Swati Hegde

'...Joyful, fun, and heartfelt. I will read everything Swati Hegde ever writes!' —Hannah Bonam-Young, author of Out on a LimbHarsha Godbole is struggling to make ends meet as an aspiring photographer making a name for herself away from the glitz and glamour of her family's Bollywood fame. With her cousin's wedding looming, and the pressure from her family to bring a date, she finds herself in a fake dating contract with the handsome, but hesitant, barista at her favourite coffee shop, Veer Kannan. Veer needs money to help support his younger brother through university, and so Harsha's generous offer is something he cannot refuse. As the two learn how to make their relationship convincing, sparks begin to fly, and their two different worlds may end up being just what they needed.

Confident fashionista Jia Deshpande spends her days writing cliché-ridden listicles for Mimosa, Mumbai’s top women’s magazine. When she can, Jia dishes about the messy truth of real love on her anonymous blog, attends her family’s weekly game nights, and ignores her true feelings for her childhood friend. If that wasn’t enough, Jia needs to successfully set up a coworker with her perfect match to get the green light for her new column. Thankfully, organising meet-cutes has never been difficult for her. Local pub owner Jaiman Patil can’t help but be enamoured with Jia and her meddling spirit. He’s always been an honorary part of her family, even more so since his own moved to America. Life with the Deshpandes is chaotic and loud, but it’s also more loving than anything he experienced growing up, and he wouldn’t risk losing that for the world. It feels manageable - until his pub begins to struggle and his feelings for Jia grow deeper. When Jia’s attempts at office matchmaking go haywire, risking new friendships and her relationship with Jaiman, she must reevaluate her own thoughts on love. For the first time, Jia realises that love may be a lot more complicated than she thought. Luckily, happily-ever-afters are never in short supply in Mumbai.