The most heart warming story with main characters you root for until the very end! Flirting With Disaster immediately sucks you into the story and take you through a whirlwind of emotions. Meena and Nikhil have a complex and strained relationship, and the author carefully unfolds the intricacies so by the end of the story no stone is left unturned. The writing was what I can only describe as beautiful. I was highlighting so many quotes! Truly could not recommend this book enough.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy of this book!

I am a huge fan of Naina's and this book felt like the most natural follow up to her stunning debut!

The Sweet Home Alabama vibes were strong, but it was also giving hints of Dawson's Creek and I AM NOT MAD ABOUT IT. I love second chance/marriage in trouble and this hit all the right notes. When I tell you I've been *waiting* for a hurricane book, and then here this one was? Hello destiny.

The hurricane stuff was spot on (the prep etc, I am a Florida native so I have BEEN THERE), It's very atmospheric, but the romance still shines. Single POV worked beautifully here.

Thank you so much to Random House/Dell for providing me with this arc to review!

Y'all, the amount this book surprised me completely. Flirting with Disaster followed Meena, a lawyer in D.C. as she attempts to finalize her divorce with her husband, Nikhil, after seven years of no contact. Of course, when Meena travels from D.C. to Houston to go see him in person, a massive hurricane hits forcing them to spend a little more time together.

This book has all my favorite things, forced proximity, second chance romance, and beautiful vulnerability from these characters. Getting to see Meena and Nikhil rediscover their connection and love for each other was so beautiful. Kumar does a fantastic job using the setting to really push the love story. I found myself genuinely surprised by the plot, which is not something I can always say with many of the new romance novels coming out.

While I would have loved a little more time at the beginning before getting into the central plot, I found the story super enjoyable, heart warming, and just so cute. I know this is going to be a huge hit when it comes out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine/Dell for this advanced reader copy. I adored Kumar's first book, Say You'll Be Mine, and I was so excited to preview this text.

Flirting with Disaster is a retelling of Sweet Home Alabama with a Houstonian hurricane spin on it. Meena is an ambitious, new graduated lawyer studying for the bar when she meets Nikhil, a kind and handsome construction worker. When the two get married on a whim in Vegas shortly into their courtship, they decide to make it work. But, less than a year in, Meena gets a big job in DC and leaves Nikhil behind.

Six years later, Meena is on the cusp. of running for a state senate seat in Maryland, but she needs to tie up this marriage. She sent Nikhil papers--but he doesn't respond. Meena, focused sigularly on her goals and not paying attention, shows up on his doorstep in the middle of a hurricane. Once the hurricane hits, they are forced into the same house until the flood waters pass.

This is a sweet second chance romance. It was nice to see how Meena and Nikhil both changed and communicated a better as the plot progressed. Overall it was very enjoyable, and I really enjoyed her portrayal of Houston and their neighborhood there. Personally, I enjoyed Say You'll Be Mine a bit more, but I really liked this one!

I typically don't like a miscommunication trope, but I fell in love with these characters right away and forgave them of anything that would typically bug me!

Naina Kumar’s Flirting with Disaster gave me Sweet Home Alabama and The Notebook vibes.

I was addicted from the first page.

Meena and Nikhil have both been through so much and even though they love each other they lacked the ability to communicate their feelings, which resulted in their separation and possible divorce. But maybe, just maybe, after getting stuck together during a hurricane, they will realize that they still love each other after all this time.

The relationship struggles that Meena and Nikhil experienced are things that I have struggled with before in relationships. They were relatable and by the time I was done with the book I was crying along with the characters.

There's something really special about being only a few paragraphs into a book, but already being fully immersed and invested. I'm not sure how Naina Kumar does this, but she did it with Say You'll Be Mine and she did it again with Flirting with Disaster!!! She establishes characters so naturally that they instantly feel real to me.

I read this book in one sitting, which is rare for me!! I kept telling myself "just one more chapter" but I just had to know what was going to happen next and before I knew it hours had passed. This book had a magical combination of tropes that I love (forced proximity, second chance romance, and more that I don't want to list because they feel like spoilers), and the best part was that none of them felt shoehorned into the story.

