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I couldn’t even get past Chapter 3….

I had to go back 3 times to make sure I didn’t accidentally start in the middle of the book. I was so utterly confused by this setting and the introduction of characters.
Who was Daniel?? Liya? Is she in an arranged marriage or just a culture advice?

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Ok so I am literally the world's biggest fan of The Trouble With Hating You, and so I had high expectations for First Love, Take Two and I was not disappointed. Every aspect about this book is perfect, from the plot to the characters.

This book follows Preeti, a to-be doctor who is trying to fight cultural racism within her traditional Indian community. Daniel, a Black man, and Preeti dated for a while before she left him for no reason. This book shows their relationship rekindling and is so fun and romantic.

This book tackles issues such as racism, cultural expectations, mental health, touch aversion, and brief mentions of miscarriage beautifully. As someone who has undergone similar cultural issues, this book almost brought me to tears with the plot. It shows Preeti becoming stronger over time and tackling all these issues.

This book has definitely become one of my all time favourites. Sajni Patel's eloquent way of writing made me read the whole thing in one day because I could not put it down. Everyone should read this book right now. 5/5 stars.

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I liked this book, but I didn't love it quite as much as I thought I would. I am a big fan of the forced proximity/only one bed trope, so I was sold on that front. I enjoyed getting to know Preeti's community (both the good and the bad aspects) but I think there was sometimes a little bit of a disconnect for me. I'll note that I'm a biracial black woman, so that is the perspective that I'm seeing this book from. I just found myself getting incredibly frustrated with Preeti--I understand being young and breaking things off for the wrong reasons. I understand her anxiety. I was just so so frustrated with the way that she broke up with him as soon as she encountered antiblack racism in her community AND THEN totally ghosted him and never gave him any reason at all why she left! And years later she's still rationalizing leaving him in that way and for those reasons. I also didn't totally feel the chemistry with these two...a lot of second chance romances alternate present day with flashbacks, which I find pretty tedious unless it's done well. I appreciated that this book didn't constantly send me into the past, but I felt at times that it was a little too focused on present conflict. Because we were always in Preeti's head, we don't really see what Daniel loves about her or why he still feels the way he does after all these years. We see Preeti's struggle between a relationship she thinks her parents want or need her to be in, and guilt about Daniel, and her avoidance with talking to him. The book largely circles around those conflicts without really showing us why they initially fell in love or how that love has sustained without talking for all these years. That made it hard for me to feel strong chemistry between them.

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I absolutely adored the author's previous novel, The Trouble With Hating You, and so the moment I learned of her upcoming sequel, I knew I had to read it. And it was a good one. After wanting to be a part of Liya's badass girl gang from the get-go in TTWHY, I'm so glad we get to see her best friend Preeti find (or re-find) love. This read picks up pretty soon after the last ended, but from Preeti's side. She's been finishing up her residency, overly stressed with work and job hunting and managing her traditional family and community. She's desperate to find a new place to live, and the only option she has: Her ex. Her ex-boyfriend is none other than first-love Daniel, who's good-looking, confident, supportive, a good cook, and basically perfect. Or he would be if their families approved of the couple. We've got a second chance romance and a forced proximity trope and ooh boy, was I so excited for that. Much like her last book, this read has such quick and witty language that pulls me in from the first chapter, Preeti is such a vulnerable and authentic main character and this book is a quick read yet plenty swoony for a romance novel. Their relationship in this slow-burn story is basically the premise of Olivia Rodrigo's "1 step forward, 3 steps back." And that ending: Completely precious.

