This book was SO FUN!

I really didn’t know what to expect as I started this but the way this took a turn in the best way possible, I can’t wait to read more by this author.

Lata has a not so under par life. When she finds out there is a celebrity who shares her name and likeness (kind of) she takes advantage of it. And boy does she get up to some crazy antics with this new identity. She meets so many people and grows close to some new friends, including a designer who becomes more than friends with her by the end.

Such an incredibly strong story, I want everyone to read it!

I thoroughly enjoyed discovering this new to me authror. The book was engaging and when I finished it I needed to recommend it to my fellow book loving friends.

really good mystery. Kept me on my toes and loved all of the characters and what they went through on this journey. Loved that they a happy ending happened.

Kirthana Ramisetti returns with another sharp, socially savvy story about chasing the high life - only this time, it's less about marrying rich and more about stealing a name. Literally.

Lata Murthy lives a modest NYC life filled with digital content deadlines and Food Network binges. But thanks to a mysterious email mix-up, she keeps getting invites meant for another Lata - one who apparently sips cocktails in the Hamptons and shops SoHo sales. So Lata does what any of us might (but hopefully wouldn't): she takes on this Other Lata's identity and moves headfirst into a new, glittering world.

What starts as innocent curiosity snowballs into a double life of lies, glamor, and increasingly bizarre blackmail from the real Other Lata. Toss in a budding romance with a rising fashion designer, and you've got a story that's equal parts fun and messy.

The pacing gets a little slow at times, but just when you're ready to drift, Ramisetti pulls you back in. If you've ever felt like an outsider trying to fake your way into belonging, "The Other Lata" will hit a little too close, making it an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced reader's copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

You know that moment when you get an email clearly meant for someone else—usually a about a meeting you'll never attend or that eyelash extension service to which you definitely didn't subscribe? Most of us hit delete. But not our girl Lata. No, she takes this mix-up and runs full-tilt into chaos.

The Other Lata introduces us to a protagonist who is already underwater—financially, emotionally, and, frankly, morally. Lata lives in NYC, broke and aimless, with a talent for self-sabotage. She's got a mountain of credit card debt, a taste for spending she can't afford, and a tendency to make wildly bad choices. So when she starts receiving emails meant for a glamorous, wealthy Lata (yes, there's an “other Lata”), she does what every cautionary tale warns against—she steps into that life. Literally. She fakes it. Fancy parties, new friends, a budding romance, lies stacked like Jenga blocks. It’s a recipe for disaster, and predictably, the tower falls.

What frustrated me most wasn't just the deception (although, whew, there is a lot of it), but the bizarre moral gymnastics Lata performs to justify her behavior. She benefits financially from the lies, getting a job, an apartment, networking connections, yet somehow manages to maintain this strange sense of superiority over another conwoman in the story. Girl, HWAT?

There’s a version of this story that could have been juicy and self-aware, maybe even dry and satirical, but this one? It left me unconvinced and honestly, kind of annoyed. Lata doesn’t seem to grow or reckon with who she used to be—because, well, that version of her wasn’t exactly a gem either. I think the lack of class consciousness in a novel that was centered around class was really what missed the mark.

In the end, I just didn’t buy it. The characters felt more like caricatures, the plot a little too far-fetched to root for, and the emotional payoff? Eh. If you're here for a beach read about moral ambiguity and a trainwreck you can’t look away from, this might hit the spot. But for me, it was like watching someone dig their own hole and pretty much deserve it.

I really enjoyed reading this. I did not foresee what was to happen other than the usual, Lata having to fess up because she fell in love. But I love the idea of a regular person taking over the persona of an "influencer" who isn't even an influencer. And the other Lata knew it was happening and used it to her advantage. So clever and funny. I enjoy books of mistaken identity or even "identity theft" in the loosest definition of the word. The background of the book, where everything takes place, is so fun and high society New York always has the vibes - fun and shallowness but also a hidden depth of competition and bad attitudes. Which perfectly mirrored this book and Lata's lies. On the outside, fun and bright and underneath, dark lies and difficult relationships, as well as the blackmail ;)

This was a very fun and interesting story, but I definitely wouldn’t call it a romance. I didn’t particularly like the main character, but following her sort of twisted thought processes was engaging and it was fun to be along for the ride as she… solved this mystery? This would make a great escapist read for a rainy day — and I always love the drama of hearing about rich people doing rich people nonsense.

