My least favorite of the Modern Love series, unfortunately. In many ways, I feel like I could tell that this was written during the pandemic, and not just because Covid was subtly referenced throughout. The characters of Jia and Dev just did not feel as complex, well-developed and real as the characters in Rai's previous two books in the series. And the plot just didn't feel as grounded in real relationships as the other two books. Watching this couple with minimal on-page chemistry rush headlong into a very serious relationship just to keep up appearances to her family was... a choice, but not one I was super on board with. I will 100% be continuing to read Rai's books, but this one fell really flat for me.

Jia and Dev have given me a glimpse of Indian cultural traditions and what their lifestyle are like.
Jia is online influencer for skin care and makeup. While Dev is a very popular Bollywood Star who comes to America to be featured on a Hollywood TV show. It is wonderful to see a couple who takes their relationship one step a time and not jump into bed right away. The up and downs are the best, but seeing the interfering relatives and miscommunication along the long reminded that everyone has gone through theses situations at one time another. I couldn’t help but root for these two. 📚📚🎉🎉

pros
The characters are well-rounded.
While very different, both Jia Ahmed and Dev Dixit made their way to my heart. The author has spent enough time developing the two characters, allowing the reader to connect to them. It makes the emotional journey through the book more potent.

Jia is a social media influencer who has been in the space for a few years now. The book does a good job on focusing on her career which is a huge part of her life, including insecurities, ambitions, and how her career is sometimes ridiculed by others. She is also the girl who is “too much” and we see her struggle with that label as well, albeit it wasn’t done as well as it could have been.

Dev is an actor who has recently shifted to America, leaving behind his legacy in the Hindi soaps space, in order to care for his niece after his brother’s passing. From his acting to history to how he struggles to parent a teenager he didn’t know well before, his character is so well developed. I loved it.

We get enough time to connect to the characters individually before seeing them together which was really nice.

Slow relationship growth in the beginning.
The characters start off on the wrong foot. Them taking the time to properly connect and get on well with each other was nice to see. I hate fast paced romances so them slowly getting to know each other and being friends first was lovely.

The representation was pretty good.
Other than a couple things (which I’ll mention in the cons section), the representation was pretty good. And by “good”, I mean that it was normal.

Dev’s identity as an Indian wasn’t a huge deal other than him getting acclimated to the American way of living. His race wasn’t disadvantageous for his career in America. It wasn’t pointed out all the time through Indian elements like food and clothes.

On the other side, Jia being Muslim wasn’t a huge part of her life career. That is a valid experience but there are many people who have lives out of their faith, and this book showed that. Being Muslim was normal here and didn’t come with the trauma of discrimination because of it.

In a way, this book is idealistic where race and faith don’t affect lives and careers as much. But books like this need to exist, in my opinion. We can see that future and we can hope for it.

cons
The explicit scenes in this book made me uncomfortable.
Compared to most romance books, the sex scenes in this book are very less. In fact, it is only present at the end. But even that made me uncomfortable.

The fact that there was on-page detailed description of a hijabi woman’s body made me super uncomfortable. I felt like I was violating her privacy. I skipped the chapter after a few paragraphs so I can’t fully talk about it. But it was pretty detailed.

Considering that the book is not own voices for Jia’s representation (as far as I know), I’m not sure if it was the right call by the author to include it in the book. I’m not an own voices reviewer so I can’t fully speak for it as well. I tried looking for own voices reviews but haven’t seen any talking about this yet. Will link one if I find it later.

// SPOILER // The main characters have sex only after marriage and were not intimate before the wedding at all. Just in case anyone wanted to know. // END OF SPOILER //

But yeah, this was the biggest con for me.

Minor representation issue.
For the purpose of this tour, I was given an eARC of the book. I also got the audiobook format through Libro.fm which allowed me to read and listen at the same time. There were MANY differences between the two because of which I stopped listening after a while. But I caught one thing which got stuck in my head and I need to talk about it.

The audiobook version has a line saying that English is one of India’s national languages. If you just Google “what is India’s national language”, it clearly says that India has OFFICIAL languages but does not have a national one. The topic is already pretty controversial because India has several languages and calling anything the National Language means it is more important than others. Alisha Rai has Indian roots so I’m a little bothered by the fact that she wrote that line.

