The Karma Map is a heartwarming and also challenging story about identity, belonging, and belief. The main characters, Tara and Silas, seem at first to be the typical grumpy and sunshine trope, but throughout the story they reveal nuanced character strengths and flaws. Told in dual POV and set during a multi-week religious pilgrimage tour, the story remains both character and plot driven. I honestly usually don't like "journey" stories, but The Karma Map drew me in. I have read one of Sharma's adult romance novels and was curious to see how I would like a YA novel by her. The high school and college age characters all felt realistic and the romance was perfect teenage slow-burn and angst. I would definitely recommend this book to teens or adults who enjoy travel, closed-door romance, and coming of age identity stories.

I loved the setting of this book. I learned a lot about India and I enjoyed reading about it. Tara is a former mean girl who goes on this trip to discover herself again and accept herself. While working as a junior guide she meets Silas who is also on this trip. They discover India again as a junior guide. This book handles a lot of different topics such as queerness, religion and self-acceptance.

I am not religious and didn't know much about India, so I liked reading about it. I loved how we saw Tara come out of her shell and how we learned that you need to know a person before you can judge them. I gave this book 4.25 stars I think I would have enjoyed it even more if it was more pages. I would love to see how the relationship between Tara and Silas worked with their parents. But overall I would really recommend this book.

i really enjoyed this read -- i couldn't put it down and loved following the characters on their journeys of self-discovery as they took a pilgrimage to india. the layers of exploration here culturally, religiously, personally, relationally, etc were beautiful and really honest, and the characters were so sweet and real. this is a great YA read!

In an effort to escape her scandalized high school past Tara ends up as a guide for a youth group’s summer trek through the Himalayas. Silas wants to follow in his moms’ footsteps by being a part of the temple tour where they met and fell in love. Silas immediately sees Tara as young woman with good intentions and strong convictions, if she would just let down her walls. That’s hard for Tara to do as her past doesn’t seem to want to be left behind. As the summer goes on and the group travels through India Tara and Silas learn more about themselves and come to terms with their Indian culture, faith, spirituality and sexuality. This story beautifully blends all the complex questions we face as we are coming into our own person with beautiful and picturesque locations I would love to see some day!

Thank you, Nisha Sharma, Skyscape, and Netgalley for the gifted eARC.

In high school, Tara Bajaj spent her time on social media and on the high school Bollywood dance team using her popularity to hide from her family secret. Then, her popularity came crumbling down in her senior year. Now, the summer before college, she has no friends, no social media, and she's going to be a junior youth group guide for her temple's tour group through North India. Silas D'Souza-Goupta is also a junior tour guide for this group. He's an aspiring photojournalist taking the tour to document how his two mothers met. On their way across India, trekking to holy sites, Silas and Tara end up discovering more than just sites. They end up finding healing and love.

The Karma Map is a YA grumpy/sunshine rom-com. This novel is full of food, culture, religious landmarks, and romance. Silas is the ray of sunshine that Tara needed to guide her out of her dark place. Silas and Tara were so adorable together. I loved seeing their relationship develop throughout the days of their tour. I do wish that the end wasn't as rushed and there was a bit more to the epilogue. The days of the trip were so detailed, but the epilogue left me wanting more. Other than that, I immensely enjoyed taking this journey with Silas and Tara through India. The Karma Map was a super cute rom-com that gave me all the smiles.

4.5/5 stars

THIS IS THE YA THE PEOPLE WANT! (It's me, I'm the people.)

The Karma Map in a snapshot:

☆Vibrant, beautiful setting!
☆Plentiful QPOC and Desi representation!
☆A male love interest that models healthy masculinity and who gives his girl space to solve her own problems!
☆A relationship with healthy communication and dynamics!
☆A novel that is clearly an absolute love letter to the author's home country, India.♡
I absolutely adored The Karma Map. It tells such a beautiful story of second-generation Desi teens visiting India and reconnecting with India (and themselves in the process). It's a beautiful story about connection, healing, identity, and also confronts important social issues like casteism and LGBTQ-phobic attitudes.

I found it to be absolute chicken soup for the soul and I'm not even Desi. I imagine this book will reverberate so deeply for so many Desi people and other POC and children of immigrants.

