Picture Perfect by Jeevani Charika is a charming and engaging romantic novel that explores the themes of love, identity, and family. The book follows the story of Shanthi, a young woman who works as a wedding photographer in London, and Siva, a successful businessman who hires her to photograph his sister's wedding.

Charika's writing is witty and engaging, and she creates a delightful and entertaining story filled with humor and heart. The banter between Shanthi and Siva is delightful, and the chemistry between them is electric.

What sets Picture Perfect apart from other romantic novels is its exploration of the themes of identity and family, and the ways in which they intersect. The book offers a nuanced and insightful look at the challenges faced by those who straddle two different worlds and the importance of staying true to oneself.

Overall, Picture Perfect is a delightful and uplifting read that is perfect for fans of romantic novels. It is a celebration of the power of love and the importance of staying true to oneself, and a reminder of the importance of family and community.

That was rather a smooth read. As many romance books go many dwell into the emotional state too much that they sometimes just try to keep the characters in the toil for a lot long for the effect. But this book doesn't get stuck like that too much.

I love the Sri Lankan rep in this book! It's a Desi sub-demographic that deserves a lot more representation than there is. The fake relationship in this book is just priceless. I love the character dynamics, the vacation setting, and the pining. LOVED!!!

This was a cute fake dating/forced proximity romance that I enjoyed reading. I liked the two main characters, Niro and Vimal, they were well described and their romance felt true.
Niro is a photographer who’s lost her internal “eye” that helps her set up the perfect image. Vimal has just broken up with the love of his life and can’t seem to recover.
The two of them go to an exclusive weekend work retreat in the Swiss Alps as an arranged couple who were set up by their parents. Vimal knows his ex will be there, he’s hoping to make her realize what she’s missing.
Of course, none of their plans work out exactly as planned, but they start developing strong feelings for each other.
This was an entertaining read, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THIS REVIEW COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.
i really tried to finish this book
fake dating has me on a chokehold, but I was in a terrible slump, so really I wasn't in the mood.
i would definitely try and pick this up again.

Fake dating is one of my GO TO tropes when it comes to romance, and this did not disappoint! We got all the special moments of realisation when the characters were falling in love, and it was such a lovely read!

3.75/5

I really enjoyed this one! The main thought running through my head throughout the reading process was that this would make a GREAT rom-com film. Everything was written so purposefully, the character quirks were well established and I appreciated the South Asian representation through multiple generations.

My only 'qualm' about the book is that the author could've used more time making the chemistry between Vimal and Niro a bit clearer. It started to feel a little forced and rushed at one point, and I think there could have been more 'signs' throughout of them falling for each other.

Based on this book, I'd definitely read more by Jeevani Charika!

Niro is having a hard go of it lately - her boyfriend broke up with her and has smashed her self-esteem and her love of her art. She is working a job she doesn't-love to make ends meet and the aunties won't stop talking about her lack of male prospects

Vimal ex broke up with him for someone more exciting because he isn't able to mix and mingle smoothly and he would rather stay in.

When one of the big sales guys invites him for a weekend away he can't say no because his ex will be there. What could go wrong about fake dating with Niro she needs inspiration and what's more inspiration than a castle with many great nature photos to be taken

This romance was great - I love fake dating and one-bed romance. Both Niro and Vimal are suffering from something and the hope is that they can help each other out.

Some of the supporting characters display outward racism or miro racism and I was glad to see that written out in a book Those guys who say a thing like " you people", or "why do that always"

The one lesson that kept standing out to me was don't judge a book by its cover. I loved the unlikely friendships that were developed

I wish there was a clear ending for some of the villains -so we can officially celebrate that win

I really loved Playing for Time, so I was eager to read Picture Perfect as Niro was a fantastic supporting character in the former. And this didn’t disappoint. Vimal and Niro had such chemistry, both of whom feeling stuck in their own ways, plus the pressure to couple up. If I had one quibble though it was that the first few chapters took a while to get to the main action. I found it dragged a bit and I wanted to just get to Switzerland ASAP. But overall I really enjoyed this. Another winner from Jeevani Charika.

Unfortunately I DNFed after 38%. I struggled a lot to get in to this story. But I had a hard time doing it..... Nothing impressed me or interest me at all in this story. I just couldn't finish it. It was just not for me.

