Chasing the Light

4⭐ I loved this second chance romance with strong characters, an Indian flavor to it, and the most adorable romance!

Krish is on the verge of everything in his life going right. His new wedding photography business is getting off the ground, and he's ready to put a ring on his girlfriend's finger. But then, his ex Francesca shows up at a wedding he's shooting, and circumstances throw them back together, and whoa baby. 😂

First off, I loved the Indian flavor in this story. I am obsessed with all things India and Bollywood, so that was a fun twist for me! The romance between Krish and Francesca was adorable, I loved the photography aspect of this, and I loved how it really makes you think about what a 'perfect life' looks like! Warm fuzzies from this quick read. I loved it. ❤️

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

This book hit home for me! I loved the characters and could relate to the many aspects of the storyline.

It is book 2 in "The Photographer's Trilogy" but honestly I felt it can be enjoyed as a stand alone. I will definitely be reading book 1 "Shooters" and look forward to the third as well.

💭 Thoughts on the book
This was a fun, feel-good read about second chance romance and wedding photography. The book also talks about fertility issues but does not dwell into its sadness but rather focuses on not giving up.

💕 In short, the story is about a boy and a girl who unexpectedly meet after five years of being separated because the girl has a secret health condition and does not want to affect the boy's future and happiness. But they realize it is not over.

Francesca is snarky and stubborn, a hurricane at times but incredibly talented. Krish is talented, thoughtful and caring. Every girl needs a Krrish (the superhero) in life. Bollywood lovers would get the reference.

I absolutely loved the ending. Anybody who is big on PDA will surely love it.

Tropes: multiple POV, second chance romance, workplace romance, wedding photography, Bollywood references, BIG FAT INDIAN WEDDING, chronic pain and fertility issues

Rating: 4 🌟
Spice: 2 🌶️

🙏 Thank you NetGalley for having the ARC copy available for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Julia Boggio for the ARC in return for my honest review.

I REALLY enjoyed this one. I will say - this is part of "The Photographers Trilogy" and it is NOT a standalone. You need to read "Shooters" first - since a good chunk of the story refers back to book 1 - and our main leads from that book feature heavily in this one.

This story has loads of things that I love in a book:

* multiple points of view
* forced proximity
* second chance romance
* lots of personal growth
* Bollywood references
* a BIG INDIAN WEDDING
* representation of a character who suffers from chronic pain

Krish is a perfect book boyfriend: thoughtful, caring, intelligent, talented and sexy as f&*K.
Francesca is also a bad b*tch - she's talented, snarky, beautiful, sharp and stubborn.

To sum up this book: This is a story about a boy who meets girl. They fall in love. She has a secret and doesn't want to ruin his life or get rejected - so she rejects him first. Five years later they meet up unexpectedly and they realize maybe they aren't over the other one. Can they move forward, or has too much changed for them to make it work?

But this isn't only a story about two people in love. Throw in an extravagant Indian wedding, loads of Bollywood dancing and you've got yourself a lovely little story.

Wait. There's more.

"Chasing the Light" brings us back to the beginning. Back to characters that I personally fell in love with in the first book. Stella and Connor Knight. We jump 4 years into the future and their HEA might not be as happy as we all hoped.

I really loved that we went back to Stella and Connor (with a touch of Claudia and Magnus thrown in for good measure) - and their story helps lead us into book 3 of this trilogy. And all I can say is - 2024 can't come soon enough. I can't wait to see what shenanigans these two get up to.

3.75 stars but rounding up to 4 because (1) I didn't want to put it down (2) I was truly invested in all the characters and (3) I need to know how this story ends (and I mean the trilogy). It made me feel good.

Bravo Julia! This was delightful.

This was wonderful to read. I struggled to put it down! I loved the characters and could relate to parts of the storyline. Highly recommend!

A really great book. It was so good to catch up with Stella and Connor - even if their lives havent turned out as it would have been expected from the first book. The book really highlighted the struggles of marriage once kids get added to the mix.

I really loved Krish - such a genuinely sweet and caring character. He was really struggling with the decisions he had to make, but you really rooted for him.

But Francesca?

Guys, I know she had very serious chronic conditions, but that aside, I just genuinely dont believe she was a good person. She was openly rude to so many people around her, had zero positivity and no real sweetness to her temperament. She was just mean over and over and kept blaming her condition. Like no girl, take some ownership. Krish had a lovely sweet girlfriend named Jess, yet he kept running after this nightmare of a girl who kept "putting up her walls" aka "acting like a bad lead in an indie movie". 1 star for Francesca - get it together man.

I liked the Bollywood element, but these two werent really practicing in any religions, so there was no actual dilemma as to how they would navigate a relationship in that respect.

I will definitely check out the next book in this trilogy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC. All views are my own.

Krish loved Francesca and then five years ago she suddenly ended the relationship. Krish admires his boss, Connor Knight, and wants everything he has. A very successful business, a wife like Stella, and their gorgeous daughter.
Krish is about to propose when Francesca suddenly reappears in his life. Will they rekindle their relationship? What is a perfect marriage?

Another great read by the lovely Julia!

I was obsessed with Shooters after reading it so it was obvious that I would read this as soon as I could. The second installation follows Francesca and Connor's assistant Krish as they meet after a breakup five years previous. Although this could work as a standalone, I would 100% recommend reading Shooters first. The reason for this being that the previous couple, Stella and Connor feature a lot in this book, (more than in any series I've read so far at least) and I think you really need to experience their relationship before diving into this next one.