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Thank you to Netgalley for letting me review this book! Let me just say I read this in one day, so that pretty much says a lot about how much I enjoyed it. The story was easy to get into and Daniel and Preeti were everything. I loved how the author explained and understands the effects of mental health and I liked how the character written depicted that. Though this book was corny at times, I would still read it again and I suggest everyone picks this up for when it comes out on September 21st! 3.5/5 stars. :)

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Patel's second book in this series was an absolute delight! I love the way Patel infuses real life challenges in a rom-com type story. I was eagerly flipping through the pages to see how the story would unfold. I do wish we got more flashbacks into Preeti and Daniel's story. The present day scenes were so cute, but it did feel a little bit of a disconnection, as opposed to book one where we follow Liya's story from the start. And this is the first time I'd encountered the term touch aversion. I didn't realize it was a thing and it makes so much sense. Very cool to see it explored in the context of a romantic relationship. A lesson to trust your instincts and where you feel at ease. Hoping for more great books from Patel!

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After reading The Trouble With Hating You earlier this year and falling head over heels in love with it, I was so incredibly happy to receive this book as an eARC. Literally made my whole miserable week and I read it in a day. Then I reread it. Whoops! Also if you haven't read the first one in this series I highly recommend it as there is a decent amount of overlap and details that could ruin the first book.

Before I go too much into the details of love and meh about this book I just want to let you know why I adored this book as a whole and why Patel will be an auto-buy author for me. These books are heavy. There is a lot more in this book than meets the eye when you look at the cover or even read the synopsis. This book covers racism, familial expectations, cultural identity, and mental health in depth. The characters are put through the wringer. Patel does not hold back on them. It was the same with <em>The Trouble With Hating You</em>. This is why I adore Patel's writing and story building. It's not for some, but if you are capable of making it through those topics then these books could easily become favorites of yours. The way Patel writes relationships between friends, family, and lovers is amazing

Loves:
Preeti: I really enjoyed her as a MC. Yes I got annoyed with her at times, but the way that Patel has written her to be multilayered it works. I found her need to put her family and Daniel before herself to be incredibly selfless and made me like her even more. Her struggles were so real. I really felt for her. Overall she was a wonderful MC that I couldn't help but to root for!

Daniel!: You sweet bean. If anyone is looking for a perfect example of a cinnamon roll hero here he is. I mean the man can cook, love his family, flirt like crazy, help make presentations, but also has a chip on his shoulder to make you swoon! Ugh. Love love love him!! Plus I thought he was the perfect opposite to Preeti.

Plot: I'm a sucker for second chance romance with an aspect of forbidden romance and interracial/cultural couples. Obviously this book was like catnip for me. The plot moved the book along so well but didn't sacrifice fully creating all of the characters. Patel went there with the themes of the book and thus that trigger warning should really be acknowledged. There weren't petty issues between Daniel and another man or Preeti and another woman beyond a little jealousy but it didn't become half the book.

Meh:
One thing that really confused me at the end of the book was the timeline. So it's supposed to be three weeks of Daniel and Preeti living together in the apartment. And they broke up over six years ago destroying a four year relationship. Right? Well then their actions throughout the book of Daniel being incredibly flirty and then very upset was strange. As was the speed of the relationship. Not spoiling anything, but the end seemed FAST for everything that went down in the book!

Long Story Short
Do I recommend reading this book? Yes!!! Read <em>The Trouble With Hating You</em> first, but then read this one. Read both of them. Get prepared for the next books from Sajni Patel. I adored reading this book. I think it took me an hour ranting to my mother on the phone about how good it was. There's nothing else I can really say about this book than what I've already wrote. Just go read the book!!</p>

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Thank you, Netgalley and Forever at Grand Central Publishing, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved The Trouble With Hating You and was very excited to see Preeti and Daniel's story coming out in September 2021. First Love, Take Two did not disappoint. I laughed, I cried, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself and could not put the book down. Sajni Patel created a loveable relationship between Preeti and Daniel while covering important topics such as mental health stigma, anti-blackness, and toxicity between generations.

This is a second chance romance. I liked that Patel wrote a book that did not need flashbacks to Preeti and Daniel's first relationship. In most second chance romances, authors rely heavily on flashbacks to push the narrative and allow the readers to fall in love with the characters and story. That was not necessary for First Love, Take Two. Preeti and Daniel's chemistry leaps off the page, and the tension between the two is incredible. Daniel is incredibly supportive of Preeti's mental health journey and has definitely become one of my favorite romance heroes.

