Love Letters through books?? Are you kidding me?? My HEART!!! Nisha did a phenomenal job with The Letters We Keep

3.75
The story follows Jessie, a college freshman who is determined to become an engineer to give her and her parents a better life after they sacrificed a lot for her, and Ravi, a junior whose family has everything. They were brought together after Ravi’s friends locked Jessie in a tower where two students vanished in a fire. There they find a stack of love letters and they set out to uncover the mystery behind them.

I like the premise of the book and the main characters' individualism. The relationship they had was great and I like how they both supported each other. My only issue is that Sharma should have written more about the mystery because there was a lack of depth. Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read Thank You Nisha Sharma and Netgalley for an arc of this

First let me thank Nisha Sharma and her team for having me as a member of her hype team and sending me this ARC for free.
I have loved Nisha's work in the past but I did not love this book. This is Nisha's premiere into new adult. The book was not completely my taste. I am not sure if it was just a short book or I just read it really fast (which goes to say how good Nisha's writing is) but I felt like there was almost an insta love moment, I did not feel like there was a ton of chemistry between the two MCs. The background story between the roommate and the friend? I feel like that was completely under developed.

Overall this has not swayed me from Nisha's books as I still feel her writing is strong.and there is potential for better books.

THank you again for the ARC. The book is out May first!

Nisha Sharma dazzles in her first new adult romance.

Ravi and Jessie are both Indian-American but could not be more different. Jessie comes from a middle-class family who sacrificed their dreams to come to America. As a result, she’s driven to succeed and wants to be an engineer of her own volition, and because of this is a bit anti-social. Ravi on the other hand comes from an extremely wealthy family that’s big in the tech space, but wants to be a writer, much to his parents’ irritation. A rivalry for the best study room on campus soon turns into more when they discover lost letters from a young Indian woman who may have been part of a legendary campus love story. As they work to find out what happened to the star-crossed lovers, Ravi and Jessie become closer and closer, but can their romance survive outside the bubble of college?

I loved how Nisha included an experience of first-generation Indian-Americans in this story and then 2nd and 3rd generations. The history behind the influx of Asian immigrants in the late 1960s was fascinating. I had never known about that. I appreciated that she touched on intergenerational trauma and recognized that while the tropes in this book may be stereotypical, stereotypes usually have a grain of truth.

My biggest issue with this book and why I only give it 4 stars is that I felt it was too short. The pacing was so fast that it felt like we didn’t get time to truly unpack many plot points, especially the experiences of Indian immigrants. It felt almost too fast to have made much of an impact. I also had a hard time with Ravi’s feeling towards Jessie as one chapter it felt like he had conflicted feelings about her and then the next he was suddenly into her. Jessie’s feelings towards Ravi felt much more real and believable as she slowly opened her mind and heart to him.

Overall, a heartwarming story, perfect as a short palate cleanser between books.

3.75⭐️

okay wait i’m tearing up one sec

i am a sucker for letters, cards, handwritten notes, ANYTHING along those lines. i still have birthday cards from my best friend from when we were juniors in high school. i keep EVERYTHING.

when i started this book, i wasn’t feeling it but suddenly i had finished 40% of it and things started progressing between jessie and ravi so i stuck with it. the book was flying by (lengthwise) anyway so i figured it wouldn’t take me much longer to finish.

jessie has so much to learn, especially with this being her first relationship. i was so happy to see how supportive her parents were, but i think she’s a little too stuck on this idea that she HAS to follow a strict path. ravi on the other hand, has insanely high standards put on him for no reason other than “iTs yOUr fAMiLy LEgAcY”. i’m glad he found something he loves because i am team media studies. media studies is fun. stem isn’t appealing to everyone. his father wants what’s best for him, but there’s always a better way to express that.

unfortunately for me, i think i was more interested in the finding the people in the letter side plot than jessie and ravi so this isn’t a full 4⭐️.

I've loved some of Nisha's books and others have been flops for me. This one was, unfortunately, a flop.

The story starts out really strong with our FMC Jessie attending her first year at university and immediately (unwittingly) being drawn to the rich junior, Ravi. Their banter and the tension between them was great. What wasn't great was how judgmental Jessie was of Ravi because he grew up with money and how she seemed to begrudgingly like him. Their tiffs over the study room were cute and this had the makings of a great book, but it was too all over the place.

