I loved Swipe Right by Alisha Rai and was so excited for the opportunity to read Girl Gone viral, the follow-up. This story revolves around Katrina King, a reclusive main character who has been thrown into the spotlight for an untrue story. When she has to flee with her boyguard Jas, to a peach farm, the story just evolves into that romantic comedy that these pandemic times are yearning for.

The humor keeps you reading and while it has some expected romantic comedy tropes, I appreciated how Rai keeps the story moving and the reader engaged. The ending was one I didn't expect but once read, made sense.
Highly recommend for fans of romantic comedies.

The publisher HaprperCollins Publishers generously provided me with a copy of the book upon request on NetGalley. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

The writing style was a bit difficult to get into at first but once I did I really liked these two socially awkward characters. It's written in kind of an airy, dreamy way and I like more grounded storytelling. The "girl gone viral" plot point was actually second fiddle to the bodyguard romance. I liked the peach farm setting, Indian family dynamics, and food porn. The sex was good. The male audiobook narrator had a really deep voice.

Alisha Rai delivers another sweet, fun, emotionally satisfying romance. I’ve been excitedly waiting for Katrina’s book, and I wasn’t disappointed. I love a good bodyguard trope, and while I figured out pretty early on that this book wouldn’t take on the usual elements of Real Danger/Suspense of most bodyguard romances, all my emotional needs were still met—the protection and devotion was still there. There were some great, character-building hurt/comfort moments that may have been lost in a more danger-oriented plotline.

Occasionally, some of the subplots felt a little shortchanged, but we still had plenty of time with our main couple and some awesome side characters. I really enjoyed this book—and I can’t wait to read whatever’s next.

I received a digital advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I always find it is hard for me to get into books written in 3rd person. It took me a good 8 chapters to be fully invested in it! I love the heavy focus about mental health and panic attacks, as well as PTSD. This book was a slow burn, which I always love! Katrina had some weird fascination with Jas’s eyebrows and it was mentioned in almost every chapter. Is that some kind of fetish I haven’t heard about yet?? I get that she hadn’t gotten some in decades but I didn’t know that was such a turn on. Anyways, I thought the past trauma issues were handled extremely well and talked about throughout. However as far as the steaminess goes, I was just not into it as much. I laughed at some parts. I felt a little bit of chemistry between Katrina and Jaas. It was enjoyable and I did enjoy learning about Jas’s struggles and his family. This is one of those books that I had high expectations for and it fell a little flat for me personally! I have seen some great reviews for this title though!

This is the first book I have read by this author and it was so good. I felt immediately invested in the characters and their history. I think that the story is very relatable because we can all imagine the horror of having strangers post whatever they want about you online without your permission. This story really gets you thinking about online privacy rights and ethics. I also like that the characters are diverse, but it felt natural and not like they were diverse just for the sake of being diverse. The chemistry between the main characters was really strong and had me rooting for them to get together. Overall, I think this was a great book and it makes me want to check out what else this author has written.

After reading The Right Swipe last year, I was very excited to read Rai’s newest book, Girl Gone Viral. I thoroughly enjoyed this adorable contemporary romance!
{Thank you so much to Avon Romance and Netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review!}

This is the second book in Rai’s Modern Love series, but each book in the series can easily be read as a standalone book. Each book focuses on the story and development of specific characters, but all of the characters are present. Girl Gone Viral is definitely my favorite in the series so far! Katrina and Jas stole my heart!

Katrina is an extremely wealthy former model who suffers from anxiety and who values her privacy so much in this digital age. After sharing a table with a handsome man at a local cafe, Katrina finds herself going viral on social media as #cutecafegirl in a fake meet-cute story. To keep Katrina out of the spotlight, her bodyguard and friend Jas takes her away to his family farm. Katrina and Jas can finally come face-to-face with their suppressed feelings for each other.

I will always have a thing for bodyguard/protector storylines in romance. It’s just what gets my heart fluttering, especially when it is done right and Rai nails it! I also love that Katrina and Jas suffer from anxiety and PTSD. These are very prevalent issues and were handled beautifully. I do feel like the character development, especially at the end, could have been better but that is my only small complaint.

If you have not read this series yet, definitely put it on your list! I can’t wait for the next one!

4/5 stars!

