Flirting with Disaster is a heartfelt, second-chance romance that was fun to read. Author Naina Kumar weaves an emotional tale about Meena, a high-powered attorney seeking closure, and her estranged husband Nikhil. When circumstances force them to confront their angsty past, I found myself rooting for them as they navigated their failed marriage while looking to maybe have the potential for a new beginning.

I know second chances need to have angst but the miscommunication here really frustrated me. Also I did not understand why even though we had gotten further in the story and the ex-couple's rekindling, Meena was still making plans with Shake (LOL).

Ultimately, I rooted for the couple to find their way back to each other. Kumar's writing still shines as with her 1st book although due to the fact that this genre isn't my fav, I still enjoyed her previous more than this.

Huge thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC

Flirting with Disaster is a reimagining of Sweet Home Alabama. Meena is a lawyer on Capitol Hill and ready to take the next steps with her boyfriend, who is also a lawyer. She returns to her home town to insist on a divorce from her estranged husband, Nikhil, who she hasn’t seen in years. There’s a hurricane brewing (literally), and Meena and Nikhil have to shelter in his home until it passes. Meena starts to remember why she used to be in love with Nikhil and second guesses her plans for the future.

This book was entertaining, and I loved the personal growth Meena and Nikhil have both made since they were together. I felt that it was a very accurate depiction of what two exes would be like when stuck in a house together.

However, almost the entire book was miscommunication, and I just didn’t buy into their love story. The book was told only from Meena’s point of view, but it jumps between past and present without much warning at all. It was fairly easy to follow, but I think I would’ve understood their history better if there had been separate chapters for present and past, and really shown the love in their past relationship rather than Meena telling what happened. Even by the end of the book, I felt like I didn’t quite know who Nikhil is or what drew the two of them together.

I know that other readers have had a better experience with this book than I did, so I would recommend giving it a read if you’re a fan of second chance romance or the movie Sweet Home Alabama.

Thank you to Naina Kumar, Dell, and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Read if you like:
💕 Second chance romance
💕 Forced proximity
💕 Sweet Home Alabama
💕 Career-focused FMCs

4.25⭐️s This is a beautiful story of reconciliation and that love can conquer all. Nikhil just wants Meena to be happy but he also wants her to be happy with him. He never felt good enough. Without trying to, Meena created that rift. She just wanted to make her family proud. A surprise husband isn’t on that list of expectations. If you like Sweet Home Alabama, this is a great book for you. It has some of the elements while giving its own life to the story of Meena and Nikhil.

Thank you to @nkumarwrites @netgalley and @dellromance for the advanced reader copy. #netgalley #flirtingwithdisaster #secondchanceromance #advancedreadercopy #sweethomealabama

☔️ Flirting With Disaster ☔️

“No one expects you to be perfect. I don’t. You’re allowed to mess up. You’re allowed to be a full, human person. You’re allowed to fail. And none of that”—his eyes flare, bright and intense—“none of that would ever make me stop loving you. Ever.“

OH MY HEART. I ADORE Meena and Nikhil. This story was such a beautiful story of redemption, growing together, supporting your partner’s dreams and passions. And a love letter to my hometown, Houston and the great state of Texas.

NO NOTES, Naina Kuma. No notes.

Highly recommend this beautiful story, especially if you’re looking for:
☔️ Second chance romance
☔️ Forced proximity riding out a hurricane together
☔️ Finding what matters, and supporting your loved ones through it all
☔️ Amazing Houston setting, despite the all to real hurricane setting 😅

Thank you to Dell and Netgalley for this ARC! Flirting with Disaster is on shelves January 14, 2025. My opinions are my own.

Read If You Like:
- Second-chance romance
- Forced proximity scenarios
- Stories with Indian American protagonists
- Emotional and introspective narratives
- Themes of ambition and personal growth
- Modern retellings of classic romantic tropes

Flirting with Disaster is a second-chance romance that intertwines themes of ambition, identity, and rekindled love. The story follows Meena, a high-powered lawyer who returns to her Texas hometown to finalize a long-overdue divorce from her estranged husband, Nikhil. (Giving Sweet Home Alabama vibes anyone?!) Their unexpected reunion coincides with an impending hurricane, forcing them to seek shelter together in their former home. This forced proximity compels them to confront unresolved feelings and the complexities of their past relationship.

The novel excels in its portrayal of their chemistry and the nuanced exploration of their individual growth. Meena's internal struggle between her ambitious career aspirations and the deep-seated emotions she harbors for Nikhil is depicted with authenticity and depth. Nikhil's character, embodying the 'grumpy' archetype, complements Meena's 'sunshine' demeanor, creating a dynamic and engaging interplay.

