Girl Gone Viral: the perfect feel-good romantic comedy (The Modern Love Series, #2)

by Alisha Rai

'A fun, sexy rom com that's impossible to resist' PopSugar

'We absolutely adored this book!' Christina Lauren on The Right Swipe

OMG! Wouldn't it be adorable if he's her soulmate???
I don't see any wedding rings . . .
Breaking: #CafeBae and #CuteCafeGirl went to the bathroom AT THE SAME TIME!!!

One minute, Katrina King's enjoying an innocent conversation with a hot guy at a coffee shop; the next, a stranger has live-tweeted the entire episode with a romantic meet-cute spin and #CafeBae is the new hashtag-du-jour. The problem? Katrina craves a low-profile life, and going viral threatens the peaceful world she's painstakingly built. Besides, #CafeBae isn't the man she's hungry for . . .

With the internet on the hunt for #CuteCafeGirl, Jas Singh - bodyguard, friend and possessor of the most beautiful eyebrows Katrina's ever seen - comes to the rescue and whisks her away to his family's home. Alone in a remote setting with the object of her affections? It's a recipe for romance. But after a long dating dry spell, Katrina isn't sure she can trust her instincts when it comes to love - even if Jas's every look says he wants to be more than just her bodyguard . . .

***

Praise for Alisha Rai:

'I HIGHLY recommend' Sally Thorne, bestselling author of The Hating Game

'A fun, hilarious and touching modern romance' Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author of The Proposal

'Girl Gone Viral sizzles with heart and family. Jas and Kat's fiery chemistry is irresistible, fulfilling every bodyguard fantasy' Roselle Lim, author of Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune

'This is a romance novel you need in your life' Shondaland.com

'Rai turns up the heat and finds the funny in modern dating' Booklist

• ISBN10: 0349424055
• ISBN13: 9780349424057
• Publish Date: 21 April 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Imprint: Piatkus Books
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[whisperingchapters]

3.5 stars
I think my expectations were a bit high. I still enjoyed this story a lot, but through most of it, I couldn't really feel the connection between Katrina and Jas.
RTC

[Sam@WLABB]

Katrina had once lived her life in front of the camera, but became rather reclusive following a traumatic event. For the past few years, she had slowly been working through her severe anxiety via exposure therapy. During one such outing, a patron at a neighboring table live tweets the encounter between Katrina and "CafeBae", and of course it goes viral. In an effort to protect Katrina's privacy and make her feel safe again, her bodyguard, Jas, whisks her away to his family home. She was looking to feel safe and secure again, but now she must deal with her attraction to Jas, while they are stuck waiting for things to settle down.

I had previously read, and really enjoyed, the first book in this series, The Right Swipe. I adored the hero and heroine, and liked that Rai incorporated some real issues into the story. The streak continues, because once again, Rai has gifted me with a hero and heroine I couldn't help but love, while also incorporating timely topics in this wonderful slow burn romance.

Katrina was a sweet, wonderful, and caring person. She had to overcome so many terrible things from her past, and was sort of in hiding from some of those things. The possibility of being outed on social media due to her viral cafe encounter was terrifying, and I thought this was an interesting way to challenge those nosey tweeters. In this day and age of social media, I think we forget, that the people in those tweets are actually real humans. They are entitled to their privacy, and it's a story like this, which I hope will make some reflect on such trespasses, which are becoming more and more common.

Then, there was Jas. His affection and adoration for Katrina was so sweet, but this man was battling his past as well. He was a war veteran suffering from PTSD, and keeping it from his loved ones. However, he couldn't hide it from Katrina as they shared the small house on his family's property.

These two were phenomenal together. They had a decade of mutual longing, and I so wanted to see this "thing" happen. The way they understood and supported one another was a beautiful thing. I found it quite touching, when Jas talked Katrina though a panic attack, or when Katrina soothed Jas after a nightmare. I knew they would be ok, because they had each other.

It was great seeing these two grow from the viral experience as well. Their hands may have been forced, but both faced some of their biggest demons. They had to confront things from their past, and it was fantastic to see them come out on top.

Overall: A brilliant addition to the Modern Love series, which examined some serious issues with great sensitivity, while delivering a great and sexy slow burn romance.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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