what an emotional, sweet romance that will leave you blushing and swooning while introducing you to characters you will never forget. Beautiful.

You have enemies to lovers in a key cutest way possible that just uses nostalgia in the best way possible.

While it does deal with a heavy topic of parent death, which is a very heavy trigger for many readers, I think it’s handled in such a great way that it’s more of a healing book about recovering from that versus what that grief looks like and the tension between the two main characters overpower that and so it allows you to kind of heal with the book and I really appreciated that about this one.

The banter and the dialogue had me in complete stitches. These characters are so well developed, and I loved every page of this book. It was such a magical read.

The covers also just so adorable. I am the sucker for colorful covers, but especially when there’s pink and there’s flowers I get really excited so I’m really happy that the cover met expectations.

Thank you so much for this ARC! This was such a treat. I appreciate the opportunity to leave honest feedback voluntarily.

Jasmine Flowers and Pounds of Sugar is a sweet YA contemporary romance that blends cultural richness, teenage rivalry, and just the right amount of sweetness. The story follows Jahnvi and Everett, whose families run rival Indian restaurants across the street from each other. What starts as a competition between them slowly unravels into something far more tender and complicated, especially as their shared past and personal struggles begin to resurface.

Set in high school, this novel captures the hectic (and often hilarious) balance of academic life, family responsibilities, and the high-stakes world of teen romance. The banter between Jahnvi and Everett was on point for me, being sharp, funny, and full of chemistry. I found myself laughing out loud more than once! Their enemies-to-lovers journey was filled with charm, awkward tension, and just enough vulnerability to make it feel genuine, keeping me emotionally invested in their story.

This is an excellent pick for anyone who enjoys sweet, slow-burn YA romances with strong cultural elements, lovable characters, and a dash of drama. It’s light yet layered, making it a perfect choice for a relaxing weekend read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kosher Books for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

You have your enemy's/rivals to lovers, and then your childhood best friends to lovers.... and then there is Jahnvi and Everett.

Both dealing with their own miscommunication, mixed emotional life that is graduating high school, dealing with family business, too much stress and responsibility and the cultural norms of being raised by immigrants and living for their parents vs themselves. These two felt real with their chemistry, their banter, their angst and history. They knew when to call each other out on bullshit, and at the end of the day just found themselves truly able to be themselves together.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc and opportunity to meet these characters ahead of the release for an honest review.

This book was incredibly sweet and refreshing to read! Jahnvi and Everett are rivals-to-lovers you cannot help but root for. Sakthika is an author to watch in the YA space!

Jasmine Flowers and Pounds of Sugar by Sakthika Vijay is just as sweet as its title suggests. This is a contemporary young adult romance set in Chicago and tells the story of two immigrant teens who despite knowing each other from childhood have something of a complicated and quite competitive relationship.
As a high school senior Jahnvi is feeling the pressure, she is working hard in school to get the grades to go to college and study business like her parent's want while also working in the family restaurant and taking part in Speech competitions as part of the school team not just because it looks good on her college applications but because performing is what she most loves to do, and at least this way her parents do not object.
Everett is the captain of the Speech team and since the death of his parents has run the family restaurant ,which is across the road from Jahnvi's , while trying to graduate and look out for his Grandmother. It's no wonder that something has got to give, and the restaurant is on the brink of failure. A request to cater an Indian wedding , including supplying the floral decorations, is too tempting to resist but too big to take on along, so Everett, despite his better judgement turns to Jahnvi and her family for help and as the two spend more time together and get to know each other better sparks begin to fly.
This is a cute rivals to lovers romance with well crafted and loveable characters, lots of cultural references and enough depth in the storytelling to keep the reader engaged. I thought it was subtle but cleverly done that Jahnvi, who has grown up in a loving family seems to know much about her culture and heritage than Everett, and by having her teach him it also allowed the author to teach the reader in a way that blended seamlessly into the storytelling. This is a YA book so there is more than a little teenage angst but the sharp banter between the couple and the beautifully tender moments they shared more that made up for that in my eyes. I also was pleasantly surprised by the ending of the book, there was a bittersweet melancholy to it that touched me, and I think it will make this book stand out for me and for other readers.
I read an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own,

Jasmine Flowers and Pounds of Sugar" by Sakthika Vijay is a thought-provoking novel that explores complex themes. The story follows characters navigating cultural nuances and personal struggles. Vijay's writing is engaging, with a focus on character development. I liked the vivid descriptions and the emotional depth. The book is well-structured, with a captivating narrative. I appreciated the author's ability to craft a story with complex characters and themes. Overall, it's a great read for fans of character-driven stories. Vijay's style is polished and engaging

I gave this book 4 stars. Overall, I liked it, but there are some pretty significant improvements that need to be made before this gets officially published. I should preface this review with saying I read this on my kindle, and what i'm about to say may not apply to other formats available. With that being said, the formatting was terrible. There were no indents where the start of new paragraphs should begin, skipping to the next line in the middle of sentences, and there were several grammatical and typos. Also, there were no outright indications (italics) when a flashback was written, causing some confusion. Also, Everett's character was not quite right, as he behaved like an entitled white boy, and I'm only vaguely reminded that he's supposed to be Indian when there's a few assorted mentions throughout the book of his culture that doesn't really tie into him as a character. However, it was a cute story that pulled at my heartstrings with its use of boy-next-door, rivals-to-lovers, and childhood-friends-to-lovers tropes. With the formatting changes, I would probably read it again.

This is a cute but not fluffy story about Jahnhvi and Everett as they explore first love, rivalry and all the messy but memorable things that go along with that. It did not shy away from addressing hardship of Everett's life especially as he coped with not only the loss of his parents at a young age but also having to take on the responsibilities of becoming the breadwinner and trying to keep his family's restaurant afloat which in my opinion was a good framing device for the events of the story. The writing was very well done and I really enjoyed how the book was laid out in alternating chapters so we could get both character's perspectives and inner monologues rather than just getting one and missing out on the complexities of the other main character. I think this formatting and duel contrasting narrators really helped immerse me into the story to the point I read the last 120 odd pages in just two hours! Despite being an outsider to both American and Indian cultures, I still found the themes explored (first love, grief and the power of nostalgia) relatable, as well as the two main characters felt thoroughly fleshed out and human. They weren't picture perfect; they made mistakes, had real insecurities that felt innately human and teenage. Overall I truly enjoyed this book; it made me laugh, cry and cringe which is all I want for a book like this and it still went beyond my expectations! I would definitely re-read in the future for the gorgeously written ending alone! I will also definitely be keeping an eye out for this author's next book and I hope you do the same!

Jahnvi and Everett’s relationship was a complicated one for me at first. I was the normal enemies-to-lovers, boy next door/girl next door. As I read on, I started to learn more about them, seeing their relationship on a deeper level. They tried hard to deny what they both wanted, but eventually they caved. Their relationship is so adorable, and I loved it. The ending through me off completely. I had to go back and re-read to be sure it was the end. I can’t wait for everyone to enjoy this book and see Jahnvi and Everett’s relationship for themselves.