The narrative is further enriched by its cultural context, offering sharp observations about Indian American identity and the societal expectations surrounding relationships and ambition. The hurricane serves as a potent metaphor for the emotional turbulence the characters experience, adding layers of tension and urgency to their journey toward reconciliation.

Thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy!

2⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for an advanced copy of Flirting With Disaster.

Meena is returning home for the first time in five years and it is to see her husband Nikhil to get him to sign the divorce papers. But a hurricane is headed for them so they are stuck sheltering together. They start to question why things ended like they did between them and realize they both may have been wrong about many things.

I am not a fan of a miscommunication trope so this was a difficult read for me. I was not a huge fan of the characters in this book. I liked the idea of the storyline but was not a fan of the execution.

Thank you to the Penguin Random House Ballantine & Dell Romance for my e-arc of this book! All these opinions are my own.

Last year I read Naina Kumar’s debut novel for book club and I really enjoyed it. I was looking forward to seeing what would be next from her and she did not disappoint! Kumar has really refined the ability to write great tension between love interests. While I’m normally hesitant with second chance romances, I was really invested in Meena and Nikhil’s story. It was clear they never stopped caring for one another, and I felt like they both had pretty strong character arcs throughout the novel. Their banter was fun and witty, and Kumar seamlessly blends past and present to give us the full scope of their love story. I may actually enjoy second chance romances now!

Aside from the romance I also loved how much care Kumar put into the setting of this story. This is also a story of the resilience of a city through natural disaster. Such a sensitive topic could feel exploitative when written about by the wrong person, but it’s obvious that Kumar has a deep connection to Texas and cares very much about it. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for whatever she has coming out in the future.

Thank you to PRHAudio Influencer Program for the ALC and Dell for the eARC.

I need to be honest I didn't love this one as much as I loved Naina's debut Say You'll Be Mine. This one is somehow slower even with the natural disaster happening around them. I think in part because I knew this was a contemporary romance in which they were both going to survive and the tone was lighthearted enough I didn't feel the tension of the water rising or his windows possibly breaking from the wind so all of those details only built the setting so much I wanted the core romance. The premise is so compelling to me, the Sweet Home Alabama inspo of it all. But we don't get a lot back from the MMC for sooo long. It wasn't so far in that I wanted dual POV but I wanted to skip to some of the deeper conversations they had later sooner.

Here's the thing though- I switched to audio 25% through and I'm so glad I did. I enjoyed the story way more. The narrator does a great job and brought all those extra details more to life for me thankfully. Highly recommend via audio.

3.5 ⭐️

I'm sad this didn't work out as I had hoped because I can see the potential and how much others may enjoy this story. I enjoyed the first part and the unique way the flashbacks are intertwined with the story. However, sometimes the jumps from present day to the flashbacks were a bit jarring. The chapters were very long, and I think shorting them and possibly making some flashbacks their own chapters, may help the flow of the story. Sadly once the back story of what had happened was explained, I found myself agreeing that they both needed to sign those papers. Although the ending was heartwarming and I enjoyed how the story unfolded, this sadly didn't click with me in the way I was hoping. I did love the nod and inspiration from Sweet Home Alabama though.

Although this book didn't fully work for me, I see high potential for others to thoroughly enjoy it.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC 💓

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Meena is a high powered DC attorney ready to take the next step with her boyfriend, another successful lawyer. There’s only one problem, she’s still technically married to her ex-husband. Determined to get the divorce papers signed once and for all, she flies back to Houston to convince him to sign the papers. When a hurricane changes her travel plans and she’s stuck with Nikhil old feelings start to surface. Can these two rekindle their romance or will they end things permanently.

This is a Sweet Home Alabama reimagining, and I was immediately intrigued with the premise. The forced proximity of the hurricane breeds opportunity for fun angst and tension. But to be honest, I wasn’t really feeling it. The problem with reimagining something is that you can’t help but compare it to the original. I didn’t feel this really brought anything fresh. The story is told entirely in first person POV from Meena’s perspective, and we never get a sense of Nikhil’s thoughts or feelings. It felt one sided and just didn’t quite work for me.

It was hard to connect with Meena because she’s so singularly focused on achieving her objective, the it encompasses her identity. We’re also told (from her perspective) about their past relationship through reflections that seem to pop up out of nowhere during the present moment. There’s no clear delineation between the past and present which makes for a jarring experience.

