Girl Gone Viral does a lot of things well: portrays historically underrepresented backgrounds and nationalities with (as far as my knowledge extends) sensitivity, authenticity, and nuance, placing them in main character prominence, showing their beauty and desirability. Both Katrina's and Jas' lives involve a good bit of coping; they both carry baggage and scars from their past. I appreciated again how complex psychological and emotional challenges were portrayed: thoughtfully, intelligently and sensitively. I also appreciated how the main characters empathize deeply with each other and make each other feel safe. In complementary ways, Katrina and Jas love each other in such a pure, giving, manner. They support each others' growth and healing. That's a true love story right there.

For me, this started off and stayed quite slow well into the book. Pacing was not the book's strong suit. Not until at least 50% was I invested and drawn in and if I hadn't felt a sense of obligation and a desire to push through since having been given an advance copy, I may well have shelved this book before I hit the point that finally drew me in. I'm a firm believer that a book needs to hook you, and I would say Girl Gone Viral spent too much time laying the background for the viral situation, as well as explaining Katrina's anxiety.

All in all, while I felt this story lacked somewhat in its structure and pacing, it makes a solid contribution to the romance genre; portraying diversity and mental health issues with sensitivity, intelligence, and nuance. The world needs books that show us bodies and backgrounds beyond Western and white and never a personal problem. I love how Rai writes delightful, original and diverse characters. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for my complimentary advance copy. All opinions are my own.

While I found the "Bae" in #cafebae was a total piece of human trash, Jas was amazing and I was swooning over how his relationship changed during the course of the book. I'm excited to share this book with library patrons and eagerly await the next book by Alisha.

I enjoyed this book, though the romance honestly took a back seat for me compared to all the other pieces of the story. I cared about that part, and was happy with the end, but I cared more about the resolution of the other story lines than the romance. I loved the friendship of the women and their support of Katrina. I also really enjoyed the character development throughout the book. Katrina and Jas are both complex characters dealing with deeply personal problems and the author does a good job of explaining them to the audience without making them into caricatures of people with PTSD or anxiety. I also loved the theme of family throughout the book – both the family you are born into and the family you make for yourself.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Synopsis: Girl Gone Viral follows Katrina King, an ex model turned reclusive investor who craves privacy above all and her dutiful bodyguard Jasvinder who helps maintain her safety. On one rare outing Katrina shares a table at a crowded coffeshop with a beautiful man. This completely innocuous interaction is live tweeted by a woman sitting near them with a meet-cute spin and suddenly Katrina has gone viral on twitter. As the internet hunts for her identity, her bodyguard Jasvinder whisks her away and as they hide out together on his family farm the two must come to terms with their mutual pining.

Katrina is a really wonderful and fascinating character. I loved that she was a sappy romantic who loved to cook for her friends, was obsessed with animals and always willing to swoop in to save drowning businesses. She also has a panic disorder and anxiety, I really loved the discussions around therapy and how her friends supported her whenever she had her panic attacks. The care with which Rai treated mental health in the book was really great and extended to our male lead as well. He is a veteran with ptsd and his subtle journey to accepting support and opening up to the possibility of therapy was lovely. Both Kat and Jas are really caring and selfless people which i think helped them mesh well as a couple because they wanted nothing more than to make sure the other was happy and comfortable. Additionally I liked the emphasis on family and how difficult those relationships can be, as well as found family dynamics, it was very wholesome.

Onto the plot:
So the social media aspect of this provided some interesting discussions on privacy and how terrible the internet tends to be with boundaries as well as the really flexible nature of the social discourse online. HOWEVER, I do feel that in a way it felt slightly underdone. The anxiety that Katrina has about possibly being doxxed in the internet's frantic search for her identity is a very valid concern, but something about the way it was written didn't make the danger feel imminent to me. My heart was never pounding worrying for her safety and I must admit that I kinda hoped it would be more exciting because of the bodyguard aspect. This book really is not exciting at all if I'm honest, it's more slow and meandering but nice in it's own way. AlsoI felt like some of the stuff regarding Jas's military past coming back to haunt him felt slightly shoehorned in and I never mustered up enough feeling toward it to care about that side plot personally. But I did enjoy the discussion of Jas unpacking some of his trauma.

Now to talk about the romance itself:
Jas and Kat have been pining for each other and the mild angst of that was cute, when they finally came together I admit I was hoping for a more fiery union but I think these characters are two very soft people and the gentle and understated nature of their relationship reflected that. I do think however, that similarly to The Right Swipe, there was not always enough focus on the romance. There is so much going on in the character's lives and career wise which I personally found fulfilling but it sorta made the romance feel drowned out at times and I think Rai could have cut out some of the fat and given us more domestic goodness and scenes of the couple interacting to sell us on the fact that they are a great couple (they are but it could have been emphasized more).

