Adding Gemma to my list of favorite authors and auto-buy authors.

I am in love with the way Gemma writes. I can see and feel everything I'm reading. The pacing and structure with the multiple POVs is absolute perfection. This really is a work of art the way Gemma has pieced this story together. The story is unique and draws you in immediately. I would have, without a doubt, read this book in one sitting if I didn't have to stop to go to work. It's actually painful to stop once you start because it's unnatural to interrupt the flow of Gemma's writing.

I will be waiting SO patiently for more from Gemma.

Gemma, thank you for believing in yourself and your work and busting your ass to release this book to the world. And thank you for choosing me as one of your ARC readers. ♡

South Asian leads, a criminal family, a fake FBI agent, and a cross-country chase - Enemies to Lovers delivers on chaos and heart.

What This Book Did Well From the start, this book hit the ground running and was able to maintain the tensions between the couple and their goal to get across the country as fast as possible all the way through to the end. I feel like some road trip narratives can drag a bit along the way, but Rai uses it well both for the main plotlines but also for the relationship dynamics between Sejal and Krish.

Enemies to lovers is my favorite romance trope, which means I can hold it to an unfairly high standard and I'm pleased to report that this book earns it. The attraction between Sejal and Krish develops without feeling super rushed past the enemies phase and the tension stays interesting even as their feelings start to shift which can be difficult to pull off. Additionally, there are quite a few side characters involved, but Rai does a fantastic job of making the side-characters feel realized and woven into the plot. Similarly, the South Asian cultural context felt well integrated in meaningful ways rather than dropped in for flavor.

One thing I noticed throughout the novel with Rai's writing style was how she handled the characters' interiority. While it may sound simple, both Sejal and Krish's internal voices felt authentically human - a little profane or sometimes scattered in a way that felt consistent with how the characters speak and behave outwardly. It's a small thing, but it goes a long way towards making characters feel like real people rather than archetypes. I was also pleasantly surprised to find the leads were a little older than what I typically see in rom-coms which makes their personal growth beats land with a different kind of weight.

Additionally, I read the audiobook and would definitely recommend it! Both narrators handled their POVs very well and I feel like their performances made the book even more enjoyable for me!

Where It Fell Short for Me Overall, I really loved the book, but there were a few minor critiques that I noted along the way.

The first real physical intimacy caught me a little off guard. This very much could be personal preference, but I don't think I was fully bought into the couple at that point and I might have enjoyed a little more angsty tension. However the tension between the couple stayed interesting the whole way through, so it didn't reduce my enjoyment of the book.

There were also a couple of minor continuity or research gaps - nothing plot-breaking, but the kind of details that briefly pulled me out of the story. Similarly, one plotline is resolved off page, which left me a little disappointed. The resolution of that plotline itself was still satisfying, but I would have loved to experience it in real time rather than after the fact.

As a very, very minor note, the personal growth arcs wrap up with some moments that felt a little over explained to me. It's a very brief stumble near the end, but those moments did pull me out of the book briefly.

Final Thoughts & Opinions This was my first Alisha Rai book, but it won't be my last. This is an easy book to recommend particularly for rom-com fans who look for genuine stakes and leads who feel like adults navigating adult complications if that makes sense. If you also love enemies to lovers but have been burned by books that sped run the enemies part, this one is more careful than most. If you are a fan of Helen Hoang, I think you would appreciate Rai's warm, character-driven romance that takes the emotional work seriously.

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

TL;DR: Do I recommend it? Yes! Would I continue reading if this was series?: Yes!

Star Score Breakdown Personal Enjoyment: 4.5 Overall Execution: 4.25 Writing Craft & Quality: 4.25 Plot: 4 Characters: 4.75 Final Raw Score: 4.35