I was drawn to this ARC because as a second chance romance lover, born and raised in Houston and having lived through many hurricanes, this seemed right up my alley! And while I did have fun for parts of it I just really don't think this one was for me. I have so many thoughts that I could write pages but I'll try to keep it short.

Pros: I loved Nikhil, enjoyed the Houston references, and the hurricane all felt very familiar. Surprisingly, I kind of liked the messiness between Nikhil and Meena. The angst, tension, yearning, and longing between these two had some great moments. I had some moments of being annoyed at Meena, but I ended up liking them both.

Cons: less is more!! there were a lot of things that were irrelevant to the plot that went on and on could have been cut, a lot of repetitiveness and pages upon pages of Meena thinking in circles around the same topic and getting nowhere, The dynamic between Meena and her parents made sense for the plot but the whole side story with her sister felt so unnecessary, her sister as a character (in her one scene) felt so much like a plot device and had zero personality, I appreciated the discussions about the political scene in Texas and how public service can make an impact but good god I did not realize how much politics was going to be apart of this story, there were so many details given about Meena's job that was not relevant to the plot at all and the pressure she felt around her career was already communicated without all of that, I also feel like only small things were done to resolve the issues in their relationship that had caused them to break up the first time and their solution was "we'll figure it out because we love each other!"

I do not have high hopes for this marriage.

I was a little nervous going into this because I’m not a huge fan of the marriage in trouble trope but it was definitely more second chance romance. Nikhil and Meena were married for one year and then spent six years apart. Meena goes to visit Houston, her hometown and where Nikhil is, to finalize their divorce before running for office in DC. She gets stuck in Houston with Nikhil during a hurricane and they have the opportunity to air out a lot of their issues. It was a really enjoyable story that dealt with a lot of issues between both of them. I loved Naina Kumar’s first book, thoroughly enjoyed this book, and can’t wait to read her future books!

Second-chance romance + forced proximity + a literal hurricane?? Sign me up. I wanted to love this one but it did not win me over all the way. Meena is a high-powered lawyer who left small-town Texas for a big career on Capitol Hill. She’s back home for one reason: to finalize her divorce. Nikhil is her soon to be ex-husband, the guy she impulsively married in Vegas years ago. He’s sweet, thoughtful, and still very much in love with her. They end up trapped together in their old house during a hurricane, forcing them to actually talk about their past instead of running from it. Meanwhile, there’s Shake, Meena’s new, put-together, career-focused boyfriend, aka the “logical” choice. I do love a good stuck together in a storm trope, forcing them to confront their feelings. I also appreciated Meena’s struggle between love and ambition/her career. She isn’t always likable, but she’s real. The push-pull dynamic was painfully accurate.

While I appreciated the hurricane setup, the pacing dragged a little too much in places. The love triangle felt half-baked – Shake never felt like a real contender. It was obvious who she’d end up with, so the tension felt kinda meh.

If you love second-chance romance, cultural identity struggles, and messy-but-realistic relationship dynamics, this one might be for you! I liked it, but I didn’t love it.

Tropes
-forced proximity
-second chance romance
-opposites attract
-love triangle
-Indian-American rep

Meena, a successful lawyer on Capitol Hill, returns to Houston to finally divorce her husband, Nikhil, but a hurricane forces them to take shelter together in the home they once shared. As the storm rages outside, Meena reconnects with the love and passion she once felt for Nikhil, even as she contemplates a future with her seemingly perfect boyfriend, Shake. Torn between her past with Nikhil and her present with Shake, Meena must decide whether to follow her heart or stick to her carefully planned future.

Take Sweet Home Alabama, give it an Indian cast, and throw in a hurricane for good measure, and you end up with this story. Meena was not my favorite character, so I wasn’t invested in her getting back with Shake, especially after learning that she still had feelings for Nikhil the whole time they were in a relationship. Nikhil was a bit sappy, but his non-traditional journey to finding his true passion in life kept me reading. It wouldn’t be a romance without a big gesture at the end, which this definitely had, and I did enjoy the epilogue showing where Meena and NIkhil ended up in the future.

If you liked Sweet Home Alabama, you’ll love this book! I enjoyed the characters and the flash backs building their story. The perspective of an Indian family was unique, and the family / cultural pressure that influenced them. Overall, it was a good story and I’d rate it 3.75 stars.

There were a two things that bugged me. The first was the focus on their physical attraction. Early on I wondered if there was going to be any real substance to their relationship. Second, the timing. I’m guessing Meena is early 30’s at this point and yet she keeps looking back at her much “younger” self and the person she was 6 years ago. 30’s are still pretty young and I’d expect this kind of lament from someone looking back 20+ years.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

I really enjoyed the premise, the little political portions, plus the Huston TX setting . The storm and all the plot points surrounding that was so entertaining!

