Girl Gone Viral

Starred review from February 10, 2020
Rai (The Right Swipe) riffs on the viral Twitter #PlaneBae story in this gorgeous romance. Privacy-obsessed Katrina King, a former model turned angel investor, copes with her social anxiety and the specter of her abusive father with the ample support of her female friends and sexy bodyguard Jasvinder “Jas” Singh. Former soldier Jas, meanwhile, is nursing an impossible crush on Katrina and struggling with PTSD. When a stranger approaches Katrina in a café, she flirts with him but says no when he asks her out. Unbeknown to either of them, an eavesdropper livetweets their entire exchange, along with surreptitious photos, and “#cafebae” quickly goes viral. To escape the social media frenzy, Jas suggests that he and Katrina retreat to his family’s remote farm in Northern California until it blows over. There, their true feelings bubble up. Rai handles her characters’ mental health issues with incredible care while not shying away from depicting the effects such issues would have on a relationship. Katrina and Jas’s loving, mutual support of one another is truly touching. This sensitive and sexy contemporary is sure to be a hit. Agent: Steve Axelrod, Axelrod Agency

Starred review from February 1, 2020

Reclusive former model Katrina King doesn't make new friends easily or go out very often thanks to a horrific incident in her past. So when she visits a favorite coffee shop and allows a cute guy to share her table in the crowded shop, she thinks nothing of it. After all, her bodyguard Jasvinder Singh, a former soldier, is watching so she knows she's safe. But her innocent encounter goes viral thanks to a couple sitting at a nearby table, and suddenly she's the mysterious woman in a trending hashtag. When she panics at the thought of people following her every move, Jas sweeps her away to his family's home. Now Kat has another problem. How does she handle close quarters with the man she's been falling in love with, especially since she's getting mixed messages from him? Could Jas see her as more than a client after all these years? VERDICT Rai follows up The Right Swipe with a sweet and spicy romance that delves into some deep issues of mental health for both main characters (severe anxiety and PTSD), as well as the effects of social media on people's lives. Essential for public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, 10/14/19.]--Melanie C. Duncan, Washington Memorial Lib., Macon, GA

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2020
In her second Modern Love novel, following The Right Swipe (2019), Rai dramatizes what happens when a viral meet-cute story goes awry. After she married a famous millionaire, became a widow, and survived a kidnapping, Katrina's panic attacks forced her into a quiet life under the protection of a handsome bodyguard, Jasvinder. One day, in a crowded caf�, a man asks to share a table; Katrina feels no chemistry, and so when he asks for a date she turns him down. But another customer took pictures of Katrina and her table mate and turned it into a Twitter love story. The stranger lies, saying he did get together with Katrina, and she is terrified that she will be recognized. Jasvinder takes her to his family farm, where she helps thaw the familial divide that resulted from his long struggle with PTSD from his time in the military. Rai's lovely, slow-building romance between the very appealing Katrina and Jasvinder will delight readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)