3.5 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for an ARC of The Other Lat by Kirthana Ramisetti. This was my first novel by this author and it was very interesting. I loved the elements of slow-burn romance and humor. I also enjoyed the elements of suspense. A woman with financial troubles receiving invitations via email to extravagant events and infiltrates this other Lata's life. But who is the other Lata? This woman had no idea what she was getting into by impersonating Lata. That was a wild ride!

THE OTHER LATA review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

🪞I need more people to read this book!! This was such a bingeable book and would be perfect to read poolside or on the beach! 🏝️

🪞Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Lata gets an email invitation intended for someone with her same first and last name. Lata decides her boring life needs some excitement, so she decides to RSVP yes and attend in the other Lata’s place. But pretending to be the other Lata is a lot more work than she imagined and it seems the other Lata has some big secrets she’s hiding. 👀

🪞I was hooked on this one from the beginning and had no idea how it would wrap up! You definitely have to suspend reality a bit to get into this one but I really enjoyed it still! Honestly gave slight Gossip Girl vibes and I was here for it!

🪞Thanks to @grandcentralpub for my digital copy!

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘵𝘢 is a mixture of mystery, romance and comedy.
Lata Murthy is a 20-something year old living in NYC with roommates and a dead-end job. However, she constantly receives invitations to elite social events because someone else has her name. Lata decides one day to accept one of the invites and is thrust into the life she always wanted.
This all comes crashing down when the real Lata Murthy contacts Lata about stealing her life. The Other Lata begins to blackmail Lata, and while it seems her blackmail wants to humiliate Lata it gives for something ulterior.

So this book was cute and decent. I had a feeling it was going to go one way and it went another, which I totally appreciate. I liked that there was a twist and it was totally unexpected, because this felt like a predictable book but wasn't predictable AT ALL (I totally recommend reading this!)
It is cute and I loved that it had a mixture of mystery and romance.

The Other Lata

This one was a WILD ride! Lata starts getting emails for 'the other Lata' - invitations to lavish parties that she starts accepting to dabble into a more glamous life than the one she has. She takes on a new identity under the same name. Until one day, she gets a note from The Other Lata about stealing her life.

This was an unexpected adventure. It was almost cringe worthy to read what Lata did and went through. I struggled to relate to Lata but maybe that was the point?

This was not quite for me, but I hope others who enjoy this style of book check it out!

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. I loved the characters and the storyline. I laughed in parts of this book and also felt for Lata. I will definitely recommend this book.

This is a fun, easy book to read about a young woman living in New York but not thriving - who starts getting emails for another Lata Murthy, who seems to lead a very glamorous life. I didn't always get the premise of the story - why couldn't Lata just pretend the emails were really for her, she didn't really have to impersonate someone else. But it was still fun to read, even though the main character was clearly making some bad decisions and her plan to solve it at the end had a lot of holes in it. She also (slight spoiler but it's said pretty early on) was a pretty heavy shoplifter and I feel like that was the worse part of her actions for which she never faced any consequences. The book does have some interesting commentary on race and class, especially around people thinking all Indians look alike.

The summary for this was way more interesting than it ended up being, unfortunately.

The story starts rolling pretty quickly. Everything from Lata getting an invite to an event meant for someone else to her email and her diving into the world of the wealthy pretending to be another person with the same name, all happens very fast. She doesn’t think much of it. She does it, but the emotion behind what she’s doing isn’t really there.

All of this felt like so much of just, on the surface writing. It tries to dig deeper into the story and the characters, but the writing just wasn’t there, it just wasn’t strong enough.