But the second half felt like mainly inner monologue from Meena, less story movement. I loved how the author wrote and the second chance romance was sweet. I definitely see why it’s likened to Sweet Home Alabama.

✨ Second Chance Romance
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Vegas Marriage
✨ Love Triangle (ish, not messy)
✨ Politician / Construction worker

I am SO happy I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell to read, and it just happened to align with my 2025 Between the Spines book club, so as I closed the book this morning, I knew I had only one thing left to do.

SCREAM ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT'S MAGICAL! This book gives Sweet Home Alabama vibes, but make it modern, Indian, and for liberals. Meena is an attorney who wants to continue her career as a politician, and Nikhil is a Houston native who works as a construction worker and all around community handyman. They eloped in Vegas one night 7 years ago, and after a year of bliss and then an abrupt end to it all, she goes back to Houston to get the divorce papers signed in order to move forward with her plans.

I just freaking love this book. The tension, the banter, the heat, the passion, the love behind them both. The "I think I'm doing the right thing" but lack of communication was endearing, but gosh I wish they just said the things they wanted to say without any hidden meanings. I love Meena, I love Nikhil, and I am so happy I read this one.

Also, Alan is 10/10, good character, would like to see him "pestering" others for the rest of his days.

This book was so so so good. I loved everything about it- the characters, the story, just everything. It starts off similar to sweet home Alabama but becomes so much more. I read it in a day!

I’m basically sobbing as I write this review because of how beautiful this story is. If you don’t have it go buy it, digitally and physically just to cover all your bases.

Nothing gets to the emotional angst quite like a marriage in crisis but in this story, it was like a divorce in crisis and for good reason. Two people obviously meant to be together apart for understandable reasons, for being complex humans.

The tension had me in a trance, I couldn’t put this book down (I literally fell asleep with it on my chest, and woke up to go back to reading it)

The emotions were enough to light the house down in the middle of a hurricane. This book you won’t regret buying. (Me eyeing when special edition covers might come out because I NEED)

Second chance romances typically are one of my favs but this one sadly didn‘t work for me.
I enjoyed the story, the storm and the little adventures they had to face during that were definitely a different approach to the forced proximity trope and I liked some of the things the characters said that showed how much they still care about each other.
I liked the political aspects of the story, the necklace thing, gilmore girls!! and the fmc talking to her sister after everything in the end was great but overall I just didn‘t feel the connection between the mcs.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

Flirting With Disaster starts out when Meena, a DC lawyer with political ambitions, returns home to Houston to finalize her divorce from Nikhil, a man she eloped with in Vegas years ago. There she is trapped with Nikhil in their old Houston home as a massive hurricane sweeps through town flooding the streets and closing down the airport. As they function in a small space together, they’re forced to deal with their past, their many MANY miscommunication issues, and the feelings they still have for each other.

I love how some of the issues seem to evolve from being children of immigrants, the importance of success to these families, and the insecurity/shame that forms when young people fail to meet expectations. There are some emotional conversations about this (especially in chapter 12) that really hit me in the feels. I also loved the conversation between Meena and her sister.

The miscommunication trope is one of my least favorite but this book really uses it well. It started out so incredibly frustrating but midway through, learning where it was all coming from, I realized that this is probably one of the best uses of this trope that I’ve read.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It has a bit of everything: career, family, found community, and romance. It was moving and honest. I loved the realistically flawed characters who struggle to realize their own value and finally have to choose between security and following their hearts.

Flirting with Disaster is a novel about that love that got away, but didn't really get away because you're married to them still! An Indian twist on "Sweet Home Alabama", Meena returns home to her estranged husband looking for a divorce, but is forced to put her plans on hold when she gets stuck due to a hurricane.

Overall, I really liked this book and being a Tamilian from Houston myself, there were a lot of moments that spoke to me. When Meena is remembering what it was like to grow up in Houston and past hurricanes like Rita, it brought me back to my own childhood at that time. Even the casual way Naina writes the overheard conversation of her parents and how they speak to her with "ma" at the end, was very reminiscent of the way I speak Tamil.

At first, at about 60% in, I couldn't fathom what story was left to be told, but after reading the whole book, I see why we needed the story to run the way it did for character development. I also really appreciated that the story touched on some bigger notes with Meena's career in politics but didn't let it overwhelm the story and distract from the main premise.

