Okkkk.... I have THOUGHTS. Rant coming... but first, things I did like:

- Nash and Kiran - I liked their meet cute and liked their growth from friendship to more. They had such cute flirtatious banter.
- The friendships!! My favorite part of this book is probably the core friend group - they were *chefs kiss*
- good conversations around immigrants living in America and Indian culture in general.
- Overall, the first 40%-50% of this book was GREAT.

Ok... here is where the rant begins:
I REALLY struggled with the main conflict here and the consistent toxicity between the heroine and her family/culture. Like I was physically upset listening to the way her parents talked to her (calling her a whore) after she admitted to dating a man that did not fit within their expectations. The family did not approve, told her she was DEAD to them, and then she broke up with the hero because of this at the ~55% mark!!!! SOOOOO I had to listen to 45% of this book where she struggled with her family's expectations, breaking up with her BF, but not wanting to be broken-up... and so on. I just COULDN'T.
- Nash was not very understanding of Kiran's culture and how the dynamics/expectations of her culture weighed on her differently. Because they were in America, he just didn't get why her parents back in India were dictating her decisions... like dude... COME ON... just was very insensitive and naive.
- The author threw-in a medical issue that just was UNNECESSARY... I get it was a catalyst to bring the family back together but COME ON, the conflicts were hard enough to get through and then just layering on ANOTHER element.. it was too much.

I honestly struggle to call this a romance because half of this book was not about the couple's relationship and was largely about Kiran and her family.

Anyway... I settled on a rating of 2.75 stars because I liked the friends and the first ~45% of this book was solid but other than that, I really did not enjoy it.

Things I loved: STEM Indian MC, great narrator, dual POV third person, friends-to-lovers, tension, hospital scene, difficult conversations, forbidden love
Things I didn't love: Nash didn't take the initiative to learn about her culture on his own, his whiteness being the main point of her story, mom's slut-shaming
Kiran is a 28-year-old biomedical engineer from Duke University, but that's not enough for her parents. According to her parents, she must be married and soon, seeing as she isn't getting any younger. However, it's not like Kiran is avoiding marriage; she's actively pursuing it. She just hasn't had any luck.
Nash is a 30-year-old child psychologist with his own trauma. His dad left, and his mom passed away, leaving him under the care of his aunt Kate for the majority of his childhood.
As Kiran and Nash bond over being neighbors and sharing each other's cultures, their new friendship feels a little more like a relationship. However, with her traditional upbringing, Kiran isn't sure that they can work. The only thing she's sure of is that she doesn't want to repeat the mistake of her older sister.
Annika Sharma did a great job discussing the difficult conversations around race, Indian culture, life as an immigrant in the U.S., and family relationships. My only gripe is that I would have preferred if she didn't mention Nash being white every chapter. I don't think we needed the constant reminder.
The narrator did a great job. I found it easy to follow along with perfect pacing.
Overall the story was great, with dynamic characters from very different backgrounds. The narrator did a great job capturing my attention in the beginning and keeping the story moving. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a forbidden romance with a focus on Indian culture.
Book: 4/5
Narrator: 4.5/5

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca and Dreamscape Audio for my advanced copy of Love, Chai, and Other Four Letter Words!

I cannot believe this is Annika Sharma's debut adult title, because it was utterly charming and so well-written. Full of emotion, depth and family, this romance built on friendship.

Kiran left her village in India for a life in New York City. But her family expectations followed her. If she doesn't marry an Indian man from the right caste, she'll disgrace her parents. Just like her sister did.

I love reading books with diversity and I loved getting a glimpse into Indian culture. Love, Chai, and Other Four Letter Words also features an interracial relationship and the obstacles they face.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this audiobook, in exchange for my honest review.

Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words was a thoroughly enjoyable, well narrated audiobook. I loved the sweet but complicated, slow burn romance of Kiran and Nash, and seeing them work through those complications. I loved the CMC and very much look forward to future books in this series.

This was a closed door sweet romance, not a steamy one, and I think it might be better classified as women's lit and multi-cultural lit. I can't comment on how accurately the author represented the South Asian immigrant experience as that is not my lane, but I enjoyed learning about Kiran and how her experience was similar in some ways and very different in others, compared to her fellow CMCers who were born in America or the UK.