Also, I have to say, Silas is definitely on my list of best book love interests. Loved loved loved him.

The only real reason I rated it 4.5 instead of 5 is because the end felt very abrupt. I'd have liked for more time to be spent wrapping up loose ends. But it was still a lovely ending and wasn't a deal-breaker for me at all.

I freaking devoured this. Truly, there wasn't a moment that I could put it down and I read it cover to cover. I 100% will read this again in the future and might even get a physical copy for myself. I wish every YA novel were this good! So excited to read more from Nisha Sharma.

If you love contemporary YA, travel-centered stories, and/or novels with South Asian rep, and haven't yet read The Karma Map, DO IT! (Yes, I am peer pressuring you. But I promise you'll be glad you did!)

Many thanks to Skyscape and to Nisha Sharma for the eARC, which I received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute coming of age YA story that explored themes of culture, identity, and self-acceptance. It was so enjoyable to read, and I loved the journeys that both the main characters went through. Their stories were only made stronger by their connection and support of one another.

After having read Dating Dr. Dil and this book, I truly think Nisha Sharma knows how to write book boyfriends who are sweet, lovable, and supportive. I look forward to reading more of her future work, regardless of genre.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

It is very obvious form the very beginning that this book is meant for those that feel too Desi for the states, but to American for India. For those that look similar to the people surrounding them, but still feel like an outsider. Despite the fact that I am neither, I enjoyed this book. It taught me new things about both India and its culture.

Straight off the bat, each character had their own personalities. And Nisha Sharma didn't just develop the main characters, but each side character definitely had their own personalities. Silas is basically a golden retriever in human form. He was caring, fun, and curious, if not a bit naive at times. Tara had a wonderful transformation. She went from continually shutting herself down to getting both what she wants and needs. When reading this book, I couldn't help but feeling protective of her when it came to the people in her life repeatedly letting her down and either not noticing or not caring.

Don't let the gorgeous cover fool you. Sharma goes into deeper issues such as casteism, colonialism, identity, and addiction. For this reason, I highly recommend reading the author's notes for trigger/content warnings. she does such a good job of describing the religious sites, it felt like I was a spectator actually watching the group visit them. As someone who loves food and trying new foods, I greatly appreciated how detailed the side quest of trying new foods was. Another thing I enjoyed was the LGBTQ+ representation, as SPOILER ALERT as one of the main characters is bisexual.

There wasn't much I didn't like about this book. There was a bit of plot overload at the beginning. I would have liked the story fleshed out a bit more. That way readers wouldn't be rushed into why Tara is suddenly going on this pilgrimage in North India. My other thing is with Taras' sister. Though it was a lovely scene, it was the only one we got between Tara and her sister. this was a bit of a disappointment because it was this huge thing in Tara's life, and it felt like a majority of the book was building up to them seeing each other again.

Overall, I gave this book a 4.7/5. It was a quick, but in-depth read that you could tell was personal to Nisha Sharma.

Thanks to NetGalley and Skyscape for this read. I have read one of Nisha Sharma's adult books and this is set in a quite different tone as it is YA but you can recognize the same type of writing form adult to YA. The book spoke a lot about the culture in New Delhi and that was interesting to read about. I may read another one of her YA books in the future.

Que livro lindo e especial que a Nisha Sharma escreveu. Que sensibilidade para para falar de identidade, religião e espiritualidade.

Em “The Karma Map”, nós acompanhamos a história da Tara e do Silas em um jornada que vai bem longe daquilo que eles normalmente conhecem.

Eu me senti abraçada por esse livro e de como as vezes aquilo que terceiros fazem na internet acaba afetando nossa realidade no offline, Além de claro falar sobre o quê te faz ou não ser parte de uma determinada comunidade…

Se eu pudesse dar a esse livro uma trilha sonora, seria Dress da Taylor Swift, porque a maneira como o Silas ama os segredos da Tara e ainda sim escolhe ficar, é uma das coisas mais fofas que eu já li.

Super recomendaria esse livro para aqueles leitores apaixonados por YA que tem tropes de grumpy/sunshine invertidos, proximidade forcada e cultura Desi envolvida.

No final do livro, tudo o que eu queria era um McDonalds. Me deixou com água na boca.

