Did not like this that much. Story was a little too boring but I did enjoy the writing style. Not the intended audience

Thank you @prhaudio for the gifted audiobook, and Random House Ballantine - Dell and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

Welp, I was already a huge fan of Naina Kumar after her debut, Say You’ll Be Mine. But Flirting with Disaster sealed the deal that she is one of my new favorite authors.

I’m guilty of watching Sweet Home Alabama literally every time it is on TV – I could recite the movie in my sleep (in fact, I probably have). Reading this second chance romance where she returns to her “husband” to ask for a divorce so she can pursue her big city political dreams – sure, in theory this sounds “Hallmark-y” but to just compare it to this classic rom-com would do this book a grave disservice. This book had so much emotional depth, with writing that completely gripped my soul and physically tore my heart apart and healed it by “The End.” Plus - told over the duration of a hurricane storm making landfall in Houston, TX, there is also a bit of action and suspense that adds another layer to the reading experience. I’d give anything to get inside Nikhil’s brain in this story, but he cares for Meena in the little ways he remembers her and her needs, even after years apart.

It’s early in 2025 but this will 100% be on my top reads of the year list. The audiobook was fantastic - Soneela Nankani once again narrates for Kumar flawlessly and truly immerses the listener in this 10 hr 30 minute performance.

✨ARC Review✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An angsty second-chance romance with small town vibes? I. Ate. This. Up. The yearning between Meena and Nikhil made my heart ache. Ever been in a spot where your heart and brain want different things? That’s exactly how it was for Meena in this story, and I loved watching her character decide what was right. Flirting With Disaster feels like the rainbow that comes out after a storm.

Mini blurb: Meena goes back to her small home town in Texas to hopefully finalize her divorce with Nikhil. After she mailed him the papers and never got a response, she wants to take matters into her own hands. However, while she’s in town a hurricane hits. She can’t do anything other than survive in her old house with Nikhil. Being in the house and around him has made her realize that there are some unresolved feelings. Can she walk away from him completely?

Flirting with Disaster has:
☔️ Second chance romance
☔️ Forced proximity
☔️ Small town
☔️ YEARNING
☔️ Sweet Home Alabama vibes
☔️ Marriage in crisis

Ps, it released today!!

Naina is a new-to-me author and I’m already wanting to pick up her other book.

Thank you to @randomhouse and @nkumarwrites for this ARC!

4.5⭐️ for me. I loved this story. Second chance romance has really become something I enjoy as a trope. As we know sometimes it doesn’t work at the first time and timing is off. Meena and Nikhil get stuck together during a hurricane storm. Meena is there to end their marriage officially and chase her dreams of running for state senator with her ex/not ex Shake. What Meena doesn’t expect is her feelings to rush back when seeing Nikhil. Both characters are stuck together throughout this storm and during this time they have to find a way to work as a team to survive the storm. As the story develops you see how they learn what really happened from the other’s perspective during their marriage. This story does have some of the miscommunication trope but I didn’t mind it in this book and believe it was done well. During this I was rooting for Nikhil! I loved this! Naina is definitely one of my auto buy authors after reading this and Say You’ll Be Mine!!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!

omg so sweet houston set romance that is second chance!!! i loved this one sooo much! naina can do no wrong and im so excited to read more of her books this was such a great one! 10/10 cant wait to pick it up on audio and dive into this world again!!

Meena is a lawyer in DC with ambitions to run for public office and a plan about to be put into motion but first she has to clear up her divorce from a Vegas wedding almost a decade ago. She heads to Houston to get her estranged husband to sign the divorce papers he’s been ignoring and ends up getting stuck with him in a hurricane. They’re forced to sort out their problems to survive the storm together.

I am a little biased because I love disaster stories but this one was so well done! The characters are so relatable and so real, it’s like you’re reading a biography with all the emotional baggage explained perfectly. The character development is so well done even with two very strong personalities clashing Meena and Nik are such a cute couple. One spicy scene, very emotional. Great overall story and I’m looking forward to many more from Naina Kumar.

I loved this fun take on "Sweet Home Alabama". Naina created a world where Meena could be messy and unsure of her next steps, a beautiful difference from her first book. Meena and Nakhill rushed to the alter years ago, to shortly be estranged later on. Meena returns to Houston to ask Nakill for a divorce so she can marry her current boyfriend. While in Houston, a hurricane keeps these two stranded together (hello, forced proximity!). I enjoyed watching Meena slowly remember why she was attracted to Nakhill and battle those internal thoughts. We learned her family history with her parents and sister, which had much to do with her overwhelming need to do the "right thing" and succeed. This was a great story of self-discovery and romance. I wish we got a POV from Nakill, but I know the author purposely wanted Nakill to feel mysterious. Thank you for the e-arc!