This book was a fun, lighthearted and easy read and I gave it 4.5/5 stars. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, Dell, and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

A smart, fun witty, second chance romance. The main characters were both well developed, smart and had very specific ideas of what love is and the life they each thought they wanted. Meena is a high powered DC attorney with a very specific agenda of her life path. It does not include her estranged husband. When he ignores her attempts to connect and and sign the divorce papers, she’s had enough and hops on a plane to their home in Texas that she hasn’t been to since the day she walked out. With divorce papers in hand determined to be in, out and done. What could possibly go wrong? Nikhil is shocked to see her on his doorstep dressed to kill. He also cannot imagine why she’d come to their former home given he is intent on never signing said papers and there is a tremendous and dangerous hurricane coming. Did she not have a clue? Apparently not, and with the impending threat and nowhere else to go they are forced to ride out the storm together. The more time together, the more she realizes that maybe, just maybe she gave up on them too soon and should rethink all that she has so tightly held on to. Can they make it work? Does she want to change everything she has so strategically planned. Forced proximity is the last thing she was looking for, but it also creates an space for them to hash things out, figure out what they want, who they are and what is next for them. I will say that initially I wasn’t a giant fan of Meena, but came around and was rooting for them to find their happily ever after. A sweet ending was exactly what I got.

3.5 rounded down.

This book was super sweet with two main characters that I really loved. They had healthy conversations… maybe toooooo healthy…. and acted their age which was nice. Sweet Home Alabama will also be a favorite and it was fun seeing it repurposed to modern times.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

I wanted to love this book with its unique premise but the romance was not for me. This book follows Meena and Nikhil who at a young age had a whirlwind romance they decided to split up Meena moves on and falls into her career when she try’s to finally get Nikhil to sign the divorce paper years later she finds herself stranded with him while they brace for a major hurricane. This second chance romance was not for me I like the characters individually but when they were together they drove me crazy. The writing was engaging and the plot was unique but the romance just completely turned me off this one. This was my first book by this author and I would love to read more from them in the future. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this story!!!! I love a “we’ve got to weather this storm together” trope and Meena and Nikhil were absolutely adorable in it!!! I love there second chance at fighting for what they want and who they love. Meena especially was such a special
character to me— I too failed the bar exam the first time and could so relate to that level of devastation. I felt for her as she spent years trying to keep herself safe from getting hurt, only to shut out her chance for real, passionate love. and Nikhil is an adorable, dedicated, oh so loving character! I love how he kept his and Meena’s house, made it a home, and then was able to show Meena how his love and devotion never changed over the years.

the way these two find their way back to each other was hilarious, tender, passionate, and so lovely!!

thank you for the arc!!!!

I loved the authors first book, “Say You’ll Be Mine”, so I was looking forward to Flirting with Disaster, a second chance romance (one of my favorite tropes) that leaves the characters stranded by a hurricane.

I personally found the story easy-to-read and the characters likable; I did see other readers relate this storyline to a familiar "Sweet Home Alabama" vibe, which I agree with to some extent.. I can see what the author was trying to do, but it was missing some things for me.

Not only is this a single POV, where you miss the thoughts and emotions from the MMC Nikhil, but it is missing crucial background details and moments which leaves the couple's present day connection feeling underdeveloped and lacking chemistry.

While this one wasn’t for me, it may be for other readers and I still will pick up the authors
next book ✨

**Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the ARC and the chance to read and review. All opinions expressed are my own**

What you’ll find:

💙 second chance
💙 he takes care of her
💙 forced proximity
💙 lots of tension

Wow! This book was amazing. It’s the first I’ve read by Naina Kumar, and it definitely won’t be the last. Flirting with Disaster was beautifully written and a quick and heartwarming read.

The lack of communication between the characters frustrated me, BUT it was all worth it and I wouldn’t change a thing about the story.

I definitely recommend.

This was a really good book. It sucked me in, right from the start, and I read it in one (very long) sitting.

I liked the premise, and the way the author wrote the characters. They were both very charismatic and brought a little extra to the story, thanks to the authors story-telling.

I would recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars! This story solidified Naina Kumar as a beloved author for me. I found myself so invested in the tension and emotions of these characters. I could visualize the setting consistently and Kumar's writing style provided levity and anticipation when needed. It has been a long time since I've encountered a second chance romance that truly captures the visceral feelings and thoughts a person experiences when faced with someone they used to know, but I believe Kumar accomplished that.
Meena and Nikhil are two characters that feel so familiar to me, and I found myself resonating so much with their internal struggles of self sabotage and self esteem. The dialogue in FwD feels raw and honest, and so many quotes from this have been living in my mind for the past week. Between the flashbacks to their early moments, to the present day yearning we see, this story felt fully fleshed out, and I wanted these two to be together 112%. Meena has spent her life living up to expectations and going through the motions, and Nikhil is the man who sets her alive and understands the Meena no one else sees. There is miscommunication, as expected, but I felt it was true to how we all talk ourselves in/out of things we believe we don't deserve, and it felt necessary rather than annoying. If you are looking for a romance with chemistry, angst, and tender moments all set in a literal hurricane, pick this up yesterday!!
I was so lucky to receive an e-ARC from Netgalley, so a big thank you to Random House.