Sajni Patel

Preeti Patel only has room in her life for family, friends, and her career as a doctor. So when her ex-boyfriend--and man she never forgot--turns up as her new roommate, she's determined to go about her life as if he's not even there. But he's impossible to avoid in the one-bedroom apartment, and the proximity has Preeti remembering all the ways she and Daniel were a perfect fit. But her family doesn't approve of him, and for a woman who's always done what her family has asked, choosing love--again--will be the hardest choice she ever has to make.

First Love, Take Two

i stg this fictional man made me ball my eyes out — how depressing is it that no real man would EVER 

soph 

Keira 💫

lexie

i fucking loved Daniel he’s a work of art.

Kimmy Hobden

This was actually such an amazing book! Not only was it such a good love story, but it talked a lot about some really deep topics (esp mental health) and it rly made me cry how gentle the MCs were to each other despite everything going on in their lives. 100% recommend esp if you need to get out of a slump!

Vicky (A City Girl's Thoughts)

Thank you Sajni Patel, Netgalley, and Forever Publishing for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This light - moderate rom-com features a blasian couple, which caught my attention since I haven't come across any interracial romance novels featuring an Asian and Black couple as protagonists. Touching on heavy topics such as racism between people of color and mental illness stigmas, readers follow the main character as she grapples with her fallout between her boyfriend, his family, and her's due to their racism and classism from her boyfriend's dad). Though Sajni doesn't delve into it too deeply she covers enough for us to understand the protagonist's dilemma, especially between doing what's right and letting go of toxic cultural traits. My only complaint is that some scenes, specifically the religious one's, aren't consistent or make sense. Dr. Patel, the protagonist, observes Hinduism but mentions God when she speaks of Hindu customs observed during Mandir, which is their version of the Sabbath, even though she's 100% Hindu; not to mention they don't believe in God. Daniel, her boyfriend, is Christian but refers to God with a common letter "g," which is unheard of in Christianity. Also, I would've liked to see how they would've dealt with being in a relationship with incompatible religious differences, but other than that, and some of the cheesy sexual thoughts, I enjoyed this story.

SOLIDDDD book. didn’t hit as much as ttwhy. Daniel and Preeti are soulmates fr they were disgustingly cute I loved it. 

didn’t have the feel gooodddd vibe I was looking for tho in my opinion. pretty good book still. 

Sarah 

SOLIDDDD book. didn’t hit as much as ttwhy. Daniel and Preeti are soulmates fr they were disgustingly cute I loved it. 

didn’t have the feel gooodddd vibe I was looking for tho in my opinion. pretty good book still. 

rating: 4/5 stars 

started: 11th November 2022

finished: 16th November 2022

Lillian

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an e-Arc of this book!

cw/tws: sexual harassment (mentioned), stillbirth, anti-Blackness, misogyny

First Love, Take Two is a second chance romance by Sajni Patel. Preeti, a medical resident, is forced to live with her ex Daniel, whom she left years ago due to the pressures of her community. As the two spend more time together, they realize that the feelings they left behind aren’t really left behind...and you’ll have to read it to find out!

First things first, although this book is technically the second in a series, it works well as a standalone, meaning you don’t have to read The Trouble with Hating You to understand the events of this one, although they are mentioned. The romance in this book is compelling - I loved both Preeti and Daniel as characters. Daniel especially is such a stand-up guy, and he’s definitely the kind of person that Preeti needs.

Beyond this, the book also deals with various issues, namely anti-Blackness in Indian communities, classism, and mental health stigma. I cannot speak on the first two issues, but I believe that Sajni did handle the topics as sensitively as she could. However, I’m not sure if I agree with the equivalency of the classism in Daniel’s community with the racism in Preeti’s. Without spoilers, I do think Preeti tried her best to make up for her past actions, and Daniel’s reactions were realistic. The book also touches on mental health stigma, I believe fairly well. Mental health is treated just as importantly as physical health, as it should be.

I think where this book suffered again was that the dialogue would come off as preachy or ungainly at times, and occasionally when Preeti was talking to her friends I wasn’t sure how realistic the dialogue really was. This was an issue I had with The Trouble with Hating You as well, but it wasn’t overly distracting.

3/5

Aditi

The characters were fine on their own but I didn't really believe their romance. There wasn't enough development between the two in the present and we didn't get to see them when they'd first gotten together so it was difficult for me to root for them. 

I think six years is way too long for anyone to fall right back into a previous relationship as it was and I wasn't a huge fan of how miscommunication was the only thing holding them back. I didn't care about any of the side characters and the writing wasn't for me either. The only reason I managed to finish it was because I had no internet all day.

cossette

content warnings: assault, racism,, xenophobia, heart attack (past, off-page, mentioned), medical related talk (complications with pregnancy, cancer mention), anxiety, depression

Kayla 

A cute and cosy romance to add to your TBR!

Sajni Patel is quickly becoming my new favourite author. When I finished her first book I desperately wanted Preeti’s story.

There’s a lot packed into this one but the adorable romance is still shining through! Sajni Patel always writes a letter to her readers with content warnings which I love. Her books are always filled with complex characters who have a self love journey in addition to a romantic one.

I definitely swooned over Daniel, ooh he is going on the book boyfriend list. 

Tropes: second chance, one bed 

I’ve realized that second chance romances might be my new thing. 

Release date: September 21
Thank you so much to @readforeverpub for this arc! 

💛

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?

Jerilynn 

This is a second chance romance that is slow burn. 🔥 This story touches on serious topics such as racism, mental health, anxiety, depression among POC. Gender roles expectations among the SA community. It also talks about socio economic class differences. Strong friendships, unconditional ❤️, strong family bonds between parents and child. This book features one bed trope forced proximity with lead characters with sprinkles of humor. If any of those things  pique your interest you may like this book. I overall enjoyed this book but the slow burn nearly killed me. It didn’t have enough smut for me and when it finally happened I wasn’t blown away. That’s my only complaint. Overall, the author delivers a solid read just like the previous book in this series.😊❤️🎉 Preeti is an admirable character who is definitely relatable, bad- ass, down to earth. I was definitely rooting for her character and her HEA with the  love of her life Daniel❤️

Kathryn

“But my heart, or rather the chemical impulses reaching uncontrollably across my system blasted off that it was still, and always would be, a diehard lover of Daniel Thompson.”

“First Love, Take Two” is a cute yet predictable look at a second-chance-at-love story between our two main characters, Preeti and Daniel. 

Although the circumstances in which they were forced to interact didn’t feel realistic to me, the racial issues that were addressed were very authentic. 

Sadly this book wasn’t for me, but I’m very glad stories like this are being written today.

3/5 ⭐️

Aliyah Manji

Ok so I am literally the world's biggest fan of The Trouble With Hating You, and so I had high expectations for First Love, Take Two and I was not disappointed. Every aspect about this book is perfect, from the plot to the characters.

This book follows Preeti, a to-be doctor who is trying to fight cultural racism within her traditional Indian community. Daniel, a Black man, and Preeti dated for a while before she left him for no reason. This book shows their relationship rekindling and is so fun and romantic.

This book tackles issues such as racism, cultural expectations, mental health, touch aversion, and brief mentions of miscarriage beautifully. As someone who has undergone similar cultural issues, this book almost brought me to tears with the plot. It shows Preeti becoming stronger over time and tackling all these issues.

This book has definitely become one of my all time favourites. Sajni Patel's eloquent way of writing made me read the whole thing in one day because I could not put it down. Everyone should read this book right now. 5/5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this phenomenal ARC!

First Love, Take Two

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