Thank you to Dell Romance & PRH Audio for the review copies!

Flirting with Disaster
By Naina Kumar
🎧 Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
Book 1 of 2025

Flirting with Disaster is a reimagining of “Sweet Home Alabama,” which is one of my favorite movies. I felt like it really captured the angst of falling in love young, not knowing how to communicate your needs, and finding each other again.

Meena returns to her home town in Texas to have her estranged husband, Nikhil, sign divorce papers. She’s built a life in DC, and is planning to run for office at the same time as her new partner, Shake. Busy with a high-powered job, she didn’t realize that she was flying straight into the path of a hurricane, and is forced to take shelter with Nikhil.

I did have a little trouble with the introduction of Meena ignoring that she flew into the path of the hurricane, but it fit with her one-track mind about accomplishing her goals, so I was able to suspend my disbelief over that. I *love* a good forced proximity, especially if the two characters have this kind of delicious I-hate-you-but-I-also-love you energy, so that is what I was focused on while reading. The tension between them was soooo good.

With a second chance romance, I need to buy that the reason they didn’t work out the first time makes sense, but isn’t so bad that I can’t believe them overcoming it, and there needs to be enough communication for me to believe they truly HAVE overcome their issues. For me, Kumar hit all of these beats beautifully, and I absolutely loved Flirting with Disaster. It was the perfect start to a new year of reading for me!

Another aspect I wanted to point out is something I saw in @lit.erallymoody ‘s TT review, which is the inclusion of working class South Asian characters. Check out her review for this perspective!

🎧 The audiobook was excellent, I actually forgot it was a single narrator because Nankani created all of the characters so well, and her male vocal performance was 🔥🔥.

This was my first book by Nina Kumar so I was so pleasantly surprised when I started reading and realized this was set in Houston! I am a sucker for a good second chance romance and this was a good one in my opinion. The MCs get stuck in a house together once a hurricane hits and have to work through all of their past issues in the relationship. The angst and forced proximity made sense for the story and provided some really great moments. I do wish that they are communicating better before halfway through the book as I am not a fan of the miscommunication trope. I enjoyed seeing why there was so much tension between Meena and Nikhil. While this is a second chance romance, it also focuses on career, navigating relationships, family, and more. I will definitely be checking out Say You’ll Be Mine soon!

Thanks to Random House and Dell Publishing for granting me an advanced copy.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group Ballantine, Dell, NetGalley, and Naina Kumar for the ARC opportunity! #FlirtingwithDisaster

Picture this, a lawyer firmly stuck on having her estranged husband sign divorce papers and having to return to her hometown. But then a hurricane strikes their once beloved shared home, taking forced proximity to another level. They’ll discover what really happened between them and why their love didn’t last…or did it?

🛶 Review:
Naina, wow! Another one that just hits right! A second chance romance that was frustratingly beautiful. One thing about Naina is that she can write angst and emotions so intricately.

This story is the definition of needing to grow a part to be able to come back together again and grow further. This was a slow burn and held a lot of angst, pining, and the forced proximity was everything (did someone say only one closet). Truthfully a lot happens but not with their communication until about 50% (meaning that’s when communication really started picking up). Although there was a lot of miscommunication, I believe that it makes this second chance that much more real, raw, and heartbreakingly intense. This book relies on the trope, all I ask is that you have patience with it because it was so worth it, and the way the came together in communicating and rebuilding their relationship made me so happy. I would have loved the addition of a dual pov to gain insight into Nikhils mind because he wanted to shout his love from the rooftop (I kept screaming ‘oh he has more to say!’) I loved the Gilmore girl references and reimagining of sweet home Alabama, touching on some humor and a slight love triangle. I also appreciated the exploration of relationship dynamics and would have wanted a bit more build up to Nikhils and Meena’s relationship as well as her parents & sister. The book also touches on politics in Texas, Complexities of adulthood & navigating relationships, career focuses, personal growth, and taking care of the community. Loved this one so much and if you haven’t already check out Say You’ll Be Mine Naina’s Debut. 💕
Overall 4.25

I had such a great time reading this book and finished the second half in one sitting.

I applaud the author for giving us tension and forced proximity that didn’t feel redundant. We are with our two MCs during the storm for a majority of the book, but LOTS of things happen that keep us engaged in the story.

Second chance romances can be tricky to pull off. We have to fall in love with a couple that is no longer in love while also believing that they still have feelings for each other and should get back together. This book delivers on all of that! Just like in Sweet Home Alabama, I was waiting for these two to realize they belong together.

This was my first book by Kumar but I will be reading her debut novel and whatever she releases next. Thanks to Dell Publishing for granting me an advanced copy.

Flirting with Disaster

ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ || FLIRTING WITH DISASTER [thank you to Dell Romance and @netgalley for my #gifted copy!]

