First Love, Take Two

By: Sajni Patel

Narrated by: Soneela Nankani

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

In this delightful second chance rom-com, a hardworking doctor-in-training discovers that her new roommate is an irresistible ex.

On the verge of realizing her dream of being a doctor, Preeti Patel should be ecstatic. But between the stress of her residency, trying to find a job, and managing her traditional, no-boundaries family, Preeti's anxiety is through the roof. Relationships and love aren't even an option. Fortunately, Preeti's finally found a new place to stay . . . only to discover that her new roommate is her ex.

Preeti never quite got over Daniel Thompson. Super-hot, plenty of swagger, amazing cook—the guy is practically perfect. And if it weren't for their families, there might have been a happily ever after. But it's hard to keep her sanity and libido in check when the man of her dreams is sleeping mere feet away. Can Preeti and Daniel find a way to stand up and fight for each other one last time . . . before they lose their second chance?

©2021 Sajni Patel (P)2021 Forever

Critic reviews

"Liya and Jay are a couple I've been waiting forever to meet in a romance novel. The Trouble with Hating You has delicious banter, deep wounds, heartwarming friendships, and a path to love that often feels impossibly hard, and the payoff is satisfying enough to give you a book hangover the size of Texas." (Sonali Dev, USA Today best-selling author)

"With witty banter and fascinating characters, Sajni Patel takes the classic enemies-to-lovers trope to a deliciously charming level. I loved everything about this book." (Farrah Rochon, USA Today best-selling author)

"This is a crowd pleaser.” (Publishers Weekly)

Lots of ups and downs

This book was a bit of a rollercoaster. I was really hooked at the beginning and then the pace slowed drastically to the point where it was soooo predictable by the end. There were moments I was waiting for that almost never came. Also, some of the language used is overselling it.

However, it was exceptionally relatable to see a main character that suffered from anxiety and depression. I appreciate the depths reached in that area of characterization.

Wanted to love this all the way....

I was looking forward to loving this book. However as a black woman I do have some issues of the unnecessary sexualization of a black man. like the " big feet..big donk" comment. Also not Preeti standing against blatant racism from ex boyfriend, and against the community.

I think this had the potential to really break down and educate readers on colorist views that Indian communities can posses and also addressing antiblackness in a cool way...through means of an interracial relationship.

Aside from that this is sort of a very slow burn , but I definitely related to the anxiety Preeti has. So maybe we can try again next time.

Entertaining romance

This had the potential to be a five to me but the lack of steam knocked it down to a 4. The glossed over love scenes are always going to be WHY I prefer Indie romance authors over read pub. Sexy times literally did not come until the 75% mark. It’s sooooo slow burn I had to read a hotter book in between to even it out.

What this book excels at is showing the realism of what it’s like being in an IR couple when you come from certain backgrounds. The heroine is Indian American and the hero is African American. She’s a first generation and he’s a legacy( Black Southern American and butt loaded rich) so they couldn’t have more wrong for each other culturally. I was glad to see that this book highlighted that rich Black folk also have rules and requirements for marrying into their family. More often than not when Blk folk marry into other’s families, they’re always met with disdain and non acceptance while their families invite the nb partner with open arms. While I’ll admit most American blk folk are welcoming, prolly more so than other cultures, it was just nice to show that she wasn’t just wildly accepted just Bc she was Indian.

This book featured some of my favorite tropes but I would’ve loved to see them executed better. Cmon, only one bed and they don’t get down and dirty? That’s the exact reason I read that trope for and literally nothing happened with that. It was just a waste of a good trope!

I did really enjoy the novel despite not being sold on the hero or the heroine. The heroine was sort of cowardly, contributing to anti-blackness by not defending the hero until the last few chapters. Like I understood the shunning their community did with her and her family took a toll on their mental health but the hero said exactly what I was thinking when he called her out and asked how are they your community when they put you down all the time? It was just so much that I almost put the book down. I just wanted Preeti to stand up and be an adult for once in her life and she literally only did so one time in the book.

I also think the book got caught up so much in character development of the heroine that Daniel didn’t get really any character development as a result. He was just blah. Nothing terrible but no one memorable. I think that perhaps AA authors are the best at selling Black men as heroes Bc they know what AA women are attracted to when it comes to AA men and to me he could’ve just been a white guy cuz there wasn’t enough Blkness on the page for me. And yes I know he was wealthy but that doesn’t mean he should read as a yt guy, And he did.

Overall this was a strong solid 4 for me. It was not steamy and that ending through me for a loop for being a little too much on the feminist side for me. I read romance for heroes to sweep women off their feet, not the other way around(unless it’s wlw) it just made the heroine come off as masculine and I didn’t find that relatable. Either way, she’s a great writer and I may just check out her other books! The covers are amazing

Great story but..

Story and performance were great but the book was about 3 hours too long. The main character was a bit grating.

Nice fairy tale or frustratingly unrealistic

Maybe this hit a little too close to home. It all was just too easy. There is no guy that is like this. This story is something I had wished for when going through my own inter race/religion relationship but it's just not that easy in real life.

love love love

I finished this book in a week once I realized it was a spin off from Trouble With Hating You... ugh I was ssssoooo happy to listen to this book I love their tumultuous relationship how Preetie dealt with her aunts after a while and how Daniel still loves her or how hey still loves each other after 6 years ... what really had me was when she was having her attack Daniel remembered how to calm her down with the guitar music that he played 🥺😭❤❤... this book was 5 starts worthy!

Beautiful

I almost lost patience with the main character but loved to see her growth. The story rang a little too close to home culturally so my absolute favorite part was when she stood up for herself and family. Overall a great story

A rom-com book

A cute rom-com kinda book. It’s an easy read that can be finished in an evening.

4 hrs too long

once it is all boiled down, I like the story. exactly what I expected. a relatively light romance. the problem is that Preeti whined for like 4 hrs. once you hit 3 almost encounters, that is all I have patience for. let's move the story along at that point. also, if she matured so much in 6 years and was so set on moving on, she should have told him why she left from the beginning.

overall good story, but too long

New Favorite Book

I loved this book equally as much as, if not more than, the first book “The Trouble With Hating You.” The author’s details and playful metaphors are as captivating as the story. Sajni Patel writes strong female characters, who are vulnerable and deeply relatable. The women in her books make me feel okay to be me, and that’s her magic. Performance by Soneela Nankani was a 10/10 for this book. Will definitely be listening to more soon.