It may be edited out in the final version but considering that it was the audiobook, and audiobooks take time to record and get right, it may be the final version. I don’t get why the older line “It’s English” which was present in the ebook ARC was changed to “English is one of India’s national languages.”

I know, it’s a TINY thing but it bothers me. The fact that India doesn’t have a national language is because we have so many languages and choosing one is not right. And to say that English is the national language is worse.

A plot point was simply not mentioned.
The book starts with Jia getting back to work after a couple weeks break during which she had an illness. Later it is mentioned that her sister living elsewhere also had the same illness at the same time but it left her with chronic health issues. Although there were multiple references to it, the illness was never actually identified.

To me, it is clearly COVID-19. But whether it is or not, the fact that it wasn’t ever identified annoyed me.

The book does look to be written during the pandemic because it has multiple pop culture and trend references which date it. I personally don’t like books with references which don’t stay evergreen, so it wasn’t great for me.

Overall
I mostly enjoyed the book. It is not a favourite in the series but it was a good romance to read. I finished it within a day, honestly. It was immersive and enjoyable. Just.. the first con that I mentioned left a bad taste.

I thought this was a sweet story, and I really liked Dev and Jia, but wow it was crazy! As soon as I got used to one idea another crazy thing happened, and some of the actions of the characters really surprised me. Also, it was really long, but I feel like it didn't really have an ending.

A cute and sweet if not terribly memorable low key romcom about how Jia, a beauty influencer, met Dev, a soap opera star. The two get off to a rocky start when a member of the star's family catfishes her and she approaches Dev at a party thinking they've been communicating for a while. This is the third book in Rai's modern love series and it's less steamy and more slow burn than usual. Just a little tepid overall, not a lot of tension here.

I have been waiting for Jia's story since Alisha Rai's Forbidden Heart's series.
Jia Ahmed has a plan. She is a succesfully beauty blogger and influencer that has spent years building her brand. After almost of year of talking to Dev Dixit, the soap opera star, online, she decides to finally meet him. However, when she shows up to a cast party that he's at, he doesn't recognize her. After Jia, runs away from him, Dev can't get her out of his head.
This was really sweet and I loved the chemistry between these characters. We get to meet all of Jia and Dev's family which was a great addition to the story. The only thing I would have like more of is Jia's relationship with his neice, Luna.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I just couldn't connect with the catfishing, how slow at times it felt. I think this whole series was a miss for me. I am disappointed because I love Hate to Want You.

I’m a big fan of Alisha Rai’s writing and have been eager for Jia’s story since meeting her in Hate to Want You. I picked up First Comes Like with every expectation of enjoying it, and while the story is softer and sweeter than I expected, there's definitely a lot to like.

As with the prior two books in the Modern Love series, the plot spins off a social media mishap. Beauty influencer Jia Ahmed believes she’s been messaging with Bollywood royalty and longtime soap opera star Dev Dixit for months, but when he relocates to Los Angeles and she decides to surprise him at a party, she learns she’s been catfished; the real Dev has no idea who she is. Eager to make up for the hurt done to Jia in his name and happy for an excuse to spend more time with her, Dev agrees to a fake relationship after a misleading paparazzi photo puts her in a bind with her conservative, Muslim family.

Dev and Jia are genuine, likeable characters with a ready compatibility that’s easy to root for. Jia is confident, creative and charming, but it isn't effortless. With a career that’s frequently dismissed as frivolous, the intelligence, hard work and discipline underpinning her success go as easily overlooked as the hurt and insecurity she hides behind her very big heart. After years at odds with her family’s expectations, she’s developed strategies to drown out critical voices. Especially endearing is her habit of recording affirmations to play for herself when she feels overwhelmed. Though she doesn’t let naysayers derail her professional goals and takes responsibility for working through her “I’m too much” refrain, it’s nonetheless gratifying when Dev comes into the picture taking her work seriously and wholeheartedly appreciating her, exclamation points and all.

