If you want to feel all the emotions then please read this book. I listened to the audio version and I went from happy to sad to angry to happy again multiple times in this book. I enjoyed it so much that even though I have the audio and ebook copy thanks to netgalley I am still going to buy the physical copy of it because it was just that great. I also can’t wait to read more by this author and I also can’t wait to listen to this narrator again. Run don’t walk to get this book :)

I really wanted to love this book, but it just fell short of that mark for me. I will point out that I did the audiobook, and the narrator did a great job of inserting personality and energy into the story.

I really enjoyed the main character's, Kiran, personality. She didn't hold back when she needed to help Nash understand the differences in their culture. I also enjoyed the friend group with an emphasis on connection.

However, this story just felt overdone. For starters, Kiran felt like completely different people depending on who she was with which aggravated me and with against her actually personality as a strong woman who's reconnecting her family. As a romance, I just didn't buy it. I'm not sure if it was because of all of the background story that overweighed the actual romance, or if it's the lack of spark between Kiran and Nash. Either way, the "happy ending" was more for the two sisters than Kiran and Nash.

Thank you to @NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I would like to thank Netgalley for this arc. This book is about Kiran, an indian immigrant working in New York City and Nash, an American man working as a psychologist in New York. I loved the South Asian representation, specifically the various Indian representation in the book, we are introduced to the CMC(Chai Masala club) who are all of indian descent, two are Indian-American and one is Indian-British. I love the friendship between them and i will be reading the rest of the following books about them. One of the complaints that I've read about this book is that it plays into the stereotypes that indian culture and asian culture overall is regressive specifically, Kiran's parents want her to marry a man of their choice and i've read many Indian readers or readers of Indian descent complain of this as well as the portrayal of India, the country as poverty ridden instead of taking the opportunity to talk about the wealth disparity in India. I loved Kiran's character and her arc in general but Nash on the other hand had an uninteresting character arc. This was more about Kiran and her story rather than a romance and character arcs of Kiran AND Nash. But overall it was an enjoyable read and i highly recommend it.

I received the an audiobook from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book and the dynamic between the twin main characters. The growth of their relationship felt genuine as did their clashes regarding culture and upbringing and how that effects us as adults and our adult relationships. The narrator did a good job, but since the book comes from a male and female point of view I would have enjoyed two narrators. I got over it as I got further into the book, but the first few chapters from Nash’s point of view was a bit comical being read by a woman trying to mimic a man’s southern drawl.

I never really got into this story. I thought it was okay. I wanted to have a stronger leading female character. I think I had more interest in the side characters.

DNF @ 13%, so no rating.

This book was so bland. It felt like every single detail was being discussed to death, and it was just too much. The narrator didn't help. The Nashville accent for the hero wasn't great, and the performance felt very perfunctory and uninspired. I am not interested in this book at all, so I'm stopping here.

The concept of a group of friends that meets for chai to discuss life and that will eventually pop up four different books sounds great in theory. In practice? not so much. It was an ok book, but it just didn't provide much more. There were a lot of clichés in terms of family dynamics, very annoying relationship drama and a level of predictability that went a bit over my very large tolerance for it. I've read some very cool Indian Romances this year and this one didn't really rise to the top of my list, although it was enjoyable and a very quick read and by the end my heartstrings had been pulled a little.

After her sister brought shame upon their family, Kiran stepped in to become the perfect daughter, vowing never to go down the same path as her sister. All her hard work has led her to New York City where she's formed a close-knit group of friends that call themselves the Chai Masala Club (CMC for short). It's at one of their weekly Chai meet-ups that they remember the lists they each wrote out before graduating college. A list of all they wanted to accomplish. Kiran realizes she hasn't done much with her life up to this point. She's been so focused on accomplishing her familial goals. With a new list in hand, Kiran gets a chance to cross some things off when she meets new downstairs neighbor Nash.

Newly arrived in the City, Nash has never had a family. His father left when he was young and his mother spiraled into addiction. Now, he spends his days helping children in similar situations to himself, hoping he can make a difference for them in a way that wasn't offered to him when we was a child. But because of this he's continually reminded about his past, and therefore has turned himself away from any meaningful relationship, but when he and Kiran begin hanging out he begins to see what he's been missing.

But can they make things work when everything seems to be stacked against them?

First off, the narrator was such a delight. She has such a distinct, very high clear voice. Her reading of the story was perfection. It took a bit more time for me to get used to the individual character dialogues however. At first the distinction between them was a bit blurred. But once the story got going and I began feeling comfortable with each character, I could pick out the nuances of each one's dialogue. I really hope she comes back and reads the sequels.

