Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma: Summary and Study Guide
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Quick Facts
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Title | Dating Dr. Dil |
| Author | Nisha Sharma |
| Series | If Love, Book 1 |
| Publication Year | 2022 |
| Genre | Romantic comedy |
| Setting | Jersey City, New Jersey, with additional scenes in Edison, Hoboken, and other New Jersey locations |
| Narrator | Third-person limited, alternating between Kareena and Prem |
| Main Characters | Kareena Mann, Prem Verma, Bindu Mann, Dadi, Bobbi, Veera |
Short Summary
On her thirtieth birthday, Kareena Mann learns her father plans to sell the family house—her late mother's dream home—unless she gets engaged and uses the wedding money set aside for her to buy it. Prem Verma, a cardiologist and talk show host known as Dr. Dil, needs to repair his reputation after a public scandal and secure funding for a community health center. After a disastrous first meeting and a viral confrontation on his show, Prem proposes a fake engagement that could solve both their problems. As they navigate matchmaking aunties, family expectations, and their own growing feelings, Kareena and Prem must decide whether love can be real or just a practical arrangement.
Full Summary
Dating Dr. Dil opens on Kareena Mann's thirtieth birthday. She expects birthday paranthas but finds her father and grandmother eating cereal—they forgot her birthday. During breakfast, she learns her father plans to retire in December and sell the family house, the dream home her late mother designed and that Kareena has maintained. She offers to buy it, but her father explains the wedding money set aside for her is only available if she becomes engaged. Kareena declares she will pursue a love marriage to access the funds. Her sister Bindu's birthday gift turns out to be a vibrator, which Kareena passes to her grandmother before leaving for the train station in tears.
That evening, Kareena celebrates with her best friends Veera and Bobbi at Phataka Grill in Jersey City. She explains her plan to find a fiancé quickly so her father's wedding gift can cover the house purchase, insisting she must fall in love with the person before committing. Meanwhile, Prem Verma is at the same bar. He's grieving the anniversary of his ex-fiancée Gori's death and facing pressure from his mother to remarry. He approaches Kareena, who introduces herself as