Review: Alisha Rai’s First Comes Like is a good old-fashioned romance

Alisha Rai is a queen of steam in the romance book world, but the third entry in her Modern Love series — First Comes Like — has sweeter and more old-fashioned romantic aspirations that culminate in a fake-dating plot turned into a marriage courtship.

If you’re looking for a light read with bashful but assertive leads — thrown together by nefarious circumstances and kept together by mutual support and an endearing fondness for one another, of course — then this is the book for you.

Jia Ahmed is a beauty expert and an influencer who’s been in the game long enough to be considered a grandma by internet standards. Her family, however, still doesn’t see the point of her career. Described by her twin Ayesha as being “too much,” Jia is often in conflict with her family over her choices.

They saw dropping out of medical school, moving out to California, and focusing on her beauty brand as a mistake. She saw it as an opportunity, which is how she sees life in general — a position that her parents find to be too free-spirited when they’d prefer she be cautious.

First Comes Like is a romance with a courtship that burns slow

Throwing caution to the wind, however, is how Jia meets Dev, a Bollywood star and member of the famous Dixit family. Tired of Dev giving her the runaround about meeting in person, Jia goes to see him when she catches word of a party he’s attending.

Her plans go awry when it’s made clear that not only is Dev not the person she’s been talking to for over a year, but also that he wasn’t even aware someone had been using his social media account to DM her. It’s an embarrassing and hurtful situation that still manages to put the two on the path to love.

First Comes Like is the lightest book in Rai’s Modern Love series. While Dev is dealing with complicated grief concerning his brother and learning how to parent his teenage niece, this romance isn’t an extended exploration of mental health like its predecessor, Girl Gone Viral. And though it does focus on Jia’s career and her parents thoughts on it, workplace harassment and corporate sabotage aren’t a part of the narrative like in The Right Swipe.

So what you get is a slow-burn romance primarily about support, which is surprisingly refreshing considering it’s prompted by the drama of catfishing. Dev and Jia are both unhappy in their work when they come into each other’s lives. He’s starring in a bland American drama that’s meant to be his vehicle into Hollywood, and she’s growing tired of her brand in its current state.

Together the pair liven each other up and deal with the ensuing attention brought on by an ill-timed paparazzi shot. But their fake dating is a ploy to calm Jia’s more conservative family than it is to bait the Indian press, so the not-couple build an easy friendship that simmers with chemistry and desire.

I can’t speak to the representation of Islam in First Comes Like or how Jia presents her faith both in dress and in practice, but I can say that her being a Muslim from a Pakistani family is integral to her character. As is her need to have a connection with someone before developing sexual attraction. Neither piece of her characterization is incidental or tacked on in a way that’s easily forgettable.

The same can be said for Dev whose parents were Muslim and Hindu, respectively, which plays into his family background and the initial estrangement between him and his grandparents prior to his parents’ deaths. Propriety, respect, and appearances are major factors in why Dev and Jia choose to pretend to date. They’re also why marriage and courtship are more important elements to this romance than sexual exploration.

First Comes Like is a welcome addition to Rai’s body of work. Not only because it’s sedated pace allows for a story grounded in partnership and what that looks like, but also because the romance is such a good low-stakes read. It’s the perfect book to dive into if you want to feel good and root for a pair of newbies to love and relationships.

First Comes Like is available now in print, audio, and e-book format.