I really liked that Patel did not shy away from writing about anti-blackness found in communities of color. Books with black characters often write about racism found in white communities, which is valid, but racism and anti-blackness can be found in communities of color and perpetrated by others who experience racism themselves.

I rate this book five stars, and I absolutely loved the book. It's one of my new favorite romance books.

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I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was going to have a dual POV like in The Trouble with Hating You, but this one was only one POV. I don't like dual POV books very much, so I think I like this better than Sajni Patel's first romance. I thought the characters had great chemistry and I liked how they both had a life outside of their romance. I'm a sucker for the one bed trope and these two are LITERALLY FORCED TO LIVE TOGETHER! In terms of sexual content, this book was PG, which is a little disappointing since it is an adult romance, but that's my only complaint. I did really like how the author emphasized issues in the South Asian community like anti-blackness and refusal to seek help for mental health problems. The discussion around anxiety was really honest, authentic, and important. As a South Asian who struggles with anxiety myself, I saw my concerns about seeking treatment reflected in this book. I also really liked how Preete, the main character, stands up to the racist aunties. Many times in the South Asian community we never say the word racism or examine our brown skin privilege. This book is cute and fun but also delves into some really serious conversations. I can totally see this being a book club pick for my South Asian bookish creators book club.

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First Love, Take Two by Sajni Patel- 3

Content warnings: heart-attack(mention), racism, anxiety, depression, talks of complications of pregnancy and cancer.

Honestly, when I finished reading this book I was conflicted. I didn’t know what to rate this book, I didn’t know what to talk about this book.

Preeti, is a final year resident and when she needs a place to new place to stay, her friend offers her a place, the only obstacle, her roommate is her ex.

So as an Indian, I kind of liked how Sajni shed light on the fact that for the older generation how important the society is, like it’s an integral part in our cultural things like ‘oh what will people say’ and Priya who had an interracial relationship, it’s more of a taboo. I liked Daniel’s character and how supportive the side-characters were, especially the parents, I mean yes to more supportive parents in south-Asian books. Another thing I liked, the representation of aunties, we all have people like them in real life. I appreciated the open discussion of therapy and anxiety and of course how sweet Daniel was when he helped Preeti and also played a guitar once. This book also deals with touch aversion, my first book with this theme and the way it dealt with the issues were beautiful.

Now, I wanted Daniel’s POV, I wanted to know more about him and his issues and his feelings because at first, it was a little difficult for me to connect with Daniel’s character because of the inconsistency of his feelings, sometimes he would be hurt and sad over their break-up and the other times he would be flirting with Preeti. Honestly, I found something missing in this book, I’ve come to terms with the fact that Sajni’s style isn’t really type, like its too juvenile and her characters are adults but the way they are written is too childish and predictable.

Overall, it’s a fun book and for those looking for a second chance romance and a good Indian representation could try reading this book.

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In First Love, Take Two, Preeti is in the process of finishing her residency and finding a job but she is having to juggle her traditional family, an unwanted engagement, and her own overwhelming anxiety. To make matters worse, she has to room with her ex for three weeks. An ex that she never fully got over and who she never gave a reason for why she broke up with him.

This book was so heartwarming. The relationship between Preeti and Daniel is something everyone should aspire to. Preeti managed to learn from her past mistakes and actually communicate what is going wrong. I love that this book didn't shy away from talking about racism and how women can sometimes be seen as objects to be talked over and made decisions for. Sometimes I wanted to scream at her family to actually listen to what she is saying instead of spewing vicious words. Also, I appreciated the discussion about how seeing a therapist or getting medication for anxiety shouldn't be seen as something to hide or be shameful of. I wish we could have seen some things from Daniel's POV because it would have been interested to see how he felt during his own family's drama. All I know is that now I want a Daniel because he is perfection. For me, this was a 4/5.

