I love a romance and this was perfection! This author has quickly become a favourite of mine! A great well written book with great chemistry

Any book with a found family set-up is going to be winner for me, and that was on of the strongest elements to this story. The other part I enjoyed was the was the own-voices aspect of Indian culture and family expectations Sharma weaved through the story; I sought this one out with intentions to diversify my reading and am glad I did.

I really enjoyed this read. Flew through it in just a day. Was a great book to get lost in. Highly recommend.

“Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words" by Annika Sharma is a heartwarming and culturally immersive tale that skillfully explores themes of identity, family, and romance. Sharma's writing beautifully captures the rich cultural backdrop, infusing the narrative with authenticity and charm. The characters are relatable and endearing, each with their own struggles and growth arcs. The pacing keeps the story engaging, though at times, the emotional depth could have been further developed. The blossoming romance is sweet and well-crafted, enhancing the overall reading experience. The resolution ties up loose ends, leaving readers with a sense of satisfaction. While the plot occasionally dips into predictable territory, the book's unique perspective and genuine emotion make it a delightful and worthwhile read.

"Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words" is a recommended choice for those seeking a heartwarming multicultural love story.

What a story! So relatable and easy to read! The story line was simple but I could follow it! I wish this would be made into a movie!

All around a cute romance about loving outside of your culture and navigating families. Reminded me a Hallmark movie if they were to ever add in other cultures.

DNF @ 25%

I wanted to love this so much, but the romance is very insta-lovey and I just don't see the connection between the two characters.

I have never been more excited to receive an ARC as I was for this book.

Yet, I’m very conflicted.

On one hand, the representation is great. I loved the way it was handled and written. Some great and relatable points were discussed.

The writing style itself was decent, I had no issues getting through the book.

But the downfall for me was the love interest. He was just so meh and infuriating.

Plus points for the Indian representation in this book and how it dived into the culture and struggles of immigration; but I'm not a fan of the white boy love interest being mediocre and still have the heroine fall for him.

I am confused at to whether this book is YA or not. I really wanted to love the story because the premise was promising.

This is a delightful romance with so many feelings. I fell in love with the characters from the very beginning, and I like the set up as well as all of the secondary characters. I will also admit that I enjoyed the south Asian wrap in the book and I felt it was on authentic. All in all, it’s a cute romance that I would recommend.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romantic comedies with a deeper message about self-discovery and cultural acceptance. With its strong characters, beautiful writing, and heartfelt themes, "Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words" deserves a solid 4-star rating.

Light story about an Indian woman who stayed in America after undergrad to pursue work and support her family in India. Characters are very likable. The meet cute between Kiran and Nash is sweet and enjoyable as is their relationship. Until it isn’t…the way the author abruptly canceled things between them felt hurried for the sake of time. It all pays off for the ending but the middle felt rushed overall. I am excited to read the other books in Sharma’s series and follow the characters.

Love, Chai and Other Four-Letter Words is more of Kiran's journey to finding love, reuniting her family and finally find happiness than an interracial romance. I would call it predominantly a women's fiction with some romantic elements in it.

I was really, really excited to read this book yet for me it was only "okay." My one main con with books is when authors over explain cultural activities and their significance in order to make it more palatable and understandable to white readers. Not every custom needs to be translated into the simplest version of what it is. Authors should be able to simply write the name of certain traditions and allow people who do not understand to do their own research after words. Google is free!

The point is, there are so few Indian authors yet so many Indian readers. Books like this should be written for us first and the rest of the public second, not the other way around.

In terms of the actual book, I feel like Nash just didn't get it. He didn't understand Kiran's culture and he did not take steps to learn himself and simply waited for her to constantly educate him. Their relationship was stale and honestly she fell for him simply because he was the first person to listen to her, not because he added something special to her life.

I will read the next few books in this series but I am hoping the main characters will be better matched and actually have a "romance," not a teaching relationship.

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

I didn't expect to like this book so much, but I ended up connecting a lot with the characters and loving following their story.
This is a romance book that I highly recommend, it's a quick read (I took a while because a lot was going on at the end of the year and I didn't have much time to sit down and read),cute, romantic, deep, and interesting.
I loved how the author managed to make a light book but at the same time touched on very important subjects, I really enjoyed seeing Indian culture and learning more about it together with our male protagonist.
Is one of those romances that leave you smiling the whole time watching the characters fall in love.
I really liked the author's writing I'm excited to have more books in this series of secondary characters who are very nice to follow too.

Multicultural romances featuring an Indian MC usually get my attention immediately but very few succeed in hitting the mark. Kiran and Nash seemed like they were off to a good start but less than halfway through the book, I couldn't find a reason to continue reading. The themes, banter and conflicts are nothing I've never read before in any other romance. The plot and writing aren't bad at all, it's just that everything is really normie except the title. Although, I may pick up another book by the author if I find the premise unique enough, they have potential.

I loved this women’s fiction/contemporary romance. As a huge fan of learning across other cultures, I was fascinated by all of the food and cultural references, and this one definitely made me crave some chai and several of the Indian dishes mentioned and described!! I also really liked Kiran and Nash’s relationship and how they bonded over bucket list, and I was drawn into the family dynamics too! I definitely recommend this book!

I absolutely loved this romance. FIlled with representation and cultural references, this book was an interracial story. This is a closed door romance, but filled with so many emotions. Highly recommend and can't wait to read more from this author!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

As a middle class white woman I felt there were elements of this story about which I could not adequately or appropriately comment because I lack the relevant cultural knowledge and lived experience to do so. However, since initially deciding to mark this story as “I will not be providing feedback,” I learned this affects our page rating, so I am happy to comment on my overall thoughts.

❤️‍🔥 Pros
The Indian representation was one of the primary reasons I requested this book. I wanted to broaden my reading horizons in an effort to better understand individuals whose backgrounds look different than my own and read outside of my “comfort zone.”

I really loved that each of the members of the Chai Masala Club were of differing descents — Kiran is Indian, Payal is British-Indian, and Akash and Sonam are Indian-American — but their friendship is deepened by all identifying as Indian. The ladies are a fantastic and unique friend group who, individually, brought vibrance, quirkiness and strength to the group. They are entertaining and engaging — I adored the friendship between the leading ladies and appreciated their friendship rooted in support, love and growth. I suspect every reader will see pieces of themselves and their friends in this loving group.

The setting and plot were also very dynamic and interesting. The degree of detail slowed down the progress of the story at times, but overall I thought it complimented well-rounded and emotive scene setting. There were definitely moments of profound thought-provocation that I hope fellow readers will continue to think about after reading.

❤️‍🩹 Cons
I am an extreme empath, so critiquing a product into which someone has invested their creativity of heart, mind and talent is difficult, but there was an element with which I took issue. Nash’s lack of cultural knowledge, interest, understanding, tolerance and acceptance was frustrating at times. While, as white women, we cannot specifically reflect on how this would feel to Kiran, it came off as ignorant and lazy to us — a romcom leading lad should have actively taken it upon himself to learn about Indian culture and better understand the woman he is crazy about, not rely on Kiran to tirelessly explain every detail. Nash seemed to be culturally tone deaf at times.

❣️Overall
This was clearly a novel crafted with immense thought, emotion and care. Overall I really enjoyed the leading ladies and their believable, intimate and loving camaraderie. I frequently read white authors who pen white main characters, so I wanted to choose something different and this was a start in the right direction. Thank you sincerely to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca and Annika Sharma for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I will not be posting on Goodreads or Instagram because I do not believe I am best suited to review the controversial elements of the novel, but I will keep an eye out for future works by this author.