Title: Flirting With Disaster
Author: Naina Kumar
Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
Star Rating: ★★★★☆

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:
Trapped by a hurricane with her soon-to-be ex-husband, Meena must weather old memories and rekindled feelings—deciding if her heart belongs to the steady life she’s built or the stormy love she left behind.

ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
If you’re a fan of the ‘00s romcom classic Sweet Home Alabama, then this book will be right up your alley! From the young love, to the growing in different directions & wanting something more, to “I had to improve myself first” — this romance has it all!

I loved being able to see Meena & Nikhil’s relationship from all points in their timeline. Shown in flashbacks and reminiscing, you can really feel how they fell in love…but also how they fell apart.

And then miscommunication (and not communicating at all) really threw a wrench in all their plans.

I really enjoyed seeing this love story play out - and I would highly recommend if you’re looking for a heartfelt romance (with a dash of danger)!

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Second Chance Romance
Marriage in Crisis
Fated Mates
Sweet Home Alabama
Forced Proximity

ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ:
GR: 4.08
# of Pages: 320
Pub Date: January 14, 2025

The concept of this book drew me in straight away and I was very excited to read about Meena and Nikhil and their second chance romance. While I did enjoy the story overall, I found it to be a bit boring? I was so annoyed that they wouldn't just talk to each other and confess their thoughts and feelings to one another and I also didn't really feel the buildup between them. Like, there is a natural disaster happening here, the tension should be high, but I felt it was left to simmer on low. I suppose that is fine, but I felt a little bit underwhelmed. I did like the inevitable HEA so that is a plus and I will watch for new works from this author in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.75/5

“I figured nothing’s ever too far gone,” he says softly. “That some things are worth rebuilding. Even if it means rebuilding them from the ground up.”

This book is beautiful! It’s filled with angst and heart and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy and annotate the hell out of it.

We follow Meena, who travels back to her home town of Houston with the goal of getting divorce papers finally signed by her estranged husband, Nikhil, so she can run for office. However, disaster strikes when a hurricane hits the city, trapping them together in their first home.

I expected pranks and shenanigans. I got angst and tenderness. And I’m not mad about it. These two had so much unresolved baggage and tension, and watching them try to navigate their messy feelings in a real, human way was so cathartic.

Their communication sucked until it didn’t, and I honestly loved that because it felt authentic. It was a treat getting to see them let their guards down and understand one another after so many years of hurt between them.

I adore these two, and I’m excited to read more by @nkumarwrites!

What to Expect:
☔️ Quotable moments (too many to count)
☔️ Silly neighbors
☔️ Forced Proximity (literally sleeping in a closet together)
☔️ Miscommunication (they’re estranged spouses, what do you expect?)
☔️ Love Triangle Lite
☔️ Swoony Hero with a beard but he’s really a soft boy
☔️ Complex family relationships
☔️ Gilmore Girls references
☔️ This being a new favorite book (you’ve been warned)
—-

ARC provided by NetGalley and Random House Ballantine

I downloaded my arc of this one back in September when it was offered to me, and man, I should have read it then! Not only because it turned out to be great, but also because then maybe I would have been prepared for dear Helene when she arrived on our doorstep.

This second chance romance starts just hours before a devastating hurricane hits Houston, unbeknownst to Meena. She has arrived in Houston seeking out Nikhil, and demanding he sign their divorce papers. But Meena hasn't seen Nikhil in years, ever since she left for her new life in Washington, DC and he refused to come with her. Now she has plans, plans that require a divorce so that she and her current beau Shake can become DC's Desi power couple and run for congress.

Early aughts rom-com fans like myself will quickly recognize this for what it is -- a retelling of 2002's hit blockbuster Sweet Home Alabama. At first, I almost DNFed, though, because it felt too dropped in the drama all at once. Meena's anxiety about seeing Nikhil is at a level 10, Nikhil is emotionally shuttered while he's busy shuttering his house for the hurricane, and then the whole weather really ramps things up. However, as the actual hurricane starts to calm and the Meena/Nikhil backstory begins to open up, we see the reason for all the tension, and what we get is an honest, emotional love story of two people who just want the best for each other. I felt very connected to Meena as a fellow enneagram sixer, and loved seeing the ways that played out for her in both unhealthy and lovely ways.

This one releases today, and I think readers willing to wade through (pun intended) the initial drama will find what I did: a emotionally resonate love story of two characters you cannot help but fall for.

4.5⭐️ for me!

🖇️ Forced Proximity
🤕 Wound/Illness care
💞 Second Chance Romance
🌶️ Mild spice

Synopsis:
Meena left her home in Houston several years ago and has made a name for herself since as a lawyer and potential politician in Washington DC. Everything seems to be all uphill for her now, except for the minor detail of needing a divorce from the husband she left behind in Houston. When she returns to get her divorce, a hurricane traps Meena and Nikhil in the house together…where everything finally comes out. Will she choose the future she built for herself in DC or the one she always had waiting for her in Texas?

