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A review by swooningandstepbacks
Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.0
I love a good Shakespearean reference, and when I heard that Nisha Sharma was attempting to do a Taming of the Shrew retelling with a Southern Asian shrew, making it a rom-com, and including VERY spicy (think lots of peppers on the Indian curry spice scale) scenes, I was all in. Add to that a fake-dating trope and a talk-show host doctor as the lead male, and I could not wait to begin.
Well, Dating Dr. Dil delivers all of this.
This is what Nisha Sharma has done so well; taken her characters from instant attraction-to-enemies-back to lovers in the blink of an eye. Prem (aka Dr. Dil—Cardiologist and host of a Southern Indian show about heart health) does not believe in love, preferring to endorse match-made marriages or marriage of convenience. Kareena, a self-driven confident lawyer, models her desire for romance after her parents’ love-match believing that a relationship is pointless without love at the foundation. But sometimes the brain wants what it wants and when there’s instant chemistry, Prem and Kareena find each other second guessing their long held beliefs. Throw in a little alcohol, a wardrobe malfunction and miscommunication followed by morning after regrets, and Prem and Kareena find it’s not so easy to escape each other.
Dating Dr. Dil had fantastic side characters in the form of well-intended but meddling aunties. I lived for the group text chats between them and Kareena and also enjoyed the texts between Prem and his mother. Some of the funniest moments were through text communication (Kareena deleting online match profiles, and Katerina’s texts with her friends). Text messages conversations were also used to amp up the communication between Prem and Kareena as well.
But the relationship I found the most frustrating was that between Kareena, her sister Bindu, and their dad. In true Taming of the Shrew fashion, the younger sister is spoiled and the favorite of her father (or so it appears). I felt like Kareena was left to fend for herself quite often while Bindu got a pass from everyone else in her family because she was engaged. Some of this family dynamic is what draws Kareena closer to Prem; without really realizing she needs an ally. I had one slight issue with a scene later in the book between Prem and Bindu that felt somewhat out of character for Prem. The whole scene became a little whitewashed and what could have caused major family drama in real life seemed to just be a little blip with the father.
But I could not end this review without discussing the sex scenes. HOT HOT HOT (the shower scene!) Prem and Kareena have the best chemistry and I was rooting for them through the whole book. As much as Prem wants to say he doesn’t believe in love, his actions towards Kareena are always with love in mind putting her first in every sense of the word. **Side note: Prem calls his manhood “Charlie” on more than one occasion and it completely threw me and did not match the style of the book. This aside, the love scenes are “Chef’s Kiss”; Nisha Sharma knows to to write pleasure on the page.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Well, Dating Dr. Dil delivers all of this.
This is what Nisha Sharma has done so well; taken her characters from instant attraction-to-enemies-back to lovers in the blink of an eye. Prem (aka Dr. Dil—Cardiologist and host of a Southern Indian show about heart health) does not believe in love, preferring to endorse match-made marriages or marriage of convenience. Kareena, a self-driven confident lawyer, models her desire for romance after her parents’ love-match believing that a relationship is pointless without love at the foundation. But sometimes the brain wants what it wants and when there’s instant chemistry, Prem and Kareena find each other second guessing their long held beliefs. Throw in a little alcohol, a wardrobe malfunction and miscommunication followed by morning after regrets, and Prem and Kareena find it’s not so easy to escape each other.
Dating Dr. Dil had fantastic side characters in the form of well-intended but meddling aunties. I lived for the group text chats between them and Kareena and also enjoyed the texts between Prem and his mother. Some of the funniest moments were through text communication (Kareena deleting online match profiles, and Katerina’s texts with her friends). Text messages conversations were also used to amp up the communication between Prem and Kareena as well.
But the relationship I found the most frustrating was that between Kareena, her sister Bindu, and their dad. In true Taming of the Shrew fashion, the younger sister is spoiled and the favorite of her father (or so it appears). I felt like Kareena was left to fend for herself quite often while Bindu got a pass from everyone else in her family because she was engaged. Some of this family dynamic is what draws Kareena closer to Prem; without really realizing she needs an ally. I had one slight issue with a scene later in the book between Prem and Bindu that felt somewhat out of character for Prem. The whole scene became a little whitewashed and what could have caused major family drama in real life seemed to just be a little blip with the father.
But I could not end this review without discussing the sex scenes. HOT HOT HOT (the shower scene!) Prem and Kareena have the best chemistry and I was rooting for them through the whole book. As much as Prem wants to say he doesn’t believe in love, his actions towards Kareena are always with love in mind putting her first in every sense of the word. **Side note: Prem calls his manhood “Charlie” on more than one occasion and it completely threw me and did not match the style of the book. This aside, the love scenes are “Chef’s Kiss”; Nisha Sharma knows to to write pleasure on the page.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying and Death of parent