e-ARC from NetGalley.

This story gives Indian-American Sweet Home Alabama, but in Texas. A high-powered DC lawyer returns home to convince her secret husband to sign divorce papers, only to discover that their love isn't dead.

Gawd, I love a well-executed second chance romance. And this book was exactly that. I loved both of these characters and, while I understood why they didn't work, I also genuinely believed that they should. Nikhil and Meena are both such wonderful, flawed characters - in trying to be the person the other needed, they wound up being the exact opposite.

This story made me cry more than once. It made me want to be a better wife. It filled me with anxious desperation for these characters to just. work. it. out. Most importantly, it made me believe.

Plus, the political parts didn't piss me off or come across as too self-righteous and/or preachy.

I thought this was a really beautiful book. The yearning was great and I thought the characters were interesting and multi faceted. I could have done without some of the miscommunication but overall I thought this was a sweet treat!

Thanks to @dellromance and @nkumarwrites for the eARC of Flirting With Disaster, now available from bookstores and libraries!

THIS BOOK IS PERFECTION. No notes. Nothing I would have changed. It hit all the beats. There was tension. There was conflict. There was humour. There were happy moments. Sad moments. Moments of truth and self-reflection. And, of course, a happily ever after.

I know so many people dislike the miscommunication trope, and I think one of the reasons why is because of how accurately it reflects real life. Because we humans can really suck at communicating. We get nervous and scared, we get in our heads and caught up in the “what if” scenarios. We can struggle to express our feelings, our needs and desires. We can also really be bad at listening to those around us.

So yes, Meena and Nikhil wouldn’t have ended up in this situation if they had just TALKED, but they didn’t, and so here we are.

While recognizing that hurricanes can be absolutely devastating to communities, the hurricane in the book served as a good symbolism for Meena and Nikhil’s relationship, and the idea that they think they know what is coming, but they really have no idea because life is so unpredictable. They are forced to work together to rescue a neighbour, lean on one another and trust each other to make it through the storm, and, to the next phase of their lives.

An absolutely glorious book with tremendous prose. This book is definitely going to be a favourite of 2025 and we are only halfway through the first month.

This was such a sweet book.

Meena is a high-powered attorney who is finally divorce her husband, Nikhil. Determined to get the papers signed, Meena flies from DC down to Houston and discovers she couldn't have arrived at a worse time with an impending hurricane on the horizon. With no other choice but to stay with her husband, Nikhil and Meena are pulled back in time and slowly forced to confront why their marriage fell apart.

This created such a great twist on how to created forced proximity. I'm 50/50 on second chance romances but this one definitely hits-- Meena and Nikhil have such chemistry that you can't help grinning from ear to ear when they get along and flirting.

Sometimes miscommunication can be so so frustrating after a certain point, but I never felt that with this book. They each had their own issues to deal with-- Meena's need for approval from her parent, Nikhil's self-esteem --and it all felt like such realistic issues to have and work through to resolve.

This book was great with emotional depth, and you could feel the real connection with the characters. They felt real to me. I think the only thing slightly lacking was the romantic scenes and I also prefer a duel POV with romance books. But this was a delightful read, I highly recommend!

4.5/5 stars
2/5 spice

Tropes:
Second chance romance
Estranged spouses
Lawyer FMC
Carpenter/Construction worker MMC
Stuck in a hurricane
He takes care of her
Angsty
Forced proximity
Slow burn
Single POV

This one had more emotional impact than I was expecting, but it was also really fun. Did these two MCs have major communication issues? Yes. But it made for good character growth and healing. This definitely had Sweet Home Alabama vibes but with Indian-American MCs and diverse side characters.

I really liked that the Meena was politically ambitious and driven, but she also depicted a realistic fear of failure. I would've loved to hear Nikhil's POV because I felt like he had so much he was holding back from saying. The 3rd act breakup got me in my feelings, but it did make the HEA that much sweeter.

Overall, this was a fun read that will take you on an emotional roller coaster. Highly recommend this book for fans of second chance romance and rom-coms.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

Naina Kumar can do no wrong! She is an auto author for me, no matter what she writes I’m going to read it. Once again, this was the perfect rom-com. Laughs you didn’t expect down to the heart wrenching emotions. The characters were easily lovable and one’s you cheer for from the very beginning.

I adored Say You'll Be Mine, so I felt fairly confident that I'd enjoy Flirting with Disaster. I am glad to report that I was right! The foundation for a second chance with Meena and Nikhil's romance was strong given how much they really cared for each other and essentially had drifted apart because neither of them wanted to be an obstacle to the other's goals and desires, and I loved how their independent lives and careers were centered throughout the story. The overarching theme of hometown love was beautiful and the underlying conflict of experiencing conditional love and wrestling with the need to EARN love hit me hard. All that said, I think there were a couple of things I wish this book did that stopped me from loving this as much as I loved Naina Kumar's debut novel. For one, I wish we'd gotten a dual POV in this book as well, because I'm a sucker for yearning and seven years of Nikhil pining for Meena would have been completely delicious. I also wish that we got to see them each work through the reasons for their separation on the page; I found the conversations actually covered in the book to be a bit sparse and rushed. Naina Kumar is a fantastic romance writer, though, and the themes she explores and devices she uses to tell these stories are always a delight!

