Fake dating, friendship, maybe love? What could go wrong? Oh, and a pani puri contest. Nisha Sharma’s Dating Dr. Dil has it all.
Vanilla and spice mixed with everything (mostly) nice. But, under no circumstances will there be cinnamon. Kareena is allergic, after all. Even Prem knows that.
Kareena Mann is more robust than most. Yet, with her family’s overburdening timeframes and unhelpful critiques, she still manages to look after her clients and look for love. As a successful lawyer, small-time mechanic, and hopeful future homeowner, the only thing is missing love.
For Prem Verma, love is the last thing he needs. But, as he works toward funding his clinic and successfully explains why love marriages damage your heart on his talk show, love and life stir up a different plan.
From a chance encounter to a rage-induced coffee toss, we see Kareena and Prem navigate friendship, conflicting interests, and eventually love.
Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma is a witty, ground-breaking masterpiece. Not only does it tackle many significant stigmas and issues within the South-Asian community, but it also accentuates the beauty of the culture.
For starters, the long-lived debate of love versus arranged marriages is finally tackled in a way that doesn’t prove one victorious over the other. Instead, it’s clear that Sharma is trying to prove that relationships have roots, and how those roots take hold differs across the relationship. What works for some may not work for others, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work for anyone.
Kareena’s parents had a love marriage; however, it came with its suffering when they lost each other. Prem’s parents have an arranged marriage, and despite the mutual respect and after-the-fact love, it has its challenges. Every relationship has challenges, and adaptability is the only quality that will withstand the test of time.
In the end, it feels like a mix of both for Prem and Kareena. Not to mention, an added rom-com trope for the readers (cough, fake dating, cough cough). Kareena and Prem show us a friendship that blooms out of a mutual understanding, which turns to genuine care.
Prem protects Kareena fiercely. He sees the crap that her family puts her through, and he puts every. single. one of them in their place. Kareena understands him and doesn’t push him past his limits, but she does know her worth. So, she works hard to keep her worth in her relationships, family, and community.
Speaking of Kareena valuing her worth: She manages to convince her father to lower the asking price, be brutally honest with her grandmother and sister, and fight off all the aunties who push about her age. She also surrounds herself with people who love her.
Dating Dr. Dil outlines some of the beauties of South-Asian culture. Readers get a taste of what authentic South-Asian dress, customs, food, and gatherings are like — beautiful, chaotic, and after about two hours, you need some fresh air. So, don’t mind me as I scream about pani puri and the boys having a scarf-flicking sherwani entrance.
We also see a different brigade of aunties. The supportive, loving, mildly terrifying ones know everything down to your social security number. The ones who care for their friend’s daughter. They make sure the man is suitable for one of their own.
This book also tackles so many important issues for South-Asian women. Not only the stigma of weddings and age, but also a critical topic on health. South-Asian women and many women of colour have delayed healthcare access and testing. Prem’s clinic plans to put South-Asian women first, ensuring they take care of themselves and receive the appropriate care.
The novel has everything. Laughter, pain, beauty, and just the right amount of romance. The dual point of view allows the reader to understand the struggles and traumas from both perspectives: one as a South-Asian woman, one from a lack of emotional security, and both reeling from loss.
Nisha Sharma captures raw accuracy in a rom-com masterpiece. It’s a book I couldn’t put down; in fact, “was it normal to want to cancel and go home to read?”
⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑
Synopsis Below.
Nisha Sharma’s new romantic comedy features enemies to lovers, a cast of best friends, and a gaggle of aunties determined to make a match.
Hi! I’m Kareena Mann. As cheesy as it sounds, I’m looking for my soulmate. In four months. And he must gain the approval of my meddling aunties.
Kareena dreams of having a perfect love story like her parents did. That’s why on the morning of her thirtieth birthday, she’s decided to suit up and enter the dating arena. When her widowed father announces he’s retiring and selling their home after her sister’s engagement party, Kareena makes a deal with him. If she can find her soulmate by the date of the party, he’ll gift her the house, and she’ll be able to keep her mother’s legacy alive.
Hi, I’m Dr. Prem Verma, host of the Dr. Dil Show. Prem means love, Dil means heart, and I’m a cardiologist. Don’t let my name fool you. I only fix broken hearts in the literal sense.
Prem doesn’t have time for romance, which is why it’s no surprise when his first meeting with Kareena goes awry. Their second encounter is worse when their on-air debate about love goes viral. Now Prem’s largest community center donor is backing out because Prem’s reputation as a heart-health expert is at risk. To get back in his donor’s good graces, he needs to fix his image fast, and dating Kareena is his only option.
Even though they have warring interests, the more time Prem spends with Kareena, the more he thinks she’s might actually be the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. In this Taming of the Shrew re-imagination, for Prem and Kareena to find their happily ever after, they must admit that hate has turned into fate.
Dating Dr. Dil is available wherever books are sold.
