Book Review: Dating Dr. Dil

Wilbur liked the book, maybe because the pink matches his skin! Photo by Kate Ota 2022

Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma is the third and final book from my Book of the Month subscription gifted to me for Christmas. It's a contemporary retelling of Taming of the Shrew set in New Jersey focused on two desi leads, Kareena and Prem. Kareena desperately wants to buy her late mother's home from her father before he moves away to retire. Prem is collecting investors for a community health center focused on South Asian needs. Their paths collide at a bar, where a hot makeout session becomes an awkward entanglement when Prem leaves Kareena with her sweater vest stuck on her earrings. Prem ends up losing investors, but his mother says if he gets engaged, she'll give him money. Kareena is in the same position--her father will give her the money for her house if she gets engaged. But do they do the fake dating thing after Prem declares on his local TV show, The Dr. Dil Show, that love isn't real? Nope. This book goes in a different direction.

I liked that this book wasn't super predictable. I mean, yeah the HEA is inevitable because that's the genre, but romances are all about the journey. I also liked reading about a culture different from mine, because it made it harder for me to guess what would happen and it added in some obstacles I hadn't read about before. Also the descriptions of the food. Good lord, I want some panipuri now!

On the downside, I disliked Prem. Part of the experience of reading a romance is making the reader root for the couple, but that's not what happened for me. Prem came off as very condescending, and not just at the beginning where you assume he'll change. Maybe if I saw it acted out I'd see his tone was nicer, but on the page I hated the way he spoke to her. He was also super possessive, like one step away from pulling an Edward Cullen and watching her sleep at night. Not cute. He had a semi-redeeming moment toward the end, but otherwise he was not for me.

Overall, I think you'd like it if you enjoyed Season 2 of Bridgerton but wanted more desi culture, if you like the adversaries-to-lovers trope, and if you're fine with fairly graphic sex scenes. Not for you if you're more of a chaste reader or not into possessive romance.

Next week, I'll write about my overall experience with Book of the Month and let you know if it's worth the price!
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Have you read Dating Dr. Dil? Did you like Prem and can you convince me he was not being as condescending as he sounded? Let's discuss in the comments!