I loved Naina Kumar’s debut (Say You’ll Be Mine still lives rent-free in my heart), and Flirting with Disaster just confirmed it! She’s officially on my auto-read list. This second-chance romance swept me away with its emotional depth, tender moments, and stormy tension… literally and figuratively. 🌪️

Meena and Nikhil’s story is one of those it’s complicated relationships you can’t help but root for. From spontaneous Vegas vows to years of silence, their reunion during a hurricane is the kind of setup that could feel over-the-top, but Naina writes it with so much heart, nuance, and realism, it just works. Being stuck in their old home, watching their past unravel alongside the storm outside? So. Many. FEELS.

I loved the way this book explores ambition, identity, and what it really means to choose someone, not just once, but again, when it’s hard and messy. Meena’s internal conflict felt so honest. And the chemistry? Still sizzling after all those years apart.

If you’re a fan of second chances, forced proximity, or messy, grown-up love stories with cultural heart, Flirting with Disaster will absolutely deliver.

3.75 ⭐️ i loved naina kumar’s debut so i was really excited about flirting with disaster. i’m also a sweet home alabama lover so i enjoyed the idea of this fun twist on the classic!

the “before” portion of this story (while obviously brief) was really fun and made me love meena and nikhil. the “after” switched things up. i love love love nikhil through and through. he was such a wonderful character who was kind, sympathetic, and open to growth. he also clearly loved meena SO much.

“I love you,” he says, cradling my face in both of his palms. “I’ve never stopped. Never. I’ve never not been in love with you.”

i was up and down with meena. i loved that she was a woman following her dreams and aspiring to take on DC. she was confident and powerful and ready for success. HOWEVER. her repetitive switch ups and the way she treated nikhil so severely irked me. i know how second chance romance works, but she thought so little of him and constantly hurt his feelings for a large portion of the book. i’m happy this was a HEA of course but i felt like nikhil loved meena far more than meena truly loved him. maybe im wrong, that’s just how it came across. i think this took away some of the value for me and that is 100% a personal issue but i just got very agitated.

overall this was a past faced read, it was fun, and i did enjoy the premise very much. there were just a number of issues that kept me from fully loving this story. still a generally good story!

Thanks to NetGalley and Dell for an ARC of Flirting with Disaster! This was a perfectly light and fluffy second-chance romance, about Meena and Nikhil, a couple who get married in Vegas on a whim and “break up” shortly after. When seven years go by and Meena needs their divorce papers finalized in order to officially start her bid for a state rep seat in Maryland, a hurricane traps Nikhil and Meena together in their home for a week.

This was the first novel I read by Naina Kumar, and I will definitely be back for more. Her writing is perfect for fans of Devney Perry and Elsie Silver, who are looking for a simple, fun, uncomplicated romance.

Overall - 4⭐️
Plot - 3.5⭐️
Setting - 3.5⭐️
Characters - 4⭐️
Character Development - 4⭐️
Writing - 3.5⭐️

What a fun twist on the early aughts rom-com, Sweet Home Alabama! This was a quick and enjoyable read, and my first from Naina Kumar.

What I liked:
- The characters and the chemistry: I liked Meena. I *loved* Nikhil. And my favorite part of this book, by far, was the chemistry between these two characters. I just couldn't help but root for them to end up together.
- The Sweet Home Alabama (Houston) of it all: I love the movie. I loved the little nods to the movie. I appreciated that there was so much more diversity in this version.

What didn't quite work for me:
- The miscommunication trope: I'm generally not too bothered by miscommunication in romance novels, but there was just a bit too much of it in this book. There were just too many times when they didn't communicate effectively with each other, to the point where I started to wonder if they even should end up with each other (lest they never be able to hold a mature conversation).
- The B-plot: I didn't really care about Shake. And I know that was the point. I know we weren't supposed to care about or root for Shake. But he was just so underdeveloped that his romance sub-plot added almost nothing to the story. I also wanted more story around Meena's career. There was a lot of career angst, but quite as much about Meena's growth/evolution with respect to her career choices.

Thank you to Dell Romance and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy.

Leaning towards a 3.75-4 ⭐️

✨ Second chance
✨ Forced proximity stuck in a storm
✨ Single pov (her pov)

I enjoyed the forced proximity of being stuck in a hurricane (aka the disaster) but it felt almost like a love triangle and back and forth between the FMC in which she couldn’t pick who she wanted to end up with, but I also liked the drama and angst of her making her decision.
I also just didn’t like her ex. he wanted her back after being the one to break up with her? and giving her ultimatums into doing what he wanted. anywho, not the main focus of the story, but those two things are what’s making me doc a .25 from my rating.
I did enjoy this, it had heartfelt moments and the flirting between the FMC and MMC was so cute. I liked and I liked that they learned to communicate now vs the toxic communication they had in the past. There is growth from both the FMC/MMC

I loved this book! A storm was a perfect comparison for the tumultuous relationship experienced by the main characters.

