I would first like to say that I am so grateful to be selected to receive an ARC copy of this book! It had me hooked from the moment I read the dedication. I haven’t read another book that has beautifully and successfully conveyed the guilt that comes with having immigrant parents who came from nothing and worked hard so that they could give you the life that they didn’t get the opportunity to have.

Nisha also tackled the fact that many people in this situation often cast their dreams aside to pursue career paths that somewhat guarantee financial stability, and she also highlighted the conflict that can occur within families when a child wants to pursue a more untraditional career path. The difference in the values of rich and middle-class families was also showcased, as was what it is like to date when a huge wealth gap exists.

Aside from the serious stuff that I greatly appreciated, the book explored two love stories, and I loved every bit of it. As the title suggests, ‘The Letters We Keep’ tells the stories of two lovers through their letters. They were an interracial couple, so they had to sneak around, as relations like this were frowned upon in the 1970s. Not to mention that interracial marriages were not fully legal across America until 1967 and coming from a strict Indian family posed difficulties.

These letters brought characters Ravi and Jessie together, and this sparked a romance of their own. Listen when I tell you that Ms. Nisha Sharma can write a good romance novel. Everything about their relationship was absolutely swoon-worthy, and Mr. Ravi Kumar was putting in the work before Jessie even cared about him. I loved it so much. When I began reading it, seeing that it was a young adult romance, my expectations in the romance department were low, but Nisha delivered. My one and only complaint was that the ending felt rushed, so that would make me reduce my rating to 4.5 stars, but I wholeheartedly enjoyed this novel so much that it deserves the entire 5 stars.

This is Nisha Sharma’s first new adult romance, and I thought she did a good job of writing characters who are technically adults but not quite Grown Up yet, and writing a romance that fits the vibe. 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. I appreciate that Nisha Sharma didn’t make the Indian-American experience monolithic within the context of this story. As someone who grew up mostly surrounded by first-generation Indian-Americans, I thought the way Nisha expanded on second and third-gen Indian-Americans and wrote an interracial romance that occurred in the seventies was fascinating.

The actual romance is fairly sweet. Jessie and Ravi harbor some mild dislike towards one another at first, but quickly bond over study sessions in a shared secret library space. This is where they discover letters from Divya, a student at their same university back in the seventies, who was in a secret relationship with a fellow white student in a time when interracial relationships were looked down on by both communities. These letters are connected to a mysterious arson that burned down a part of the university library, which the couple attempts to solve. Jessie and Ravi’s relationship follows the beats of each letter they read, which I thought was clever. I think my one note regarding the romance is that Ravi and Jessie say the love one another surprisingly early, especially considering their ages, and it comes at a point where I feel their relationship still needed to develop some more.

The sex:

So, Jessie and Ravi’s first kiss comes after Ravi admits he’s quit vaping for her which… is cute, but I thought was a Choice, as far as making a romance hero a vaper goes. There is one explicit sex scene in this book shortly after.

Overall:

I think at this point, I am no longer the target audience for new adult romances, however, this was well-written and very diverse in terms of the subgenre, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a solid new adult romance novel.

Thank you to Skyscape and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Rating: 3.75/5
Heat Level: 2.5/5

3.5 (rounded up)

<b>Rep:</b> South Asian Rep
<b>Genre:</b> Contemporary Romance, New Adult
<b>Spice Level: 🌶🌶🌶</b>

- Enemies to Lovers
- Opposites attract
- Forbidden love
- Overcoming family expectations
- Love letters

**Summary:**

The story follows Jessie Ahuja, a determined freshman with a passion for engineering. Her parents are first-generation immigrants. Her parents sacrificed their engineering jobs to open a store, for a more stable income. Her family sacrificed a lot to be in this country, so Jessie has high expectations of herself, working hard to achieve a better life.

On the other hand, senior Ravi Kumar has everything. His family owns a famous tech company and he has all the resources to do anything he wants to in life. However, his family has high expectations of him to continue their legacy by going into tech, even though he wishes to be an author.

