Book: Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma
Source: I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: March 15th, 2022
Pages: 352
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Today’s review is for a book that I definitely underestimated! I requested Dating Dr. Dil because of its synopsis. It seemed like a cute, if pretty standard, enemies to lovers romance that I was happy to give a chance. But what I ended up getting from this book was so much more than I expected!
Dating Dr. Dil follows Kareena, who’s on a deadline to find her true love so that she can get engaged, which will allow her to inherit some money in order to pay for her family home, which will otherwise be put up for sale. Prem is a cardiologist and talk show host that doesn’t believe in love. When Kareena confronts Prem publicly about his views on love, Prem loses the funding he needs to finally start building a clinic that focuses on South Asian health care. The solution is simple. Kareena and Prem must fake date and get engaged to repair Prem’s reputation, and allow Kareena to inherit the money she so desperately wants. But with such different views on love, is it possible for these two to build any sort of relationship, even if it’s fake?
You might be able to tell just from the synopsis alone, but this is a very layered book. Both of the main characters are complex individuals that are struggling to balance a number of things throughout the course of this novel. What I love is that while the romance is definitely front and center, all of their goals and dreams and hopes are continuously addressed throughout the book. Prem has the clinic he wants to create, Kareena has her home and car that she’s working on refurbishing as a tribute to her deceased mother, and it’s clear to see how important these driving forces are throughout the book.
But lest you think that a book dealing with so many topics, from South Asian health disparities to keeping a connection with those who have passed on, is heavy or sad in any way, let me set the record straight. This is a very entertaining, and downright funny book! The little snippets from Indians Abroad News and Kareena’s online dating escapades were fantastic, but even just in general, I was unable to keep track of the amount of times I laughed out loud during certain scenes or conversations, because there were so many instances. It takes an incredible talent to balance these important topics with this lighthearted tone, but this book did it seamlessly!
Another aspect that I thought was handled perfectly, was the development of the relationship and eventual romance between Prem and Kareena. Things are quite complicated between them, with each of them having very different motivations and reasons for either wanting or not wanting to fake this engagement. However, throughout it all these two have very open communication about what it is they want. Their relationship may get messy at times, but these two always make it clear to one another what they need, and the story is that much stronger because of it.
I also really enjoyed how this book tackled complicated family relationships. Kareena doesn’t have the best relationship with her grandmother, sister, or father, but there was a lot of nuance to why these relationships were this way, whether it stemmed from grief, cultural expectations, immigrant expectations, or some other complicated reason. This helped these relationships have a lot of depth, and inspired many conversations throughout the book that I really enjoyed reading about. And thankfully, Kareena has a support system through her friends and her aunties, so that she’s not left to fend for herself throughout the book. While I do think that these characters were the least fleshed out, I still appreciated that they were there for Kareena when she needed them most.
4.5 Stars
In the end I gave this book 4.5 stars! This book is fun, funny, steamy, and has so many fantastic conversations throughout. I enjoyed myself thoroughly and I’d recommend it to any romance lover, whether you’re new to the genre or an old fan!
Paper Procrastinators 
This one sounds great, Malka. It sounds like a very multi-faceted read–just what I love!
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It was really such a great read, and definitely multi-faceted! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did if you decide to pick it up!
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Wonderful review! I love when a book is more layered than I expected but it still balances out all the elements really well. This sounds like such a fantastic read and I’m even more excited to get my hands on it now 😃
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Thank you! SAME! I very much appreciated how this was very much a rom-com, but also had so many other themes woven throughout. It’s rare to find something so well balanced!
And it really was a fantastic read! I hope you love it when you get a chance to read it!
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I have seen this around the book community and I can’t wait to read it!! This seems like an amazing book and I loved your review 🥰
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I’ve seen it around too, and it makes me so happy to see this book receiving so much love! It really was such a great book, and I just hope you love it as much as I did when you get a chance to pick it up!
Thank you! 💕
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