I love Naina Kumar’s voice—her writing is easy to read, with characters who are relatable and endearing. I especially appreciate learning from her authentic South Asian representation. As a big fan of the “marriage in crisis” trope, I was very excited to see it as the premise for her sophomore novel.

I loved the love letter to the Houston community and the realistic portrayal of hurricane prep and the associated fears. I was fully invested in the reconciliation of the main characters and appreciated how their backstory was revealed naturally through flashbacks, rather than a dual timeline.

Naina writes characters with real fears and flaws. While I was frustrated by their miscommunication, it made sense given how young they were when they married. I do wish they had been more open with their true feelings when reconnecting, to avoid repeating old mistakes.

Ultimately, this is a fresh new take on the beloved rom-com Sweet Home Alabama, and I enjoyed it.

DNF at 20% (I think 3 stars represents how I felt about what I did read)

I couldn't make it very far through this book because the writing leaned a little more YA than i prefer for the books I read. When reading the blurb for this story, i thought it would be right up my alley. However, the more I read the more I became irritated by the overly explained characters and plot line. It made me, as a reader, feel like the author didn't trust her audience to pick up on context clues and it made the plot feel overshadowed by the style of writing. I do love that this is a diverse book, exploring mental health and representing other cultures across America, however the writing wasn't up to my own personal standards. It might appeal to you though, so I always recommend giving it a shot!

When I read the summary, I was very hopeful this was going to be a great book but I was disappointed unfortunately. The main characters didn’t seem like they had any chemistry, they literally couldn’t communicate with each other, and she gave up HER dream for a man?? 2 stars because the writing was nice.

Flirting with Disaster is an absolute storm on the senses, a real hurricane of emotions. I'll stop with the puns, but I thought this second chance romance was a complete delight. The characters felt vivid and real, their issues with communication were frustrating but understandable, and honestly the heroine had made some terrible choices! But their past does not have to define their future, and I found the journey to their happy ending completely compelling. Five stars and my favorite romance of the year so far!

I've been behind on my reading but I borrowed this book from my library and loved it! I wasn't a fan of second chance romance until this one. I liked this a lot more than Naina's first book. I LOVE stories about South Indian gals :)

I'm not usually a fan of second chance romance, but I decided to give this one a shot, and I'm glad I did!
As someone who grew up watching Sweet Home Alabama, it was fun to read a book so similar to it. The forced proximity caused by a hurricane? Yep, give me more books like this, please! I wish this had deeper emotional interactions between Meena and Nikhil, but the moments we did get were sweet. I liked getting to see their love rekindled!

♡ Sweet Home Alabama reimagining
♡ Forced proximity
♡ Second Chance

This was a cute spin on Sweet Home Alabama. I love the “he falls first” trope and this is similar enough. Overall it was a sweet book but I didn’t find the character depth to be anything spectacular. The main character, Meena, wasn’t overly likable, but I did like Nikhil. The characters felt a little clunky and the story didn’t flow great but it was still a sweet story.

This was such a smart and funny romance, layered with a lot of love and heartwarming moments.

The story is about childhood rivals to lovers, Sonali and Zara. I love how rich in culture this story is, the dynamic between being so familiar to each other and yet having so much tension politically, with identity, and accepting the fact that they have both grown and changes so much since childhood, I really appreciated all of the banter.

This was so much fun!

This was cute and a little predictable. It does have the Sweet Home Alabama vibes but at times gets a little boring. Overall, a good read that I'm sure a lot of people will like.

I'm just waiting for the Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez groupies to find this author because this was another homerun of a book. Who doesn't love a forced proximity due to a hurricane story inspired by Sweet Home Alabama! I loved Meena and Nikhil and couldn't wait to read their story. I do wish that the storm was a bit longer, but I also live no where near hurricanes so I have no idea how long they actually last.