The campus is known for the tragic tale of Davidson Tower, where two star-crossed lovers vanished without a trace decades ago. Jessie and Ravi stumble upon handwritten letters that may lead them to the truth. As their love story unfolds, in parallel, Jessie and Ravi’s love story begins. Will they find a happy ending?


**Thoughts:**

I really liked the premise of the plot. Forbidden lovers of the past paralleling lovers of the present.

But something was missing. There was a lack of depth in the storylines, characters, and letters. I missed the usual witty banter that characters have in Nisha’s books. Especially because these were college kids! I would have loved to see more personality from the characters.
I think this book was intended to be enemies to lovers, but the characters fell too fast and too soon for me.

NEED MORE LETTERS! I would have loved to see more of the letters, instead of having Jessie/Ravi summarize what they read. They read one letter every few chapters! HOWWWW! I’m sure that anyone else would have read through them so quickly haha. Or maybe that is just me being impatient and wanting to know what happens next. But I do admire the suspense and understand it is necessary because of the parallels between the past and present. The ending does hit harder when we read the ‘last letter’.

It was interesting that Nisha dove deeper into the generational differences of immigrants. Those that have been long established in the country and the more recent generations still working towards achieving a better life. I also liked seeing the different parenting styles. Although Jessie had a frugal upbringing, her parents were very understanding and loving. It is rare and I liked seeing a positive fatherly figure. While Ravi had the typical strict Indian parents, that expected him to give up his dreams and do what they wanted. Nisha did a good job highlighting various stereotypes through the characters Jessie and Ravi, which ultimately emphasized how opposite stereotypes could be.


<i>Thank you to Nisha Sharma and the team for the digital ARC which I received in exchange for an honest review.<i>

I am a Nisha stan but this one didn’t do it for me I am sad to say. Neither the characters, the letters, nor the romance had the depth or sparkle I was looking for.

Ravi and Jesse are total opposites. He’s a “nepo baby” being pressured to choose a role in his family’s super successful business, despite wanting to be a writer. Jesse comes from a loving home of two engineer parents who gave up their careers and franchised a store to give her a stable, yet frugal upbringing — meaning she wants to be successful and make that sacrifice worth it at all costs. The two find a stack of letters tied to a legend on campus about two students who disappeared after a fire, and they try to track down the true story behind the events fifty years prior.

I know this was geared towards a younger audience so less 🌶️, but the characters just felt immature and other elements of the story were missing for me too. There was no witty banter, no heat between the protagonists, even during their very quick “enemy” phase. Because the book was so short it felt more like an outline of a story than a full-fledged novel.

Still an auto-buy author for me, this just wasn’t the book for me. I do think a younger audience would enjoy it!

Another Nisha Sharma win! This college-age romance about two children of immigrants trying to carve their own way was everything I needed to get out of my slump. I ALWAYS enjoy how Nisha ties Indian culture into her stories, not from an educational standpoint (because she doesn't need to educate us) but from a very natural standpoint. These two felt so real and grounded despite being completely fictional. The romance was also so beautiful and relatable. These are two new adults trying to figure life out but the one thing they know for sure is that they want to learn TOGETHER! They decide, they make it work, their families just have to get on board. Loved that for them. Oh my gosh, and the way Nisha tied the letters from the past to what was going on with our two love-sick present day characters was *chefs kiss*.

Just keep giving Nisha space to write because I'll eat it up every time.

Oh to be young and in love in a college far away from your parents. "The Letters we Keep" is one of my favorite romantic books that I have read in a long time. I could just picture the sprawling campus, the towering library, the main characters slowly forming in my head. And connecting with another desi student from the 1970s in their own way, was the icing on the cake that truly made me smile when I read the book. The scenes in familiar college places made me smile and reminisce. Simpler times, where you just flow through life trying to keep your head up and not have to continue relying on your parents.

The storyline of a young Desi freshman who comes from a hardworking family bumping into a nepo baby senior, is exactly what I would want to watch on netflix, or in theatres with my friends.