I loved Meena and Nikhil so much. THE CHEMISTRY? THE TENSION? my goodness!!! Also their growth??? It was all so good and so well written. And the miscommunication in this book actually made sense to me, it felt really realistic of young relationships and I loved seeing how they changed and grew the years they were apart. I also loved Naina's commentary on politics, community, and Texas.

The pace of this book felt really good to me, no brakes but flowed really well and not confusing. Also, while I do love single POV, I would do some unspeakable things for a Nikhil chapter (please Naina!!! a preorder incentive maybe???). ALSO, I love the side characters! Shake book when? or Ankita from Say You'll Be Mine???

Naina Kumar is truly an auto-read author for me and I can't wait to read anything she writes!

A fun read for fans of Sweet Honey Alabama (or second chance romances regularly)

Naina Kumar wrote a spin on some classic tropes (e.g., stuck together due to a hurricane, have to share a closet for a safe place to sleep, etc). She shows character growth throughout the seven years that the story jumps between. And she captures less savory emotions associated with love (e.g., sorrow when it fails, angst when you don’t know how to help your partner, etc). All of this comes together resulting in an enjoyable and easy to read story.

There are a few things I didn’t love. First and foremost, while Nikhil shows a lot of growth, Meena’s takes longer to happen. Instead, she comes across self absorbed in a lot of the story, unintentionally hurting her loved ones with her actions (e.g., Nikhil, Shake)

I also think the writing could have benefited from telling the story more clearly in two separate time frames and building out the memories some. As is, it could be confusing at times as we switched in time, and were left being told things vs living them with the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Naina Kumar, and Penguin Random House for providing me with an advanced reader copy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley!

This book follows Meena flying to Texas to get her husband to sign the divorce papers. She wants to move on with her boyfriend and the divorce will allow her to do so. However, seeing her husband, Nikhil, after so many years, may not have changed her feelings at all. I enjoyed this book. I read the author's debut novel and I jumped when I found her second book was out on NetGalley. The last 20% had me crying and I really enjoyed their love and story. Meena also explores certain aspects like work and her relationship to her sister and the rest of her family.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The beginning (30%) definitely caught and held my attention and I loved the Sweet Home Alabama inspiration!

The hurricane references were spot on - prep and supplies, what’s the weather saying, comparison to previous hurricanes - the author is definitely a Houstonian!

However, it started to read like a hurricane weather report and the focus seemed solely on the hurricane.

The author is great at intimate moments, but not necessarily the romance/flirty scenes - these moments felt abrupt and were a bit cringe at times.

This story gave such Sweet Home Alabama Vibes and I absolutely adored that aspect of it. I'm quite new to this author and was very impressed by her story telling. The two main characters were extremely likable and well developed, as well was the story.


Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a rom-com movie enthusiast, I was over the moon excited when I heard Naina Kumar's sophomore romance had similar vibes to Sweet Home Alabama. Between the steamy tension, the small town vibes and the flashback scenes, Naina Kumar DELIVERS with this movie reimagining. Upon finishing this book, I immediately texted my friends for a girls night viewing :)

Meena is ready to take the next step in her political and love life by running for office with her significant other. The problem? She's still married. To a man she hasn't seen in years. She's sent Nikhil divorce papers several times, but each time they go unanswered. Meena knows that the only way she will get what she needs is by getting on a plane and asking him for a divorce in person.

When she drives up to the home they used to share, she is hit with memories of their life together as well as notifications that there is a hurricane forming in the Gulf, causing all flights to be grounded. She has no choice but to hunker down with Nikhil and ride out the storm together. As the days pass, Meena and Nikhil are forced to face the issues that drove them apart, get to know the people they have grown to be and struggle with the magnetic attraction that remains between them.

If you love the only one bed trope, buckle up! This book has a twist on it - the only one closet trope! Somehow, the only room in the entire house that is window-free and safe from the storm is the tiny closet that barely fits their two sleeping bags. As much as Meena fought sleeping in that closet, she eventually had to join Nikhil, and the conversation that flowed from that forced proximity....so very real. I loved watching our main characters reconcile the people they once were with the people they are now.