Dev, too, is pretty wonderful, but unlike Jia he’s reserved, cautious, and a little shy despite his decades in the public eye. As with Jia, his family is important to him, but it’s a complicated relationship with the spectre of past abandonment, conflicting values, and a confusing cocktail of grief, guilt and anger in the aftermath of his brother’s death. Despite the ambiguity of his feelings toward his family at large, he’s devoted to parenting his newly orphaned teen niece, Luna, with the help of his maternal uncle Adil. The loving interactions amongst them and the earnestness with which Dev approaches parenting make up some of my favorite moments in the book and show Dev at his very best. There’s a great deal of charm in his constant willingness to put others first, but his tendency to subordinate so much of himself to his overactive sense of responsibility is also a barrier to intimacy and self-knowledge. It’s a relief, then, that he feels safe enough with Jia to let his guard down, indulge his silly side, and begin to explore deeper truths about where his personal and professional fulfillment lie.

For the majority of the book, Dev and Jia are pretty restrained in their physical interactions, but their mutual attraction is made obvious in admiring thoughts from both POVs. Jia, especially, has a thirsty inner monologue when it comes to Dev. There’s rare nuance in the way her explicit desire is written alongside her identity as a demisexual and a practicing Muslim American of Pakistani descent. Her work to honor her own desire, her family culture, and her faith based intention to abstain from premarital sex is illuminated with care and sensitivity. When Jia and Dev do eventually develop a physical relationship that’s in alignment with their values, their combination of forthright enthusiasm and self-conscious inexperience feels completely in character. However, arising as it does in the last 10% of the book, the juxtaposition of explicit communication with hesitancy and withholding during their most intimate moments creates a tension I would have liked given more time to resolve.

While there are well intentioned missteps and misunderstandings to untangle, the book is firmly low angst, dodging predictable blow ups and resolving conflicts before they get too uncomfortable. Dev and Jia’s shared values around kinship and domesticity, ability to take a long view of the relationship, and obvious commitment to growth make for a promising partnership. Though I would have loved to read a bit more about their joined lives in the larger context so important to both of them, Dev and Jia’s romance makes for heartwarming reading that’s easy to enjoy.

I finished First Comes Like at 8am in Termina 7 of JFK after an hour of trying to get through TSA, and it was a BALM TO MY SOUL💙😭 Alisha Rai ur a goddess

This book was exactly what I needed, and I think there’s two big reasons it worked so well for me🙌🏼 Firstly, I just loved the couple!! I ~really~ related to Jia’s feelings of “too much, never enough” and the way people didn’t take her seriously bc they thought her work as a beauty influencer meant she was shallow felt REALLY familiar— the minute I tell people I work in fashion I can just feel the mental eyerolls. But despite all of that, Jia worked hard to be authentic & didn’t let the opinions of others change her🤍 also i LOVED that she recorded affirmations for herself, and now I’m definitely gonna have to try that

And Dev😍 He was such a sweetheart!! I love a hero who’s just ~gone~ for the heroine from day one, and this lil dumdum had it so bad that he watched EVERY SINGLE VIDEO Jia posted literally the night after meeting her🙌🏼 he was thoughtful, respectful, and at every moment (even when he was being dumb lol) was always putting Jia first! Which made for a really lovely courtship🥰 Jia & Dev were just two good people accidentally falling in love & it was utterly delightful

The other reason this really worked for me was in the plotting. Firstly, this bad boi is ~chock full~ of some really fantastic tropes! We get a lil Cinderella moment at the beginning, a fake relationship, “only one bed,” meddling family members— there’s a few more but I’m not tryna spoil people😏 imo, this kept things really light & playful, and it also kept the plot interesting bc here’s the kicker: this book doesn’t have like a big “misunderstanding” or major relational problem between Jia & Dev. It’s literally these two goons slowly falling in love as their circumstances get more & more bonkers. It was pretty low angst, which was PERFECT for me👌🏼

Lol I’m running out of room so I’ll leave y’all with this— if you’re looking for a low angst, high swoon read about two dummies accidentally falling in love, you need this book🤍 thanks to Netgalley & Avon for my review copy!