Overall it was really enjoyable and really the little things I'm pointing out didn't necessarily hinder my enjoyment but I want to make sure everyone goes in with the right expectations.

Cw: parental abuse, emotional abuse (past), veteran with ptsd

Alisha Rai's Girl Gone Viral was completely delightful. The first book I read of hers was last year's The Right Swipe and it was fun to revisit the characters from that book. Again, Alisha has created characters to root for who have difficult backstories, which makes a happy ending that much sweeter. Her characters are just so likable and the relationships (romantic, family, and friendships) are beautifully written.

Katrina is a former model who was emotionally and psychologically abused by her father/manager. Her bodyguard, Jas, has been with her for nine years, and he does an excellent job of looking out for her—because it’s his job and because he’s in love with her. After a stranger in a cafe tweets about a fabricated meet cute between the anonymous Katrina and a guy she shares a table with one crowded morning, she needs to escape so that her privacy can remain intact. Jas invites her to his family farm. In the classic “there’s only one bed” version for the extremely wealthy, Jas and Katrina finally make a move. But can her fear of her father and his coping mechanism of burying all feelings deep inside prevent this new relationship from sticking?

The relationship vibes are good and on par with The Right Swipe. But Katrina’s extreme optimism and wealth are highly unrealistic. Her “former teen model + tortured soul + escapist marriage to a not-creep + kidnapped and returned home after the ransom was paid + silent investor to struggling start-ups + actually only visits a few places due to panic disorder” is just a tad too far suspension of disbelief for me. Like, I get that this is a romance, but Rai takes an few too many liberties for my tastes.

Diverse reads:
- Katrina is half-Thai-American and half-Euro-American. She suffers from panic disorder and severe anxiety.
- Jas is third generation Punjabi/Mexican-American. He suffers from PTSD.

Such a cute and real rom com story with diverse characters and a unique plot line.
I love that the author tied real issues into this making it a more fulfilling read,

This book is such a good followup to The Right Swipe. The focus on mental health was so timely and appropriate. Can Alisha Rai ever do wrong?!

I enjoy Rai's contemporary romances. The characters are complex, the action makes sense, and endings are always satisfying.

Katrina King has retired from the public eye. She doesn't venture far from her house and only to a few public places she feels safe (the backstory is sparse, but explains her current agoraphobia). Suddenly pictures of her are going viral and she the star of twitter's latest invented "meet cute." Hiding out with her bodyguard forces them both to consider what they're hiding from and how to confront ghosts from their past in order to build a future.

This is definitely a book I would consider rereading, which is a short list!

I read an eARC through Netgalley.

Pros:

Engaging story with endearing characters

Detailed back story which contextualized the actions of the protagonists

Connection between main characters evident

Cons

Not enough time spent on the relation ship between the main characters and why this relationship was working

Ended a bit abruptly

I absolutely adored this book! I was instantly drawn in by the diversity in the characters and the open discussion of mental health issues. Kat, is a former model who has experienced a traumatic event you learn about through the narrative, and suffers from PTSD and anxiety. She is engaged in exposure therapy and actively working on improving her mental health. Jas is her bodyguard, and has been with her for many years, he is quiet and powerful, but he has his own traumatic past as a veteran who was deployed in Iraq. Throughout this novel these two learn how to communicate with each other but also how to become the best versions of themselves and improve their lives. This is my first Alisha Rai book and I was blown away. It is very refreshing to see the increase in diverse narratives throughout the romance genre. I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley and voluntarily give my review

I was absolutely thrilled to have won this arc after reading The Right Swipe. To be honest, I loved this book way, way more than the first book in the series. There is so much chemistry by Jas and Katrina and I adore that they lean on each other in all aspects of their lives. I also love that they do struggle with their own demons but both attempt to fix their own situations before turning to the others. The smut was also perfect! 10/10 would recommend

Oh lord I loved this. I can't precisely put my finger on why, because I was a little annoyed by how easily the couple shifted into a love relationship--maybe it wasn't fiery enough for me? Except it clearly was, since now I'm telling you how much I loved it. Jas, the hero, was...*fans self* And Katrina, the heroine was delightful. Love her animal kindness and love.

Also, I so much love the way differences are folded into this book. Gay characters, characters with disabilities, POC...just all co-exist in a happy world, and I love it. (It reminds me a little of Schitt's Creek; when we're building worlds, we can make them look like whatever we want, and they may as well be lovely, accepting places.)

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

To put it mildly, this was a snoozefest and before I knew it, it was dropped before I even reached the halfway mark. I'm pretty sure I was more interested in the whole #CafeBae and #CuteCafeGirl concept a bit more than the actual storyline. But kudos to the author for featuring diverse characters since they're a rare gem nowadays.

This is the sequel to The Right Swipe I was hoping for. Characters were well developed, there was such a great representation of consent, and I loved that both hero and heroine were damaged but managed to make it work.