My only complaint about this book is that I wish that this book incorporated more of the characters' Indian American identity and culture. Naina Kumar's debut novel, Say You'll Be Mine, was steeped with Indian American culture, and it was what made the book so enjoyable for me. I was hoping to have more of this in her sophomore novel, especially given that the book description mentions "sharp observations about second chances at love, ambition and Indian American identity." If that line hadn't been in the description, I would have not expected this novel to incorporate it like her debut novel had.

Add this book to your TBR immediately if you are a fan of:
-Second chance romance
-Rom-coms
-Forced proximity
-He takes care of her
-Flashback scenes

I have posted a review to GoodReads, and I will share a review on my bookstagram @thecozybookgal closer to the publishing date!

flirting with disaster centers on meena, a hotshot lawyer aiming to run for congress, who also happens to be estranged from her husband for the past 6 years. she ends up in houston right as a hurricane hits the city, trying to get her husband, nikhil, to sign off on the divorce papers.

as a reader, I was somewhat disappointed by this book, as I had liked the author’s previous book, say you’ll be mine. my biggest issue with this story was the inconsistent characterizations of meena. as a thirty-something year old, you’d expect her to be more decisive yet she constantly flopped back and forward with her decisions and thoughts. a chapter would have her finally making a realization, and you’d think she was going to stick with it, before she quickly changed her mind again. it was frustrating to read and i struggled with how selfish she was at times, although she redeemed herself toward the end.
i did enjoy the commentary on shame and parental expectations that meena faced. nikhil was kind and honestly far better a person than who meena deserved. miscommunication trope was strong in this book, yet it somewhat made sense considering the situation that the main couple had gotten married in. I appreciate how real meena and nikhil both felt, their struggles and insecurities are ones that many people can relate to.

I was provided a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher.

Thank you so much for an ARC of Flirting With Disaster by Naina Kumar!

Firstly, I was a huge fan of Naina Kumar after reading her debut novel "Say You'll be Mine" and "Flirting with Disaster" was just as good if not better!! This had almost everything I look for in a cute romcom novel. The angst of close proximity, the banter was cute and can't forget the lovers to enemies to lovers tropes. As a girl born and raised in Houston myself and only recently surviving yet another hurricane, this book hit so close to home. The nod to Hobby Airport, HEB grocery stores and Gilmore Girls had my heart. I knew I would love Nikhil when he declared he was Team Logan.

The only thing I wish was different was the spicy scenes could have been spicier. There was so much good lead up to the actual event that I was left wanting more when it happened. The flashbacks were such great teasers that the anticipation was excellently executed. As that's my only critique there wasn't much else I would change.

Meena's character was so relatable to most Asian-Americans that I know, or even any child of immigrants where their parents love feels conditional based on their success. I completely understand the author's nod to your parents only wanting a better and/or easier life than what their parents previously had. I will always be a sucker for an Asian-American story so I will definitely recommend these books to my friends and family.

This book made me feel SO MANY FEELINGS. It’s one that I’m wondering if I should sit on and allow myself to process for a bit before rating. The writing is absolutely superb, as evidenced by how much it did make me feel. That said, while second chance has grown on me so much as a trope this year, I still have my qualms with it in terms of my personal level of enjoyment of a book and a big one of those is present in this one. It’s landing between 4 and 5 stars on a sliding scale for me right now with me changing my mind every other minute about rounding up or down.

I’m going gush over the writing for a bit here first. There is so much emotion packed into these pages that I could feel the yearning and angst and turmoil right alongside Meena and Nikhil as they were going through it. They have an intense level of unfinished business between them that has been festering in silence and absence for six years and it’s palpable. The way their past and the breakdown of their relationship is shared is really well done, using retrospective thoughts of Meena’s throughout the chapters rather than flashback/dual timeline. I appreciated that because I got their backstory without feeling like I was being taken out of their present.

So much of the past and Meena and Nikhil’s separation boils down to simply not talking to each other. Which, fair, people have a hard time communicating. It’s not simple, and I’m trying to remember that when I encounter miscommunication in romance novels. It is just so devastating to me here because all I could think about are the years they missed out on together because they wouldn’t or (felt like they) couldn’t talk to each other. The reasons are there and the reasons are make sense. The reasons are valid. But gosh it just hurts my heart.