This was such a well-written, slow burn friends-to-lovers fake dating romance!! Plus one bed and a mad dash back from the airport! I loved both characters and how well they complemented each other. Niro finding her self-confidence again was inspiring. Vimal was so sweet and caring, and I loved how they communicated to each other. I also loved Felicia, and I was so happy with the epilogue. Once I reached the part where they are in Switzerland, I could not put it down and I read the rest in one sitting. I'm going to buy a copy for my friend. Highly recommend!

Not my thing.
Empezó demasiado lento y se me confundían los personajes, por lo cual se me hizo complicado de seguir.

I'm not sure why but the cover had me immediately. I'm glad the story panned out the same way. I enjoyed the plot, the characters, and the world building.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THIS REVIEW COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

I so wanted to read this book but got busy and missed the deadline. The book is archived now so can't review it. Hopefully, I'll read it when I'll be able to grab a copy.

4 *stars*

It has grown on me for sure.

At first I wasn't enjoying it as I would like to, but eventually when the story got a bit further I was really impressed of how much I liked it.
I believe it's friends to lovers trope as well as fake dating. After Christmas/ New Years eve type story. Fake dating trope has been the one trope I really have enjoyed in romance books. So win win for this one. I have to be honest I struggle with uncommon names for characters. I tend to get the story mixed up because I don't remember them as I would like to. Okay I struggle with people names in general so it's my issue. ha ha.

This story was really heartwarming and it was just cute and gave me Christmas holiday vibes. Thank You Niro and Vimal for giving me some holiday joy as this year I have no Christmas spirit at all.

Big thanks to HQ stories and NetGalley for providing this copy for my honest review!

Loved It! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!! Really interesting romance that kept me hooked all throughout

I really wanted to like this book but I just had to DNF at 30%.

I couldn't get into the book. The characters were kind of boring and I just couldn't like either of them. I didn't like that the main male character just is pining for his ex and trying to win her back because that is his personality basically for what I read. I needed more substance to the characters.

Something else that I just didn't enjoy about the book was how white washed it felt. Like I understand not every south asian book needs to focus on the asian identity but it is a big part of who we are and shapes us and I don't know I just felt let down by that aspect.

Wow loved it!! Niro is a photographer who’s lost the joy of taking photos. Burned by a bad break-up, she’s in desperate need of inspiration.
Vimal is determined to win back his ex-girlfriend. When he hears she’s bringing her new boyfriend on a group holiday, he impulsively declares that he’s bringing a plus one too.
Their mutual friends have the perfect solution: Niro can pretend to be Vimal’s new girlfriend and join the holiday. Imagine the incredible photographs she could take in the Swiss alps…
She’s not thinking about love. He’s thinking about someone else. Can they fake a picture-perfect relationship – or will real feelings get in the way?

What a unique story and quite the interesting start! Picking up this novel and reading this intro I thought what an adventure this would be making these two main characters fall in love as one is trying to get back with an ex and the other is recovering from heartbreak, but the author crafted this beautiful and it turned out wonderfully with vivid imagry and everything in it was a spectacular read!

This is my second book by Ms Charika. Since I enjoyed the first one, I decided to give this a try and was not disappointed. It was a sweet , feel-good story that gave me some laughs and plenty of smiles along the way. Vimal is determined to get his ex back. He finds out she is taking her new boyfriend on a group holiday and he decides to go too, proclaiming he'll be bringing a plus one. Now all he has to do is find that plus one, whoever she is. Niro is kind of in a slump with her career. She is a photographer and seems to have lost her mojo after a bad breakup. With the help of mutual friends, they come up with a scheme and she becomes his pretend girlfriend who he takes on the holiday trip. It's a win-win, Vimal gets his plus one, in hopes of making his ex jealous, and Niro gets some much needed inspiration while at the Swiss Alps. As they spend time faking it together, things begin to seem more and more real. Niro is not really looking for love, but she can't help but enjoy her time with Vimal, and does Vimal really still have feelings for his ex or is there someone else now making their way into his heart?
Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and the author did a delightful job with Vimal and Niro's story. They were such a cute match and I loved following their journey. Happy to have had the opportunity to read this!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.