When she gets caught you’re just like ah well it was good awhile it lasted. The time flies by quickly, and in the end everything works out for her.

I just didn’t feel much for the characters. Lata bails on her best friend at the beginning and the girl drops out of the novel never to be seen again. They mention her near the end like “we didn’t forget about her!” But it was a throw away line.

The romance is there in words but not in feelings. It’s just nothing.

Overall, this was all just sort of bland. And that’s such a bummer, cause the description promised me a fun time.

Thank you @netgalley and @grandcentralpub for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was such a fun read! Identity confusion! Accepting invites meant for someone else might get you more than you ask for, but it might get you new friends, and a new circle to join in with.

Such a fun, fast paced read. I highly recommend this! So fun.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Other Lata is a book about liars - Lata is a liar and she admits to it. Her entire worldview is very centered on the fact that she is desperate to live a life outside her means and outside anything she ever had before. So when another invitation for a different Lata Murthy enters her email inbox she decides this time to attend the glamorous event after all it is her name on the guest list. She ends up making friends and finds herself looped into a wealthy circle of friends including a developing romance with fashion designer Rajeev. Except the other Lata has found out about this impersonation and is not pleased - she begins to instruct Lata to do more and more ridiculous behaviors. The confrontation between the two leads to a thrilling conclusion.

I really enjoyed this and it was a nice quick read. It is my second book I've picked up by this author and I will definitely continue to be on the lookout for new releases.

When Lata accidentally received information meant for someone else who shares her name, she makes her way into a different world of wealth that she isn’t used too. Then the other Lata comes back and wants wants her life back. This was such an interesting read with some suspense woven through out the story!

Working a job she dislikes and existing with credit card debt, Lata receives an invitation meant for someone else with her name. The other Lata appears to be a wealthy Mumbai socialite, and as Lata enters her world as an imposter, she becomes entwined with a whole crowd of wealthy socialites. The author adds depth as the reader realizes the envy created as Lata grew up the only Asian in a wealthy Connecticut town led her to some questionable actions. Learning about the other Lata as well as herself will involve realizing her need for acceptance in a world that otherwise would not accept either of them. The secondary characters in the story add to its success. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you, @KirthanaRamisetti and @GrandCentralPub for my @NetGalley ARC.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Other Lata by Kirthana Ramisetti
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 264 / Genre: Fiction
Release Date: April 1, 2025
🥳#HappyPubWeek!🎉

Lata Murthy is barely making it in New York City working at a dead-end job with two roommates and spending her nights watching the Food Network because she doesn’t have the money or options to do anything else. But there’s another Lata Murthy in Manhattan, who is constantly getting invites to amazing events. She knows because she’s been getting her emails by mistake. Then one day she does it. She accepts an invite and her NYC experience changes beyond her wildest dreams. Turns out most of the people she meets don’t really even know this other Lata—I mean, you can’t expect these rich white people to discern between two different caramel-skinned women, can you? But while at first she claims to be Other Lata, the people she meets who become her friends get to know the real Lata, minus her actual origin story. And these new friends have connections she didn’t have access to before. She gets a better job, a better apartment, invites that are actually for her, and even romance. Everything is going great until Other Lata comes calling and wants payback.

This was such a great story. I loved living the NYC dream social life through Lata. And the looming fear of being found out added an exciting element of mystery and intrigue.

This book was women’s fiction with a romantic thread to the storyline.

Lata was getting emails for someone with her same name. The invites sounded very enticing so she decided one day to pretend to be the other person. One time led to another time and soon she made friends and was caught up in the web of lies.

Then the person she is pretending to be contacts her and begins to force her to do embarrassing things. Lata has to find her way out of this mess when that person asks her to steal something.

While all this is happening, she falls for Rajeev, a fashion designer and part of her new friend group. She does her best to show him as much of the real her as she can. Lata is afraid their relationship will be destroyed when all her lies start to come crashing down around her.

I enjoyed this book. The romance storyline was kinda awkward and I didn’t really feel the chemistry between Lata and Rajeev. This was still a really good story. I like the way it ended.