I was a little worried about reading this as I haven't read the first book in the series- still waiting on that library hold. I had no problems with having jumped right into book two. In fact, I can't wait to go back and read the first one. I loved the story of Katrina and Jas. I loved that it talked a lot about PTSD and mental health. Great read!
Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for the arc. I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I FFFFLLLOOOOOOVVVVVEEEDDD the first book! A new author to me that I love the story, the characters and everything in between. And Alisha did not let me down in this second installment that had me laughing, crying sometimes, and loving that partnership between Katrina and Jas. They have this way of making you really invest in their story and what is happening around them.

I am so excited to what else Alisha has in store for us because her writing has a special place in my heart now!

I picked this one up as someone who's read the Forbidden Hearts series, but not the Right Swipe. But overall, I'd consider myself an Alisha Rai fan.

There's a lot Rai does so well, and she continued to do that here. Think:
- Portrayal of mental health concerns (here, PTSD and panic disorder) - especially destigmatizing therapy
- Diverse but not cookie-cutter characters
- Showing women to have agency

Yet, I just didn't love this book. The couple has been pining for each other for years, so we don't really see their relationship develop. He's 39 years old, but their interactions sometimes made it feel like they're in their early 20s (nothing wrong with that, but new adult romance really isn't my thing). The romance felt secondary to what was going on in their personal lives. On one level, I appreciate that, as it's probably true to life, but it was one more reason why I didn't quite buy their connection. I think ultimately that's what stopped me from truly being able to love this book - it's hard to spend hours rooting for a couple when you have no idea what makes them good together, or why they should be together.

Perhaps my expectations were too high: This is Alisha Rai, after all - which might have been unfair to the book. I'd like to reiterate that there was a lot done well in Girl Gone Viral. I'm hopeful it'll be more of a hit with other readers.

Content warnings: PTSD, panic disorder, recollection of emotional abuse, invasion of privacy, blackmailing description and attempt, assault

I was generously provided an ARC by the publisher for an honest review.

Alisha Rai is one of the authors on my ‘always buy’ list. Her novels always put forth a unique story with equally memorable characters. Rai’s earlier books are also smoking hot. Like, do not read in public hot. However, Girl Gone Viral moves away from Rai’s comfortability with NC-17. In this novel, Rai constructs a hot but also deeply emotional tale of lovers living and ultimately thriving with mental illness.

In 2016, I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, an anxiety disorder, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of repeated sexual victimization. On my worst days, I believe that I am unlovable. On my best days, I believe that maybe there is someone for me. Someone who will love me inspite of my symptoms and chronic mental illness. I read romance novels because I love love and because I want to feel like it’s possible for me to also find love. In a weird way, I feel like Girl Gone Viral was written for people like me— people who are afraid that their mental illness makes them unloveable.

Girl Gone Viral pairs a heroine with a several panic disorder with her body guard whose PTSD prevents him from returning home to his family. What is interesting about this novel is that the conflict at the story has nothing to do with either characters’ mental illness. Although mental illness affects the ways in which these characters respond to conflict or change, mental illness is not portrayed as something that must be conquered or vanquished for the lovers to come together. I wish I had better words to convey how deeply grateful I am for this respectful and considerate handling of mental illness. In so many spaces, mental illness is portrayed as a hindrance or a weakness. Rai shows us that mental illness is simply a fact of someone’s life. And that someone who loves you will not only accept the symptoms of your mental illness, but will work with them in order to provide the best support possible.

Alisha Rai utilizes her characters’ dialogue to actually demonstrate for her readers how to support a loved one with mental illness. For example, Rai’s hero Jas always operates from the assumption that Katrina knows what is best for herself and her mental illness.

“After the incident that had scarred her, Katrina had made it plan she wanted nothing more than to disappear. Jas had done his best to give her what she needed. If she wanted to stay in her house forever, he’d facilitate that. If she wanted to venture out, he’d have her back there too. She was a grown, smart woman. She knew what was best for her.”

There is also another beautifully written scene where a supporting character helps Katrina manage an anxiety attack by walking her through a grounding exercise. In addition to showing readers what support looks like in real time, Rai literally provides the tool for her readers. One can read this scene and then immediately implement the tool in their own life.

I enjoyed Alisha Rai’s newest novel, Girl Gone Viral, and I feel confident that most readers will also appreciate Rai’s wit and respect for mental illness.

Final Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Recommendation: Once you’ve finished the novel, take a look at your health insurance and see if you can find a therapist! If you can’t find one in-network, see if your community offers low cost or free mental health services. RAINN is an excellent resource to identify these options.

To be honest, this book fell into the sophomore slump for me. I enjoyed it, but I thought that the first one the right swipe was amazing and it could have been my fault that the sequel didn't live up because I had to high of expectations.