Can’t Help Faking in Love

Hegde (Match Me If You Can) takes on the fake relationship trope in her solid, Bangalore-set sophomore novel. Aspiring photographer Harsha Godbole has been trying to make it on her own, without her toxic family or their money, but must return to the fold when her cousin and long-standing rival, Neha, gets married. When Neha mistakenly assumes Harsha’s favorite barista, Veer Kannan, is actually Harsha’s boyfriend and invites him to the wedding, Harsha gets an idea: if her invasive, judgmental family is expecting a boyfriend, why not recruit Veer to play the role? Aspiring actor Veer is at first offended when Harsha lies about his job to Neha, but the Business Institute of India has rescinded his little brother’s scholarship, and Veer has only three days to find half a million rupees. Harsha’s happy to pay for his services and is also the niece of one of Bollywood’s biggest directors. If Veer can keep up the act, he’ll be able to pay for his brother’s MBA­ and might also get his big break. The plot hits all the expected beats as pretending to be in love leads these two to fall in love for real, while the setting adds a bit of fun for armchair travelers. There’s enough here to please romance fans. (Feb.)