Huge thanks to Nisha, the aut Skyscape (pub) and NetGalley to the opportunity to read this book. I love it.

“The skeletons in your closet that you didn’t want anyone to see. I see them. And I like them. And I hope you realize soon that everyone else is starting to see them and like them, too.”

Genre: YA Coming of Age Romance

Overall vibes rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75, the author pretty immediately draws you in with her writing style and keeps you on the hook for the whole time. I love love love YA because we get these beautiful stories about young people being messy and imperfect and learning how to step INTO that - we get that in SPADES with this book along with some really sweet “reverse grumpy/sunshine” young love. I adored the way Tara and Silas chose to trust and SEE each other and how they encouraged and rooted for each other. This book was so obviously a labor of love for our author.

Fat-friendly rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️, pretty neutral - I can’t recall much emphasis on body size!

Spice rating: 1/2 🌶️, sweet kisses and some subtly implied intimacy (so subtle I’m not even sure if I’m just reading into it or not)

Recommend?: Yes! The only reason it’s not a full 4 stars is because I reserve 4+ stars for books I’m pretty sure I’d read again, and while I probably won’t read this one again, I’d full heartedly recommend this one!

"The India your parents own is not the same India that belongs to you.” 🇮🇳

I wish I had this book when I was in high school and actively pushing away from my culture. I relate so heavily to the characters and themes in this book (too Desi for the states, too American for India 😓) being a diaspora kid myself.

On a lighter note, reading this made me miss the hustle and bustle of India and the street food 😋 I also learned new things about India and the culture! The older I get, the harder it is for me to enjoy YA but Sharma hit it out of the park with The Karma Map. Highly recommend!

Finished ✔️ The Karma Map by Nisha Sharma and it was a pretty enjoyable book. 🥰
4 ⭐️’s
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Beautiful cover that drew me in 🤩
Tara hides her families secrets
Tara has a perfect image in school until it shatters
Truly enjoyed the characters
Beautifully & brilliantly written
Enjoyed how the characters had their own personalities
I think some people can relate at trying to have a perfect image in school.
Yes, I’d recommend
#DeesReading #DeesRecs #DeesBookRecommendations #BookNerds #BookNerdProblems #BookNerdsUnited #BookProblems #BookProblems101 #BookNerds101 #Bookworms #BookwormProblems #BooksOfFacebook #DeeTheBookReviewer #BookReviewer #NewToMeAuthor #ReadOfTheDay #BookOfTheDay #TheKarmaMap #NishaSharma #NetGalley

When I saw this was the same author as Dating Dr Dil I had to have it. I loved that story so much I wanted to read more by the author. India and its culture has always fascinated me and I love seeing those insights in the book. This was a very cute romance with the sunshine/grumpy trope. Which is one of my favs in the romance genre. I def recommend this book and would love to read more by the author in the future!

I loved reading this. I felt a lot of anger on behalf of our female lead for the way the people around her repeatedly let her down and didn't seem to care or notice. But I also felt frustration with her for continually shutting herself down around the people that wanted to know her and help her. So it was beautiful to watch her transform and get the things she both wanted and needed. The male lead is just an absolute ray of sunshine. He's a golden retriever personified. A little naive at times, but caring, fun, and curious. Getting to read about a host of religious sites, that I may never get to see in person, in such detail is frankly breath taking. There is a genuine discussion about religion, its purpose, its draw backs, and the way that it can mean different things for different people. There is LGBTQ+ rep, and the story feels both organic and authentic. And as a foodie, I love the side quests to try local foods. My mouth was watering reading this (and yes, it's true, McDonald's is better pretty much everywhere outside the US 😭). Tropes: reverse grump/sunshine, forced proximity, found family

What a special book for me. Nisha Sharma wrote The Karma Map as a love letter to India and while penning the experience from her North Indian diasporic lens. The exploration of gender identity, sexuality, religion, and sense of belonging were covered in depth throughout this novel about a youth group trip through North India on their pilgrimage of religious sites.

I have read other books by Nisha Sharma, so I quickly recognized Tara from another novel, which made her a much more likable character from the beginning. Tara is on the outs with everyone at school so taking off for two months as a junior guide .is maybe the restart she needs before heading to college in the fall. The last thing she expects is to meet Silas, the incredibly sunny junior guide, who is determined to keep breaking down her armor.

