loved this romance and finding oneself and the how the couple worked out their problems . loved all of the side characters and the friendships. Good book.

Read if you like:
💍 Marriage of Convience
♥️ Diverse Love Stories
🏡 Meddling Families
👗 Fashion

This one was such a fun and light romance to read! I truly loved the South Asian cultural aspects brought into this romance and that it was a UK transplant in USA story.

The fake dating in this one was so well done and I loved the way they both went in for benefit and ultimately it became so much more than either expected!

Thank you so much Sourcebooks Casablanca for my ARC in exchange for my review!

I am THOROUGHLY loving this series featuring a group of four South Asian college friends who find love and navigate the complexities of parental expectations. In this book we get to know more about fashion designer Payal who is asked by her parents to enter an arranged marriage to save the family business.

She and Ayaan have undeniable chemistry and neither is looking for real love so they agree to go along with the arrangement in order to make their families happy only to find themselves falling in love and believing they just might be able to make something real work.

Great on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Sonali Dev. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the gifted e-book ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read if you like: Dual POV, arranged marriage, South Asian representation, banter, strong female lead

I enjoyed this one. I don't read very many arranged marriage romances. I enjoyed how the book started out with them knowing each other. I thought their chemistry was really good. The banter is good. I do think that the book is a bit too long, as there were dull and repetitive parts. The writing was good but a little disjointed at times. There were parts that seemed to jump without a transition. Overall, this was funny, charming, and I enjoyed it. I do recommend it.

I really enjoyed this sequel in the Chai Masala Club series. This time we see Payal, working hard to get out of her family's business to launch her own fashion line. A chance encounter then comes back to surprise her in the most unexpected way.

The dynamic between two strong willed characters was fun and refreshing. Bring in misconceptions, friend and family drama... and it's a quick summer read.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC.

Thank you to the author, Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick, fun albeit fairly predictable read focussing on two 2nd generation South Indians living in the US, who both come from extremely privileged family backgrounds, are acquainted with each other - and don't much like each other. After a one-night stand they find themselves confronting plans between their families for an arranged marriage, which is a bit of a shock to both of them. Both resolve to go along with plans to achieve their own ends, and back out just in time... and of course we all know how this develops, and ends for that matter. I loved the circle of friends of both of them, but there are some cringey bits around the sex scenes.

This was really sweet and fun! I felt a bit let down in the last part o the novel. It felt a bit too predictable to be honest. There was only one minor twist that I didn't see coming. I am interested to go back an read the first book now.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and couldn't wait for this one to come out. This book wasn't as strong as the first but was still enjoyable.

The relationship between the main characters didn't give me that longing feeling and I felt let down a bit. Their banter was funny and spicy but something was just missing for me. Personally, I am not a fan of miscommunication or third act breakups though.

I thought the author did a great job of giving the reader a look into Indian culture. I loved how colorful and beautiful the writing was regarding the fashion and how yummy the food sounded. I was craving Indian food throughout my reading!

This is a fun read that features fake dating. If you enjoy a light read with mild spice, this book is for you.

SUGAR, SPICE, AND CAN'T PLAY NICE by Annika Sharma is a delightful, beautiful, and emotional read filled with arranged-marriage-turned-real-love, empowered characters, a sweet romance, and complex family dynamics.

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

2.5 stars

Because I liked the first book in the series I was very excited to read the sequel as I had really enjoyed the secondary characters. b
But unfortunately, this was not a good reading experience, first of all, both characters here are not very likable, in fact, there are several moments in the story that you want to smack them, or roll your eyes at some action or thought that they had.
The story itself is not that good either, I found it very dragged in some moments and very fast in others, no matter how much time passes in the book, the main couple itself does not have many developmental interactions along the way.
But the thing that really made me dislike this story was that there was a third act break up, which was completely unnecessary and resolved in such a silly and quick way that it didn't even make the fight itself worth it, when this fight happened I could only roll my eyes, I was so irritated that I just kept reading the book because I was close to the end.
In the end, I do recommend this story if you want a quick read that brings a lot of Indian cultures and talks a lot about love, family, and business.

'Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice' by Annika Sharma is the follow-up to 'Love, Chai, and Other Four Letter Words'. We return to our favorite group of friends, this time focused on Payal.

I was really excited for this and it didn't disappoint! I love arranged marriages that start off contentious and lead to real romance. Our main couple Payal and Ayaan are a mess in the best way. They grudgingly enter into an arranged engagement for their families sake and their own self interests. Eventually those self-interests merge and they begin to work together and find out it's not so bad being on each others side. Ah, a great romance!

It is just a tad longer than it needed to be, there was a lot going on that maybe wasn't enhancing the story, but the ending was still so satisfying. I look forward to whatever else (more in this series?!) Annika Sharma writes!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sugar, spice and cant play nice was truly enjoyable and a spicy read. Some characters continued to get side-eyed by me, there were heartfelt and gut wrenching moments. Such a gem to add to me repertoire.

I thought the cover was cute and figured I’d give it a try. It starts pretty slow and sort of stays that way which wasn’t my favorite. I was hoping the story would pull me in more than it actually did. I like the idea of the story, I just wish it delved deeper. It’s an okay read with a slower pace. If you’re into that check this book out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

I dont this book was for me. Too much sexual references. Very Disappointed. DNF.

I was in the mood of reading a light romance so it seemed the right choice at that time.