Thanks for the ARC @netgalley and @atrandombooks !

Thoughts:
Sweet Home Alabama but make it Houston with Indian American main characters? I’m so happy this book was just as good as it sounds. The characters are so genuine and their conflicts felt really meaningful. I loved the setting and the periphery characters. Returning Home as the vehicle for the discovery of the main character’s true nature and desires is a theme that really resonates with me. I love when the reparation of a romantic relationship requires the resolution of other relationships in their lives, too.

The only things I missed were actually getting to see & meet the niece Ritu. It was disappointing to only be told about this amazing relationship Meena has with her niece. And there wasn’t a lot of levity; I could’ve used more humor. The stuff with Alan was gold!

Verdict:
If you love Rom Coms, definitely check this one out! It’s released today!

I love the concept Kumar went with for this book. It feels like a lovely homage to both Sweet Home Alabama and a snowed in romance. I loved seeing Meena and Nikhil figure out how to talk about their issues and get back together. In particular, as a native Texan, I loved how you could feel that this was written by someone from the state, especially the realistic but hopeful approach to Texas politics. I loved Meena thinking through her own political aspirations and figuring out that she wants to do. more for the place where she grew up.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Naina Kumar’s sophomore novel, Flirting With Disaster, reimagines Sweet Home Alabama through central characters Meena and Nikhil. The book begins with Meena who travels to her former home state of Texas in hopes of finalizing her divorce with her semi-estranged husband Nikhil. Meena and Nikhil have not spoken in years but have never officially divorced. Throughout these years, both have built their separate lives, Meena pursuing a political career in D.C. and a new romance with Shake, another successful lawyer, and Nikhil continuing his construction and community work. However, as soon as Meena lands in Texas, a hurricane (that she wasn’t aware of) rolls in and all flights are cancelled, giving her no choice but to take shelter in the home she used to share with Nikhil. As the two are forced to spend time together and take precautions to survive the hurricane, they begin to reflect on the things that drew them together and, eventually, drew them apart, the feelings might still be there, and what will happen when the storm clears.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The premise of a second-chance romance between estranged spouses and especially, the twist on the “snowed in” trope piqued my interest. I also enjoyed the subtle inclusion of topics like Desi American culture, familial expectations and self-imposed pressures, and the complexity of sibling dynamics. My biggest gripe with this book is that it is told entirely through Meena's perspective. Though I understand that Kumar may have opted not to provide dual perspectives to build the tension between Meena and Nikhil, at times I felt like having Nikhil's perspective may have added some context to their romance and helped justify their eventual decisions on what to do moving forward. Seeing everything solely through Meena's perspective didn't fully convince me at times.

Rating: 4/5 stars

You might like this if you like: second-chance romance/estranged spouses, forced proximity/"snowed in” trope, a twist on the one-bed trope.
If you enjoyed Seven Days in June by Tia Williams or Happy Place by Emily Henry, you might like this book, but this, to me, is much more lighthearted than those books.

This is a perfect fit for readers who adore second chance romances, are drawn to stories of love, identity, and self-discovery, and enjoy a sweet and emotional journey of rekindling passion and finding one's true heart's desire.

This was one of the best books I’ve ever read 😭 I knew the second it was announced I was going to love it!! I loved Say You’ll Remember Me so much. And getting to read this early has honestly made my year! I LOVE a second chance so much. AND it’s based off Sweet Home Alabama?! I loved this book so much and I don’t quite know how to even put together words to convey how much???

Meena and Nikhil are quite honestly my favorite people. They got married SO fast and they had so much happening in that first year, and neither of them wanted to fail, and they seemingly had so much to lose. But at the end of the day they loved each other and they wanted that to be enough. But the reunion WAS SO GOOD. Because they loved each other SO MUCH. And they just didn’t know how to be open and vulnerable with each other… and coming back together…everything kind of fell back into place?! They had both grown and changed, and they finally got to see the other achieve their dreams. And realized maybe they didn’t see everything so clearly back then.

Also Nikhil IS THE BEST MAN. he loved Meena so much. Also all the little things?? The painting? The beard? And chicken soup?? Watching Meena realize that he never forgot her, before she even realized what all those things meant, was so heartbreaking beautiful.

I loved that we got to see the past through Meena’s memories. They weren’t true flashbacks, but it felt so much more inmate reliving things as she was. And it was SO GOOD. I loved seeing how they started and when they got to where they were.

I will be preordering a signed copy because I love this book so much 🥹

Thanks to Dell Romance for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!