I thought the letters would play a bigger part than they did and also that they would be longer, more interesting, and better written. The letters were barely the focus and were hastily wrapped up in the end (unsatisfactorily in my opinion).

Jessie was a weak FMC with a holier-than-thou personality that she never got over. So while I wanted to love this book because I love Nisha, I didn't. I wish it had gone through some more stages of editing where descriptions showing me how the characters were feeling were added because some of their decisions came out of left field. Lots of telling--not a lot of showing.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Jessie has always put her head down and studied, so when her classmate Ravi fights her for “his” study room next to the infamous Davidson Tower the two make each other’s lives miserable. But when Ravi’s friends lock Jessie in the tower as a cruel joke and Ravi finds her they discover a box of old love letters from the two students who disappeared in the Davidson Tower fire decades ago. Determined to uncover what happened to the lovers all those years ago, Jessie and Ravi dedicate their time to uncovering the mystery of Davidson Tower. As they end up spending more time together and sharing the study room Jessie and Ravi fall hard for each other. But will Ravi’s status and familial obligations get in the way of their relationship? Will Jessie finally believe Ravi when he says he doesn’t care where she comes from or how much less her family has compared to his? What truly did happen to those two students who disappeared in the fire of Davidson Tower?

This book had me hooked from the beginning with the excerpts of the love notes and the mysterious history of the college. Even though Ravi and Jessie come from different backgrounds they come together in a way that makes perfect sense. All young adults struggle with making their parents happy and trying to make the right choices but also wanting to do what makes them happy, and I appreciated how that was the main message of the story. Go pick this book up now!

Read if you love: epistolary novels, star-crossed lovers, and sassy South Asians!

Studious freshman Jessie meets nepo baby Ravi and he immediately gets under her skin. When a prank leaves them locked together in an abandoned section of the library, they find old letters that they think are connected to an old campus legend...

Another gem from Nisha Sharma! I love how this book complicates common stereotypes of South Asian American families, not just in the ways people defy them, but also the ways that people choose to lean into them. I’m not usually a fan of the innocent girl/bad boy trope, but Jessie and Ravi managed to crack through my skepticism with their snark and sweetness. I wish I’d had this book as a young adult!

Overall: 4
Spice: 1

It wasn't a true YA book, but not a full adult book either. It was a great palette cleanser, wholesome and a great way to start the month. Both the FMC & MMC are trying to find their way while meeting their family expectations. In doing a class project the develop a friendship that turns into a relationship by exploring the relationship of past students at their university. I love the diversity this author can write while staying true to their culture and readers.

I’ve yet to read anything from Nisha that’s a miss for me. While I still enjoyed this one, I’m not entirely sure I was the target age range/demographic for it and that made it a little harder for me to stick with and get through with my ongoing reading slump. The mystery and plot line for the letters was a little too sparse for my liking but overall I did still find this a delightful romance and enjoyed reading.

Thank you so so much to Nisha Sharma and team for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of The Letters We Keep!

WOW - this book is SO GOOD!!!!

Jessie is in her freshman year of college when she meets Ravi, a junior. Jessie doesn’t realize at first that she’s run into the son of a tech genius. Jessie is pursuing becoming an engineer like her parents, while Ravi is looking to carve his own path, one different from what his family imagined for him. These two end up competing for the same study room, one that escalates into a dare to enter the Davidson Tower. In the tour is where these two come across letters they believe are tied to an old campus legend associated with the tower.

You’ll love watching the relationship develop between these two, including the ways that they support, inspire and challenge each other. I simply love how the letters drive the mystery as well as parallels with our two main characters. The mystery will keep you questioning until the end which is the best kind of mystery! It’s such a great build up from beginning to end and if not for spoilers, there’s multiple moments in roughly the last third of the book I so wish I could mention.

And also, the ending!!! This is Nisha Sharma’s first new adult novel and it is fantastic!

Nisha truly has a way with words and her stories are one-of-a-kind and utterly captivating. The Letters We Keep is about love, loss, growth, and a SpOoKy tower filled with old books, love letters, and secrets. I devoured this book in one sitting and immediately pre-ordered a physical copy.