4.5 stars. I so enjoyed this sequel to THE RIGHT SWIPE. I loved the characters here - both the main two and the secondary group around them - Katrina's friends, Jas' new friends, and Jas' family. Great balance in the story between the individual characters' personal growth and then progress in the romantic relationship. The viral photo that launches the story felt more like a means to an end to me - it got the rest of the story moving in a particular direction - than a significant event on its own. And I was good with that because the story it led to was so enjoyable. (Language, sex, LGBTQ+, TW: Panic attacks/anxiety)

I debated over this one. In the beginning I was trudging through it. I didn’t really care about the characters and I think I discovered that I don’t really care for stories told in 3rd person. But then… I cared. When they were at the farm I became invested and I couldn’t put my kindle down. I wanted to know that both Kat and Jas would heal from their pasts and overcome the obstacles and find their way to eat other and when they did… I loved every minute of it. Also the scene where the grandpa pretended to be sick was hilarious! I don’t think I’ll forget it.

I had been working on this book for a few weeks and was really struggling getting though it. Ultimately I did end up enjoying it. I didn't read the first book, but didn't feel like that took away from the story for me. The writing was just okay, and I think that's why it took so long for me to get invested, but overall a decent story.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

The second book in the Modern Love series, Girl Gone Viral, is an adorable, slow-burner romance with sweet protagonists and a whole list of interesting, funny, and relatable sidekicks. Katrina and Jas, our budding lovers, have extensive background stories that really help the reader understand their actions and believes and guides the plotline along nicely. Alisha Rai keeps you engaged by revealing tidbits of their past throughout the book, exactly what would happen in real life during dating. Going back and forth between Katrina's and Jas' inner monologue worked well in this novel and I wish there would've been even more of Jas' side. Their developing relationship was cute and felt real. This would've been a really solid 4 star read for me but I docked half a point because I got annoyed a bit at the more steamy scenes as both protagonists' innocence seemed less believable.

If you're looking for a nice little romcom set in current times faced with current challenges, pick up this book. And don't worry about having read the first book in the series. I hadn't and I enjoyed book #2 nonetheless. Though I have to admit I'm now curious to pick up the first book as I enjoyed Rhiannon and Samson's relationship in this novel.

3.5 stars. A simple, romantic read. Steam level 3/5. Had not read book #1 in the series prior and I don't think it's necessary but I think it would have further explained the relationship between the roommates. Cool storyline. Kept me interested and entertained. A good quarantine read.

I did enjoy this read, but not as much as I was wishing. I loved Alisha's first book in this series, The Right Swipe, and wanted this book to have more of that fire and sizzle. Girl Gone Viral deals more with trauma and it does good job of showing that element as sometimes being an obstacle to being comfortable with living one's life. Katrina and Jas' toeing around their mutual attraction is fun to read because neither thinks they should ruin the relationship they have, as well as due to the roles their pay in their respective lives. It's a fun and sexy read, but I just wish there was more sexiness because the book does build that mutual attraction a lot and I feel it did not deliver it at its best.

A fabulous story about unrequited love and the family you choose. Sometimes that can involve people you’re related to and sometimes not.

Girl Gone Viral is slow paced and drawn out for those who love a slow burn and it shows the depth of the writing capability Rai possesses as the first book in the series, The Right Swipe, was a fast paced, sensual romper right out of the gate.

I’m always impressed with an author who can make me truly believe I’m living out different characters lives, even with the same writing style. Katrina and Jasvinder are distinct and marvelous. From their quirks, Katrina loves all the animals to Jasvinder who has never met one that didn’t dislike him. Katrina’s love of cooking from scratch and the sour dough starter she always travels with. Followed with Jasvinder’s quiet, unassuming nature and creature of habit tendencies. They come from different backgrounds and this story explores the age-old bodyguard trope. Cue the reminders of Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, the Bodyguard movie is still a favorite of mine. This book puts a nice twist on it.

For the modern crowd, our heroine, Katrina is also put on the spot after a random conversation with a guy turns into social media wannabe romance fodder by some rando woman. Hero Jasvinder is dealing with some issues from his past that make him equally eager to get away from any possible limelight which leads to the pair going on a road trip to Jasvinder’s family farm. There’s family drama, forced proximity… these are common elements I have seen in Rai’s previous series and I’ll admit the author knows how to keep it fresh and interesting.

She also know how to bring tears to my eyes with her dialogue. Take this precious line shared to Jasvinder by his grandfather:

“I love you, you know. I don’t say it enough, because I assumed you knew I loved you. But that’s the problem. Sometimes we think a person doesn’t need to hear something because it’s obvious, because they know what’s in our hearts. But that’s not how the world works. We have to say the things.”

Another time to point out Rai is breaking even more barriers around the concept of emotion and masculinity. Her heroes and male characters in her stories are consistently open with their feelings, or at least learn to be, and aren’t afraid of words like love or shedding a few tears. Falling apart is okay and that’s awesome.

