I received an ARC of this book from the publisher on netgalley.

The premise of the book was fun - not original, but it doesn’t need to be for me to like them as long as the romance and the characters are there. Annika is a freelancer who loves to travel and doesn’t like staying in one place too long, she doesn’t want to settle down but is feeling the pressure from her family and cultural background so she’s looking for a fake boyfriend to appease everyone while she’s home.

Fake dating, childhood nemesis to lovers, proximity. All the ingredients are there for a great story.

Where it didn’t work for me was the main character. I found her unlikable and she didn’t grow at all from start to finish. Yes, she mentioned she didn’t want to compromise for anyone but when everyone bends backwards for you, you should maybe try to help. She’s very set in her ways. She was also judging her friends for having “given up” and settling down which I didn’t necessarily appreciate..

The story was a bit repetitive. The amount of times sold elements were repeated word for word was actually wild. But then there are some storylines or events that are very abrupt even though you’d kind of expect for them to be elaborated on..

I was excited for it because fake dating is one of my favourite tropes but if they had decided to end the agreement, I wouldn’t have bat an eye.

The love arrangement by Ruby Basu

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to netgalley, HQ digital and Kay Ruby Basu for the opportunity to read this book.

I personally wouldnt say there was much of an enemies to lovers aspect here so if you're going into it expecting that you might be disappointed. Theres more telling than showing when it comes to this pair, the book tells us this guy is obnoxious and they don't necessarily like each other. But when they meet he's perfectly nice and it seems be a very one sided disliking.

I'm not sure how I feel about making them a no strings situation but then referring to it as making love. Seems like two different mind sets but it's a minor issue in the scheme of things.

I really enjoyed the cultural aspects of this book, especially the details about weddings and learning the dances. I also liked the way the books shows the value of compromise and expectations in a relationship. The ending keeps this theme going and fits the characters well.

In terms of the fake dating there's always a risk that the reasonings behind it will fall flat but both have a valid reason in this storyline and I really think that helps the romance aspect feel more real.

Overall I've given this 3.5 stars as the enemies to lovers wasn't quite as prevalent as I hoped but its still a good well written book.

This just wasn't the book for me. I struggled to connect with the plot, the romance or the characters and overall, it just fell flat for me. Honestly, I didn't think there was anything memorable about the story and I'm just disappointed because the blurb sounded really intriguing.

Light hearted, funny love story! Anikka has told her family she has a boyfriend to please her family, however she hadn’t but needs to find one as her parents want to meet him. She goes to speed dating to try and find a suitor but can’t find what she is looking for! In the hotel she stumbles into a family friend. They strike a deal and it all works out that they have a fake relationship to please her parents. Rav and Annika however fall in love but what happens?

This book was absolutely fab!! If you love Fake Dating this one is absolutely for you, it's one of my favourite tropes and I loved the way it was executed in this. They were also childhood rivals and grew up together so they had a bunch of history and memories and it was just great to see their relationship develop. Annika is a very independent, career orientated woman who doesn't want a relationship but needs someone to pretend to be her long-ish term boyfriend to take to family events. Which is when she accidentally bumps into Rav, they grew up in the same community and she felt as though she was always competing with him. He is a serious Business Man and she is a fun extroverted woman, who loves her job and knows what she wants from life. There is the usual 'just don't fall in love with me' 'as if that would ever happen' vibes and it is just GREAT. I loved their dynamic, I loved the way they interacted I LOVED THE ENDING!! The sex scenes are fade to black which tbh I think some tasteful spice would have possibly made it a 5 star but I understand that not all authors want to or feel comfortable writing scenes like that so totally fine. Overall a super enjoyable quick romance read.

Thank you to netgallery and HarperCollins UK HQ for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Annika loves her travel-heavy lifestyle. Her world is arranged just the way she wants it to be. Unfortunately, all the travelling and working in remote places isn't exactly conducive to a long term relationship. But, when she impulsively blurts out to her parents that she has a boy friend ... she needs to produce one.
Enter Rav, Annika's childhood nemesis turned handsome entrepreneur. He needs someone to pretend to be his partner for a business thing. It's the perfect arrangement. It's almost a shame it has to end, really...