I really like that you get the viewpoint of the two main characters, working towards a goal while battling everything in between. Exams, family, career choices, the works.

I also love the supportive friends, who are honest and not vapid, as most friends can be in a college setting.

If you need a sweet read that wont take too much of your time (truly I was able to finish in just a few hours because I had to know what was going happen next) then please get yourself this book. I also think it would be perfect for a book club, a gift for a young student making it on their own, or a friend who just needs a pick me up.

This is my first Nisha Sharma read, though I have been following her on social media for a while. And if her other books can connect with me as quickly as this one, then she has a big fan.

Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, what a sweet way to kick off 2024!

Thank you to Nisha Sharma and Netgalley for sending me this ARC!

This book is nothing short of stunning.

I’m writing this minutes after finishing the book and honestly there’s so much to say.

If you haven’t read the synopsis yet, The Letters We Keep follows Jessie and Ravi, two university students that find themselves in an unlikely partnership filled with mystery and romance as they try to uncover a lost love story.

Jessie and Ravi’s love story was so beautifully written. The trials they faced were so real and relatable, especially as a Desi student in an American University. This book had me tearing up and laughing and giggling like an idiot half the time.

I love that Jessie and Ravi come from backgrounds that are so different and similar at the same time. Jessie had a conviction that I see in women in my community day to day. Ravi’s career choice was incredibly relatable, and as I read this book, I saw ways my own future could play out.

I think my favorite part of this story were the Letters, and the characters and storyline wrapped up in them. They reminded me of old-Bollywood, of star-crossed lovers, and happy endings that people fought tooth and nail for.

Finishing it, I was left with that fuzzy feeling you get right after you finish a book that you loved. That warm feeling that makes you believe that you too will get your happy ending, that you too will get to experience that love and joy that the Kaleidoscope Room Lovers got to experience.

Pick up this book as soon as it hits shelves on May 1st, 2024. I promise that if you love Love, you’ll love The Letters We Keep.

4.25/5

I loved this book. I firmly believe Nisha can do no wrong!! This was a fun NA debut for her.

While the plot was a little predictable, I still enjoyed how it unfolded. The parallels between the plot and the subplot really emphasized some of the drama and tension which was interesting.

I'm still feeling mixed on this and need to interrogate those feelings but I *think* I might have enjoyed it more if the sex was closed door. It just took me out of the story a bit. But those scenes were important so I wouldn't want them to go away entirely.

Overall, a very enjoyable, emotional, and poignant read with great secondary characters, a memorable setting, and a lot of intrigue!

Overall: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot line: 4/5

Romance: 4.5/5
Spice Factor: 2
Writing: 4/5
Enjoyment Factor: 4/5
Review: I love a good love story written through letters and this book did that trope justice. I love how the letters and a class project ended up bringing Ravi and Jessie together more and more throughout the story while still keeping a whimsical factor alive. Jessie and Ravi were such multidimensional characters and I was impressed with how quickly they developed in a meaningful way that was also believable. The ending was a tad too fast and I wish it had been drawn out more just to see more of Ravi and Jessie grow as a couple and give more closure with their families and the letters mystery. I did very much enjoy the Desi culture brought into this story and it added so much color to the story and made the characters come to life.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

When Nisha Sharma first talked about this book, I was like I need this! It did not disappoint. I love the way this book explores both past and present. Jessie and Ravi are creating their own love story while trying to uncover the mystery behind a love story that took place 50 years prior at their college. What I appreciated the most is that Nisha took what could be stereotypical and added necessary nuance and self-awareness. I appreciated just how aware of themselves the character's were as it made it easier to root for them. This was incredibly delightful and the way Nisha captured the feelings and plights of being in undergrad made me super reminiscent. An excellent new adult debut!

THERE ARE LETTERS!!!
Stories told through letters are my absolute fav! Nisha’s ability to make a story feel both familiar and brand new at the same time is unmatched! This story was heartfelt and swoony AND THERE WERE LETTERS!
Nisha can write a romance regardless of the age range.