If you like second chances, women who stand up for themselves, or a man who plays guitar to help with anxiety, then this one is for you.

I received a digital copy of this book free from Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I adored this book. First Love, Take Two is a second chance romance that follows our main character Preeti as she completes her residency & looks to find a permanent position. At the same time she deals with the aftermath of an incident from the first book in this series (which I haven’t read yet) and must find a new place to live all in the matter of a week.

Enter Liya, one of her besties who has an empty apartment for the next few weeks. There is only one catch - she’s already promised the place to Daniel, Preeti’s first love who she maybe hasn’t completely gotten over. They agree to share the apartment for a few weeks, but under the condition that Preeti finally confess to Daniel why she left him and completely broke his heart six years ago.

The romance in First Love, Take Two is super sweet. It’s a slow burn, but believable as these two characters find their way back to each other. Daniel is a caring and attentive love interest who still knows exactly what Preeti needs to take care of herself. And Preeti can give it right back. This book also touches on important issues that our characters must overcome to be together - elitism from Daniels father towards Preeti and her family, racism against Daniel (who is a black man) from Preetis community of aunties, and Preeti learning to stand up for herself and her family/friends against those same aunties and uncles who hold a more traditional view on what makes a good Indian daughter. First Love, Take Two also explores anxiety and the stigma that remains when a doctor may need help with that.

All in all this was a wonderful book. As mentioned I haven't yet read the first book in this series (The Trouble With Hating You), but I definitely think readers may get more from the story if they read that one first. I did have trouble wrapping my head around the events that occurred in the beginning of First Love, Take Two, but that could be prevented had I read The Trouble With Hating You first.

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I initially didn't realize that this book was the second in a series, so at first I had a hard time acclimating myself to the characters and their experiences - the early chapters presume a certain level of familiarity with this world. However, I quickly got past this once the story focused in on Preeti and her experiences, and was able to immerse myself in her story.

While the romantic connection is a major plot point, I found myself relating even more to Preeti's experience as a daughter struggling between doing what's expected from her in order to please her parents, and pursuing what will make her happiest. She's trying so hard to be the daughter she thinks her parents want, without actually communicating directly with them about these issues. I really appreciated how honestly the author depicted the anxiety and other mental health issues that resulted from the pressure that Preeti put on herself -

My least favorite trope in romance is when conflict could have been easily avoided by open communication, but in the case of Preeti and Daniel, I understand why they felt they couldn't talk through their differences - leading to heartbreak and six years apart. They needed time to repair the damage from their initial split, but seeing Daniel overcome his trust issues in order to be there to support Preeti through her issues hit me right in the feels - the first scene when he plays guitar had me melting! Their relationship is all the more impactful because they had to work for it and overcome very real issues in order to come back together.

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First Love Take Two is an adorable story about second chances, with one of my favourite trope of exes to lovers. It follows Preeti, nearing end of residency struggling to find a job and a place to stay. When a temporary staying arrangement comes her way, it comes with a surprise: her ex, Daniel Thompson as a roommate.

Sajni Patel incorporates the experiences of immigrant communities and the narrow mentality of some desi women on point. This book explores the pressure from harm done by gossiping aunties and racist societies. I loved how it showed the toxicity of a community and how it can be confronted by having a great support system and inner courage to point out the wrongs. I appreciated the book discussing the stigma around mental illness and therapy for it. As a South Asian, all this was familiar to read about.

Preeti's character was very heartfelt and relatable to an extent to me. Her anxiety particularly spoke to me. Her character arc is a strong one, I wanted her to figure her wants from the beginning of the book and I was glad to see her communicating, learning and correcting her mistakes as well as finding her happiness. Her touch aversion too was handled well.

Though we don't get Daniel's POV, his character was super sweet and charming. I loved that he was there for Preeti through her struggles, despite being hurt.

The tension between them! Loved every moment of it. You could feel the slight yearning and tension between them while they worked out the miscommunication between them. The forced proximity and one bed trope added to the spiciness.