Thank you, Skyscape for my early copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book.
This was a fun read for me. A lot of parallels between our two main characters Jessie and Ravi and the research found letters from the 70s between two people Christian and Divya.
A unique romance story about standing up for what you want, what you believe in and refusing to conform to cultural expectations.

Another winner by Nisha Sharma!

The premise with the haunted tower and letters was so cute and I loved how it played into Ravi and Jessie’s story! Nisha is always great at writing about Desi experiences and struggles in all of her books. This rings true here as well! She did a great job incorporating generational differences of immigrants; those that have been in the US for a few generations vs first generation as a well as family expectations. A quick and easy read! Check it out when it publishes on May 1!

Big thank you to Nisha and her team for the ARC in exchange for an honest review 🩷

Sweet romance in an academic setting with a mystery thread. The Characters in this book are endearing. The romance takes the spotlight and I feel like the mystery could have been fleshed out more to add to the story. However I don’t know how they could go through the letters so slowly, my curiosity could never! You get a conclusion to the mystery but lots of details I’m left questioning like why they were left where they were found. That just left the story lacking although the concept is intriguing and the writing is good it wasn’t satisfying. I didn’t like the one slightly spicy scene. I like a spicy book but this was one scene that wasn’t spicy, and the way Jessie’s virginity was handled I didn’t like, a fad to black would have fit the story way better.

I loved this so much! Books with letters always hit different.

Jessie and Ravi are from two different worlds - Ravi is a "nepo baby" while Jessie is more "normal." At first, they kind of butt heads but come together when they find these hidden letters from forbidden lovers from their college campus in the 70s. The letters and the present-day story are woven together beautifully. Also, as a South Asian myself, I found Ravi's and Jessie's frames of mind super relatable - they were balancing expectations and their actual wants/needs which I think many people in the diaspora can relate to.

I found that the main characters were maybe described a bit toooo stereotypically at the beginning but I understood why more and more as I kept reading. I also think that maybe the romance happened toooo fast for my taste, but also there were so many other things happening so I was okay with it in this book.

Overall I really liked this, Nisha Sharma does not miss!

I loved this book so much! It was so sweet and loved reading about their college romance. Needing to find out what happened and what was in the letters made me finish this book in one sitting.

It's so nice to read books by Indian authors because I find myself connecting with the characters and their struggles so much and I loved Jessie and Ravi together. Highly reccomend giving this a read, it's so cute and well written.


Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book. I received a copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest review

I have only read Nisha Sharma's adult romance books before, so I was excited to try out a different genre and style. This was such an intriguing, interesting concept and I really enjoyed the parallels of the past mystery and the current events in the book. The characters were realistic, problematic and loveable all at once. I enjoyed the dual point of views between Ravi and Jessie, the glimpse into their families and the difference in their social status. I enjoyed the side friendships with the other characters and how they fit into the story and plot line as well.

This review is written in exchange for an ARC from Netgalley

Thank you to Netgalley and Nisha Sharma for this ARC. It was my first Nisha Sharma book and the premise of letter writing and dual stories over a dual timeline had me sold!

I enjoyed the romance blossoming as the letters, and their story, were uncovered. I do wish there was MORE. More letters, more story, it feels a little unfinished but the plot and elements were all there.

It was a quick read but I would not have minded more, to flesh out both of their motivations as well as the romance.

I love that the authors mothers and grandmothers letters were the inspiration behind it - I do love a real element influencing the written story.

I think this would appeal to a younger audience more so than me but enjoyable nonetheless.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a college romance between Jessie, the ambitious and serious student who is on scholarship, and Ravi, the equally ambitious writer who doesn’t want to work in the family business. They have a not-so-meet-cute and end up working together on a project for class.

Things I enjoyed about this book:
I really loved the letters and the history of the romance. I thought the letters were so interesting and the mystery of what happened to the writers was so intriguing.
I loved how the letters were hidden in the tower at the school.
The female friendships in this book were really good.
I thought a lot of the characters kept it real.
I loved finding out bits and pieces of the history of the letters throughout the book.
The happily ever after was sweet.

Don’t miss the author’s note at the end.