This unfortunately was a DNF for me at 30%, it just wasn’t quite a fast enough pace for me and at a third of the way in I wasn’t really connecting to the characters enough to continue on.

There was a good link to family and a lot of culture woven throughout, of course we also had the best friends / fake dating trope too. So for those who enjoy a slower building YA, this may be for you.

Fake dating trope? Yes please I am there! This book tells the story of two friends who end up fake dating to hide. Other friends relationship and to make family happy - confusing right? But such a great plot to this book. It was also a very diverse read one of which had lots of culture throughout and was very well written about. I loved the characters in this book and the fake dating was just brilliant. A great young adult read. This was my first book by this author but I’d definitely read more.

I’m so sorry this took me so long to pick up because I really enjoyed it.

I mean so much that I read this in one day, I absolutely loved the ride and the writing was so easy to follow. Everything I like from a young read like this one but also that it had an alternative twist and didn’t necessarily follow the route I expected when I first picked it up. It was a nice easy to read book which meant I flew through it.

Looking forward to hopefully read more from this author.

What I really enjoyed about this book was that it felt fresh - it was a new take on the fake dating trope and that was really fun to see.
You expect this book to follow the typical storylines of a YA romance, but it mixes it up by the end and that was refreshing.
However I didn’t really connect with or like the characters very much sadly especially with the friendship group dynamics I think some of that could have been played out better.

I did enjoy the family aspect in this book, and the way Zara navigates her relationship with her parents – I would have liked more of her mum and dad to be featured.
I think a lot of the popular culture references felt forced at times and will date this book for example the Pokémon Go craze was massive a few years ago but certainly not now.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 33% 117 pages…i’m so sorry but i could not deal any longer…there was too much british talk and slang for me (as a brit myself), the way this book tried to go around the plot was ridiculous and made me cringe and feel sympathetic for the main character as she had no control over anything happening in her life. was not a fan of the writing style and this book wasn’t for me. however give it a go if you like young adult brits navigating sixth form, romance, and family dynamics.

The writing was good and I enjoyed reading about the cultural aspects in the book.

The actual storyline was pretty below average, it seemed marketed as a friends-to-lovers which it wasn’t. There was a lot of repetition (about chai tea, why she didn’t like to dance etc etc.)the characters were not likeable, they didn’t communicate well.

The reason for the fake-dating was not well thought out and seemed pointless in the end.

It felt like it was trying to do too much but none of it was fleshed out well. Quite a disappointing read.

Mixed feelings; it was fun and well paced but there were parts I just felt like I had to skim through as I wasn't entirely invested

I really enjoyed this book, I thought it was quite funny. It's very much a new take on the fake dating trope which is I trope I love so it can be a bit stale after a while but not in this book!

I enjoyed reading a book with characters from an Indian background, and fake dating books usually draw me in. But sadly, this book did not work for me. The writing was slow and unengaging, and reading this book felt unfortunately like a slog.

This took me forever to add here as I had lots of issues with my account but I’m finally back!
3.5/5
I enjoyed this book in terms of the story and I think the author’s cultural perspective was really fun and interesting to read from someone without an Indian background. I loved learning about the characters culture and their traditions.
It was a nicely written book and I found it very comforting.
However for me personally it might have felt a little too on the young side for me and it might be time for me to stop reading young adult romances lol

I enjoyed following Zara on her first big love story! The author captured the pure frustration and confusion of having a best friend of the opposite gender that everybody expects you to end up with and the whole book was a lovely journey of the different kinds of love you can feel towards the important people in your life.

Also - Pokemon Go - need I say more!

Well It was okay I guess. I mean... I do not have anything bad to say about it but nothing great, either.
it was meh, forgettable and average.

As cute as this storyline was I couldn’t feel connected to the characters. Fake dating is one of my favourite tropes but unfortunately I felt it fell a little flat in this one, which is a shame as it had so much potential! I’ll definitely give the author a second chance though

I know this is YA but this felt quite immature to me. I tried to get into the plot and fake dating is one of my favourite tropes but I just didn’t feel connected to the characters. There were good points though, the writing was good and I liked the Desi references especially the food! I would read something else from this author but this didn’t do it for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This Is How You Fall In Love is a cute and endearing romance, with two protagonists you cannot help but fall in love with as the story unfolds.

Zara love Adnan. But just as a friend. He's her best friend. But everyone wants them to be together, they were made for eachother. When Adnan asks Zara to pretend to be his girlfriend to cover up his actual secret relationship everyone is thrilled friends and family alike. But just how long can the keep up this charade and how many people will be hurt in the fall out.

This was a sweet and often naive teen love story. One point I struggled with was Zara's reason for continuing to lie it just didn't see big enough to justify but equally this was a lighthearted read and keeping the issues "light" ensured it wasn't to dark.

This was such an interesting read! I found myself so engrossed in the story, the characters had such incredible arcs, and I can't wait to follow this author's journey!

I did not expect to love this book as much as I did. It had everything you could want from a romance novel with the most perfect ending. Looking forward to seeing what Anika produces next! Promising new author right here!!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I will start by saying the story for this didn't go how I expected. The friendship between Zara and Adnan was cute. I didn't see why there was such a focus from the other main characters for them getting together. While the premise of fake dating was good, I feel like some of it fell flat. Some of the reasoning for her being on the dates with Cami and Adnan made no sense. And I really didn't like how Cami treated Zara after she was doing her a big favor. That being said, the premise for this book was a little too messy. While I did think the ending was unexpected and a bit refreshing. It became a bit confusing at times to keep up with all the lies.
Also, this book was oversaturated with wayyy too many cultural references. I felt like there was a new one every 2 pages. I don't know why there was Pokemon Go when it isn't really a thing anymore?
While this book fell flat, I still enjoyed my time reading it and liked how the book ended. I'm definitely excited to see what the author comes out with next.
(*2.75)

Coming from a debut author I was really impressed with the writing. It didn’t read as a debut novel to me.

From the plot to the pacing and to the writing itself I found this so enjoyable!!!!

This is how you fall in love is a fake dating story that falls slighter on the younger side of YA. it’s very much filled with pop culture references and there’s a few plot twists that aren’t easily anticipated.

My few annoyances were that it did feel a little info dumpy at times and Zahra’s inner dialogue dragged on too much at certain points.

But I really enjoyed this book and would 10/10 love to see it as a movie.

I’d rate it a solid 3.5 and rounded up for Goodreads ect. I was provided an ARC for this book in return for an honest review.