I feel like the characters were both saying "I've tried nothing and I'm all out of ideas!" on every single page. You know what happens when you assume? You end up yelling at each other six years of pent-up resentments during a hurricane that could have been resolved with a simple conversation like adults! at any time between then and now.

I loved the premise and there are some really good parts, but there's no real depth to the characters individually or as a couple. I think part this stems from the fact that the past is only told in small bursts of reflection, rather than immersing the reader in it. I also felt that for the first half of the book during the hurricane, Meena was almost blasé to the danger; I found it hard to believe someone would be going down memory lane and thinking dirty thoughts in this high stress environment. It's a very original idea executed in a very unoriginal way.

There were some minor things tin formatting and grammar to be fixed. It is to be expected to have some errors; however, the flashbooks could be differentiated better with italics or indentations. As an avid reader and master's student, I did need to look up some words which I found interesting and bothersome. The definitions of the words did fit the situation. If I did not have an ebook, I don't know that I would have looked them up and understood. As important as Houston is, I wish it could have been more description of the vibrant city.

Thank you for the copy.

4/5 stars

This book can be summed up as "Sweet Home Alabama reimaging where she's just trying to get a divorce but ends up stuck in a hurricane with her husband" and I really really enjoyed it!!

I love second chance romances and especially when they are with married couples.. The history, depth and love they have for each other deep down is unmatched.

The setting, banter, writing, steam and ending was incredible in this book. Naina Kumar does a great job making me feel like I'm right there with Meena and Nikhil and the small town setting/characters added so much to the story.

I'll definitely be reading what this author writes next!

3 stars

After thoroughly enjoying her debut novel, "Say You'll Be Mine", I was looking forward to picking up her latest book. "Flirting with Disaster" is an angsty second chance romance and a reimagining of the popular Reese Witherspoon movie "Sweet Home Alabama". While I like the set up of the book and the forced proximity due to inclement weather, I was not a fan of the book's execution. The book is told only through Meena's point of view and as a result we're blocked from getting Nikhil's thoughts and his viewpoints. We are told a lot of things by Meena, especially on how she fell in love with Nikhil, but we are not shown the process. Meena and Nikhil's inability to communicate, not being able to open up, and being vulnerable made this an incredibly frustrating read for me. The HEA feels tacked on and not earned. Kumar is a talented author that I will watch, but this was a miss for me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an advanced reader's copy of the book.

Super cute read! I loved Naina Kumar’s debut book and I was excited to read this one. At first I thought the hurricane aspect was weird. But then I realized it was because I’ve never read that type of forced proximity trope! So kudos to her for being creative!

What would you sacrifice on the altar of ambition?
Is pleasing others worth sacrificing your happiness?
Is compatibility enough to make up for a lack of chemistry?

Meena, a D.C. lawyer with political aspirations, is forced to confront these questions when she finds herself stranded with her estranged husband during a hurricane. Nikhil, too, has issues to work through - can anyone love you fully if you don’t allow them to know you fully?

Truthfully, I knew halfway through the prologue that I would enjoy this book. I also guessed, quite accurately, that it would make me cry. This is such a good example of both second-chance romance and miscommunication trope done well. You might find yourself frustrated with Meena and Nikhil, but you can’t say that their struggles are unrealistic.

Also, as a blue dot in very red Texas, I appreciated the political aspects of the novel. I know that might not appeal to everyone, but it appealed to me.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for the advanced reader copy of this book, provided in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

A vulnerable and tender sophomore novel by Naina Kumar! Meena and Nikhil were so broken, and somehow managed to find their way back together after years apart. The forced proximity element of this was unique and brought so much delicious tension. Thanks to Dell and NetGalley for this advanced copy!

I knew I had to read this when I read the blurb: Sweet Home Alabama with a Desi twist in the middle of a hurricane? Check, check, and check. Unfortunately, the main pairing just didn’t give me butterflies like I expect in books like these. But it was still an enjoyable read.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed this twist on a second chance romance. Years prior to the events in this novel, Meena and Nikhil drunkenly got married in Vegas and now she finally wants a divorce. The events in the novel take place during a hurricane in Houston, so besides the epilogue, the novel only covers a few days of Meena and Nikhil reuniting. I wish there had been more of the flashbacks to their beginnings, possibly as their own chapters and I also think a dual POV would have served the book well as sometimes I didn’t like Meena. Nikhil was a more loveable character- I loved that he remembered little things that she liked and kept some of her things in the house, made it believable that he was still in love with her.