First Comes Like 💄

Thank you to @avonbooks for the finished copy of First Comes Like!
This is actually the first book I have read by this author and I absolutely adored it!
This very modern day romance based around technology and online dating was both whitty and absolutely endearing. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and this one did not disappoint! I was a little nervous at the start of the book when the “catfish” element was introduced because I hateee that plot but I’m glad it fizzled its way out of the story line and we moved onto a much better fake romance dynamic.
I also love reading romances with characters that have different backgrounds and upbringings than my own because I feel like I am able to learn about the world thru someone else’s eyes! Their family dynamics along with their individual personal struggles led for a really interesting story line.
My only request is that the author gives us more!!!! I feel like the ending was a bit of a dud and we didn’t get to see the ending for these two characters. Thanks again @avonbooks!!

Alisha Rai is a queen of steam in the romance book world, but the third entry in her Modern Love series — First Comes Like — has sweeter and more old-fashioned romantic aspirations that culminate in a fake-dating plot turned into a marriage courtship.

If you’re looking for a light read with bashful but assertive leads — thrown together by nefarious circumstances and kept together by mutual support and an endearing fondness for one another, of course — then this is the book for you.

Jia Ahmed is a beauty expert and an influencer who’s been in the game long enough to be considered a grandma by internet standards. Her family, however, still doesn’t see the point of her career. Described by her twin Ayesha as being “too much,” Jia is often in conflict with her family over her choices.

They saw dropping out of medical school, moving out to California, and focusing on her beauty brand as a mistake. She saw it as an opportunity, which is how she sees life in general — a position that her parents find to be too free-spirited when they’d prefer she be cautious.

First Comes Like is a romance with a courtship that burns slow

Throwing caution to the wind, however, is how Jia meets Dev, a Bollywood star and member of the famous Dixit family. Tired of Dev giving her the runaround about meeting in person, Jia goes to see him when she catches word of a party he’s attending.

Her plans go awry when it’s made clear that not only is Dev not the person she’s been talking to for over a year, but also that he wasn’t even aware someone had been using his social media account to DM her. It’s an embarrassing and hurtful situation that still manages to put the two on the path to love.

First Comes Like is the lightest book in Rai’s Modern Love series. While Dev is dealing with complicated grief concerning his brother and learning how to parent his teenage niece, this romance isn’t an extended exploration of mental health like its predecessor, Girl Gone Viral. And though it does focus on Jia’s career and her parents thoughts on it, workplace harassment and corporate sabotage aren’t a part of the narrative like in The Right Swipe.

So what you get is a slow-burn romance primarily about support, which is surprisingly refreshing considering it’s prompted by the drama of catfishing. Dev and Jia are both unhappy in their work when they come into each other’s lives. He’s starring in a bland American drama that’s meant to be his vehicle into Hollywood, and she’s growing tired of her brand in its current state.

Together the pair liven each other up and deal with the ensuing attention brought on by an ill-timed paparazzi shot. But their fake dating is a ploy to calm Jia’s more conservative family than it is to bait the Indian press, so the not-couple build an easy friendship that simmers with chemistry and desire.

I can’t speak to the representation of Islam in First Comes Like or how Jia presents her faith both in dress and in practice, but I can say that her being a Muslim from a Pakistani family is integral to her character. As is her need to have a connection with someone before developing sexual attraction. Neither piece of her characterization is incidental or tacked on in a way that’s easily forgettable.

The same can be said for Dev whose parents were Muslim and Hindu, respectively, which plays into his family background and the initial estrangement between him and his grandparents prior to his parents’ deaths. Propriety, respect, and appearances are major factors in why Dev and Jia choose to pretend to date. They’re also why marriage and courtship are more important elements to this romance than sexual exploration.

First Comes Like is a welcome addition to Rai’s body of work. Not only because it’s sedated pace allows for a story grounded in partnership and what that looks like, but also because the romance is such a good low-stakes read. It’s the perfect book to dive into if you want to feel good and root for a pair of newbies to love and relationships.