Thank you to Netgalley, Naina Kumar, and Dell publishing for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

(I rated it 4.5 on storygraph)

This book offers a charmingly familiar setup, reminiscent of a small-town second-chance romance with a twist. Meena, a driven lawyer in D.C., is laser-focused on her career and sees a reconciliation with her recent boyfriend as a strategic move towards political power. However, her estranged husband, Nikhil, stands in her way. They had a whirlwind Vegas marriage that ended a year later when she left for her ambitious pursuits. Determined to finalize their divorce, Meena impulsively travels to Texas to confront Nikhil. Her timing couldn't be worse, a hurricane is barreling towards them. While Nikhil, grounded in his small-town roots, prepares for the storm, Meena finds herself stranded with him. Initially seeing this as an opportunity to get the divorce papers signed, Meena is forced to confront the unresolved issues and lingering attraction between her and Nikhil as they finally start communicating openly. The story then explores whether she can truly let go of their past. Meena's ambition sometimes makes her actions frustratingly self-centered, and her continued focus on her ex-boyfriend, Shake (a detail that might elicit a chuckle), even as she reconnects with Nikhil, can be irritating. In contrast, Nikhil’s struggle to be supportive while dealing with his own challenges makes him a relatable and sympathetic character. Ultimately, this is an engaging and emotional love story about personal growth, forgiveness, and the possibility of rekindling a flawed but compelling connection. It earns a solid 3-star rating for its heartfelt exploration of a couple navigating their past and present.

I adorrrreddd Flirting with Disaster. This book was so tender, and felt like a love letter to Nikhil and Meena, but also to Houston. I felt like the communication issues between Meena and Nikhil were so real, and I loved that they got the time to work through what they went through years previously. I loved that Meena had someone to compare Nikhil and what they had to, which sounds kind of crazy, but she was walking away from a partnership in DC that really heightened the different relationship her and Nikhil had, and I thought that was such an interesting way to present a love triangle! This was such a sweet read and I can’t wait for more books from Naina Kumar!

Flirting With Disaster
📆Pub date: 1/14/25
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such a cute second chance romance 🥰 When it was described as a reimagining of Sweet Home Alabama (my favorite movie ♥️) I knew I would love this!
Meena and Nahil tied the knot in Vegas many years ago. She never even told her family she was married. Years later she lives in Washington DC and is ready to take the next step and get back together with her ex boyfriend. She needs to go back home to Texas to finally divorce Nahil. She ends up stuck longer than she wanted as there is a hurricane. I loved the flashbacks of their past relationship. Loved all the Gilmore Girl references 😊

I didn't have high expectations for Flirting with Disaster. I like second-chance romances and I like supporting Asian authors, so I picked up Naina Kumar's sophomore novel hoping for a sweet, light read. 

Instead, I ended up with a stormy, soft romance that perfectly matched the weather and my mood and now I need MORE. 

We need to talk about second-chance romances. They don't get enough love (or maybe I'm just hanging out in the wrong corners of the online book community,) but there's something about watching two people getting a second-chance at love and finally getting things right that's just so romantic and redemptive. You get the intimacy of a shared history, the tension of mutual pining, and the sheer rightness of soulmates finding their way to each other, and no one, in my humble and unsolicited opinion, does it better than Jane Austen. 

Seriously, people need to stop obsessing over Mr. Hand Flex™ Darcy for a hot second and start giving Captain Wentworth some love. (As a P&P fan who thoroughly enjoys reading about the master of Pemberly, I fully give you permission to return to your fangirling once you stop sleeping on "half-hope, half-agony.") All this to say, no one does second-chance romance like Jane Austen because no one really gets that the best part of second-chance romance is the combination of, well, half-hope, half-agony. 

But Naina Kumar does. (Again, if I'm hanging out on the wrong part of bookstagram, PLEASE drop your recs below.) 

I remember reading Persuasion on a rainy day and absolutely falling in love with it. I mean, the tension, the forced proximity, the yearning! It's everything a girl can want in a second-chance romance, and as someone who loves tragical romances with a HEA, I've had a hard time finding books that capture the kind of angsty mutual pining and slow-burn ever since, but Naina Kumar totally delivered in her sophomore novel. 
In Flirting with Disaster, Sweet Home Alabama and the snowed-in trope get a big Texan twist and a whole lot more angst (you know, 'cause everything's bigger in Texas.) If you think getting snowed-in provides great fodder for romantic tension of the forced proximity variety, just think about what happens if you throw in a whole hurricane. The storm provides the perfect backdrop for a tension-filled second-chance romance full of heartbreak and healing, and it's kind of the best.  

The romance in Flirting with Disaster is just so tender and sweet. It's heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, and while I'm normally a big proponent of any kind of antagonists-to-lovers romance, this is just so wholesome and lovely in spite of--not because of--some initial antagonism on Meena's part.

I love that the romance isn't purely about physical attraction. I mean, yeah, Meena and Nikhil are older and hotter--which, by the way, can we romanticize growing old together more??--but the heart of the romance is the fact that they see each other and know each other and, well, despite all that, love each other. 

