I've never really done the sliding into DMs thing because I watch a lot of Catfish and I was a little worried about that. Is this based on your real-life experiences, online dating?ĪR: A little bit.

TS: Jia and Dev's “relationship” begins as an online catfish situation. So yeah, I was always very interested in these stories then the idea came along and it was the perfect chance to write the Bollywood soap opera hero I've always wanted to write. I give a lot of credit to the writers of those shows. It's a lot of fun and the ridiculous storylines are amazing. In the book, Dev is on a long-running Indian soap opera because I just love those soap operas. What inspired you to write about Bollywood?ĪR: I grew up in America and I don't consider myself an expert on Bollywood or anything like that, but I grew up with it constantly on my TV and my mom watched a lot of Bollywood movies and soap operas. TS: You mentioned that Dev is from a Bollywood family. While they're trying to disentangle all of that, the paparazzi sees them together and they decide to launch like a fake romance. When he comes to America to start his crossover Hollywood career, she tracks him down and there's a problem when she finds out that he doesn't know who she is. They start talking and she gets a little crush. She starts getting DMs from the account of a Bollywood actor, Dev. TS: Congrats on your new book! Can you talk about the story a little bit?ĪR: First comes Like is about an influencer Jia. Let me check it out.' Then I started making videos and talking to people on there and before I knew it, I was sucked in.

So it was just sort of a, 'Oh, I'll see what this app is all about. I was a theater kid in school so I loved the idea of putting on little skits and doing things that make me happy. I have also been making a lot of TikTok videos. I'm just staying indoors and, you know, staying safe. TIFE SANUSI: There's a lot going on right now, how are you doing?ĪLISHA RAI: It's been a bit of a wild start to 2021, but we're hanging in there. In the book, Rai explores online dating, conservatism and fake dating in a thoughtful and sensitive manner.Īhead of the book’s release, Shondaland spoke with Rai to talk about her new book and representation in romance novels. She falls hard for him, but there’s a problem. In First Comes Like, Rai’s latest book, Jia, a Muslim beauty influencer, is so focused on her career that love is the last thing on her mind - until she gets a DM from Dev, a former Bollywood superstar. “I think it is important for us to show different people falling in love and getting what they want and deserve,” Rai tells Shondaland.

First comes like by alisha rai