This book was so entertaining. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and was involved until the end. The characters were complex and interesting. I found the story to be well paced and engrossing throughout the whole book. I was invested in the couple throughout the book and felt all the emotions through both the highs and lows of the story.The side characters were such an integral part of this story as well. This is the love story i needed to read at this time. If you want an entertaining and well written book this is it for you

At first, I didn’t like this book very much. I especially didn’t like Jia. I thought she was vain and spoiled … privileged. But I slowly came to see her differently, as a caring and compassionate person. However, I liked Dev right away. He comes across as a kind and caring, if awkward, person. Both of them turn out to have interesting and realistic families.

I enjoyed watching Jia and Dev get to know each other and go from “enemies” to lovers. However, when Jia and Dev make a big decision and follow through with it. They did this without talking about the consequences or effect this decision will make for their futures. They went in blind, suffering misunderstandings almost from the start. It seemed out of character for two such conservative and intelligent people. It made me wonder if they’ll face further big problems in their future. This appears to be a series. Will there be future books about Jia and Dev? That would be nice. I’d like to see if they are able to make things work.

This was a fun love story, easy to read, and enjoyable if not completely believable.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I thank them for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

The overall storyline was nice, the only thing I'd say would be that the relationship seemed to move wayyy too quickly to be realistic. Like, they went from fake dating to suddenly getting married and I wasn't quite convinced that the feelings each character had were real. There were some nice elements of the plot though, such as integrating the theme of family inside.
I still enjoyed the book, just wished it could have been a little more convincing.

I'm a huge fan of Alisha Rai and this series, and I enjoyed this book! It was probably my least favorite of the series so far, but it was a super fun, quick, happy read.

Meh. First Comes Like was just an okay read for me. And as a romance, it was definitely underwhelming, especially compared to the books Rai used to put out.

This one had a very slow start, and the catfishing thing took up both too much time and yet not enough to properly affect the plot? It was annoying and kinda pointless. This was less of a romance and more romantic elements. Had its cute moments though. I didn't hate it by any means. I just didn't love it, either.

This was a lighthearted love story. I would recommend me as a good beach, summer read. I have not read the other books by this author, but if I was in the mood for some light reading, I would pick one up.

First Comes Like is a delightful romance set in a world -- the conservative Muslim world -- which I'm largely unfamiliar with. Alisha Rai's writing is always delightful, but I particularly enjoyed this novel because of Jia and Dev's slowly paced courtship, and my favorite romance trope ("only one bed!").

First Comes Like was a cute read with a lot of heart. Admittedly I haven’t read the other books in the series, so I definitely felt like I was missing a few things, but not enough to make it less enjoyable.

I really enjoyed Jai and Dev. Their maturity and mutual respect for one another was refreshing to read. I also love the female friendships portrayed in First Comes Like. Jai is so sweet and good and I liked getting to know her. Dev is so responsible and I liked how Jai brought out the fun in him a little and helped him let go.

There certainly were cultural aspects of this book that I wasn’t familiar with, and I enjoyed learning about those. Especially when those also included family members. Those parts were some of the most entertaining parts of the book. They were also some of the most heartwarming parts. I particularly loved Luna and Adil.

This was a light adorable read, and while I did enjoy it, it wasn’t my favorite rom-com.

This book falls flat for me. You'd think that a premise of fake dating would be great no matter what? Well, this proves me wrong. There's a lot of potential for Jia and Dev, especially in the beginning. Jia thinks she's been talking to Indian superstar Dev for a number of months only to find out she's been catfished instead. There's a hell of a lot of miscommunication and misunderstandings. They seem to be better as friends than as romantic partners because the chemistry isn't really there for me. Some of it felt paint by numbers to me so the heart was missing from it as well. It lacks charm and there wasn't a whole lot of fun banter between the two main characters. Their conversations about fake dating and marriage are like..."I guess we'll do this? I kind of like you and people think we're dating so sure? Whatever you want to do." It feels in the same vein as trying to decide what kind of takeout you want for dinner. There's also a really stupid misunderstanding near the end of the book that had me rolling my eyes because no clarifying questions were asked. The love scenes were just fine. Nothing stellar or particularly sexy. I was just disappointed with this one.