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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
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.
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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:
Complicated
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
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.
Fun, Warm, Simple.
I think lots of people don’t really like this book because it’s simple. Their love story was giving Jim and Pam from the Office. I got this book at blind dating at Barnes and Noble and it was a really good experience. Will be doing it again tehe. Will be starting my own bucket list and will write ‘fall in love’ at the bottom.
I think lots of people don’t really like this book because it’s simple. Their love story was giving Jim and Pam from the Office. I got this book at blind dating at Barnes and Noble and it was a really good experience. Will be doing it again tehe. Will be starting my own bucket list and will write ‘fall in love’ at the bottom.
i really wanted to like this book, especially because i think annika sharma is a very cool person. that being said, i give very little tolerance to white boys, especially when this BROWN main character is always bending over backwards to explain her culture to him. bleh. raise the bare minimum for romances with a white love interest, i'm tired.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-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