The side characters, like Preeti's friends and Daniel's grandparents who formed a support system for Preeti and Daniel were a delight too.

I loved that First Love Take Two tackled an interracial relationship between people from different classes. The struggles and clashes that come along with inherent racism and classism was portrayed realistically, This was a cute fun read and I'm excited to read more of the author's works!

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I think I liked this more than "The Trouble With Hating You". I loved Daniel, I loved his sister, and I loved his grandparents. Preeti was such a wonderful character! She was strong and vulnerable all at the same time. This was a really great read!

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I loved this one even more then The Trouble with Hating You!

Preeti is an amazing main characters- she has so many layers
Her relationship with her family, friends, her work, her mental health, her past, her possible future, her career.

Daniel is up there with book boyfriends.
He cares so much, he's understanding, has his own layers with his family, past, and possible future.

Together they have understandable miscommunications and foibles, but you know, you just know they care about each other and you want all the good things for them.

I think you still need to read Trouble first because it gives more context to the drama of this book.
Highly recommend!

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Preeti Patel is nearing the end of her residency and trying to juggle the stress of her residency, finding a job, her family, and trying to find a place to stay now that her roommate is married. However, the new place that she has found comes with a roommate - her ex Daniel Thompson, who she never really got over.

I completely, absolutely loved this book so much. Sajni Patel has such vivid descriptions, and I found myself engrossed in everything from the medical descriptions in the opening of the book up to the abundant details of the ending, taking me right into the heart of the scene. I loved reading the descriptions of food, which made everything more vivid and one of the ways I find to best connect to cultures. This book also touches on so many incredibly important topics while bringing in some of my favorite romance tropes, especially exes and "there was only one bed!".

This book touches on grief in a variety of ways - first from the way that Preeti and Daniel are both still grieving over their relationship and its unresolved end. Second, from Preeti's role as head resident at the hospital, and the grief that both the patients will have and the grief that Preeti as a doctor who often has to be the bearer of bad news. And the anxiety representation! I loved how the topic of anxiety is treated in this book, especially in the way that different characters deal with Preeti's anxiety, as well as the commentary on the social stigma of mental illness and seeking treatment for mental illness in this book. Her anxiety attacks were so real and I loved the way that Daniel would help her through them.

The characters were all so completely well done. I found Preeti and Daniel to be so well fleshed out. Both characters had some amazing family members that would support them so well. I loved Preeti's parents and Daniel's sister and grandparents, they're exactly the type of family you'd want to have in your corner - endlessly supportive yet will tell you exactly what you need to hear. I also love Preeti's found family - her group with Reema, Liya, and Sana. While the girls were all on different paths and busy with different things going on in their lives, you knew that they'd be willing to drop everything for each other in a heartbeat if need be.

I love the intersection of your culture and community, and how there can be toxicity in your community that isn't necessarily something you can escape safely without losing that entire community, but you can make it more bearable with the right support system and people uplifting you in the community. I also loved the commentary about how many cultures have rooted a deep respect for elders, especially in your family, and the way that this respect can either cultivate or destroy the next generation, depending on the intentions of the adults in question. The added difficulties that come from an interracial relationship and a relationship where the two people in question come from different classes - the possible struggles that come from expectations that clash in an ugly way when classism and racism rear their heads made the complexities of navigating this romance so worth reading.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the ARC.

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I enjoyed this book so much!! There’s a marked improvement from the first book by Sajni Patel and that made this book all the more enjoyable. I loved the second chance romance and the slow burn of reignited feelings between Daniel and Preeti. I loved seeing Liya from the previous book pop in and also see the growth of the friendships. My favourite part was how these books address really problematic aspects of the Hindu and South Asian communities in a pointed way. Thoroughly enjoyed this book!!!