The character development for Meena did pick up when she visits her sister and we get more into depth in her relationship with her parents and sister. I don’t know how I feel about the ending of the epilogue but I won’t spoil that here. Overall, I enjoyed this novel and the slow pace allowed for character development.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing team at Dell for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.75/5 ⭐️

Overall this was a lovely second chance romance with an added twist! I think one of the most compelling attributes to this story is the timeline. Instead of being a drawn out timeline it focuses on a very small portion of their personal history. We get flashbacks and moments of their longer timeline but are zoomed in on the present. I think this made the read feel more realistic and connected.

Another past of the story that I think gave it more substance was the discussions Meena had with her sister/family prior to them getting back together. I think sometimes romance novels have the tendency to brush over anything but the positive in a relationship and I like that in this story that was not the case.

I truly enjoyed this book and there was never a moment of lull or slump that kept me from picking it back up! I also love the cover! Thank you to the publishing team and Naina Kumar for the opportunity to read this ARC! I loved it!

DNF at 50%…the book is way too slow. I don’t like the politics side of the book which is boring. The writing pace is off. There’s too much description and I don’t like the sprinkling of the past. I wish there was alternating the past and present instead OR if we got the MMC’s perspective.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book!!

"You're my home, Meena. Out of all the places I've lived, I've only ever felt at home with you."

I've never seen Sweet Home Alabama so I can't speak to how well Kumar reimagined it, but I do like that I was able to come into this one with no prior expectations. And I loved it!! It's a quick, cute, rainy day read, and I ate it UP!

I love a second chance romance (and forced proximity), and I loved the premise of the main characters coming back together during a hurricane. It is a very original concept, and I think Kumar executed it very well. I think Meena and Nikhil are such relatable characters, and I found them to be very three dimensional and layered people. If you love strong character development and real-world issues that impact relationships, then Flirting With Disaster is a must-read!

There's also no dual timeline or POV, which I found refreshing because I've come to expect it in most romance novels I read nowadays. Don't get me wrong, I love dual timelines, but it was fun to switch it up and see the history of their relationship revealed through Meena's memories and flashbacks.

It did take me a second at the beginning to figure out what was going on - the book just dives head first into Meena heading to Houston to get Nikhil to sign the divorce papers, and it took me a couple chapters to get my bearings and figure out where we were in their story. However, the gaps filled themselves in over time and didn't negatively impact my reading experience.

In conclusion, 10/10 recommend!

Naina Kumar has done it again! FLIRTING WITH DISASTER is another incredible South Asian romance that delves into serious topics while on the surface, being a cute and fluffy romance novel. I loved the depth of both of these characters, and the political tie ins throughout the book. Living in the South can be tough, but reading books about the love-hate relationship with Southern politics is healing and helpful. I enjoyed the second chance romance trope, and I couldn't help but love Nikhil for his optimism for the future of their relationship. This was a great book, and I know Naina Kumar fans won't be disappointed by her sophomore novel!

I absolutely loved this book! Meena and Nikhil have a drunken wedding in Vegas and decide to stay married. Seven years later they’re still married… they’re just not together anymore. This book had so much angst and tension and longing while still being really funny and sweet. Even from the very first time Meena and Nikhil see each other again you could feel that despite everything there was still so much love between them.
I loved how all the situations they were in forced them to be together and to confront their issues. From waiting out a hurricane to rescuing a stranded neighbor to a really sweet caretaking scene, you get a sense of what they were like as a couple and how much they still care about each other.
Throughout the book you get little snippets of their previous relationship and you see the gradual collapse of it through little things that just kept building up.
This love story was so emotional and angsty and I was rooting for Meena and Nikhil to work out their issues and realize that they still loved each other.

I highly recommend this book if you like:
-Sweet Home Alabama
-Second chance romance
-Angsty but funny romance
-forced proximity

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the ARC!

I loved this beautifully written book! I was immediately drawn into the story of Meena, as she headed to Houston to ask her estranged husband to sign the divorce papers she sent him months ago. Unbeknownst to her, a massive hurricane is barrelling towards the area, and she winds up sheltering in place with Nikhil, in the home they once shared.

This book was an emotional second-chance love story, but it was also a tribute to Houston and everyone there who has suffered through devastating hurricanes. The author managed to convey the strength and resiliency of those affected by natural disasters while also weaving a love story that will tug on your heart-strings. I will say that I found myself frustrated with Meena at times. She was very concerned with earning her parent's approval, to the detriment of her marriage to Nikhil, and both of them would have greatly benefited from some open and honest conversations. But they experienced a lot of growth over the course of the book, and I loved seeing how the author wrapped up their story. I definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House and Dell for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

Flirting With Disaster is a great sophomore novel from Naina Kumar! I'm a huge second-chance romance fan, and when I heard Naina would be publishing one after how much I loved Say You'll Be Mine, I was so excited!! Nikhil and Meena delivered a deliciously angsty romance between them. Seeing the two of them forced to reconcile and confront their past as they ride out a hurricane in the house they bought together was a lot of fun. While I do wish there were more of the cute romantic moments like we had in Say You'll Be Mine, I appreciated the discussions Meena and Nikhil had about their dreams, careers, and compatibility. Their conflict very realistic to what two young adults might be dealing with when accidentally getting married before they were perhaps ready for marriage. Meena's conflict with her family also felt realistic to some of the Indian American diaspora.

