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lmcbride03's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
bks6's review
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
hollielovesromance's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A quick college romance between two star crossed lovers who are trying to solve a decades old mystery on campus. I appreciated the discussions of privilege, familial expectations and pressures, and the need to grow into one’s own self.
collettesreadingcorner's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
pompomegrantes's review against another edition
Wasn’t a fan of the main couple. They had no chemistry and make me kind of uncomfortable. The plot was intriguing but not enough for me to power through the cringey and uncomfortable romance.
dreadlockdiva2's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jenbsbooks's review against another edition
3.25
I liked this. Included in KindleUnlimited, text and audio. Just as I have to space out my P&P retellings, and WW2 stories and other specific topics/genres (just to keep things from getting muddled in my mind), I've found there are a LOT of stories with characters from India, so I need to space them out too. It's been a couple months since my last, so I figured I'd be okay. While being Desi was important to the plot, this actually didn't feel overly Indian.
I appreciated the Table of Contents - just a quick glance/ per the headings, so I could see that this would have a letter from the past (1970s) and then a chapter from Jessie's POV, then one from Ravi's POV. The letters were 1st person, while the present-day storyline was 3rd person. Two narrators (female for Jessie's POV, male for Ravi's POV). Past tense. There were some text communications included as well.
We had the present day "will this relationship work with our differences?" ... those differences being wealth/connections (both were Indian) and the past relationship (different races, and also wealth/connections). While I liked Jessie and Ravi, their relationship did seem to move so quickly into LOVE ... I guess that can happen.
A little Pride & Prejudice/Jane Austen connection.
Content Concerns: There was some proFanity (x11) and some sexual content.
I appreciated the Table of Contents - just a quick glance/ per the headings, so I could see that this would have a letter from the past (1970s) and then a chapter from Jessie's POV, then one from Ravi's POV. The letters were 1st person, while the present-day storyline was 3rd person. Two narrators (female for Jessie's POV, male for Ravi's POV). Past tense. There were some text communications included as well.
We had the present day "will this relationship work with our differences?" ... those differences being wealth/connections (both were Indian) and the past relationship (different races, and also wealth/connections). While I liked Jessie and Ravi, their relationship did seem to move so quickly into LOVE ... I guess that can happen.
A little Pride & Prejudice/Jane Austen connection.
Content Concerns: There was some proFanity (x11) and some sexual content.
megnut's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Sexual content
wiltedpages's review against another edition
5.0
loved this book so much! this was nisha's new adult debut and it was done really well!
the main characters are jessie and ravi; jessie is from a lower-middle class indian family in houston, and ravi is a third generation tech bro and basically from silicon valley royalty (i know that's not a real thing but same energy). when they inadvertently get trapped in their university's creepy and haunted old tower that is home to many mysteries, they find letters from the 1970s, written by a desi woman to her secret lover. as they try to figure out her identity, the rest of her story, and if it's related to their school's myths about two lovers who died in a fire, they grow closer.
i could be wrong, but some of the concepts in the book drew parallels to the hindi movie om shanti om (2006) ft shah rukh khan and deepika padukone, especially the fire stuff. i love that the book goes back and forth between jessie and ravi's chapters, and some of the letters written that parallel their present day romance.
one thing i always appreciate about nisha's books is that she acknowledges that there are varying levels of marginalization within the indian-american communities across the country, and a perfect example of it is jessie growing up poor vs ravi's more stereotypical tech bro family. not all desi diaspora are well off and working corporate jobs, and not all of them have the same upbringing. another good example was jessie's roommate, tanvi, who is a third generation indian-american. indian immigration to the usa didn't all happen in the early to mid-2000s, and the mystery desi woman in the 1970s letters is further proof. this is of course not hate to any desi authors that do want to write about the immigrant experience, but seeing as that is the prevailing narrative, this was refreshing to read.
i'm glad the book didn't play into toxic relationship narratives, like when jessie interacts with ravi's ex (who is a very nice person based on her appearances), and doesn't fall victim to unnecessary jealousy - thank god lol. or when jessie meets ravi's family, their problem is not with her being from a poor family - once again, i appreciate that the story didn't fall into those tropes.
overall, a fairly short and absolutely adorable read!
the main characters are jessie and ravi; jessie is from a lower-middle class indian family in houston, and ravi is a third generation tech bro and basically from silicon valley royalty (i know that's not a real thing but same energy). when they inadvertently get trapped in their university's creepy and haunted old tower that is home to many mysteries, they find letters from the 1970s, written by a desi woman to her secret lover. as they try to figure out her identity, the rest of her story, and if it's related to their school's myths about two lovers who died in a fire, they grow closer.
i could be wrong, but some of the concepts in the book drew parallels to the hindi movie om shanti om (2006) ft shah rukh khan and deepika padukone, especially the fire stuff. i love that the book goes back and forth between jessie and ravi's chapters, and some of the letters written that parallel their present day romance.
one thing i always appreciate about nisha's books is that she acknowledges that there are varying levels of marginalization within the indian-american communities across the country, and a perfect example of it is jessie growing up poor vs ravi's more stereotypical tech bro family. not all desi diaspora are well off and working corporate jobs, and not all of them have the same upbringing. another good example was jessie's roommate, tanvi, who is a third generation indian-american. indian immigration to the usa didn't all happen in the early to mid-2000s, and the mystery desi woman in the 1970s letters is further proof. this is of course not hate to any desi authors that do want to write about the immigrant experience, but seeing as that is the prevailing narrative, this was refreshing to read.
i'm glad the book didn't play into toxic relationship narratives, like when jessie interacts with ravi's ex (who is a very nice person based on her appearances), and doesn't fall victim to unnecessary jealousy - thank god lol. or when jessie meets ravi's family, their problem is not with her being from a poor family - once again, i appreciate that the story didn't fall into those tropes.
overall, a fairly short and absolutely adorable read!