from start to finish, and I can't wait to read more from Sajni Patel in the future.

I’m a huge fan of Saint Patel’s romance, and this was no different! Love some good bickering, and always here for a destination romance setting!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this one was not for me. After Trouble With Hating You, I was really excited for this newest book from the author. However, this book did not feel believable and polished the way TWHY was.

I did not find myself believing the relationship between Bhanu and Sunny, and while this is a fake-dating scenario, you do hope that once they develop feelings for each other, you can feel that natural progression. This, however, didn't feel that way to me.

From the beginning, I had trouble getting into the book, and part of that had to do with the tone of the writing. It felt like a stream of internal thoughts, and while that can be effective in some cases, here it just made the writing feel juvenile, which in turn made it hard to connect with the narration.

I really wanted to like this one, and I do think that many people looking for that enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating, workplace rivals situation may really love this one!

Rating 2.5 ⭐️s, rounded up for NetGalley.

ARC review: this is an honest review for an arc received from Berkley via Netgalley

The Design of Us was a cute vacay, work rivals fake dating romp. I really loved the palpable tension and cheeky banter.

Tropes: fake dating, rivals to lovers, destination wedding, workplace romance, only one bed, meddling (with love) sister, uh oh my ex is here.

The spice was swoony but didn’t use explicit descriptions- or describe the actual acts- but the build up of tension was still great!

Only (small) things that took me out of the story was the overly long descriptions of some of the UX concepts or backstory items - however, as this was an uncorrected proof, that may be a non issue in the final copy!

i think this is a solid romance novel, its like what the spanish love deception wanted to be. i loved the desi representation and i feel like i havent read a lot of diverse romance novels that were actually good so this really has me leaning towards yes. the tension is tensioning and i love how they slowly get to know each other and how they actually feel like enemies instead of just people who are lusting over each other. one thing was this is that i wasnt really convinced that their first interaction would warrant like a shift into being enemies, but i just went with it because i was trying to see where the story was going to go. i liked the resolution and im kinda glad it wasnt this whole big thing that led to toxic behavior... but it did annoy me that it took so long for her to respond back to him. overall its a really cute and light read with great rep, just thought there were some hiccups along the way

one thing about this is this author keeps on mentioning grumpy and sunshine and im like i get the irony of this trope already... lets use some new words...

another thing but idk if its just me but idk if their journey and the ending should warrant "i love yous" to each other, and even if it did, i think i wanted more toiling over of like wow i think im in love with this person. i got it more from sunny than bhanu

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for giving me an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Design of Us by Sajni Patel is a delightful romcom about workplace rivals who end up fake dating while vacationing in Hawaii. As a woman in STEM, I loved reading about a UX designer and dev falling in love. Of course, I wouldn't go for it in real life but it's fun seeing their petty grievances and how they find each other attractive despite being annoyed. I loved Sunny and Bhanu's relationship. Bhanu was the ultimate sunshine who has social anxiety and I loved seeing the real her once she gets into the whole fake dating shenanigans. Sunny was such a sweetheart, who truly deserved the best after his stupid ex left him doubting himself. It was nice how they grew during their fake dating. And the food made me want to immediately try them all as I've never tried any of the flavors discussed. I already crave for summer to try out various cool foods. Overall, this was my favorite of Saji Patel's books that I have read so far. If you are looking for a delightful romcom, this is for you!

fake dating will forever be fun to read about! i really enjoyed this opposites attract romance, it took me a little while to get into it but there were a lot of cute moments! I really liked the discussions on their love for their culture and traditions. Overall, a great read!