i really love the ideas she was trying to explore here (conflicting cultures, family obligations vs being true to yourself, how someone who grew up differently can ever really understand someone else's culture or way of life) but it was not well done. the writing was especially terrible for most of it and all of the secondary characters (except, to some extent, payal) were not well rounded but were very important to the story. i assume this is her first book and the others (there will be, i imagine, 4 stories for the 4 friends) should improve, because she has good ideas and this is a first book. but as far as this one goes, the exploration of the issues and the characterization of the friends was all lacking. there was so much opportunity to really go deep with the conflict between kiran and her parents, and the resolution required no conversation, no convincing, no emotional reckoning. very disappointing, but with potential.

example of the writing that needed better drafting or editing:
"Her fists clenched as her heart slowed. Her heart beat raced and she fought back tears again." literally the end of one sentence contradicts the beginning of the next one.

i also thought the narrator for the audio was a poor fit and that may have contributed to my general annoyance while listening to this, but it didn't affect my feelings about the writing. ( )

If I could rate this 6 stars I would, I absolutely adored this book!

It was incredibly touching, legitimately laugh-out-loud funny at times, and made me tear up more than once. The characters, even minor ones, were wonderfully developed and any conflict in the story never felt contrived (which is beef I have with other books in the romance genre at times). Everything was supported, it was just phenomenal. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more books by this author. I'm really excited to see that it's the first in a Chai Masala Club series, and my hopes is that means the next book(s) will dive into the other members of the CMC, whom I adore!!

Please read this book!! ( )

Love, CHai and other Four-Letter Words
Chai Masala Club, Book 1

I Picked Up This Book Because: The blurb sounded like it was just my type of story.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: Review copy provided by Netgalley, Digital copy provided by Sourcebooks Early Reads
Dates Read: 8/1/2022 - 8/8/2022
Stars: 3 Stars
Narrator(s): Zehra Jane Naqvi

The Characters:

Kiran :
Nash:


The Story:

While I can admit the plot was indeed right up my alley it took two tries and a change of format for me to get through this. I liked Kiran and Nash’s relationship and really loved their meet cute but the individual characters were not that engaging for me. I liked the observations in different cultural perspectives though.I hated the separation it caused her family and all the time they missed together.

The Random Thoughts: ( )

Kiran's older sister married outside of their family caste, so when her parents allowed her go to school and eventually work in America, she promised herself to be perfect. This seems to be set vaguely as things are opening up post pandemic, I have kind of wondered what fiction writers would do or not do in that respect. In NYC, after months of seeing each other rarely and socially distanced, Kiran and her three best friends are getting back in the swing of life and discussing the New York bucket lists they made at the end of college. Right away, the book swings between the two main characters, Kiran and Nash. He has just moved upstairs of Kiran from Tennessee and the initial meet cute involves him already having lost his keys and unable to reach the super. Both characters have tangly family dynamics, but the story really progresses quickly as they become friends and then romance blooms. Although the expected displeasure from her parents was swift, the eventual family resolutions were well done. Yummy descriptions of chai and food. ( )

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?

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. ( )