I want to preface this by.saying I absolutely love Indian-American romance novels. Also own voices and authentic invoices are so important! The setting and original idea for this book are A+ and I hope the current trend continues so we see more and more diverse authors.

Even though the plot idea and settling really appealed to me, I didn't really enjoy the writing. Also the pacing was a little strange. The "meet cute" felt really sudden and rushed. I also got a great big bag of NOPE when the romantic interest called his man parts Charlie and referred to him? It? In the third person. More than once. Not ironically. Nope.

First off, I loved the nods to Taylor Swift and romance novels, and I'm totally on board with pelting our enemies/crushes with samosas. The relationship between Kareena and Prem is very passionate with a lot of heart and humor. That said, I feel like I judge romance by that Jane Austen standard where both characters have to experience true growth to have that happily ever after, but I feel like Prem being a big dummy wasn't a true impediment to overcome.
Also, a couple of the descriptors we got from Prem's POV weirded me out a little. "Sexy librarian" may be my own personal hangup, but anyway I guess I didn't love being in his head..

Dating Dr. Dil brings everything that a reader wants in a romantic comedy, loads of humor, lots of steamy dialogue and scenes, undeniable chemistry between the two main characters, a swoony love interest and an awesome female main character supported by her friends. Dating Dr. Dil follows Kareena as she rushes to find a fiance before her dad sells her house so she can inherit it before him. Rina is funny, has a good job, and is equipped with a network of aunties to help her on her mission. The only problem? She is looking for a love match like her parents had and only has a few months to find one. She keeps getting pushed towards Dr. Prem Dil, a talk show host and cardiologist who is adamant about not believing in love. Both Prem and Kareena have a lot to gain from their match, but with such large fundamental differences between their philosophies on love and relationships, will these two be able to last? I enjoyed this multilayered story about love and loss, filled with feminist moments and accurate descriptions of the perils of online dating. The side characters really sold the story to me-- both Kareena and Prem’s friends are hilarious and I hope Nisha Sharma writes sequels about them!

LOVED THIS!! I love Kareena so much and I love Kareena and prem together even more!! As a girl with a really difficult family, I instantly loved kareenas character. Although the romance between the two was a little of a slow burn, it was so satisfying in the end!! I’ve always had problems with standing my ground when it comes to my family so watching K do this actually made me proud 🤣🤣. I honestly can’t wait to go back and see what else Nisha Sharma has written because she obviously writes some bad b******* into her stories!! I never expect any spice with covers like this one but it did have a little bit of that too, which is personally my favorite in a rom com. Five stars for sureeee!!

4.5⭐
R for desi romance that packs some heat!

So I have become obsessed with Nisha Sharma because of TikTok so I was absolutely thrilled to receive the ARC of her next book and it did not disappoint! This book packs the heart and humor I love about Nisha into a great rom com.

This book is a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew where Kareena's younger sister is getting married so her family provides an ultimatum to convince Kareena to get engaged. Kareena wants a love marriage and is set up with Prem who doesn't believe in love, so the perfect combo of banter, tension and chemistry results throughout this book.

I loved Kareena and her conviction throughout this book! Her family was a pain in the ass, but I think many can say that about family. 😉 Prem had excellent character growth throughout this book and I loved seeing him egg on Kareena. The book was definitely a rom com and had some predictable moments, but this book overall was just so fun to see these two try to resist their connection. The own voices rep transforming Shakespeare to a Desi family drama was perfect.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait for more in this series! If you enjoyed Farah Heron's Accidentally Engaged and have a fondness for the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, I would definitely read this book when it's published in March!

I will say my one other complaint is Prem referring to his penis (in thought) as "Charlie" seven (?!) times in this book and wish this doctor would have chosen something more anatomically correct!

