This was a fun story about three generations of women who run a spice shop. I loved watching the character's grow as the story went on. The cover is also just so beautiful!

Tulsi Gupta comes from a long line of Spice Healers and is expected to take on a leading role in the family’s Salem, Mass spice shop. She is reluctant, however, to follow the tradition of her mother and grandmother (which includes, by the way, giving birth to a daughter to take over after her) — hoping to find her own passion. What follows includes a new romance, an old romance revived, complicated family dynamics (is there any other kind?) and some decades old secrets that have to be pushed and (metaphorically) bullied into view.

Light hearted with full bodied characters, each with his or her own passions, flaws, and regrets (except for the requisite man-hunk — I’m having trouble finding his flaws, but that’s OK — I don’t really expect flaws in my literary man-hunks). I enjoyed learning more about the ancient Indian system of Ayurvedic medicine and I liked the variety of family types and situations included. The writing is a little clunky in places, but overall easy to read, and I liked the characters — they met my requirement of being people I’d be happy to spend time with. I didn’t particularly enjoy the social media clamor portion which provided some of the tension driving the plot, but that seemed more of a plot device and didn’t actually take over too much of the reading experience.

Slight spoilers: Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. It was a nice multi-generational story about an Indian family who are spice healers. Three generations of women work in their spice store, Rasa, and also live together. The youngest woman Tulsi is fated to take over the shop once she passes her final test to become a healer. The only problem is she doesn't want to be a healer. She isn't sure what she wants to do but she feels trapped in this small town and in the family business. Secrets come out where she leans the true identity of her father and why her grandmother started this business to begin with. She also falls for the man next door who opened a restaurant and who helps her see her potential for a bright future. It was a good read, a little slow at times, but ended with a nice tied up bow.

The Curious Secrets of Yesterday brings us the lives of three generations of the Gupta family, Tulsi, Devi and Aruna in Salem, Massachusetts. They are the owners of a spice shop curated to help their clients, since Aruna is a spice healer that is teaching her granddaughter everything she knows. However, Tulsi is not sure she wants to continue with the family legacy.

I found the story a bit slow to develop but once it did, kept me interested through it. It is a consistent and well written story, full of well-developed characters and an exploration of the meaning of family and the bond that exists between the people we love, while it touches the complexity of achieve family expectations while the world evolves around traditions and modernity.

It was an intriguing book that kept me engaged until the end. The plot had the right number of twists and mystery to keep the narrative interesting. I recommend it to everyone who ever had to deal with these themes and enjoys a family drama romance with a touch of mystery in it.

Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.

I loved the overall premise of this novel, but I wish the pacing was a bit faster. The first few chapters especailly felt a bit repetitive. I think a reader could easily understand the protagonist’s desire to break from the family business and see the world, so having the first 50 or so pages devoted to hammering that point home made it hard to get through. This continued through the book and I felt that each plot line was stretched out just a bit too much and could have had more of an impact if it was edited down. I did love the premise, but the execution was lacking for me.

The Curious Secrets of Yesterday by Namrata Patel is an intriguing novel that explores the lives of three generations of women and their family's spice shop in Salem. The main character, Tulsi Gupta, is torn between continuing her family's ancestral tradition and pursuing her own dreams. When she discovers a letter written by her grandmother that was never sent and speaks of a past betrayal, Tulsi decides to investigate the mystery.

As Tulsi delves deeper into her family's past, she discovers secrets that challenge her understanding of her mother and grandmother. The author beautifully weaves together the themes of family, tradition, and self-discovery. The novel also explores the healing properties of spices, adding a unique and interesting element to the story.

The addition of an attractive neighbor who renovates the deli next door adds a romantic element to the story, giving Tulsi the courage to break free from her routine and pursue the unexpected.

Overall, The Curious Secrets of Yesterday is a well-written and captivating novel that will keep readers engaged until the very end. The characters are well-developed, and the plot is filled with twists and turns that keep the story interesting. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, family drama, and a touch of romance.

The Curious Secrets of Yesterday follows our main character Tulsi as she struggles with the expectations of taking on the family business while also staying true to herself and her ambitions. It is a heartwarming read that explores family disputes, following your heart and dreams, and staying true to your roots.

I had never read a book that represented the Indian culture in the United States, so this was a refreshing read. Our main character was loveable and her struggles relatable to anyone that lives away from their heritage. Throughout the story, I constantly found myself rooting for Tulsi and sympathising with her family struggles. Every character is well thought of and come together in a beautiful way, with their contrasting personalities and ideas.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a heartwarming read with a little bit of the Indian-American experience.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thematically resonant and consistent, well-thought-out characters, and a heartwarming story. 4-4.5 stars!

