The Design of Us

In the last few years, there have been a number of books by Sajni Patel that I’ve wanted to read. Her new novel, The Design of Us, is out today, and it seemed like a great place to start. Set in Hawaii, it follows two bickering co-workers who start fake dating for the sake of pleasing a wedding party. It’s a fun setup with a beautiful backdrop, thoughtful themes, and a slow-burn romance.

Special thanks to the publicists at Penguin Random House, Berkley, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Review

Going into The Design of Us, I was excited to see how the story would unfold. Enemies-to-lovers, a destination wedding in Hawaii, fake dating… what’s not to like? That it also features main characters in STEM, mental health representation, and desi culture should have sealed the deal. But while it was an easy and enjoyable read overall, it sometimes left me feeling a bit dissatisfied.

Firstly, Bhanu and Sunny are meant to be enemy co-workers, but there’s virtually no basis for their mutual animosity. Their first interaction a year prior was awkward, but in no way enough to make enemies out of each other. Why don’t they get along? It’s never very clear. They just seem to randomly rub each other the wrong way and are too immature to act any better, even in the workplace.

Another problem I had was with their characterization. Despite his name, Sunny is meant to be the grumpy one here, but he never actually comes across as grumpy. Serious and conscientious, sure, but not grumpy. Conversely, Bhanu is in theory the sunshine character… but to me she seemed grumpier than Sunny. And when they’re together, they both just seem annoyed with each other. This at least should have made their bickering fun to read, but it came across less like witty banter and more like childish disagreements and inexplicable misunderstandings.

Those issues aside, I enjoyed the overall plot, overly coincidental as it may have been. Though they both live and work in the Seattle area, Bhanu and Sunny are each on vacation in the same area of Hawaii at the same time. She’s there to visit her sister; he’s there to be a groomsman in his best friend’s wedding. They run into each other in a hotel lobby, but when Sunny’s ex-girlfriend shows up and starts loudly berating him, Bhanu shuts her up by announcing she’s Sunny’s new girlfriend. Thus fake dating ensues, only escalating as Sunny’s friends, then Bhanu’s family, find out about their apparent new relationship.

Bhanu and Sunny slowly get to know each other and realize their bad opinions of each other may not be so fair. They’re rather similar, which can make for a solid relationship, but it takes time to develop here. It’s a slow-burn romance, giving the couple plenty of time to feel like their feelings are truly progressing. I appreciate the space they have to develop a deeper relationship; it makes them more believable as a couple.

I enjoyed the side characters (especially Bhanu’s sister) and getting to experience Hawaiian culture, sights, and cuisine. There’s also great exploration of Bhanu’s social anxiety and Sunny’s concerns over his father’s health. The self-imposed, totally unnecessary miscommunication towards the end of the book felt pretty forced, but I like how Bhanu and Sunny eventually figure out where they stand with one another.

Final Thoughts

The Design of Us is a cute book that offers a lot of great themes and desi culture, though it sometimes feels unbelievable and immature. Not my favorite, but an enjoyable read overall.

Get the Book

You can buy The Design of Us here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

The Design of Us by Sajni Patel
Audience	Adult
Genre	Contemporary Romance
Setting	Hawaii
Number of Pages	368
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	July 16, 2024
Publisher	Berkley

Official Summary

One impulsive lie leads to a weeklong adventure of fake dating for two bickering coworkers in this swoony destination wedding rom-com by Sajni Patel, author of The Trouble with Hating You.

Sunshine incarnate Bhanu brings big UX energy to whatever she does, including going for the promotion where her only serious competition is her work nemesis, AKA Sunny, the grump with the Denzel voice. She expected to get a reprieve from him while visiting her family in Hawai’i, but the universe has other plans. When Bhanu runs into Sunny at the hotel and witnesses his ex criticizing him about being single, Bhanu does the first thing that comes to mind: she impetuously claims to be Sunny’s girlfriend just to get some peace and quiet. Except Sunny is on island for a friend’s wedding and his ex has already texted the entire wedding party about this mysterious girlfriend.

Bhanu truly is the bane of Sunny’s existence. But the last thing he wants to do is cause tension during his friend’s wedding festivities, much less be the object of their pity. He has no choice except to play along, if only he and Bhanu can put aside their quarreling and act like a real couple.

Between Bhanu’s hilariously meddling family and Sunny’s ecstatic friends, the two are pushed closer together, even as stress mounts over the impending promotion.

They say what happens on island, stays on island. But as Sunny and Bhanu let their guards down, will either of them be able to resist this romantic getaway without crossing the line?