Love second chance romances, love Sweet Home Alabama. This was on my "want to read" list even before I could get the ARC. And I ended up loving this book. It was so emotional (in a good way!) and after finishing this book, I had to take a day to process my feelings before I wrote my review.

It has a little bit of everything: romance, culture, family, community, career. Meena and Nikhil had great chemistry and the angst was GREAT and really pulled at my heartstrings. They had impulsively gotten married at Vegas and all was going well for about a year (but conflicts were building), until they get into a huge fight that leads to Meena leaving to D.C. for her career. SIX (!!) years later (with no contact whatsoever), Meena comes back to get her divorce papers signed by Nikhil so that she can advance in her career. When they are unexpectedly stuck with each other in a house due to a big hurricane, they are forced to spend time with each other and realize that their feelings for each other are very much unresolved.

I really liked Meena and Nikhil's characters. They each had their own insecurities that they needed to acknowledge. I could relate to what they experienced with their respective parents, especially in terms of the expectations from immigrant parents. That and a fear of failure really influenced the way Meena acted in her career and relationship. We are able to see important parts of their first relationship through flashbacks, and the reason why their relationship didn't work that time essentially boiled down to a huge communication issue. But these characters have evolved over the 6 years they were apart, and that made the second chance trope work. It was nice to see the contrast between their relationship now and the flashbacks. Now, we see them fight with and for each other and communicate their feelings in a more forthcoming way. They are so supportive of each other's career goals and in the end, it was nice to see their resilience and perseverance in the face of obstacles that come their way. And it was heartwarming to see Meena resolve some of the issues with her family, especially her sister.

Overall, this book had a lot of depth in its content and characters (definitely teared up a few times), and this was definitely one of my favorite reads of this year. I can't wait for it to be published Jan 14, 2025.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC!

Wow! This is a heartwarming reimagining of Sweet Home Alabama, featuring a small-town, second-chance romance between a couple with unresolved issues about their past, stuck together in a house during a storm—the very house they once shared when they were married! Tension escalates as their lingering feelings, attraction, and yearning clash with resentments and misgivings.

Meena has always been driven—ambitious, successful, and currently pursuing her career as a high-powered lawyer on Capitol Hill. Recently, she broke up with her boyfriend, but she’s determined to reconcile—not out of love, but because she sees them as a potential power couple aiming for a Senate run in Maryland. The only thing standing in the way of her plans is her husband, Nikhil, whom she married in Vegas. After a year of a rocky marriage, she left him to move to Washington, D.C., to chase her dreams.

She finally sends him divorce papers, but when she doesn't hear back, she decides to take matters into her own hands and flies to her home state of Texas to confront him. When she arrives at the house where they once lived, she realizes her timing couldn’t be worse—a hurricane is forming in the Gulf and heading straight for them. While her ex prepares for the storm, boarding up windows and stocking supplies like their wise neighbors, Meena is caught off guard, having acted impulsively without checking the news.

With no hotels available, no flights, and no cars to rent, she’s trapped with her ex. She optimistically thinks this will give her the perfect opportunity to convince him to sign the papers so she can move on with her life. But as they begin to communicate honestly for the first time in their relationship, the real question becomes: Can she truly let go of her first love when there are still unresolved feelings and sparks flying between them?

Overall, Meena frustrated me at times—her insecurities fueling her ambition, often leading her to act selfishly without considering others' perspectives. It even bothered me that, despite getting closer to Nikhil, she kept making plans with Shake (honestly, what kind of name is that? It made me hungry enough to order a burger and shake from Shake Shack!). I loved Nikhil—his struggle to support Meena while facing his own issues made him more honest and likable. But in the end, this is still a well-written, angsty, and heartfelt love story that explores how people evolve, learn to change, and make peace with themselves as they engage in self-reflection. That’s what ultimately made me appreciate Meena and Nikhil’s flawed, imperfect, but compelling story, which I happily give 4 rekindling stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell for providing this heartfelt romance’s digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Exquisite and exceptional. Easily one of my favorite romances of the year! I loved everything about FLIRTING WITH DISASTER, just like I did with the author's other book. The writing, the pining, the tension, the chemistry, the complexity and depth to the characters and their relationship had me so captivated and consumed by Meena and Nikhil's story.

Meena and Nikhil are the loves of each other's lives... yet seven year laters, Meena flies to Houston to force Nikhil to finally sign the divorce papers, so Meena can move on with her life and career in DC. Though her spur of the moment decision couldn't have been made at a more terrible time...during a hurricane. Forced to stay with Nikhil in the brick house that they started their union together to weather out the storm, Meena and Nikhil can no longer run from each other and the mistakes they made in wrecking their marriage. Not only is the storm outside brewing but also inside the anger (and passion!) between them is another storm on its own. Being around Nikhil, it brings out the irrational impulsive part of Meena that she seem to can't ever control around him. Meena wants to help Nikhil, yet Nikhil wants to feel needed by Meena.

I loved both of their strong yet different personalities and how they play off of one another. They both have a desire to help their community, Meena with policy and Nikhil with fixing houses. Meena is independent, stubborn and a "nerd," while Nikhil is a do-er and a provider, and has this strong and steady quality. He also seems to remember every little thing about Meena even after all these years later. For a living Nikhil is great at construction and used to building things, but he's also really good at building emotional walls to prevent Meena seeing his pain and vulnerable truths.

With how Meena's parents treated her sister after she had disappointed them, Meena's sole focus on life becomes making her parents proud and for them to believe she will be okay in life with a great career in law. Afraid to admit to her parents she failed her bar exam the first try and not telling them about Nikhil for fear of her parents affecting the one great thing she's accomplished (her happiness with Nikhil), Nikhil can't help but take it personally and see it as Meena is embarrassed by him. What will it take for them to admit their errors and repair their past? What will it take for them to realize if they're better together or off doing their own things, never to see each other again?

I can only say it was an absolute pleasure and privilege to experience Meena and Nikhil's love and story. And I look forward to reading whatever the author grants us with next!! And to recover from the emotional hangover I know I'll have, I can remedy it with watching the great SWEET HOME ALBAMA movie as I'm not ready to say goodbye to Meena and Nikhil just yet!

Much gratitude to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.