Girl Gone Viral - Review

Girl Gone Viral (Modern Love, # 2)

By: Alisha Rai

Publication: April 21st 2020 by Avon

400 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

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Goodreads description--In Alisha Rai’s second novel in her Modern Love series, a live-tweet event goes viral for a camera-shy ex-model, shoving her into the spotlight—and into the arms of the bodyguard she’d been pining for.

OMG! Wouldn’t it be adorable if he’s her soulmate???

I don’t see any wedding rings [eyes emoji]

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...

He’s got a [peach emoji] to die for.

With the internet on the hunt for the identity of #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’ every look says he wants to be more than just her bodyguard…

I had some hesitation over the description of Girl Gone Viral. Well, I guess my first issue was it's the 2nd in a series and I have not read book 1. I try not to do this, but I make an exception when the books are companions and the main characters are different from book to book. That was the case with the Modern Love series. I find stories with social media presence being so focal as both relevant and annoying. Probably because I find social media borderline annoying. Yet this certainly steered enough toward relevant.

I wasn't sure how much I was going to relate to Katrina once Girl Gone Viral started. Katrina struggles with anxiety and panic attacks. But her character was so endearing. Katrina worked hard to continue to see the good in others despite the negative things that happened to her in her past. She was unfailingly kind. I couldn't help but root for her to succeed in all areas.

Alisha Rai surprised me by writing from both Katrina's perspective and Jas's. Jas has been in love with Katrina probably longer than she's been in love with him. He has been utterly devoted to her. Yet I appreciated that he had his own issues and struggles that didn't have anything to do with her.

I found myself a little confused with the ethnicity of both characters. Some pieces were specified, but I actually liked that it wasn't spelled out because I didn't have to get wrapped up in the specifics. I could just appreciate the characters' personalities and the human experience.

Language and sexual content are both present if that's something that you'd rather not read.

I didn't highlight too much. There were a couple of continuity things I highlighted. Like one place was discussing a male character and "her" was used. And one place a character's grandfather was mentioned but then he was called the father. But I did have two quotes that I want to share.

- “The whole phrase goes, the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. People shorten it to mean that kin is stronger than all else, but the original meaning is that the bond between nonfamily members can actually be stronger than family.”

-“I don’t mean anything bad when I say you’re nice, by the way. I think it takes a certain kind of strength, when the world is hateful or mean, to come out on the other side with your heart and your kindness and your humanity intact."

Girl Gone Viral wasn't without faults, but I mostly just enjoyed the journey. Katrina and Jas were both characters that I adored and rooted for. I thoroughly enjoyed their story. The relevancy of taking someone else's private moments and putting them on blast on social media really needs to be addressed. People's lives as being ruined daily in similar ways. But I appreciated how Katrina overcomes. Girl Gone Viral gets 4 Stars. Have you read Girl Gone Viral? What did you think? Let me know!