Flirting with Disaster is a fantastic second-chance romance book set in Houston, Texas. Meena, a successful lawyer in Washington DC, heads home to Houston to finalize her divorce from her estranged husband, Nikhil. She didn't expect to get caught in a hurricane and end up stuck in their old house with him. The tension, the nostalgia, and the fear of the hurricane approaching all create a stressful atmosphere. That stress will either break them for good or help them find a way back to each other. The way Meena and Nikhils story reflects back on their past while trying to decide if a future is worth fighting for made for a captivating book. The romance will make you kick your feet with excitement. I adored Nikhil. I loved the way both characters showed growth. Naina Kumar did a great job of making me feel connected to the characters and the setting. This is my favorite book that I've read so far in 2025.

I absolutely loved this second novel from Naina! It's a retelling of Sweet Home Alabama set in Houston during a hurricane. Meena and Nikhil got married in Vegas years ago, and Meena travels back to Houston to get their divorce finalized. But while there, a hurricane hits and they're forced to confront the reasons for their falling out and face their complicated emotions.

This book was emotional and funny and Naina did such a good job of showing us why Meena and Nikhil still had love for each other, and the difficult conversations they needed to have in order to move forward. I loved that both of our MCs had aspirations and dreams that they pursued and did not give up those dreams. The character development for both Meena and Nikhil was believable and emotional at times. I love second chance romances and this one was just so good.

naina kumar is so back!! 💕☺️

i liked say you’ll be mine (her debut from last year) but you can really tell kumar has found her voice in flirting with disaster! i just know she’s going to be one of those authors where the books just get better and better each time

i really loved the focus on meena and nikhil growing together and showing how people can change! there wasn’t really a villain keeping them apart they both had to overcome their own internal struggles, and the whole book is both of them learning from their past and becoming better people for it

there were a couple pieces of the timeline i personally wish had been moved around a bit, and the predictability of the whole story kept me from rating it 5 stars. but seriously i couldn’t put this down! this was one of the sweetest second chance romances ive ever read and i need kumar to give me more books immediately!!!

I loved this book!! Naina Kumar wrote such a wonderful, lighthearted book that I needed at this time in my life. The main character Meena made lots of mistakes early in her and Nikhil’s relationship. Through out the book both characters grow, do a lot of self introspection, forgiveness and experience a lot of growth! I loved this book!! Thank you NetGalley for this wonderful ARC!!

4 Stars!

As a lover of second-chance romances, I enjoyed the added twist of forced proximity during a storm. It amped up the tension and chemistry between Meena and Nikhil. That said, I found myself frustrated at times because I wanted to shake them both and yell, "just talk to each other!!" But then again, I totally recognize how raw, human emotions - like fear, hurt, and defensiveness - can make healthy communication fall apart. Miscommunication may be frustrating, but it’s also incredibly realistic.

Despite those moments, the characters were incredibly lovable, and the connection between them was undeniable and electric from the start. I was fully invested, rooting for them to find their way back to each other!

If you're a fan of the following tropes, I recommend giving this book a try:
- Second chance romance
- Forced proximity
- Marriage in crisis
- Care-taking

A big thank you to Dell & NetGalley for the ARC!

Solid 4 star audiobook. Well crafted Second Chance Romance, but relies on miscommunication/lack of communication throughout the book, which might be irksome to some readers. I borrowed the audiobook from my library and read the first 10% of the ARC, but I won’t be buying my own copy. This contrasts with my feelings about Naina Kumar’s first book—I can’t wait to re-listen to Say You’ll Be Mine.

First, let me clear up Library Journal’s review that called this “Grumpy & Sunshine” and “mostly closed door.” Both MCs were very guarded about their feelings for the other, but were never unkind. They were very similar, neither grumpy & sunshine nor black cat & golden retriever.

In terms of spice, there was a full open door chapter, it wasn’t slow burn, and Kumar should be commended for including STI/contraception/consent discussion without using the word “clean.” It’s 3/5 spice.

Other background details about the book:

Hurricane is clearly inspired by Harvey (2017). Author clearly lived through it or had family/friends who did. Read with care if you’ve been impacted by flooding.

Seven years ago MCs eloped in Vegas. Book jumps back and forth between when they dated and lived together (married), to six years later (present) when she comes to Houston to get him to sign divorce papers.

FMC Meena, 31, Lobbyist/attorney in DC with aspirations for political office. First generation Desi (Indian-American), born & raised in Houston.

MMC Nikhil, (no age given), when dating/first married he worked in construction, had dropped out of college; Meena doesn’t know what he’s doing for a living now. Half Desi, half White, moved around a lot as a kid.

