Girl Gone Viral: A Novel

by Alisha Rai

Overview

In Alisha Rai’s second novel in her Modern Love series, a reclusive investor goes viral, shoving her into the world's spotlight—and into the arms of the bodyguard she’s 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 random guy at a coffee shop; the next, a stranger has live-tweeted the entire encounter with a romantic meet-cute spin and #CafeBae has the world swooning. Going viral isn't easy for anyone, but Katrina has painstakingly built a private world for herself, far from her traumatic past. Besides, everyone has it all wrong...that #CafeBae bro? He 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 and possessor of the most beautiful eyebrows Katrina's ever seen, offers his family's farm as a refuge. Alone with her unrequited crush feels like a recipe for hopeless longing, but Katrina craves the escape. She's resigned to being just friends with Jas—until they share a single electrifying kiss. Now she can't help but wonder if her crush may not be so unrequited after all...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062878137
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	04/21/2020
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	127,994
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Alisha Rai pens award-winning contemporary romances and her novels have been named Best Books of the Year by Washington Post, NPR, Amazon, Entertainment Weekly, Kirkus, and Cosmopolitan Magazine. When she’s not writing, Alisha is traveling or tweeting. To find out more about her books or to sign up for her newsletter, visit www.alisharai.com.  

Editorial Reviews

★ 02/10/2020

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 (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Rai's lovely, slow-building romance between the very appealing Katrina and Jasvinder will delight readers." 

Booklist

"The second book in Rai’s Modern Love series, this is a romance novel you need in your life… The true takeaway from this novel is Rai's artful depiction of how, with the right communication and care, two people can work through mental health issues to find meaningful love.

Shondaland.com (Five Books to Read in April)

Rai’s GIRL GONE VIRAL sizzles with heart and family. Jas and Kat's fiery chemistry is irresistible, fulfilling every bodyguard fantasy. This book satisfies as much as Kat’s sourdough waffles.

Roselle Lim

"Rai's lovely, slow-building romance between the very appealing Katrina and Jasvinder will delight readers." 

Booklist

2020-01-27
The dangers of fame in the internet era draw a former model and her longtime bodyguard closer together.

Katrina King is a retired model–turned–successful angel investor. She has battled debilitating anxiety and panic attacks all her life, thanks in part to her abusive and controlling father, but became terrified of venturing far from her well-secured home after she was kidnapped 10 years ago. She has a loyal, honest, and incredibly good-looking bodyguard in Jasvinder Singh, who also helps run her many ventures. Katrina has had a deep crush on Jas for years but is reluctant to risk their friendship by making a move. She's finally ready to try some exposure therapy at a local cafe when she becomes the subject of a viral social media post. When Katrina is endangered by the ensuing publicity, they retreat to Jas' family’s farm north of Sacramento. Jas is an Army vet with PTSD from a horrifying event that left him with a busted knee and a sense of deep betrayal. Little does Katrina realize that Jas shares her feelings: “It was her small acts of kindness that had sucked him in, her clever intelligence and sweetness that had kept him hooked.” Forced proximity on the farm finally breaks down her caution and his reserve, and they give in to their desires in sexy, sweet scenes. But Jas, a man of few words not used to acknowledging his pain, must stop hiding from his military past and his family issues in order to earn Katrina's love. With so much going on, the romance can feel secondary at times, although the couple’s strong history somewhat makes up for Rai’s (The Right Swipe, 2019, etc.) slowest of slow burns.

The leisurely pacing may frustrate some, but this sweet tale of mutual longing finally expressed repays the investment.

Kirkus Reviews

"Girl Gone Viral is a fun, sexy rom com that's impossible to resist.

PopSugar (25 of the Best New Books to Add to Your Reading List This Spring)

"Girl Gone Viral is a fun, addictive romance and when the layers kick in, it's a page-turner you won't put down."

NPR

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