Love Redesigned by Lauren Asher is an adult romance fiction novel. It is the first book in the Lakefront Billionaires series by the author, a separate but connected series to the Dreamland Billionaires series, and in general in the author’s universe. It follows Dahlia Muñoz, a famous celebrity interior designer, and Julian Lopez, a billionaire co-owner of a highly successful construction company and real estate app. Taking place in the quaint lakefront city of Lake Wisteria, Dahlia has recently come back from San Francisco after a humiliating breakup with her long-time fianceé (who was her partner on her reality home decorating TV shows). She struggles with anxiety and depression as a result of it, and just wants to be left alone to wallow: she has no job, no fianceé, and an endless amount of sadness. Julian Lopez, her childhood friend/academic rival, has always been in Lake Wisteria. Years ago, back when they went to high school and then Stanford University together, they began to have feelings for each other, though it ended harshly and quickly due to circumstances neither could have predicted. Now, Julian and Dahlia, whose families have always been closer than family, are forced to work together on flipping a house. Feelings may reignite between them, though both will have to work through their feelings and issues to accept love.
As someone who has read all of Asher’s books, Love Redesigned seems to be one of her strongest by far. It expertly balances so many difficult issues and lighter, romantic feelings together, something the author has always been able to do. Love Redesigned is stunningly written, to the point where you can feel the emotions of the characters rippling off the page. Though on the longer side and a slow-burn romance, it is all worth it in the end, and the book concludes in a satisfying way. Something I love in Asher’s books is the teasing of future books in each series, and the build up of them, so I can already tell which couple is next and feel even more excited for them. Julian and Dahlia are written as such an amazing couple and you always want to root for them and their love. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop - the book was always compelling and so romantic and so lovely. It is hard hitting at times but the book also makes you very happy. Also, the diversity is amazing to read, just as usual for the author. I loved Love Redesigned, and I’m very eager to read the next book in the series. If you love romance books, particularly modern ones featuring lovable banter, academic rivalries, and concerning excellently-written cultural blended families, this book is for you. Highly recommend it! I rate this book five stars!