Because we never get to be inside Nikhil’s head, he doesn’t have much complexity. He’s a very flat character, and I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two. We’re told they’re supposed to be together but I never actually felt it. I didn’t like that she didn’t tell her family about him during the entirety of their relationship. As another reader pointed out, if the roles were reversed, that would’ve been a red flag. The lack of communication still happening at 75% was also really frustrating. They eventually work it out, but it took too long for my liking.

Overall it was an okay read to pass the time, but not something I would read again.

A heartwarming, albeit stressful, second chance romance set inside a Texas hurricane!

Let me start out by saying that second chance romances are not my favorite trope. But as soon as I saw that this was billed as Sweet Home Alabama, I knew I had to read it. The yearning was very on point and I was rooting for these two to make it back to each other.

Being a Florida girl the whole hurricane plot hit a bit too close to home for me though and even though it was a good catalyst to bring Meena and Nikhil back to each other is was a bit too stressful for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this earc in exchange for my honest review.

Pub date: 1/14

I gotta admit, I was a little afraid to read this. Knowing its about a hurricane that is going to hit Texas is a little too real for this girl from Texas who’s made it through multiple Texas hurricanes

And I was right to feel that way in a sense. I definitely felt all those emotions rushing back when I was reading this. I found myself aligning the way I felt back then with what they were feeling throughout the novel. It really felt authentic. (Well besides her not knowing. In 2025 she would have heard from someone somewhere that there was a big ass hurricane coming. Someone somewhere should have been boarding up something and the airports would have had some kind of weather channel stuff on and constant announcements) And the things she was doing, like walking through the water, or boarding up windows, and sleeping in closets really had me in tears from just remembering what I lived through with the many hurricanes I’ve been in. Basically, this really made me emotional. I opened up some emotions that I didn’t even know I had bottled up. Especially after Hurricane Beryl last summer. I was a mess.

I did have some problems with the FMC tho, I can’t lie. She seemed so toxic. She was so mad at him for something without even pointing out that she was doing the exact same thing to him. It was super obvious that he wanted to stay married to her and I know she could tell. She just WANTED it to not be true because she didn’t want to feel guilty. I think Nikhil could actually hear me yelling at him to just leave her lol However, I listened to this review from an Own Voices reviewer and I began to understand her a bit more. Did I like it? No. That man Nikhil was a blessing and she was stamping out his light by making him feel bad for providing for her. But I disliked her less tho lol

I did like the romance tho. For them to be on the verge of getting a divorce, it was like they never left each other. Maybe it was because Nikhil wore all his emotions on his sleeve, but whatever it was, I loved seeing them fall back in love. Idk how she didn’t know that he loved her tho. I think she was seeing what she wanted to see honestly. She was scared and convinced herself because even I could see that man was a goner. I DO think we should have gotten some more scene where she realized that she loved him. I never felt fully convinced. It was like oh something might be there, then there’s a fling, so of course she’s going to act like she likes him more…. No? Ok. I just thought he deserved more. And I felt bad because I was like girl, stop having me be on a man’s side -___-

This was so good. I definitely told my co-worker about this one in case they decide to use a romance for one of the programs at work. Between this one and The Kiss Countdown, Houston, Texas reads are getting less and less embarrassing and I LOVE THIS FOR ME! Let me know what you think if you read it!

Real Rating 4.5

What a phenomenon all read! This reminds me of Sweet Home Alabama but better. Set during a natural disaster in Houston, made to resemble the devastatingly Hurricane Harvey. I feel that it handled those scenes with respect and grace. It also handled some aspects of parental abuse and estranged family. This was a second chance romance but it was slapped together through the storm just to make it romantic. It was a well thought ou5 process which made it such a beautiful book.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review as always all words are my own.

Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-marraige in crisis
-second chance
-flashbacks
-forced proximity

I was incredibly lucky to get to read this book really early, so this was a reread and I just love this story. Naina writes such a beautiful story of two people who seem like opposites on paper, how scary it can be when you feel like you want other things, but sometimes trusting in your heart leads you to the best things. With a backdrop of a natural disaster, forcing two exes together and reckoning with their past as they both figure out their future. Naina just writes beautiful romances and I will read anything she writes.

Meena is heading to Texas to see her husband Nikhil, whom she hasn't seen for years, in hopes of being able to finalize the divorce and finally move on with her life and political career in Washington DC. What she doesn't account for is a hurricane in the Gulf that is headed right toward them. When she gets stranded with Nikhil, she is quickly reminded of their whirlwind romance that led them to getting married in Vegas in the first place. Will she be able to get Nikhil to sign the papers? Or will she begin to question her current life trajectory and what she really wants?

