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beasleysbooks's review against another edition
I was very bored and the southern accent the narrator did for the MMC was annoying.
kle105's review against another edition
3.0
I am a little conflicted on this one. I loved the different representation and learning more about a culture different from my own. I struggled with the connection between Kiran and her parents. The expectations, the vile things they said to her and yet she still felt obligation to them. I appreciated some of the conversations between Kiran and Nash regarding disparaging comments about her name.
With Kiran and Nash I really enjoyed their connection and the trips they took to cross off items on her bucket list. There was a push and pull due to Kiran feeling like she needed to have her parents arrange a marriage for him with someone they chose after they have already disowned her older sister for choosing a love connection with someone of a lower class.
I liked to see that towards the end they made some strides to bring the family back together and Nash made a grand gesture to show Kiran how much he cared about her.
The romance itself was pretty fade to black - closed door romance, but it was sweet. The cultural representation was big, and I really loved the friendships between Kiran and her three friends who played a big part in the story and I would loved to see them get their stories. Having grown up in America it was hard for me to relate to the parental connection and obligations. However, I am sure others will have a stronger connection with the story.
I received a copy for review via NetGalley all opinions are my own and given freely.
With Kiran and Nash I really enjoyed their connection and the trips they took to cross off items on her bucket list. There was a push and pull due to Kiran feeling like she needed to have her parents arrange a marriage for him with someone they chose after they have already disowned her older sister for choosing a love connection with someone of a lower class.
I liked to see that towards the end they made some strides to bring the family back together and Nash made a grand gesture to show Kiran how much he cared about her.
The romance itself was pretty fade to black - closed door romance, but it was sweet. The cultural representation was big, and I really loved the friendships between Kiran and her three friends who played a big part in the story and I would loved to see them get their stories. Having grown up in America it was hard for me to relate to the parental connection and obligations. However, I am sure others will have a stronger connection with the story.
I received a copy for review via NetGalley all opinions are my own and given freely.
jrv45's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
alexiab's review against another edition
2.0
I hate to be a hater on a sweet book but there’s not much happening here that I enjoyed.
The story is very cliche and predictable, and the use of a white male romantic lead makes the book read like it’s pandering to uneducated white people on the most basic level. Who the hell doesn’t know what chai or paneer is?
The characters don’t have distinct voice, and the romance is mainly just boring. There are several Indian American romances that I’ve enjoyed for having a fresh voice and culture woven throughout the story, but this is not one of them.
All of that mixed with the weird plot inconsistencies, the poor explanation of the conflict, and simple resolution to all that drama was not it for me.
The story is very cliche and predictable, and the use of a white male romantic lead makes the book read like it’s pandering to uneducated white people on the most basic level. Who the hell doesn’t know what chai or paneer is?
The characters don’t have distinct voice, and the romance is mainly just boring. There are several Indian American romances that I’ve enjoyed for having a fresh voice and culture woven throughout the story, but this is not one of them.
All of that mixed with the weird plot inconsistencies, the poor explanation of the conflict, and simple resolution to all that drama was not it for me.
annaswanangel's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
ishadesh's review against another edition
lighthearted
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
3.0
sma4652's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
3.0
jojodoug55's review against another edition
3.0
It is difficult for me to distinguish whether I liked this book or not, as I read this with a sort of love/hate sentiment.
This novel is about a young immigrant woman from India who lives in the United States. She has a close-knit group of friends with whom she regularly gets together for a cup of chai and a chat. They call themselves the Chai Masala Club. When apart from her friend group, the protagonist finds herself in love and pursues the relationship despite feeling that she is betraying her family in India by doing so.
The reason that I feel torn about this book stems from its inconsistent tone and lack of organization. It begins as a fluffy romantic comedy, full of flirtatious quips and sarcasm in a dialogue-focused writing style. The characters are mostly one-dimensional and border on cliché in the genre, but then the whole storyline flips upside-down more than halfway through the book when complex themes of culture clash, white privilege, immigrant identity, reputation, and the importance of parent-child relationship in young adulthood become evident. It is as if the thread that holds these themes together were not properly woven in the first half of the book; literary devices connecting these ideas together to create a background for both the characters and the plot were not sufficiently and effectively employed. This comes as a shock to the reader, but not in a plot-twist-like way. Instead, it divides the book in two different stories with equally distinct tones. In the last quarter or so of the novel, the thread is attempted to be sewn, but it is too late–the reader is already confused. It seems as if the book was not sufficiently edited: character building is not adequately developed in the beginning and whole scenes and chapters could have been removed (due to unnecessary repetitious dialogue and action)
If the novel had been edited more, balancing its romantic wit with its seriousness, then I would have given this book a 3 or 4 out of 5. However, as is, I must rate this book a 2.5/5.
This novel is about a young immigrant woman from India who lives in the United States. She has a close-knit group of friends with whom she regularly gets together for a cup of chai and a chat. They call themselves the Chai Masala Club. When apart from her friend group, the protagonist finds herself in love and pursues the relationship despite feeling that she is betraying her family in India by doing so.
The reason that I feel torn about this book stems from its inconsistent tone and lack of organization. It begins as a fluffy romantic comedy, full of flirtatious quips and sarcasm in a dialogue-focused writing style. The characters are mostly one-dimensional and border on cliché in the genre, but then the whole storyline flips upside-down more than halfway through the book when complex themes of culture clash, white privilege, immigrant identity, reputation, and the importance of parent-child relationship in young adulthood become evident. It is as if the thread that holds these themes together were not properly woven in the first half of the book; literary devices connecting these ideas together to create a background for both the characters and the plot were not sufficiently and effectively employed. This comes as a shock to the reader, but not in a plot-twist-like way. Instead, it divides the book in two different stories with equally distinct tones. In the last quarter or so of the novel, the thread is attempted to be sewn, but it is too late–the reader is already confused. It seems as if the book was not sufficiently edited: character building is not adequately developed in the beginning and whole scenes and chapters could have been removed (due to unnecessary repetitious dialogue and action)
If the novel had been edited more, balancing its romantic wit with its seriousness, then I would have given this book a 3 or 4 out of 5. However, as is, I must rate this book a 2.5/5.