To say I was completely surprised by this story is an understatement. I've not read anything by Annika Sharma before and trust me when I say, I'm eagerly awaiting what comes next.

Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words is about family. Not just the family you're related to, but to the friends that you form those close bonds with. It's about cultural and generational differences, but also about trying to be better and do better by those that come next.

To say that Kiran's familial situation is complicated is putting mildly, and yet, I don't feel like I can adequately quantify the varying nuances of everything. Kiran grew up in a very small Indian village. Her father worked very hard to provide what he could for the family, always wanting his daughters to have more than he did. Years ago, Kiran's sister shamed the family and she has, essentially, been cast out. They haven't spoken to her in years, know nothing of her life now. A young Kiran took it upon herself never to be in the situation where her parents had to make the same decision for her as they did for her sister. This means, getting a good education, getting a good job, and marrying a successful Indian man. Nash is not in Kiran's parent's plans and it drives a wedge in their otherwise close relationship. But do you weigh your own happiness against the love you have for your parents? I think Annika Sharma really does a wonderful job of showing the differences between cultures and oftentimes the caste systems found within. How sometimes upholding tradition can hold back progress. I felt for Kiran, but I won't say I completely understand because it really is so complex.

On the other side we have Nash who has absolutely no meaningful relationship with his parents. He understands family devotion, but he doesn't grasp Kiran's predicament because he's never had to choose between people he loves. To him, he couldn't imagine a situation where a parent would not want true happiness for their child. It's not that Kiran's family don't want her happy, but they see happiness in a different way.

The best part of the story for me is the found-family relationship Kiran has with the other members of the CMC. I like in her moment of crisis, they don't just cater to what she wants to hear, but they lay everything out, looking at all perspectives, even bringing up Kiran's own past thoughts in order to help her make the best decision, even though it's an extremely difficult decision. For being secondary characters, I'm already ready to get to the bottom of their own stories.

Honestly, this book kept pulling me along until the very end. I wasn't sure how things were going to work out, or if they even could work out, to give readers a satisfying Happily Ever After. As things progressed, however, I began to trust in Annika Sharma to make the best decision for the characters and the story, and was willing to go along for the ride wherever it took me. I'm so happy I did. This has been one of my favorite reads this year.

Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words was so charming! I loved every one of the bullet points listed in the description.

Nash and Kiran made such a perfectly balanced couple. I loved how they both challenged each other to grow, through their bucket list and the subsequent adventures they took.

This book takes a very deep dive into Kiran’s family dynamics. While I can’t speak to how accurate these scenes were, I loved learning about this aspect of Kiran’s culture and her feelings toward her familial obligations. One hallmark of a really great rom-com for me is when the characters experience significant personal growth, and that was definitely the case here. Not to spoil anything, but Kiran and Nash’s story is well worth the read.

I especially love books about strong friendships, perhaps even more so than the romance aspect. Kiran’s friend group was so sweet, and I can’t wait to see what happens in the rest of the series.

While I enjoyed the audiobook and thought the production was top-notch, I did think the narrator’s voice was a little too girly and sweet for Nash’s character. I think this audio production would have benefitted from dual narration, with a man with a southern accent for Nash. She did voice Kiran perfectly, though!

I found the narrators voice much too shrill and distracting to the story. I am still interested in the book but will have to read a print copy.

DNF - No rating

Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words made me crave so many different foods and chai! I enjoyed this story Kiran and Nash and wanted them to be together. I appreciated how Kiran advocated for her culture. Some of the family drama seemed like the book could shorten it a bit because the book did feel a little long. Overall, this was a good closed-door romance. Do yourself a favor and have a chai in hand, so you don't crave one!

Again the audiobook quality of the NetGalley app is horrible! It did take away from the book experience. I wish there were a way to improve this experience.

Thank you, Dreamscape Media, for this complimentary copy for my honest review.

This book gave a great insight into not only being an immigrant in America as I am, but into the Indian culture which was very fascinating. I loved that both main characters had family issues that were so different but affected them both in the same way when it comes to a relationship.
I would have liked to see the relationship being explored a little more but overall it was a really fun read.

I requested this book for a cute romance and it didn't disappoint. I love how she had a list of things to do when she first moved to NY and they add to it and try to finish what they disnt finish by 30.
She does everything to be a good daughter and to help her family. She befriends her new neighbor and they start helping each other with her list and for him to start his own list. But the more time they spend together she realizes she feels more for him then friendship. But she can't be with him her family except her to marry a Indian man. But what if he's more then what she expected.

The audio narration I was torn with. The girl did. Great job from her pov and even voicing the guy. But when it switched to his chapters I didn't know when it changed and the voices didn't change. So I felt like it needed 2. Once actors.