Taming of the Shrew is one of my favorites of Shakespeare’s plays. So I jumped at the chance to read Dating Dr.Dil by Nisha Sharma. This modern take on the play features a group of Desi living in the North Jersey area. Kareena’s family is a little frantic over her unmarried state in the face of her younger sister Bindu’s upcoming wedding. It just doesn’t look right for the younger sister to get married before the older. Miscommunication, romance, and strong personalities clash in the form Kareena meeting Prem, a TV doctor trying to open a clinic for the South Asian community in the tristate area. After accidentally having an argument go viral, they both need some reputation improvement. So just like in the play, Prem decides to pursue Kareena. This was a great modern retelling. Fake romance turned real is one trope I never get tired of.

Thank you to Avon, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma is an #ownvoices rom-com that is perfect for fans of Sonali Dev and Sara Desai. The story revolves around Kareena, who has been tasked with getting married before her younger sister does. She meets Prem, and they go on a nice date. When she finds out who he is (the host of the Dr. Dil show), she gets into an argument with him live on his show and ends up throwing food at him. Will they find their happily ever after?

Here is a humorous excerpt from Chapter 1, which is from Kareena's point of view:

"Kareena tore the eye mask off her forehead and straightened her Taylor Swift concert sleep shirt. She had secured her dream job at a company that developed women-owned businesses in the tristate area before her thirtieth birthday. But of course, one call from a client and her boss energy dissipated like mist. She tossed her phone on the rumpled bedspread and rubbed her hands over her face.
She was thirty and single.
No, no, thirty and successful.
Thirty and financially independent.
Thirty and . . . still lived with her dad and grandmother.
And single. Very, very single."

Overall, Dating Dr. Dil is an #ownvoices rom-com that will appeal to fans of Dial A for Aunties. Just like in that book, the aunties' antics add a lot of humor to the book. One highlight of this book is that this book features Indian-American characters. It's very rare to see characters of Indian descent in contemporary romance novels. I am so happy to support this author, and I hope that more books featuring Indian-American characters will be published soon.

If I had to complain about 1 thing, I would say that I didn't completely understand why they were "enemies" at the beginning of the book. I think it had something to do with Kareena believing in love and Prem not believing in love? I really enjoyed their enemies-to-lovers and fake-lovers-to-lovers plotlines though. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of rom-coms, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in March!

Oy. Ok look I really wanted to like this book. And there were glimmers of a wonderful story here! The pani puri competition and mystery museum dates were adorable, and prem calling out her family for being awful was satisfying but the combination of overdone stereotypical South Asian families and just irritating characters who didn't feel like complete people made this a bit of a slog. Also I love science jokes and the puns did not land.

I hate that prem calls his dick Charlie and knocked off another star for that.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon books for the ARC!!

It is hard to put into words my feelings over this book. I am overwhelmed at how much I loved it. Kareena and Prem's story was just so perfect and I really enjoyed reading about them. This book had me laughing, tearing up, and definitely sweating (this cartoon cover did in fact fool me). The character development is amazing and I loved how Kareena stood her ground with Prem and her family (a bad bitch for sure). Overall such a good spicy romcom that I will absolutely be thinking about forever. I loved the cultural aspects and how perfectly it all came together in this contemporary setting. I honestly have nothing bad to say about this book except I wish there was more Prem and Kareena. BRB while I go read everything Nisha Sharma has written.

Please do yourself a favor and preorder this, or run to get it on March 15. I am obsessed. Now if you will excuse me I have to go find some paranthas near me 😁

Was super excited for this when I heard it was inspired by taming of the shrew. I liked it but unfortunately, didn’t love it and it wasn’t very memorable. The hero’s anti love stance was so boring, and the heroine’s family got on my last nerve. They were users and abusers. Not a fan at all. The heroine was the best part but even she couldn’t carry the book alone. Loved her journey and would have loved it if the book was all about her and her girlfriends because they are the only ones that deserve her.

Cute but contrived, had the potential to be a much deeper story with deeper connections. Still, I’d read more from this author as the plot was solid!

This book was fabulous! Set in Indian immigrant culture, it really explores the difference between a “love marriage” and an arranged one. You can really feel the pull the characters have to their families, and how they feel pressure of disappointing them. There is constant tug from family members to allow them to set up a marriage. It was so striking to see the differences between their culture and my own. I just love to read books that help me grow and learn.

