Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - Dating Dr. Dil

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for providing me a copy of this book to review!

The Taming of The Shrew is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, and this book is one of my new favorite retellings. Nisha Sharma has perfectly captured the spirit of Kate in Kareena, while also adding her own spin to the classic tale and heroine. I particularly enjoyed learning more about South Asian culture and communities while simultaneously gushing over an amazing romance and retelling.

This romance book ticks all the boxes for a great romance novel: a perfectly executed enemies-to-lovers trope, lots of banter, a hero who falls hard, and more than just a dash of spice. There were several very hot scenes in the book. Outside of spicy scenes, there are also some cute scenes that'll make you smile like the scene at the Met. This rom-com gave me all the feels.

While I love our leads, Prem and Kareena, the side characters were also endearing from the aunties to Kareena's sister and father. I found myself invested in each of them and their relationships with Kareena.

Overall, I loved this book, but I found myself questioning the logic of the plot in places. Kareena's reasons for wanting and not wanting to date Prem were believable. However, I thought Prem could've found another way to rebuild his reputation besides dating Kareena. As their relationship progresses, I questioned Prem's motivation less, but I did struggle to suspend my disbelief at the beginning of the book. There were also some minor parts of the dialogue where I felt the author was speaking rather than the characters.

Still, I highly recommend this book because it managed to get me out of a month-long reading slump and reinvigorated my love of romance novels. Also, if you're a fan of The Taming of The Shrew or its numerous retellings like "Kiss Me Kate" and "10 Things I Hate About You," be sure to pick up this exceptional retelling.

Content Warnings

kris386's review

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

alices13thdiary's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i might be slightly biased bc taylor swift playlist at the end & the 10 things i hate about you inspired cover > anything else. but i read the entire book in 1 sitting because i could Not put it down, it was so good and comforting. i was so invested in every line, every character, every joke, everything, it was just so well written.

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jessgreads's review

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⬜

Title: Dating Dr. Dil

Author: Nisha Sharma

Genre: Romance

Setting: New Jersey

Month Read: March 2022

Book Type: Hardcover

Publication: 2022

Publisher: Avon / HarperCollins

Pages: 364

*March Book of the Month Pick

TRIGGER WARNING-

Sexual Themes / Grieving / Light (?) Emotional Abuse (via family)

"Kareena couldn't stand there anymore, faking nice, pretending everything was going to be part of a happily ever after. None of this was real."

No Spoiler Summary:

Dating Dr. Dil is a contemporary retelling of The Taming of the Shrew focusing on Kareena (a hopeless romantic, single, thirty year old Indian woman in New Jersey who still lives at home) and Dr. Prem Varma (a doctor and tv host who doesn't believe in love). Both need to be engaged in a number of months, Kareena so she can secure her dowry and buy her family home, and Prem needs to secure funding for his South Asian centered family clinic that he hopes to build.

Will things work out the way that Prem and Kareena hope when they agree to be fake-engaged? Or will true love ultimately win in the end?

Review:

I'm obsessed. I think the premise is one of the most fun, most original premises I've heard for a contemporary romance series in a little while, and setting it with Indian characters is really fun to read about. For whatever reason I am really into Indian romances, which started a while back when I picked up a copy of When Dimple Met Rishi, and finally delving into non YA Indian romances was so much spicier! I truly loved it.

Kareena is really relatable, and really likable, and you want to root for her throughout the book. I felt really similarly about Prem, as well, and the split narrations were *chef's kiss*. The side characters are both the best and the worst (love to hate em!), and if you don't want to throw down with Dadi or Bindu by the end of this book, you're better than I am.

If you, like me, have exhausted the works of Evie Dunmore, Emily Henry, Helen Hoang, Casey McQuiston, and you'll find a great new author in Nisha Sharma. It's fresh, it's spicy, it's original, and I think Book of the Month should be applauded at putting such a great book in front of us. I'm extremely happy I last minute switched this into my box because I wanted to hold off at first. (That would have been SUCH a mistake.)

See more reviews at: https://jessgreads.wixsite.com

"I can't believe that after all these months, you still can't just come out and say that you're wrong and I was right."

Content Warnings

ednam0dewannabe's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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