I enjoyed reading The Love Arrangement. Annika is driven and stubborn. Rav is wonderfully intense. I loved the way the family navigated the Indian and British parts of themselves.
I especially liked the way Annika's siblings tease her. I also liked how their interactions as children led her to think of Rav as this pain-in-the-bum nemesis and for Rav to think of her as aloof and unattainable.

I had a great time reading this book. I received a review copy from the publisher via Netgalley. This is my honest review.

This was a really cute, closed door romance!

Annika spends half of her time out of the country for work, visiting various far flung destinations. She doesn't have time for a relationship and doesn't do long distance. But her parents want to see her settled down and happy, so to keep them off her back she lies and tells them she's met someone.....only now she needs to find a man to pretend to be that someone for the summer! Enter Rav, the man that growing up Annika and most of the children in the local Indian population were compared to, and Annika hated him because of it. They agree to pretend to be in love to benefit both of them - him for work and her with her family.

I whizzed through this and really enjoyed the gentle story. I loved the relationship between Annika and Rav but was a little frustrated it took Annika so long to realise Rav was clearly in love with her!

Whilst not wholly original, the general storyline for The Love Arrangement, fake relationship to please parents and impress business associates, isn’t bad. However I struggled with everything else. Due to receiving this as an ARC I wanted to really give it a chance; if I had borrowed it from the library or Kindle Unlimited, I would have given up at about the 10% mark.
In relation to the story, this is very much a slow burn but the pacing seems very fast. Everything seems rushed or glazed over, events are mentioned and are then over before there’s been any chance for the characters relationship to develop. Any attempt at building tension to create chemistry between Annika and Rav is shot down before anything happens. Even when they eventually do get together it all seemed forced. Not a winner for me at all.

I could not look away from the pages for a second. I was completely engrossed in the story from start to finish… A must read! Left me speechless. So heartbreakingly beautiful.

This author has a very gentle pleasant way with words. Although I expected the ultimate outcome, it didn’t feel contrived or predictable as other books have done. I loved the characters, particularly Annika, and I felt they were authentic and realistic - expect that we’ve all experienced some of that parental pressure to make grown up choices.

A really enjoyable read and some fun along the way.

Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book. I was interested in the plot of this book as it is a trope which i love to read about however it did fall a bit flat for me. it was still an ok read, i did like the characters and i liked the writing style. I think i was just expecting more,

As a south Asian woman. I love to read anything that has characters that I can relate to, and this was definitely one of those. I loved Annika’s character and her connection with Rav is adorable. The story as well paced and easy to follow and has all the major tropes that are usually at the top of every romance fanatic.

Will definitely be reading future titles by the author

Rating: 3-3.5 stars

Tropes: fake dating, enemies to lovers, Indian culture and dating/marriage

The whole having a fake boyfriend/fiancé to keep family/your business happy is (in my opinion) overused and has gotten to the point where so many books just sound the exact same... However, being South Asian, the book being set in that culture made it more interesting and I enjoyed finally reading a romance novel that both incorporated its elements and did so in a genuine way.

This is a light, generally fun read, but I unfortunately did not find the main characters likeable and was pretty disappointed in how they were written. Annika, for example, frustrated me a LOT - it is possible to have a great career and life, but she didn't seem to want to figure out how to make it work, prioritise etc.

I did like the side/minor characters Tinu and Greg, but they disappeared by the end..

I think the book itself and the main characters could have been more fleshed out, but this is a light/easy read and I'm sure others will enjoy it more than I did!

A quirky read quite funny in places, great characters and well written, it will be a nice summer read enjoy round the pool.

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dnf

I just couldn’t get into this book, the pacing was very slow for me and there wasn’t enough happening to keep my interest. But I’m positive other people will love this book and the tropes written. It just wasn’t for me sadly!

This was my first Ruby Basu book but she'll definitely be added to my TBR list from now on. This was the most beautiful, slow burn romance. Realistic, cute and the added addition of having cultural aspects was really interesting to read. The characters were amazing, and I thoroughly enjoyed coming along and following their story. So so good

I really enjoyed this book, fake dating storylines just really hook me in. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

I really enjoyed this, the family was fun and warmly written, the love story and its development seemed real and lovely.

Well this book was very inevitable over what was going to happen but it had a decent enough storyline to get you to that point with a few wee twists thrown in for good measure. Nice characters you could get into and nothing complicated.