Kiran is an Indian immigrant who adores her parents, and does everything she can to honor them and the sacrifices they’ve made for her. Nash is a new to town from Nashville, and has never really had a stable family unit. Both become fast friends when Nash locks himself out of his apartment on the day he moves in.
Their friendship slowly starts to become something more though, and Kiran has a big problem. Her older sister was ousted from the family when Kiran was very young, because she married the wrong man. Kiran knows that a relationship with a white man will devestate her parents, and may bring about the same result as her sister faced nearly 20 years ago.
I was absolutely riveted by this book and the glimpses we get into a culture that I have no knowledge of. Kiran has an amazing group of friends that all met over their lvoe of Chai, and their feelings of not truly belonging in America. We learn with Nash, as he navigates a new relatiohship with a woman from another country, and realizes his own white priviledge in ways he’d never thought about.
The heart wrenching decisions surrounding the two of them dating, amid the disappointment of her parents was difficult for me to navigate, which was one of the reasons that I really loved this book. I came away with a better understanding of just how impossible it is to live amongst different cultural norms, while trying to uphold the beliefs that Kiran was brought up with.
I especailly loved the Chai Masala Club that Kiran is a part of with her three friends. Their friendhsip and personalities are so authentic and meaningful. They have formed their own family, and I loved listening in on it!
Thanks so much to Dreamscape media for providing me an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!
Romance Books Fan 