This is a romance that's all about the details--the clench of a hand, the tick of the jaw muscle, the flash of pain, longing, yearning in the eyes, and it's just. so. good. It's a soft, quiet kind of a love story, but the slow-burn just makes the eventual payoff that much more satisfying and, honestly, even more romantic. Like thank goodness there's a hurricane going on outside because if the strongest fires are the ones that start from smoldering embers, this slow-burn is going to burn the entire Houston region.  

But what I love about this story is that there's just so much emotional depth to the romance. Even though the story opens with Meena and Nikhil waking up in Vegas and all that the cliche implies, their relationship is ultimately built on the fact that they support each other and genuinely care about each other. Young love is fun and sweet, but let's be real, young love can be dumb love a lot of the time. But growing and changing and loving the other person the same--or even more so--in spite of that? That's romantic. 

Kumar highlights an aspect of romance that's often overlooked, and that's the constancy of love. Despite the six-year separation, Meena and Nikhil have seen each other through tough times; they've--pardon the pun--weathered storms together and still choose to love each other despite that. This is a story that captures the bittersweet realization that the love of your life is both familiar and foreign, when you mourn the losses even as you relish in the rediscovery of things that've stayed constant, and it's a love story in which the romance happens softly, deftly, slowly. I just feel like it's so hard to find a good slow-burn these days. Like, they really don't write them like this anymore

Except they do because Naina Kumar is out here writing exactly that. There's just something about Flirting with Disaster that feels honest and true, and I think that's what I love about it. The miscommunication trope is one of my biggest pet peeves, but this is miscommunication done right. Kumar does a good job of giving Meena and Nikhil layered motivations, so the miscommunication feels more nuanced and believable. Their insecurities from the past and the subsequent baggage they have in the present are honest and human and, honestly? completely believable. I like the fact that they gradually work through these issues instead of doing the whole kiss and make up and let True Love solve all our problems because real life isn't like that. I can see these being actual issues that an actual couple works through, and there's just something so incredibly sweet about that. Don't get me wrong, the book still offers a great fictional escape--I for one would love to be trapped in a house that I own with my hot, estranged husband--but I think resonates with you so much more because it offers a bit of realism. 

No review would be complete without talking about Nikhil, who is a walking green flag. He not only tends to Meena when she's sick/injured--twice!--but he still has enough insecurities and flaws that make him wonderfully, believably human. He's sweet, he's thoughtful, he's nurturing. I mean, a supportive man who's caring and handy?? Um, can you ask the manager if there's another one in the back because green really is my color. 

I do have to point out a few minor missteps because that's what I do. There aren't really any glaring offenses, so, just a heads up, this section will just be a hodgepodge of things that I didn't love or thought could be better. 

The storm subplot alternated between plausible and straight up ridiculous. Look, as a California girl, I know absolutely nothing about being in or surviving a hurricane, but everything that happens on Meena and Nikhil's little rescue adventure seems a little far-fetched. I'm also a little disappointed we didn't get to see more interactions with the other neighbors. The neighborhood gives off a quirky found family vibe that I really wish we got to see more of. The interactions we saw with them were pretty limited with the whole "stormed in" part of the story, and I get that it's kind of hard to highlight side characters when a big chunk of your premise hinges on the fact that two characters are trapped in a house together, but if you can create a little neighborhood watch crew that will go out into the storm to rescue someone, you can develop the cast a little more. 
Speaking of development, I think the backstory with Meena's parents could be developed much more. It doesn't really come into the play until the very end, but it plays a pretty central role in the overall conflict. I feel like if Kumar lays the groundwork for it earlier--and I don't think it'd take much--it'd make the story that much stronger. I also think the period between the climax and third-act-break-up feels kind of rushed. There's just a little too much going on, and some of the plot points feel a little forced because of it.
 
In general, Flirting with Disaster is well-written, and Meena has a strong voice that comes across the page. There are a couple of really specific turns-of-phrase that are repeated too often. They only pop up a couple of times, but because they're so distinct, it feels a little redundant. I also think some of the metaphors are a little forced or too on-the-nose and that the flashbacks are integrated a bit awkwardly in the beginning. 
In terms of content, there's a little too much political grandstanding. I mean, it makes sense that there'd be some talk of politics since Meena is a lawyer on Capitol Hill, and I will say that it's not overly heavy-handed, but it still is just past the point where it's relevant to the plot and starts to become a little preachy. Like it could be worse, but it also could be better. 

Flirting with Disaster will put you through the emotional ringer (in the best way possible) and is perfect for fans of the tending to a wound trope and heartfelt second-chance romances.