My thanks to Ms Naina Kumar, Dell, and NetGalley for the eARC. I wish I could’ve finished the ARC before it expired 11/1. Opinions expressed here are my own.

Marriage-in-distress tropes always put me on edge, but I can’t resist their emotional pull—and Flirting with Disaster by Naina Kumar is no exception! This heartfelt story had me hooked from start to finish.

Seven years ago, Nikhil and Meena woke up in Las Vegas... married. They gave life as husband and wife a shot for a year, but Meena eventually left Houston to pursue her dream career in D.C. Six years later, she’s ready to finalize their divorce so she can fully move on. But her plan to get Nikhil’s signature hits a major snag when a hurricane traps them together in close quarters. As the storm rages outside, old wounds resurface, and Meena is forced to confront a difficult question: does she leave with the divorce papers—or with renewed hope for their marriage?

The present-day storyline is a delightful comedy of errors, full of laugh-out-loud moments as the pair navigate the chaos of the storm. Meanwhile, flashbacks reveal the heartbreaking "tragedy of errors" that doomed their marriage, rife with missteps and missed opportunities to communicate. Nikhil absolutely stole my heart with his quiet longing and the ways he’s held onto pieces of his life with Meena over the years. I found myself shouting, “Just talk to each other!” while reading, but the payoff was worth every ounce of frustration.

This book is a perfect blend of sweetness, humor, and heart. I especially appreciated the Indian American representation, from cultural nuances to Nikhil’s experience as biracial. The caretaking moments, the humor, and the emotional depth made this a standout read for me.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the ARC of Flirting with Disaster!

In Flirting with Disaster, the story follows Meena who is a successful woman in a relationship living in DC. The problem is…she needs a divorce from her husband, Nikhil in order to advance her political career. She returns to Texas and the situation gets pretty complicated. I enjoyed the characters and I appreciated their growth throughout the story. The book is beautifully written and there’s a natural disaster, difficult family dynamics, hard conversations, forgiveness, and romance.

Read if you like:
🛶 Second chance romance
🛶 Sweet Home Alabama reimagined
🛶 Forced proximity
🛶 Indian American characters

ARC REVIEW: thank you to Dell Romance and Naina Kumar for my e-arc.

Flirting with Disaster by Naina Kumar
🩷genre: contemporary romance
🎧format: audiobook / ebook
🔥spice: open door
🗓️Available now

📌Book includes: second chance, forced proximity, marriage in trouble

I really enjoyed Naina’s debut in 2024, Say You’ll Be Mine. So when I saw that she was coming out with another book, especially inspired by Sweet Home Alabama - I knew I needed it immediately! I loved the forced proximity elements of this book and the tension that the storms brought to the story. Marriage in trouble and second chance romances are some of my absolute faves! And while I really like Nikhil, Meena really bothered me with some of the choices she made throughout the story. I didn’t feel like she was always being fair or thoughtful towards Nikhil. I have a hard time believing that these two will really have their happily ever after.

This book is a gorgeous example of what second-chance romances are all about: being loved not despite change but with all the additions change brings. The way the characters grow, and their love reworks itself to make space for everything that has happened to them during their time apart, to me, feels like the way trees develop rings as they grow, and each ring holds different events, but they all contribute to the continued and overall growth.

If you like the premise of Sweet Home Alabama, a woman so sure of herself and what she wants but is adamant that her past is restricting her from an ideal future, then you’ll like this book.

If you like stories about women trying to understand how internalized perceptions of who they should be have hurt them in the past and try to stop those internalizations from skewing their future. If you like romances where the main characters rewind and learn from each other’s perspective of the ups and downs of their love. If you like care taking, forced proximity, missed interpretations of what helping one another looks like, and giving both love and your home state another shot.

Then you will love this book.

I really loved this book. I think Kumar has just launched herself to the status of an auto buy author for me. Both of her books have been emotional in a way that I've adored, complete with character development for days, plus they're sexy and full of chemistry. Flirting with Disaster is a Sweet Home Alabama inspired novel, but it is also very much its own thing. It takes the premise of SHA in that it's about Meena returning to Houston to get a divorce from her husband, whom she hasn't seen for seven years. But then the two of them wind up having to survive a hurricane together and the way that this man has pined after her for SEVEN years... Y'all, my heart. And the angst!!! So good.

Nikhil and Meena found love young. Fast forward seven years and they live in different states, lead different lives. But when a hurricane hits Houston when Meena planned a quick visit, they’re pushed back together and the forced proximity make them work through many of their issues.

I didn’t love the way their backstory was threaded in each chapter, it felt distracting - and at times like a drag.

A cute Sweet Home Alabama reimagining! Love that the FMC is career driven and successful but still realizes her desire for love/affection in a partner. I found her to be very relatable! 2nd chance romance is one of my favorite tropes, but it has to be done well for it to make sense and feel genuine and this book definitely did that! Very sweet and easy read.