I think my favorite thing about this book is how much this book discussed the community in Houston. This book definitely reads like a love letter to the city and the people there who want the best for Texas. While I've never visited Houston, I can feel the care and support its people have for one another. This book was also super interesting to read after the election, and seeing Naina and her colleagues working at the Hill and in Texas fight for a better future definitely gave me hope for the future (even if it is fictional).

I think fans of South Asian romances and Say You'll Be Mine should definitely pick up Flirting With Disaster! I'd rate this book 4.25 stars rounded up.

**I got this as a ARC from Penguin Random House & NetGalley*

This is a cute book, a mini love triangle, but not so torn that you feel like Meena is the bad guy. Ultimately, I love how Meena and Nikhail had each other on the back of their minds while they grow. Not only in their career, but also the betterment of themselves. And years later, while Meena thinks she wants a divorce realized she still very much love Nikhail and finally have those honest conversation that they were too young and stubborn to have years ago. Hmm, sounds like Sweet Home Alabama, anyone? List, I'm here for the Happy Ending, and that's what I got, so no complaint there. But you know what else I"m not complaining about? How Shake, being the third wheel, gives Meena the love and space she needs to find her answers. Now, can we feel that he love with reservation? Yes, and understandably so, but had he turn that up and on top of being good on paper, career, and family, that might be a tougher fight. Nonetheless, I appreciate the author painted him in a positive light and not make Meena the bad person for starting a relationship with someone else while still married.

Ok, here's the meh parts: the part about being in the hurricane dragged on a bit long with too much details. Love the turning point of Meena getting fever and Nikhail finally spoke even though she was unconscious, but it's a good turning point. Also, if they're both Indian decent, I find it very unrealistic about their respective family to disregard the marriage caste system, or if the parents are so uptight, I'm surprised that they didn't make that as a factor. Now, I know that alot of immigrants adopted a more open-minded ideal, but that bit doesn't match up given how Meena painted her parents. Not that it mattered much but got me to think.

Anyway, love how Nikhail love so quietly but also is what caused Meena to doubt. But now that they've grown into their own, they also found a way to work together. The sister part at the end was a surprise, but a lovely one. No third act, exactly, so that breath a sigh of relieve. Overall loved the book. Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Random House for the ARC & including me on this process.

I unfortunately did not finish this book at 41%. I enjoyed the premise of the book, but I found the structure of it be hard to get into. I wish there were past and present chapters instead of it mixed into one, I think it would have been more captivating and would have given us the chance to fall in love with the characters together, fall apart with them, and then cheer them on in the present day chapters. I also found some the hurricane moments too dramatic and a little unbelievable!

Naina, what an absolutely delightful sophomore novel! This was everything I could have wanted in a story of coming back to love set in a city that I know we both love, Houston!

Meena and Nikhil are such treasures, and it shows how communication is key for any future. We see them having drifted apart after their whirlwind start of their lives together, and all it takes is a hurricane to keep them in the same spot for long enough to get past their fears. I loved the "Sweet Home Alabama" nature of the story in trying to figure out their future. I also love how passionate they both are about their respective careers and how they adjust to fitting into each other's lives, while not sacrificing themselves in the end.

Overall, this story was a delightful tale of reconnection between 2 flawed characters, but 2 characters whom you could feel the love the entire story. 4.5 stars!

Thanks to Dell Romance and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Spice: 🌶️
Tropes: forced proximity, secret love, still married

Meena needs a divorce. She hasn’t seen her husband in six years and it’s finally time. Or is it?

After a whirlwind first year of marriage, Meena leaves her home and her husband Nikhil to follow her dreams in D.C., always wondering why he never wanted to come with her. After things start to fall into place and her dreams begin to become a reality, she is given an ultimatum: divorce your husband or give up your dream life with your perfect partner.

So Meena heads “home” to Houston to have those papers finally signed… at the same time a hurricane makes landfall. Meena’s forced to bunker down with Nikhil and while the storm devastates Houston, it starts to mend old wounds between the married couple.

This is a lovely story about the power of love, trust, and relationships. It makes you question your own assumptions when it comes to other people and reminds you to speak your mind, especially when it comes to your heart.