My only hiccup, what kept this from five stars, I wanted more intimacy between Jasvinder and Katrina. There is a fair amount, but if you have read a lot of Rai books (I have), this one is definitely not as high on the sexual Richter scale. Normally that wouldn’t bother me, but for some reason this time it did. Again, a personal preference thing and no way indicative of how good this story was.

~ Landra

Sigh.
I have a hard time writing reviews for books I did not enjoy because I know how much authors pour into creating this world for us to enjoy. The "zing" did not happen between me and this book. I rated 'Girl Gone Viral' two and a half stars, I did find most parts of this book enjoyable, but it did feel like a chore to sit down and read it. This book had so much potential of being one of my 2020 favorites especially with the #cutecafegirl plot that mirrored the #planebae viral story that happened online in 2018.

But that was not the case.

A few things that were a no for me,
*This book did not pick up until the 60%. mark.
*I did not believe in Katrina and Jas romance, it went 0-100 real quick between them.
*The steamy sex scenes just felt forced.
* I don't think the characters played well on the page together. It felt like the sympathy Olympics of who can I get the reader to feel sorry for more.

I ended up not caring about Katrina or Jas. So what did I like?

*The peach farm.
*The diversity (because we deserve that)
*Rhiannon

I would not recommend this book if you're trying to get out of a reading slump or if you're someone who feels guilty about abandoning books. Although this was not the book for me I will definitely be checking out the first book in the Modern Love series. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for proving me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

To Katrina, privacy is everything. While innocently sharing a table in a cafe, and unbeknownst to her, the couple at the next table has tweeted about it and sent a partial view of her face into the viral internet. Worse, the guy at the table decides to capitalize on it with lots of fake insinuations of their non-existent relationship being real. Prone to panic attacks, she escapes to her bodyguard's farmhouse hundreds of miles away. Being in close quarter with Jas enables her to see the real him, learn of his secrets from the past, and to meet his family.

Jas can't believe he didn't see the other table taking the photos of Katrina and feels responsible for the viral mess. He's more than a bodyguard, he has real feelings for her, which makes it even harder for him while he's fighting demons from his own past. Whisking her away to the quiet farmhouse seems perfect till his brother spills to the family. The dynamics, combined with his own PTSD, while guarding Katrina is almost too much.

This is a fantastic friends-to-lovers read!

**received an ARC from Netgalley**

Katrina steps outside her comfort zone to chat briefly with some guy in a crowded café, and now social media thinks they're in love? and he encourages it?!
Katrina absolutely does not want back in the public eye, so her long-time bodyguard Jas takes her to his family’s farm. He knows all about her life, except for the part where she’s fixated on him and his eyebrows. Jas is strong & silent, to the detriment of his relationship with his family, Katrina, and himself.
Both characters are sweet, imperfect, resilient, and fun. Watching them secretly yearn for one another and then find their way to The Zings is heart-warming and hilarious (the hay scene made me snort-laugh).
Read-Alikes: Love Lettering, The Kiss Quotient, Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals, or (less flat-out funny) Sonali Dev's A Distant Heart.

I read "The Right Swipe" and it was an ok read for me since I wasn't fully onboard with the main character, Rhi. The follow-up, "Girl Gone Viral" completely makes up for it in spades with a character, Katrina, that I absolutely loved from the first moment she's introduced. She had some serious issues, but I found her to be very relatable and easy to understand. Jas was sweet and endearing. And then there's everything else that you would expect from an Alisha Rai novel, it's modern and diverse in a way that feels absolutely natural and organic. And it's romantic in the best way possible.

Absolutely the perfect book needed for today's romance market. A sexy romance plus smart social commentary on relevant topics--like anxiety, PTSD, privacy, social media etiquette, and self-care--plus a wonderfully diverse cast of characters. The hay scene felt a little contrived, just to make a "roll in the hay" joke, but otherwise I enjoyed this immensely. This is my first book by Alisha Rai and won't be the last.

If you are looking for a light, fun, romance, this is not it. I liked the characters in the book, the bodyguard and the wealthy ex-model. However, they both have unresolved emotional problems; she has anxiety and he has PTSD. When she goes viral, it is an unwelcome predicament. Her bodyguard has worked for her for years and he is able to take her away from her home to a safe location on his family's farm. The book kept me interested, but the pace was slow.
I received an ARC through NetGalley.

Girl Gone Viral is the second book in the Modern Love series and I really enjoyed it! I love the social media aspect of these books. Katrina and Jas were great characters and I was really rooting for them, both separately and together. If you are looking for a fun romance, look no further!