One Smile

by V. Jadav

Rani Patel is a beautiful girl on the path to her dream job...or so she thought. When her life becomes a bit of a standstill, she’s wonders if she can push through and be content or will the strain force her to snap? She has always struggled with her mental health, but she always fought to keep it under control, and it's worked so far...that is, until she's hit with one bruising curveball after another. Will it be too much for her?"

Author's One Smile is contemporary romance with dark themes that contain scenes that may be disturbing to some readers. Content notes are available inside the book.

324 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 5, 2025

Reviews

[Mandy Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Smile Steals Your Heart with Heartfelt Healing
​One Smile is a beautifully genuine and emotionally resonant friends-to-lovers office romance that absolutely stole my heart. It's a short, simple read that delivers a deeply felt story, blending a cozy romantic narrative with a thoughtful, uplifting portrayal of mental health struggles.
​What truly sets this book apart is its unflinching yet compassionate look at the main characters' inner battles. The female lead, Raini, walks the reader through the severe and painful symptoms of depression—feelings of inadequacy, loss of self-worth, and crippling suicidal ideation. Her journey is incredibly raw; you will cry with her at her lowest lows and desperately want to reach into the pages to offer a hug.
​Equally compelling is the male lead, Van. The quiet, steady love he holds for Raini is truly melting, and the book's humbling depth comes from seeing that he, too, is struggling, specifically with anxiety issues. Their connection becomes a shared journey of healing. As one finds her footing against depression, the other finds strength to manage his anxiety, making their ultimate romantic bond feel earned and incredibly meaningful.
​The romance itself is a sweet, charming, and true best friends-to-lovers development, complete with genuine chemistry and a hint of spice. While there are a few moments of character miscommunication—which, to some, might add depth to their story—they successfully overcome these hurdles. Their journey is warm and uplifting, leading to an ending that perfectly delivers on the title's promise.
​One Smile is a pleasant, feel-good read that tackles important, hard topics with tenderness and hope. For anyone looking for a heartfelt, healing, and genuinely optimistic story of two people finding love and strength in one another, this is a wonderful choice.

[𝙻𝚒𝚜𝚊 𝙻𝚢𝚗𝚗 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so beautifully written and heart breaking all at the same time. You do get a HEA for our couple so don’t worry. This book is heavy so for sure check all the trigger warnings before diving in. Van and Rani are such good friends and watching them navigate their feelings, friendship, Rani and Van’s mental health, and then their relationship was really special. I think V. Jadav did a wonderful job capturing the different mental health aspects in the book in a very tasteful and thoughtful way. 🤍 thank you for trusting me with an ARC I loved it 🥰

If you love:
🎀 Friends to Lovers
🎀 Slow Burn
🎀 Mental Health Rep
🎀 Workplace Romance
🎀 Interracial Couple

Genre/type: Contemporary romance with dark elements
Pages: 269
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
Series or standalone: standalone debut novel
Tropes or themes: Friends to lovers, Spicy, Slow Burn, Mental Health Representation, Workplace Romance, Interracial Couple
Check triggers: Depression, Suicide Ideation,
Attempted suicide (on page), anxiety, bullying, workplace harasment, self degradation, sensitive themes involving animals, mental health hospitalization (on page), profanity, PTSD, Self harm, sexually explicit scenes, generational trauma, overdose (on page)

Lisa.lynn.escobar
TikTok | Instagram | Goodreads | Fable

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Smile had me laughing, crying, annoyed, angry and even relating to certain parts throughout Ranis journey. So you can definitely say this was an emotional roller-coaster. Despite the plot being a heavy subject it was so beautifully done. And it's such an important story to tell. The story between Rani and Van can show how someone could easily be struggling that are right in front if us. That your words matter and how if something isn't kind we shouldn't say it. I absolutely loved Rani and Vans connection from the very beginning. And Van is such a sweetie! Ug I adore him. Van always struggles with his own mental health. This does end on a HEA but please still check your trigger warnings.

I rated a 4 start due to a couple of things. Towards the ending I felt as if I read two paragraphs that were the "same", but worded differently. When it came down to spicy time I didn't exactly care for the verbiage when describing the body parts. Also where the heck did Ryder go? Other than those few bits I enjoyed the book and recommend adding to the tbr.

[Melissa Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

#MentalHealthMatters

This book brings forth severe depression and one woman's journey though it. Raini walks us through some of the worst symptoms of depression, feelings of inadequacy, loss of self worth, a feeling of not being needed, thoughts that everyone would be better without you, and suicidal ideation to the actual act of try to end things. I cried with her through all her lowest of lows and wanted to just jump into this book and hug her.
She finally finds a true love in her best friend Van and they really do help each other heal. Her with her depression, him with his anxiety issues.
From someone who can speak from experience, please reach out if you are starting to feel down or overly anxious about stuff. Having a strong person that has your back really does make all the difference. xoxo

If you or someone you know is having any mental health concerns, please reach out to 988. Love yourselves and each other!

[Jade Dille · Rating 3 out of 5]

One Smile is a sweet and charming friends-to-lovers office romance. Though short and simple, it delivers a genuinely heartfelt story with meaningful character growth.