The only part I really struggled with in this particular book is that even as they’re navigating things in the present, they’re still not using their words. They’re at a point where it feels like an absolute necessity to either lay everything completely bare or truly let it be the end…and they’re still not being fully honest. (This is one of my only frustrations with Sweet Home Alabama as well, so it tracks.) Good news is, Meena and Nikhil equally frustrated me in that regard, so it is balanced well between them. They’re both responsible and have their own share of the “blame” to shoulder.

I feel like I’m rambling at this point, so I’ll wrap up by saying this book really took me on a journey across a whole spectrum of emotions. Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been looking forward to this one since I read the first chapter at the end of Say You’ll Be Mine, and it did not disappoint!

A Houstonian riff on Sweet Home Alabama, Meena is flying back home for the first time in years to resolve her divorce from Nikhil once and for all, hoping to put her whirlwind romance behind her in favor of a stable partner and a dream of running for office in DC. What she doesn’t factor in, however, is that a hurricane has veered over toward Houston, and she’ll be hunkering down with her soon-to-be ex for the worst of the storm.

I loved seeing Meena and Nikhil come back together after having the opportunity to mature and become more confident in themselves. I’m not always a big second chance romance fan, but it was easy to see how the circumstances that had kept them apart originally were surmountable with the improved perspective and communication that time can give.

Recommend for fans of Sweet Home Alabama (obviously), and anyone who’s had to live through a hurricane (but probably far enough in the past that it won’t give you hives thinking about the rebuilding).

Naina Kumar was one of my favorite debut authors of 2024 and Flirting With Disaster just confirmed her place on my Insta-buy author list! Meena has been working on advancing her career in politics in DC, but to start a new phase of life, she must head back to Texas to end her old life....by getting a divorce.

What she thought would be a quick trip to get paperwork signed, turns into so much more after the threat of a hurricane leaves her stuck in the same house as her husband, Nikhil. As the two get reacquainted, the past comes back to light and the future becomes even more tricky.

Flirting With Disaster is a fast-paced novel that focuses on character growth. Once I started this novel, I could not put it down. I quickly fell in love with Nikhil and Meena's story and was rooting for their relationship to be rekindled. Forced proximity is one of my favorite tropes and the way it mixes with the second chance trope in this novel is a recipe for success! I highly recommend Flirting With Disaster to any reader who enjoys contemporary romances with forced proximity and second-chance feels!

Authors take note! We need more Sweet Home Alabama inspired movies. ASAP. From the beginning this was always going to be a win for me. I do wish there had been more time spent on the reconciliation, but nevertheless I truly was smiling the whole time reading this because I was waiting for the Sweet Home Alabama tropes to set in. Side note I really enjoyed the heroine's job, it was different than the cliches.

3.5⭐️

This is a reimagining of Sweet Home Alabama. It follows an estranged married couple, Meena and Nikhil, who are stuck together while they try to survive a bad hurricane after she returns to finalize their divorce. I was excited for the premise, but it felt a bit flat. I know some people hate dual timeline, but I think showing more of their past together would've helped me connect with it more. I needed a little bit more angst. And while I know this is a reimagining, it annoyed me how long the Shake story dragged on. Issues aside, it was a quick, heartwarming read. I loved Nikhil and the growth that both characters showed.

Overall, I'd recommend it if you like any of the following: <i>Sweet Home Alabama</i>, estranged spouses, second chance, surviving a hurricane, forced proximity.

Not quite as strong as Kumar's debut. I loved the premise of Meena being trapped with the husband that she wants to finalize her divorce from thanks to extreme weather, and now that I am belatedly discovering that this is a reimagining of the film Sweet Home Alabama, I can see the strong parallels and now understand the point of including Shake. However, for a second chance romance, this is missing multiple important elements for it to be completely satisfying. Only Meena's point of view is included when adding Nikhil's perspective would have made it so much richer, amping up both the angst and tension, and leaving this out led to much more telling than showing in the story. There are flashbacks included to Meena and Nikhil's first year of marriage together, yet they are woven into the story with little to differentiate them from the present day events that sometimes it took me a minute to orient myself within the timeline. I did admire Meena's political ambitions and how it is plainly stated that Texas is flawed, but it is her home and where she wants to make a difference. Although I found the tale to be well-written and rather engaging, especially in the first half, I was left wanting a bit more.