Tulsi has dreams of helping others...just not in the way she is expected to. Her mother and ba (grandmother) are pushing her to inherit the family business and continue their ancestral Ayuverdic practice by being the primary spice healer. Content with their quiet lives but restless and yearning for evolution, some reprieve in routine, uncertain if the family path is right for her, Tulsi needed some motivation to give her the courage to find herself.

The novel explores various topics, such as the bond of loved ones, the meaning of family, the complexity of familial expectations, the weight of single motherhood, the consequences of secret-keeping, and the dynamics of routine vs change and modernity vs tradition. TCSOY consistently ties its characters and subplots into these topics, so I never felt like any of the MCs or plots were underutilised, underwritten, or boring. Keep an eye out on the relationship Tulsi and her mother, Devi! It's one of my favourite non-romantic relationships I see within the novel.

Now, for some stale (but still important!) rattlings: the twists are logical and well-executed and, like many novels, the second half is where things get even more exciting. I want to note that the title is extremely fitting of the novel while interesting to read on its own. The cover also deserves some applause.

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with the e-ARC/DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I was drawn to this book because I love stories that involve family dynamics and finding yourself. This book attempted to do a lot (Tulsi’s personal journey, Rasa and the mysterious social media account, Ash’s reappearance, and the Lucas storyline), and while it did everything okay—I wish there were less parts, and more depth to the story lines that stuck around. For example, I felt like Tulsi and Lucas’s relationship went 0 to 100 with little growth. The characters were all deeply likable and the story came together nicely. 3.75/5 stars.

The Curious Secrets of Yesterday is about a girl named Tulsi, who is destined to take over the family business from her mother and grandmother. Then, she needs two men who change her life and make her realize there is more to life than her family’s shop in Salem.

This book was good! I enjoyed how the characters developed over the story and the plot. There were a few little twists and turns along the way, which always helps move the story along. While it was slow at first, it picked up steam at the end and became a page turner about halfway through. I also thoroughly enjoyed the romance aspect. I am a romance reader, through and through and enjoyed the bits of romance throughout the story (both with the main character and the side characters). While I found the twists a bit predictable, they were still fun to predict and figure out what was going to happen. Overall, it was a fun read and I would recommend for anyone who wants a light, fun read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union publishing for sending me an ARC of this story!

Breaking multi-generational curses and finding love along the way!

Tulsi Gupta is torn between taking on her mother and grandmother’s healing spice shop, and choosing her own future. Even with old secrets coming to light, she is determined to mend old wounds and find herself in the process.

I love reading Indian American experiences, and this book hits all the marks. I did find the flow slow at first, and the relations surface level, but the narrative is good all the same. I’m all for breaking generational curses!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.

One of the reasons why I read #TheCuriousSecretsofYesterday from Namrata Patel was because the mention of spice. And like spice, the story has a lot of flavours that resulted in a delicious concoction of a story.

I particularly liked that the center of #TheCuriousSecretsofYesterday revolves around women. In Asia, women rules. We can deny it as much as we want but in most cases, women sets the tone in the house. And #TheCuriousSecretsofYesterday brings about strong and powerful women, in their own ways. With spices, they help others by becoming healers and set up a life for themselves.

Thank you for the opportunity to read The Curious Secrets of Yesterday e-arc. I really enjoyed the element of deconstructing generational trauma and how living while actively healing generations worth of hurts can be done. There was a lot weaved into under 300pg book and I think that it was done really well.

I requested an ARC of this book because as a Chicana, I can understand the idea of familial expectations and familial bonds and responsibilities. This book was good, but I had a hard time connecting with the main character (which is okay). I liked the premise of this book in helping the main character find herself and figure out where she fits in her life and within her family’s business. Overall, I didn’t love this book, but I also finished it and felt that it was good, but not great.

DNF@ 38%

I honestly tried my best to make it through this book, however I did have a number of thing that just weren't working for me.

Tulsi herself was a listless character. While I am aware that Tulsi is not satisfied with her life I also didn't understand her at all. My issue was that she had no goal beyond finding herself, however there was no passion there. She talked about wanting to go on a trip with her money. Okay? She didn't even have destination in mind. Not an idea of somewhere she'd like to go. She felt like a serious case of arrested development and read like a 22 year old not someone in their 30s. She frustrated me and it's hard to really engage with a story with a character who has nothing really memorable about them.

I also didn't really see the plot. I understand there was some big mystery about Chicago and her families past, but it was lost among Tulsi's bland narration of random events.