Payal moves to US from UK for school and stayed there while working on her fashion line. Her family shows their affection by paying for all her expenses, otherwise, they don't have an emotional bond, except for Nani who is close to Payal. Nani is the maternal grandmother but in this book Nani was the paternal grandmother which doesn't make any sense, I find these kinds of blunders in South Asian Rep really nettlesome. Please, do a little research before labeling the wrong label relationships.

This was an amazing read. I enjoyed the fact both Payal and Ayaan came to the table seeking a fling but finding a true connection. The banter Ayaan and Payal both had with their groups of friends was sweet and funny! Also, the third-act breakup was handled so well! It actually had a plot twist that I didn’t see coming. I appreciated how the main couple bonded through shared family experiences and that though they did sleep together at first, there was a slow burn element after the arranged engagement went underway.

While this book was a closed-door romance, readers should be aware that there is plenty of sexual discussions and jokes. Proceed with caution if that’s not your thing.

The writing was so lyrically lovely and the balance between romance and women’s fiction was so refreshing. I was truly rooting for Payal and Ayaan!

At first when starting to read this book, I wasn't sure that I liked either Ayaan or Payal, but by the end of the book especially after the fight between Ayaan and Payal towards the end, I truly felt the love between Ayaan and Payal grew from that first hookup to Payal's fashion show. I really enjoyed Ayaan and Payal's friends and how much they stuck up for Ayaan and Payal respectively but also were okay with meeting their respective other. Ayaan's friends were particularly funny and insightful in regards to Ayaan and how he while he was very accomplished in work life, they nudged him into being more grownup in his personal life. They were also really good with helping Ayaan especially after Arun's continuous belittling of Ayaan.

Also the scene with Jess, the fashion student, and how Payal dealt with her casual racism was perfect writing! The way that Annika Sharma wrote this scene was sublime and in my opinion could not have been written any better.

Because of the buildup in the story and character development, I'm giving this 4/5 ⭐️ .

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for giving me a copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I couldn’t do this book. At all. It was really boring and I felt like the characters had no depth whatsoever. From the first chapter, I wasn’t into the book. It laid Ayaan out as a messy, chaotic person and Payal as a calm, organized person. I already felt like this was really basic and obviously setting up for an opposites-attract trope. But then chapter 2 happened and honestly, it threw everything that I thought was true about Payal out of existence. She was not what I expected. She didn’t seem too innocent and calm anymore. I thought that I would like that and keep me entertained but I just thought it was boring. Their conversations together really had no depth to them at all and everything was really surface-level.

Ayaan is also my least favorite character in the world. I think he was meant to be written like that, but it was annoying. He’s really objectifying and I couldn’t handle it.

I was excited about this book based on the synopsis but it was written so poorly that I’m really disappointed.

Whether you love an arranged marriage plot or are looking for a palate cleanser, Sugar, Spice, and Can’t Play Nice will do the trick.

The second book in a series of interconnected standalones focusing on a group of friends from Indian backgrounds who live in New York City, the story focuses on Payal, a posh British-Indian who is launching her own fashion line, and Ayaan, a family friend who is a bit of a black sheep and has more than a bit of a playboy reputation.

After a one-night stand ends in disaster for them, Payal and Ayaan are informed by their families that as part of a business acquisition, the two of them need to agree to an arranged marriage. And though neither of them *wants* to marry the other, they both temporarily agree – but throw in their own stipulations.

From there, you go on a bit of a slow-burn journey as Payal and Ayaan start getting to know each other in earnest, and though nothing about the plot will surprise you, it’s still a very nice time as these characters warm to each other, navigate their families, and help each other grow.

I especially love that Annika Sharma writes this big cast of diverse characters from the Indian diaspora with so much care and nuance, really showcasing the breadth of experiences and differing expectations that people who grew up in different places have – as well as the rich cultural commonalities and understanding that bring these characters together.

Overall, this is a fun, quick read that also serves up some drama and a teeny bit of angst – and that features The Penrose, one of my favorite Manhattan spots when I lived in NYC.☺️

3.5🌟
0.75🌶️

👗An enormous thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy! Sugar, Spice, and Can’t Play Nice will be out May 2nd!💕

An entertaining and well plotted rom-com featuring lovely characters. I had fun, learned more about their culture and enjoyed the romance.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Book Name: Sugar, Spice and Can’t Play Nice
Series: Chai Masala Club #2
Author: Annika Sharma
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Payal is an up and coming fashion designer that creates beautiful pieces where she melts her Indian heritage with a more modern twist. She is living away from her family in New York, as she tries to break into an industry that hasn’t typically celebrated minorities (unless it’s exploitative).
When she is call back to England by her family she is given the news that they have arranged for her to be married as part of a business merger between her family and the family of Ayaan. He’s also living in NYC and has been, up until this point, a bit of a playboy and disappointment to his family.

I really enjoyed the look into a culture I don’t know a lot about and seeing not only the family dynamics but the engagement and wedding culture too. The big celebrations that Indian weddings seem to be are so fascinating and colourful!! Also it has made me so hungry for Indian food, ugh.

The character arcs that they both had were great and it was good to see them both learn a little something along the way. I liked their friendship groups and how supportive they were while also holding them to account when they were being pricks.

I felt a little bit let down by the relationship between the two MCs and didn’t really get that typical longing feeling I get when reading romance. They were so against the whole thing for so long that it made it hard to get invested in them being together. I wasn’t cheering for them like I wanted to. I did love how horny they were though haha. Though there wasn’t really any on page spice, they were funny with their horny banter.