Thank you NetGalley for this audio arc in exchange for my honest review

Love, Chai, and Other Four Letter words is a heartfelt story by Annika Sharma. On the day that southerner Nash Hawthorne relocates to begin his position in a NYC hospital as a children’s psychologist he meets building neighbor Kiran Mathur, a bio engineer. The attraction is immediate, but Kiran is hesitant to let it become anything more based on the family history when her older sister was disowned for marrying a member of a lower caste. As they hang out and learn more about each other this becomes much harder to do.

Nash comes from humble and disenfranchised beginnings. His father walked away before he began school. His mother overdosed when he was in high school. His aunt had been steadfast and his best friend and his family have always been there, but the loss of parents is strategic in Nash’s development. But he is a survivor and keeps putting one foot in front of the other. From the beginning the exotic Kiran has called to him, but he may have much to overcome to be with her.

This is a delightful multicultural story with people from very different backgrounds. Each have so much to learn and much to overcome if they can make a future for themselves. The story is sweet, often funny, and very enlightening. I very much enjoyed this lovely story and wholeheartedly recommend it!

DNF - I was very excited by the premise of this book, but I never became engaged. I disliked how everything the characters was spelled out in conversations vs feeling more like a discovery as the plot progressed. Nash, in particular, was quite 1D.

I was really interested in this novel, but it ended up falling just a little flat for me. The forbidden love was cute but it just felt very rushed and in the end I found myself more invested in the side characters than I did for the main character. Overall a cute read but it just didn't do anything extra for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words is a masterpiece about finding yourself, balancing your own personal needs and desires with those of your family, and expectations set on us by our culture and upbringing. This book follows a wonderful and vibrant main character who seeks love in a world where her family expectations of her and her cultural expectations do not align with what - and who - she loves. She struggles to reconcile her own personal desires, dreams, and feelings with those expectations and learns what is truly important. This is a sweet, inter-racial and inter-cultural romance novel that is very closed door. It is less about the romance (though the romance is fantastic and charming), and more about found family and attempts to find yourself and create your own path. This book is excellent and I will be purchasing a finished print copy to keep on my shelves when I need a pick-me-up. It is an inspiring story, and for those who like romance without the steam, this is for you (no sexual contact in this book!). I am absolutely OBSESSED with this book. 5/5 stars and will be forcing everyone I know to read this.

Such a good love story!

I thought that this would be a happy, pleasant rom-com, and it was those things. However, it also tackled some deep subjects in a way that surprised me -- caste issues, childhood trauma, abandonment, addiction, pride, regret, prejudice, sacrificing and making hard choices.

I appreciate that those difficult parts of people's pasts that come up in relationships were discussed in this book. It lent authenticity to the romance. I also love how the romance took its time. It was believable -- I can see how and why the two characters fell for each other.

I especially enjoyed how the main character has friends who are like family. Too often, in romantic comedies, the main character seems to have a love interest and friends that are very peripheral. Friendships are just as wonderful as romantic relationships, and I love seeing attention paid to the beauty of friendships.

The budding relationship in the book also felt healthy to me. Good communication. Was it perfect? No. But no relationship ever is. I found myself thinking what a good foundation for a relationship the two characters had, something I rarely see in books.

Much appreciation to Netgalley, the author and the publisher, for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook.

I liked it, but there were some parts that were hard for me to get through. I understood that Kiran was trying to please her family because culturally this is what is expected, but it was heart wrenching to see someone let go of love because parents do not approve of your partner. Specifically on audio, I did not like the voice used for Nash. It was hard for me to get past it. Overall, I liked the book, but I wish it was not such an intense parent/daughter relationship.

As a person who has a deep love for food, I loved the many references to it. I may have been craving many of the dishes described and all of the chai!
Kiran and Nash are new neighbors and what's a girl to do with a charming man needing friendship? The two set off on a quest to check off items from their individual bucket lists and along the way find more. With a fun backdrop of the friendships with the Chai Masala Club, they face different challenges with each of their families.
Annika had a great gift for captivating my interest. I think the way she wove personal history and cultural differences within a bi-racial love story had a feeling of cozy authenticity. It can be hard to break familial bonds and norms while staying true to self.
I read and listened to the audiobook throughout a couple of days. The narrator, Zehra Jane Naqvi, has a beautiful voice and I thoroughly enjoyed both her narrative and voices for every character sans Nash. Maybe it's because I live in the south, but the southern accent was off-putting. I wish she hadn't been directed to use it.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the advanced copy and Dreamscape Media for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.