Unlike many other books, in this one you are in the heads of the four main characters making it a four-way POV (kinda, they're in the 3rd person) which should be hard to pull off but I think it works really well and makes the storytelling more seamless.
What I love about Julia's books is that the characters are not perfect, they're very real and relatable but at the same time there's a lot of fun to be found in the writing and the beautiful settings of these books that you are bound to love.

Read it! (but read Shooters first!)

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing the ARC.

A second chance romance About Krish and Francesca who were a couple when Francesca suddenly left..
They meet again at a wedding they are both working..
Will they get back together or not..
Good story and characters.
Voluntarily reviewed.

Julia Boggio is one of my new favorite authors. The new book Chasing the Light is wonderful and you will fall in love with all the characters. Happy reading.

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

This is a first time read for me by this author and it surely won't be my last. This was an entertaining, second chance romance that I really enjoyed reading. I wish I had read the first book, though, where the main characters had first been introduced, but I was still able to enjoy this nonetheless. Krish is trying to make it big in the photography world and is well on his way. He is also on the verge of planning on proposing to his fiance, when his ex shows up at one of the weddings he's photographing. Krish was deeply in love with Francesca and five years ago she broke his heart when she abruptly ended things. Now that she is back in his life, those old feelings are resurfacing and feel as fresh as ever. Francesca still loves Krish, too, and she was hiding a big secret when she left. If she's ready to reveal what that secret is now, is it possible Krish will forgive her and give her another chance?
A beautifully written heartwarming story that I could not put down. The storyline was well-written and kept my interest the whole time. The characters were relatable with realistic qualities and I was immediately endeared to them. A lovely story that left me with a warm feeling and a smile on my face. Looking forward to reading more of this author's work!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

This delightful second chance romance offers more than just warm fuzzies. It gracefully navigates through the complexities of chronic pain, fertility struggles, and the weight of well-guarded secrets. But what's remarkable is how Julia refrains from turning it into a gloomy tale; instead, she paints it with shades of optimism and an unyielding "never give up" spirit.

Krish and Francesca are a match made in rom-com heaven. Krish is calm, laid back and casting, while Francesca is stubborn and sassy. Both are very talented and their chemistry is undeniable.

Just like Shooters, Chasing the Light places the spotlight on the dazzling world of weddings and wedding photography. However, this time, it's all about the vibrant hues of big Bollywood weddings, infusing the story with a burst of colors and emotions.

Cute book!! Here are some of the tropes/facts:
❤️Straight romance
🥰Second chance
😬Miscommunication
😶Cheating
🎥📷Videographer/photographer
👰‍♀️Weddings
💊Chronic pain representation
👥️Multicultural representation

I really enjoyed reading this! However i am not really a fan of cheating ): i did really like the storyline and the characters were fun too. I also think the chronic pain representation is important and well executed.

I am definitely interested in the other books in this universe/series, and i recommend to all of you!

thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this entertaining book. It was a quick read and a fun read. The character, storyline and banter in this book make it so good! I look forward to reading more in this series of books.
I just reviewed Chasing the Light by Julia Boggio. #ChasingtheLight #NetGalley
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I loved this! And I was pleasantly surprised that it was a proper sequel to Shooters! I thought it would just follow Krish with little cameos from Stella and Connor, but we still had Stella’s POV and even major plots featuring them!

The romance storyline between Krish and Francesca is angsty, hot and also adorable. Krish is surely up there for book boyfriends. I was so rooting for them. I also loved the drama involved in their work, photographing and videoing weddings.

There’s also powerful representation of menstrual issues, which feeds into a heartbreaking element of the story. It’s so refreshing to see this explored in a romance novel.

My only gripe is the 6/10 epilogue! I adored Krish and Francesca’s story and I kind of wanted a proper epilogue for them! I’m intrigued by the fact that it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger though and excited to read another book in this series 😊

What to expect:

- second chance romance
- forced proximity
- wedding photographer and videographer
- Bollywood vibes
- Cinnamon roll MMC
- PCOS and endometriosis rep
- medium spice

It was a nice read about second chance romance, Julia's pen works perfectly in the story, good from beginning to end.

A second chance romance with women’s health issues at the forefront of the self discovery and self love not being tied in to a woman’s ability to reproduce as her sole worth in this story. I loved Krish and the rest of the characters. I had not read the first book in the series prior to this and while it would have helped fill in some of the gaps, I was able to still enjoy the story. I was a bit disappointed at the epilogue focusing more on building anticipation for the third book and not giving me more closure with the main characters. I’m assuming their story line will continue in the third book. I thought Stella’s early motherhood story felt really authentic and am looking forward to reading the next in this series.

The main characters are genuinely enjoyable people to spend time with. I recommend this book if you want a simple, delightful and a comfort read

Krish’s goal is to have what his boss has, in life and love. But things aren’t all they seem.

When Krish happens to meet his ex-girlfriend again, at an event he is shooting at, he soon reflects on his life and it might just be the chance that Krish and Francesca need to reconnect again.

I loved these two characters, Boggio writes a novel with characters who are opposites, showing us how opposites attract and giving us the perfect amount of chemistry in a second-chance romance.

This novel is the second in a trilogy and I highly recommend reading novel one first as Chasing the Light does reflect on novel one and it is great to hear about our original characters.

This is a feel-good novel and look forward to reading the next.

This was a great book. I connected with the characters. I felt engrossed with the plot. I would read another book by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
This was a great book and I'll be purchasing it for the library.