Kiran is an Indian immigrant who adores her parents, and does everything she can to honor them and the sacrifices they've made for her. Nash is a new to town from Nashville, and has never really had a stable family unit. Both become fast friends when Nash locks himself out of his apartment on the day he moves in.

Their friendship slowly starts to become something more though, and Kiran has a big problem. Her older sister was ousted from the family when Kiran was very young, because she married the wrong man. Kiran knows that a relationship with a white man will devestate her parents, and may bring about the same result as her sister faced nearly 20 years ago.

I was absolutely riveted by this book and the glimpses we get into a culture that I have no knowledge of. Kiran has an amazing group of friends that all met over their lvoe of Chai, and their feelings of not truly belonging in America. We learn with Nash, as he navigates a new relatiohship with a woman from another country, and realizes his own white priviledge in ways he'd never thought about.

The heart wrenching decisions surrounding the two of them dating, amid the disappointment of her parents was difficult for me to navigate, which was one of the reasons that I really loved this book. I came away with a better understanding of just how impossible it is to live amongst different cultural norms, while trying to uphold the beliefs that Kiran was brought up with.

I especailly loved the Chai Masala Club that Kiran is a part of with her three friends. Their friendhsip and personalities are so authentic and meaningful. They have formed their own family, and I loved listening in on it!

Thanks so much to Dreamscape media for providing me an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC of Love, Chai, and Other Four Letter Words by Annika Sharma. I felt the narrator did a good job with this book but to me, the characters were not really believable. I didn't believe in their love and thought that the character development lacked.

4.25 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve been reading a mix of thrillers, mysteries, and a couple other things lately, and I wanted a change. This one had a lot of the typical light and fluffy romance elements, but it also had a more serious plot line, reasonably well-developed characters, and some interesting relationships. I liked the writing style and was rooting for the protagonists to work out their issues and rekindle their relationship. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for the rest of the series as it’s published.

Kiran left her village in India for a life in New York City. But her family expectations followed her. If she doesn't marry an Indian man from the right caste, she'll disgrace her parents. Just like her sister did.

Nash has never known what a real family feels like. The only child of an absent father and drug addicted mother, he's never experienced unconditional love. Meeting Kiran helps heal the broken places in his heart. But with her loyalties torn, do they have a chance at forever?

This is an emotional novel, longer than most, with high stakes and no easy solutions. The author did a particularly good job of illustrating for an American audience what the consequences to herself and her parents might be if Kiran defied the social expectations of her community in India. This is something I struggle with in a lot of Desi romance. While I understand the "caught between two worlds" dynamic intellectually, it's hard to relate to it emotionally. My entire adult life, I don't think I've done a single thing just because my parents expected it of me. This book provided enough of a foundation that I could understand Kiran's dilemma. To the point that I was mentally yelling at her, "What are you doing, dating a white boy? Find yourself a nice Indian boy!"

And yet, despite all the obstacles between Nash and Kiran, the author gives them a heartwarming HEA that's even more joyous because of everything they had to overcome. This book is a journey, y'all. Be prepared to shed some tears. The audio performance contributes to the emotional experience.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the audio ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This was a fantastic book. I went into it thinking it was a romance book but it really isn’t. It’s more of a book about family issues with a little romance sprinkled in. This was tough to read in parts and found it a little triggering for purity culture stuff. But I really loved Kiran. I wish her friends had been a larger part of the book but I think the next books in the series will be about them! I didn’t enjoy the audiobook as much since I thought the narrator’s voice for Nash was just horrible.

More like 4 and ½ Stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca and Dreamscape Audio for my advanced copy of Love, Chai, and Other Four Letter Words!

I absolutely loved this book!
Because I was so kindly gifted the audio for this book: lets start there.

What I Loved-

*The Narrator- Zehra Jane Naqvi, you are a treasure! What an amazing voice actor. She did an amazing job narrating both male and female characters in this book.

*The CMC- The Chai Masala Club. I loved Kiran's friend group. I am so glad this is going to be a series and cannot wait to read the next installment.

*The Romance- This was a super sweet romance. If you are a spicy romance reader you may not enjoy this book but I thought it was pretty close to perfect. It was a friends to lovers trope and realistic.

*The Representation- I love reading books with diversity and I loved getting a glimpse into Indian culture. Love, Chai, and Other Four Letter Words also features an interracial relationship and the obstacles they face.

*The Conflict & Resolution- Very well written.

Overall- Definitely recommend. I cannot wait to read more by this author.