What stood out most to me was the thoughtful portrayal of mental health struggles. The female main character struggles with anxiety, depression, and overall insecurity felt real and relatable, and it was refreshing to see her take steps toward getting help. The male main character also had his own insecurities, which added a unique depth I don’t often see in this type of romance.

While the miscommunication between the characters wasn’t my favorite part of the story, they did overcome it. The connection between them is warm, the journey is uplifting, and the ending leaves you with a smile—exactly what the title promises.

Overall, One Smile is a pleasant, feel-good read that blends mental-health awareness with a cozy romantic arc. A great choice if you’re looking for something light, heartfelt, and hopeful.

[Dark Book Girlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a pleasure and honour to get asked to ARC read a book by an author.
4.5

A very relatable book for me, as someone with mental health issues it was refreshing to see it portrayed well in a book.
I'm not usually a fan of slow burns but this was done well that I didn't feel like it was dragging like I usually do with slow burns.
This definitely had me in my emotions. I was laughing one minute and all teary eyed the next.
I also appreciated the spice level in this book didn't overpower the plot which I liked.
The fact that both Van and Rani had crushes on each other was adorable.
I would definitely recommend this if you like contemporary romance with a bit of spice and little drama mixed in.

[Cheryl S · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an arc read. This book is about a woman suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts. She works at a publishing company as a proofreader and has a crush on her “boss”. He likes her too but is scared to make his move with her as well. The story flows well and the characters are nicely built. The spice was nice and spicy. This is a relatable type of story for anyone who suffers from severe depression. So if that is something that you battle with you may need to check the trigger warnings and this may not be a book for you.

[Britny Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this dual pov contemporary romance, from the very beginning I loved that the main character was very relatable, the radical feminism , character building, and the journey of her mental health struggles .
It is a slow burn , and teases you , but I can not recommend this book enough ! It made me go from cheesing , to tearing up , to smiling and kicking my feet !
Definitely read the content warning !

[Hollie Feathers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an ARC Read!

I loved the story from the beginning, seeing that both main characters suffered from mental illness was humbling! There was some miscommunications in the book, however I feel that it only added to the depth of their story!

A true best friends to lovers romance with some spice and even trauma!!! What a great read!!! Thank you for the opportunity!!

[Amy Gower · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Smile absolutely stole my heart. This story packed so much emotion into such a soft, tender romance, and I was rooting for these characters every step of the way. Rani’s journey hit me right in the feelings, and Van? The quiet, steady love he has for her melted me. It’s heartfelt, healing, and really tackles the hard but important topic of mental health. I devoured it and loved every minute. 💛

[Lei Lei · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved this book. It really touched on some deep stuff that can help others not feel so alone. I really enjoyed reading the ups and downs the character went through and how she fought her own battles. Mental health is important and feeling alone is quite common and this book shows the concept of battling mental health diseases.

[Heather E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story has emotional depth that allows the reader to sympathize with Rani. This story is very relatable and deals with situations many readers have faced, or are currently facing. At times the story can feel repetitive. I am not sure if the author designed it that way to mirror the repetitive thinking that occurs with anxiety and/or depression, but I found it a bit distracting.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rain Patel is an aspiring writer struggling with mental health issues. Through out the story you will notice bullying, self sabotage, lack of confidence, self love, and acceptance. I’m not going to lie there are spots that will make you cry. Love prevails all.

[Suzan H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me so emotional, so many feelings. I highly recommend this book. It was a 5 star read for me. Sometimes we all feel what Rani and Van
experience. Sometimes we just need a smile from someone.

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has suffered from depression for years, I absolutely loved this book. Not gonna say I didnt get a little emotional in some parts because I absolutely did but 100% worth the read. You have a little bit of everything and some spice. But please check trigger warnings before reading!

[Muri · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a minute to get into this story, but once I did it was a good story line.

I’d say very low spice but not squeaky clean either.

Def check the trigger warnings before reading! The writing was well done in this aspect as you really feel how Rani feels and it’s pretty deep.

[Lost in Missouri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the aspect of the mental health struggles in this book. The story was a really good start. In saying this, I wish there was more depth to the book. It felt rushed and repetitive in a lot of areas.

[Melissa Pugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance with spice! Interesting characters and storyline. Hadn’t read any of her books but look forward to reading more

[Lauren Garkow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. The characters were so relatable! This is a romance, but it is not the main focus of the plot. This was a great way of spreading mental health awareness too!

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I loved the storyline. The emotions are presented well and are very relatable. My main “issue” was it felt really repetitive in certain parts.

[Kayla Sargent · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story hits on so many real life situations. It just goes to show that you truly never know what someone is struggling with.

[PAULA PARKER · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!! Amazing characters and hands down the best this year that handles mental health.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing debut novel by V. Jadav!

[Shannon Katariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like friends to lovers? If you said yes, then here is a book for you. Rani and Van work at a publishing house. Van is her boss and they both have a secret crush on each other. The story then grows from there. It is an office romance but please check your trigger warnings. This also has mental health issues.

❤️‍🔥 - Plot. The plot was good but felt there could be more. Nothing specific. Just my opinion. Nothing bad. Please don’t refuse to give them book a chance on my thoughts.

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 - Characters. Character growth was finely tuned in this book. You had just enough to see the change and enjoy how the characters love story came together.

❤️‍🔥 - Spice. Yes it has spice. 💜💜