Tulsi Gupta is training to take over the mantle from her grandmother in their family trade. The Gupta women are spice healers, using Ayurveda to suggest blends of spices to customers to ease aches and pains and ailments and to give them a chance to better their health and well-being.
They also operate their small one-shop business, Rasa, in Salem, a town known for witchcraft.
The thing is, Aruna Ba, and Devi, Tulsi's mother, feel the spice healing running through their blood. Tulsi? Not so much. She's never known anything other than working alongside her tiny family but has resisted the final test her grandmother wants her to take, which would show she is ready to be an official spice healer.
Keeping their centuries-old skills and knowledge to themselves, they advise those who come in. It's a small business with a true personal touch.
Then social media happens. An influencer happens upon their store, and despite them asking her not to publicise their business, things snowball to uncontrollable levels.
Every family has secrets, and the Gupta women are no different. As Tulsi uncovers different snippets of her family history she had no idea about, she begins to dig deeper.
Meanwhile, in her personal life, Tulsi has her own worries. She wants to get away, whereas her grandmother is eager for her to find love so she can birth the next generation of spice-healing Gupta women. And there is someone, Lucay, but she's not convinced she should get involved with anyone else, especially given the 'curse' on the women of her family.
I don't want to say more about the story, as you should read it for yourself, but something that hit home greatly was how cultural appropriation could warp the simplest, most innocent traditions that people in different parts of the world have been practising for generations.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, filled with cultural snippets I could identify with, and the power of belief, friendship, family, and social media are all explored in a sensitive manner.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. At times it feels like a book about exotic Indian things written for non Indians, you know, capitalise on the whole new agey turmeric latte drinking bead wearing jackfruit eating schism of humans in the West. It's not badly written. But it's not what the blurb suggests, and the core story is a little trite.

3 generations of Indian women run a spice shop in Salem. Tulsi Gupta is expected to carry on her ancestor’s traditions by becoming the next spice healer in the family. She has been primed and prepped by Aruna (grandmother) and Devi (mother) from a young age to continue the legacy and take over Rasa, the family business. The problem: her heart is not in it. She’s feels lost in life and doesn’t know who she is or what she wants and must come up with a way to tell her elders that she doesn’t want to follow in their footsteps.

Tulsi doesn’t know much about her family history and one day she finds a letter written by her grandmother mentioning a betrayal that happened a long time ago. She becomes curious and the more she digs, the more secrets come to light, many of which she is not ready for.

I really liked that the author set the novel in Salem. Back in the day, women in Salem were put on trial because of witchcraft and the fact that the Gupta women were harassed because of something similar was a nice touch.

This book was beautifully written and very easy to read.

Tulsi's future has always been mapped out for her. Like her mother and grandmother, she will become a spice healer and take over their small spice shop. Tulsi isn't sure that's the life she wants, but leaving it, and her family is terrifying. When two strangers enter their lives, one opening a restaurant next door, and another from the past, Tulsi's entire life is turned upside down. She realizes there is more to her mother and grandmother, and even herself, than she thought.
I had mixed feelings when I started this book. It didn’t grab me right away and I was skeptical that the story would keep my interest, however, I really ended up enjoying this book. Tulsi's need to please everyone before herself, and her need to respect and appreciate her mom and grandmother is relatable. I personally felt she was one of the few likeable characters. Devi was weak and Aruna was a bully. Everyone else just felt like supporting characters, Lucas included, a necessary love angle. I appreciated that everything wraps up nicely at the end.
Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

As an Indian, I was instantly pulled towards this book simply because I don't get to read many books of Indian origin. I've read a good number of books that just follow the same format of majority books (nothing against them), sometimes showing the MC hating or drifting away from their own culture. So, this book came as a pleasant surprise with Patel's unique writing style and unconventional storyline.

Rather than disconnect with her roots, the MC Tulsi finds that her ambitions might be different from those of her grandmother and mother- Indian Spice Healers. Personally, I haven't heard of spice healers, though Ayurved is an ancient medical practice that still persists in India. I find it interesting that people perceived this science as magic, and some accused it of being witchcraft.

Family even extended family is a huge part of Indians, many men never moving out and women settling with their in-laws. I was fascinated by the matrilineal nature of the Gupta, with each woman being distinctively different with their own hurt and sorrow, I loved how the conversations flowed and gave deep insights into their relationships and pasts. The story also features some romance, not in the conventional meet cute scenario, but something that felt more authentic.

A recommendation for anyone wanting to try something a little different- an easy-to-read novel with a story that stays on your mind long after you close the book.