THE VERDICT: 4.75 (rounded up)

WHAT I LIKED:
- The chemistry between Nikhil and Meena
- The forced proximity from the storm (trauma-bonding?!)
- The Indian American rep and the pressures Meena felt from her family
- The way Meena and Nikhil navigated their relationship. Although there was some miscommunication, that had all happened in the past and the resolution focused on their growth and how they now have a better understand one another.
- They're in Harris County, Texas! (My Harris County Library Libby girls know!)
- Usually second-chance romance is not my favorite, but I really enjoyed the premise of this one and was rooting for the couple throughout the book
- Alan!!!

WHAT WAS A MISS:
- There was something about this book that didn't fully hook me the way I want a 5-star read to, but I will absolutely read more Naina Kumar & highly recommend you do, too!
- How do you just walk out the door and never actually get divorced!? I know it happens, but that is so wild to me!

eARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review!

Wow what a lovely read! I have always been a big fan of Sweet Home Alabama but I loved the twists this book gave to that story (also managed to avoid the cheating trope from the original). The characters were well developed and likable. I liked how this was set over a short period of time and was a quick read, I finished it in half a day! Overall, I very much enjoyed, would recommend.

A charming second chance romance set in Houston, Texas, where Meena returns to finalize her divorce from Nikhil, only to find herself drawn back into old feelings.

Meena and Nikhil had undeniable chemistry that kept me entertained the whole time! A page turning romance.
 
While I adored Nikhil—he’s the epitome of a sweet, down-to-earth guy—Meena’s back-and-forth indecisiveness drove me nuts. I know it’s a typical second chance romance struggle, but it still left me frustrated. Despite that, though, the characters are lovable, and I really appreciated the Texas setting, especially since it’s close to my heart, seeing as I live there myself.
 
Though I really liked this, there was just something missing that I can’t quite put my finger on. Overall, though, it’s a good read with tons of heart and emotional depth!

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙍𝘾!

4⭐
PG-13🌶️

If you wish Sweet Home Alabama changed out the Civil War reenactments for a hurricane, this is the book for you. Through all the chaos of surviving a storm and rediscovering love despite a few plot points that felt a bit naive, Naina creates a sweet and hopeful romance that shows how her books continue to get better and better.

You had me at a twist of Sweet Home Alabama following an Indian couple set in the great state of Texas. At the beginning of the book, Meena, our FMC, wakes up in a hotel room in Las Vegas realizing she is married and makes sweet vows in bed with her new husband, Nikhil. The book then fast-forwards to 7 years later where we meet up with Meena landing in the Houston airport while discussing with Shake, a man she was previously dating, that she is going through with her plans. We find out that Meena currently lives in DC where she is a lobbyist and her ex Shake had broken up with her because she is still not divorced from her husband Nikhil. Of course, it is Houston and hurricane season, so Meena gets stuck having to bunker down with her husband to survive the storm. Is she going to be able to get him to sign the divorce papers when there is still unresolved feelings and sparks between the former pair are electric? You have to read to find out.

I enjoyed this book. I thought the connection between Meena and Nikhil was so beautiful, that both characters had so much love to give and just wanted always to help their partner. I did want to shake them at times because if they just communicated things better none of this probably would have happened. Both characters were incredibly insecure, for Meena is stimmed from trauma from her parents conditional love, and for Nikhil it seemed he was insecure about his job and the fact that Meena never introduced him to her parents (once again, this wouldn't have been an issue if there would have been more communication and discussions with active listening). The book is well-written, lots of angst, and overall just a great story about growth, self-reflection, and learning its okay to ask for help.

I have posted my review on Goodreads (linked below), I will post a story on my IG to my 32.7 k followers and save it under the highlight button ARCs (also linked below), and I will post on 1/14 a full review on my IG @the.bookish.dietitian

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For starters, I had really high hopes for this when I read the summary. I am a second-chance romance lover and honestly, I don't think this story was executed to its highest potential. I had an easy time reading it, but it all felt very lackluster and dull to me.

I did not connect with either of our main characters at all. There was not enough character development or enough background on the couple's past that would make me root for them to work out their differences. I found Nikhil more likable than Meena and often found myself annoyed with her actions throughout the story. Her history with another man was a big part of the story and I just didn't vibe with that. This might have been better if there was dual-pov or dual-timeline just so we could get more from both characters. It is hard to root for characters when they refuse to communicate with each other, open up to each other, and constantly create ultimatums for their futures. The ending felt rushed and underdeveloped as well. As I reflect on this, there were a lot more things that I didn't like in this book than I liked, but overall it was a fast-paced read. This was a miss for me but I could see it working for other readers!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the arc!