It's been years since Meena has seen her husband, Nikhil . . . years since they first laid eyes on each other back home in Texas, years since they eloped in Las Vegas and she felt true happiness. A high-powered lawyer on Capitol Hill, ready to move on (or at least, she thinks so) with another successful lawyer, Shake, Meena has returned home. This time, finally, to obtain a divorce.
But there's one thing Meena couldn't have accounted for: a hurricane forming in the Gulf, veering right toward them, giving them no choice but to hunker down in the home they had built together. Suddenly, she finds herself trapped amid gale-force winds and pelting rain with the man she once loved.
As they spend more time together, Meena begins to remember everything that drew her to Nikhil: His small-town charm, his thoughtful nature. . . his absurdly good looks. But things make sense with Shake. He’s steady and ambitious and wants exactly what she wants. She’ll stick to her plan, come hell or high water. But will her windswept heart make the right choice, when the storm settles and the eye passes over?
With sharp observations about second chances at love, ambition and Indian American identity, and with characters who share an undeniable chemistry, Flirting with Disaster is a modern romance with the sensibility of a classic. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)
I love the movie Sweet Home Alabama, so when I noticed that Flirting with Disaster is a reimagining of that movie, I had to read it. And it did not disappoint! There are plenty of different nuances that helped Meena and Nikhil’s stories to delineate from the film, making it its own unique experience.
For me, it appeared it all boiled down to communication, or more so a miscommunication between the two main characters that created their relationship’s demise. What started out as a whirlwind adventure into romance quickly dropped into territory that neither of them could come back from and save, leading into Meena’s sudden departure to Washington, D.C. There, she finds more solid ground, and a new life for herself. Her dream has always been to do the most she can on Capitol Hill, and she’s on the right path…but without Nikhil.
Nikhil hasn’t forgotten about Meena, either. So much so, that he had gone out to D.C. to find her right after she’d left him, but he wasn’t sure if he could be the man she apparently wanted him to be, not back then, and maybe not even now. He feels like Texas is his home. The small-town atmosphere, the slower paced lifestyle is more his speed, and Nikhil is worried that he will never be enough for Meena. It propels him to move on and find his own passions, much like she has–but neither of them have signed the divorce papers.
The hurricane created the perfect atmosphere for opening up and facing one another, head on. Both characters have held onto preconceived notions for years, but none of it has amounted to the truth. Has Meena truly moved on? Has Nikhil? I loved the build-up to that revelation, with me guessing as to what decisions would be made, and whether there really is any love left, and if the relationship has a shot at survival. All of that swirls on amidst the weather, which was the perfect parallel to how they feel in those scary moments when they have to learn to let go and be real and honest. Can they pick up where they left off and rekindle what they used to have, or is it better that they come together as who they are now, older and potentially wiser? I really enjoyed Flirting with Disaster and felt it was a well-deserved reimagined five-star experience!
Thanks to Random House for the book in exchange for an honest review.
Also by Naina Kumar: Say You'll Be Mine
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