I loved this book for the beautiful description of the sites they visited, the foods they ate, and the continuous exploration of being from the US visiting India, looking similar to those around you and still feeling like an outsider. This is a sentiment I have felt often in my life both at home in the US and when visiting my family in India. I related heavily to so many of the characters and appreciated Sharma's development of the various kids on the youth trip in addition to Tara and Silas.

I've become a huge fan of reading the author's notes whenever they are available and I recommend reading them before starting to read. I also valued the notes for potential trigger/content warnings being right at the beginning of the book.

Nisha Sharma, I look forward to reading your next book. Before I sign off, can we all just take a moment to appreciate the beauty of this book's cover?! STUNNING!

Nisha is my go-to for a sweet, fun and amazing romance.
The Karma Map by Nisha Sharma was an entraining and relatable YA romance.
The characters were well-developed and written in a way that it was impossible to not feel immediately connected to them.
A story set in India about self-discovery, love and culture this coming-of-age story was freaking phenomenal.
One thing I just love about this authors writing is it’s fun and swoony. And once you start reading it’s damn near impossible to stop.
This book was entertaining, emotional, and an amazing story that I absolutely loved!
If you’ve enjoyed her previous books you’ll really enjoy her new summer YA romance.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Thank You NetGalley and Skyscape for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Now this was one of the best summer YA romances I’ve read in a while. Paired with lovable characters on all sides, incredible settings, and many deep discussions, I truly enjoyed this book!

First off, the writing in this book was so effortless, I didn’t even have to think about it. I immediately got sucked into Tara’s and Silas’s lives as they went on this pilgrimage as junior guides. I loved how everything felt balanced—character developments, descriptions, and just the wide discussions of many themes like identity and religion (to name a few).

The way the story progressed also felt seamless. You could see in real time how the characters developed through this trip and started bonding with each other. It never felt too rushed or too slow. It was the right pace, in my opinion, for practically the entire book. However, I felt that the ending cut off unexpectedly. I didn’t think the book would end right there. I expected a bit more time to settle before it came to an end. Especially considering how we finally got to learn more about Tara’s sister. That was the only time I felt the pacing was a bit off.

Regardless, I fell in love with all of these characters. From Tara down to Chaya, they all came to life. Even Sunny, despite feeling annoyed at him for 90% of this story. Honestly, I wished to spend more time with them as they went from location to location.

Speaking of locations, I thought the way the world building was handled (from a storytelling perspective) was great. I don’t know anything about India, so I can’t speak on accuracies. However, the way the author included so many settings within this book felt so natural and not at all overwhelming as a reader. Sometimes that can cause pacing issues in a story, but I didn’t think that was the case here.

Honestly, this book was so interesting. I loved learning about the difference of cultures and how that looks like through diasporic lenses. The discussion of queer identities mixed into it was also really interesting to read about. And of course, that love story was just the cutest. This story made my heart full.

This was very cute while also getting into deeper issues such as casteism, colonialism, and identity. I loved seeing Tara's growth throughout the book and Silas' unwavering belief in her which really helps her to finally open up to him. Their communication, while a bit juvenile at times, was really lovely to see - they had difficult conversations and were the better for it.

I do wish that we had a little more time with the sister since that is such a huge hole in Tara's life throughout the book, but the one scene we did get was lovely.

Overall, this is a super quick read but has some real depth and you can tell how much this story was personal for Nisha. It was an honor to be able to read and review this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Skyscape for the eARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was so cute! Truly such a wholesome and fluffy read. The Karma Map is a feel-good YA read, following our main characters Tara and Silas as they help lead a temple tour across India. Needless to say, they begin to fall for each other, in the cutest sunshine x grumpy way possible.

You might remember Tara from Radha and Jai's book - the mean-girl ex. I loved seeing her arc throughout this book, especially after having the knowledge of who she was in the other book. Silas, on the other hand, was a labrador through and through.

While the writing felt a little more juvenile (obviously, it's YA), I will always love how Nisha Sharma depicts our culture and this coming-of-age story was so sweet.

3.5 stars.

<i> Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! </i>