Culture aside, this is also a wonderful romance! I love that there was more at play than just fighting the love feeling. It was about what’s right for the families, them, battling inner demons, and an undeniable pull to each other. It was brilliantly written, steamy, and funny! Highly recommend!

Posted on Instagram today @mz.cookz.bookz and I will review on Amazon and goodreads on pub day!

I'm blushing!! The fluff!!!! Tooth rooting sweetness in this book! Beware! I need more books from this author immediately!

I LOVED this book!!! I’ve read a handful of authors and stories on Desi-American leads and so I can easily say this was my favorite. The plot execution and pacing was perfect, the characters were lovable, and I loved the dialogue. One of my favorite scenes will forever be the coffee shop mishap date where Dr. Dil jumps in! Ah, be still my beating heart….

I also appreciated the use of the Indian-American community as a characteristic of their lives and story. The community can be annoying, confusing, and supporting at times (because yes, they manage to be all three), and the way in which Sharma portrayed it was great. 5/5 stars!! (And yes, can I please marry Dr. Dil now…)

I knew this book and I would be best friends when I was not even a few pages in and found myself stumbling upon a Taylor Swift reference 😂❤️

You're hearing it here folks @nishawrites is a legend! I am in every sense of the word obsessed 😂( let me be dramatic okay)

My desi heart could not be more proud of the perfection that is Dating Dr. Dil

The story follows 30 year old Kareena Mann who well... let's say has been a little unlucky in love. In a desperate attempt to save her childhood home she is roped into fake dating the absolute dreamboat Dr Prem Verma ( their chemistry is next level my friends 🔥)

I really did love our main characters Kareena and Prem but I have no shame in saying the aunties have such a special place in my heart 😂❣️ It was extra special reading about them as I would think of my very own desi aunts haha😂❤️

All the representation we get is just *chefs kiss * my heart is just bursting with pride and happiness! I'm willing to go to extreme lengths for book 2 🤣

This book was hilarious and I really enjoyed it. Until the engagement party. What was that? The tone and writing seemed to shift and I didn’t like it.

Damn. This was a steamy romance. There is fake dating, which is, of course, a cover for real dating, and Kareena and Prem have got passion and drive. They have fun together but yell at each other sometimes, too. There are several great themes covered by Sharma and I found this read to be page turning with a balanced approach to humor and emotion.
Great read! Thanks so much for the ARC!

This is a fun take on The Taming of the Shrew. There were times when I found myself disliking Kareena but, overall, I enjoyed the story. The food, humor, glimpses into an unfamiliar culture, and the friend groups of both Kareena and Prem were gold. DDD strongly hints at a series and if so, I'm ready for the next book.

Firstly I want to say how great it is how much BIPOC representation is starting to happen with traditionally published romances.

That being said, this book didn’t quite work for me, and I’m trouble putting my finger on an exact reason.

It could be the awkward feeling I got because most of the romantic scenes until the back 25% were told in flashbacks. This was totally weird since I felt like the reader was taken through the backseat of the story.

It also could be the fact that I didn’t like either of the main characters all that much, leaving me to barley root for their romance.

Alas, the pining is what mainly saved this book from getting two stars. So, three stars it gets.

Not gonna lie, this one rubbed me the wrong way. I loved the cultural and foodie references, and thought one of their dates sounded amazing (no spoilers but it’s a really fun idea at an NYC museum 🔎👀). And this one brought loads of wide open door steam scenes that I’m not mad about.🔥

But. I definitely got some “Baby, it’s cold outside” vibes. I get part of the fun in romance novels is the chase, but Bro, when she says no, do not show up at her family functions, in her backyard, or wherever she is meeting other dates. It’s 2021. Consent should be written into every single story. If this was a thriller, it easily could have ended in a restraining order. This blatant disregard of consent was a major turnoff for me and actually distracted me from much of the story.