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Thank you so much to Forever at Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First Love, Take Two proved yet again why Sajni Patel is one of my favorite South Asian authors and romance authors in general. She’s so good at encapsulating the experience of the sons and daughters of desi immigrant parents and combining this experience with the most heartfelt romances. I loved every minute of Preeti and Daniel’s story, especially being a fan of second-chance romances, and I’m so excited for everyone to read this book when it comes out this September--especially if you’re a fan of the Trouble With Hating You like I am!

As mentioned, second-chance romances is one of my favorite sub-genres of romance. There’s always so much tension between the two main characters after having not seen each other however long they’ve spent apart, and this was certainly the case between Preeti and Daniel. Every scene in which the two were in the same room as one another, you could feel the history between them--and the forced proximity trope in this book definitely added to that. I will say at some points towards the beginning of the story, it was hard to feel the connection that Daniel had to Preeti because we didn’t get to see his POV during this book. In The Trouble With Hating You, we had a dual-POV from both Liya and Jay, which is why their relationship felt more developed as a whole. However, because we only see Preeti and Daniel’s story from Preeti’s POV, their relationship naturally felt one-sided. I would have been interested to see some scenes from Daniel’s perspective as well, especially during Reema & Rohan’s wedding, when he first knew he could be running into Preeti. I do understand why this scene and transition from The Trouble With Hating You to First Love, Take Two wasn’t included in the book, since this scene's focus was on Liya’s confrontation with Mukesh and the aftermath, but considering this could have been the first moment where Preeti & Daniel got a glimpse of each other after being apart for so long, it did feel a little glossed over.

Speaking of Daniel, he’s probably the sweetest love interest that I’ve ever read about in an Adult Romance. He was there to support Preeti, even after six years of having his heart broken by her, every step of her journey in this book. I adored how he always put Preeti’s needs first when she was having an anxiety attack and never diminished her feelings when she was having an attack (I died during the scenes in which he played his guitar for her). I also really loved the anxiety rep in this book, and thought that the Alien face-hugger was a really great metaphor to describe the feelings people with anxiety have when they feel an attack coming.

I think my favorite aspect about this book is the demonstration of intergenerational conflict between Preeti and her friends and their parents & relatives within the desi community. Sajni Patel does a really good job in her books of highlighting the issues that older generations in the desi community bring and inflict on their children. I loved how one of the themes of this book and the series overall is how Preeti and her friends vow to make a positive difference as the younger generations of the desi community and ensure that no one ever is mistreated in any way in generations to come. I think that this reflects a lot of the sentiments and mentalities that many young Indian-Americans have as well. I loved the scenes in which Preeti stood up to her fois, her parents, and Yuvan whenever they said anything offensive--I feel like it gives a lot of courage to other Indian-Americans who didn’t have that courage when they were younger. It was also super refreshing to see Preeti’s parents be so supportive of her relationship with Daniel, especially after reading about Liya’s dad in The Trouble With Hating You.

Overall, First Love, Take Two is a super adorable and powerful second-chance romance with amazing rep! Be sure to pre-order this book or pick it up once it comes out this September!

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Sajni Patel is the MASTER at picking apart the South Asian community for all its flaws. THE TROUBLE WITH ATING YOU focused on sexual assault and the victim blaming that is oh so prevalent in our society and FIRST LOVE, TAKE TWO focused on the racism and anti Blackness in our society. Both books did a phenomenal job of exploring the impacts of gossiping, rumours, and the "log kya kahenge" ["what will people say"] mentality on young women.

The romance in this book is God tier and oh my gods I want a Daniel Thompson in my life. Preeti's character arc as she develops thicker skin, goes to therapy, and unlearns the idea the mess in her life is her fault was amazing to read. I think as South Asian women, we all go through this journey of having to unlearn some of the toxic traits that we may not even realise we developed while growing up in the community.

My only complaint with this book is the pacing. Much like with THE TROUBLE WITH HATING YOU, I often found myself confused by pacing of the novel and the way the love interests interacted early in the book.

Nonetheless, I cannot recommend that you read this book (and THE TROUBLE WITH HATING YOU) enough!

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