# Fake NOT Dating: A Bollywood-Inspired Romcom Debut |  Lavanya Lakshmi

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/fake-not-dating-a-bollywood-inspired-romcom-debut-lavanya-lakshmi
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/fake-not-dating-a-bollywood-inspired-romcom-debut-lavanya-lakshmi.md
Podcast: [What to Read Next — Book Recommendations for Romance, Thrillers & Escape Reads](https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873)
Published: 2026-06-17T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: http://www.whattoreadnextblog.com
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/7baff7e5-9ce4-4f85-85a5-98e376c8cf0e.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/episodes/fake-not-dating-a-bollywood-inspired-romcom-debut-lavanya-lakshmi
Duration seconds: 1454

## Resource

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. A debut romcom inspired by Bollywood, built around one of the most delicious twists on fake dating you'll ever read — fake NOT dating . If you love big Indian weddings, chaotic families, and slow-burn tension between two people who desperately want each other but have to pretend they've never met, this episode is your sign to add Leave and Come Back to your TBR immediately. Debut author Lavanya Lakshmi joins the show to talk about her journey from Twilight fanfiction to landing a publishing deal, the Bollywood film that inspired her novel, and why she made the bold choice to get her characters together at the start of the book. We also dig into her reading life and the books she returns to again and again — including a romance she calls her holy grail. 📚 Books Mentioned Leave and Come Back by Lavanya Lakshmi — Buy on Amazon | Romcom / South Asian Romance | Audio ✅ Seven Days in June by Tia Williams — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance / Literary | Audio ✅ The View Was Exhausting by Mikaellla Clements & Onjuli Datta — Buy on Amazon | Celebrity Fake Dating Romance | Audio ✅ Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin — Buy on Amazon | Literary Fiction / Women's Fiction | Audio ✅ (highly recommended on audio per guest) Summer Sisters by Judy Blume — Buy on Amazon | Women's Fiction / Coming-of-Age | Audio ✅ Refuse to Be Done by Matt Bell — Buy on Amazon | Craft / Writing Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance | Audio ✅ Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance | Audio ✅ It's a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance | Audio ✅ Dolly All the Time by Annab…

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