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The Curious Secrets of Yesterday
A woman’s ambitions clash with familial expectations in a captivating novel about generational secrets and self-discovery by the bestselling author of The Candid Life of Meena Dave.
Raised by her mother and grandmother and tutored in the healing wonders of spices, Tulsi Gupta is expected to carry on the ancestral tradition from her family’s Salem spice shop. Restless and reluctant, Tulsi yearns to follow her own path—destiny has other plans.
When Tulsi finds a letter written by her grandmother, addressed and never sent, that speaks of a long-ago betrayal, she decides to unravel the mystery as a distraction. But Tulsi stumbles into much more than she bargained for. With each new discovery, she learns there’s much more to her mother and grandmother than their expertise in the remedial aromas of coriander and cloves. When an attractive neighbor begins renovating the shuttered deli next door, Tulsi finds the courage to break her routine and chase the unexpected.
As Tulsi digs into the past and secrets come to light, she’s determined to heal old family wounds and find her true purpose—and maybe even love—every step of the way.
Raised by her mother and grandmother and tutored in the healing wonders of spices, Tulsi Gupta is expected to carry on the ancestral tradition from her family’s Salem spice shop. Restless and reluctant, Tulsi yearns to follow her own path—destiny has other plans.
When Tulsi finds a letter written by her grandmother, addressed and never sent, that speaks of a long-ago betrayal, she decides to unravel the mystery as a distraction. But Tulsi stumbles into much more than she bargained for. With each new discovery, she learns there’s much more to her mother and grandmother than their expertise in the remedial aromas of coriander and cloves. When an attractive neighbor begins renovating the shuttered deli next door, Tulsi finds the courage to break her routine and chase the unexpected.
As Tulsi digs into the past and secrets come to light, she’s determined to heal old family wounds and find her true purpose—and maybe even love—every step of the way.
283 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2024
3468 people are currently reading
10006 people want to read
About the author
Namrata Patel
4 books375 followersNamrata Patel is an Indian American writer who resides in Boston. Her writing examines diaspora and dual-cultural identity among Indian Americans and explores this dynamic while also touching on the families we’re born with and those we choose. Namrata has lived in India, New Jersey, Spokane, London, and New York City and has been writing most of her adult life. For more information visit www.nampatel.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 465 reviews
February 13, 2024
“Tulsi was rooted to the spot where she’d been born. Growing but not living.”
The Curious Secrets of Yesterday is a highly enjoyable read about a young woman of Indian descent growing up in Salem Massachusetts, trying to figure out who she is and what she is called to do as she learns to question and challenge what she’s been raised to believe about who she is and what her future will bring. She is expected to not only become an expert practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine and take over the family spice store business, but perhaps also inherit the family’s matrilineal practice (or curse?) of living independently of marriage and romantic relationships (beyond having a child). This sounds heavy but it’s actually more of a fun but substantive romance novel (like the Heart Principle) than ponderous and arty literary or general fiction (like the Henna Artist - also fantastic).
For the first half, the writing isn’t as strong: the plot points and characters’ motivations are a little heavy-handed, the emotions described are somehow one-dimensional while also being contradictory (she fully trusts and adores her mother while knowing there are huge gaps in what she’s willing to talk about and feeling reluctant if not resentful for the future assumed for her - these complexities and tensions aren’t well integrated or portrayed in the first half especially)… and the burgeoning romance unfolds deliciously but obviously. But the storyline and characters are rich and delightful. The themes and descriptions about the art of spices for food and healing give it sophistication and originality.
About halfway through, the writing and character development catch up with the plot line and start showing depth and nuance befitting of a story that intertwines themes of family lineage, Ayurvedic practices and finding love while finding oneself.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (my first!).
The Curious Secrets of Yesterday is a highly enjoyable read about a young woman of Indian descent growing up in Salem Massachusetts, trying to figure out who she is and what she is called to do as she learns to question and challenge what she’s been raised to believe about who she is and what her future will bring. She is expected to not only become an expert practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine and take over the family spice store business, but perhaps also inherit the family’s matrilineal practice (or curse?) of living independently of marriage and romantic relationships (beyond having a child). This sounds heavy but it’s actually more of a fun but substantive romance novel (like the Heart Principle) than ponderous and arty literary or general fiction (like the Henna Artist - also fantastic).
For the first half, the writing isn’t as strong: the plot points and characters’ motivations are a little heavy-handed, the emotions described are somehow one-dimensional while also being contradictory (she fully trusts and adores her mother while knowing there are huge gaps in what she’s willing to talk about and feeling reluctant if not resentful for the future assumed for her - these complexities and tensions aren’t well integrated or portrayed in the first half especially)… and the burgeoning romance unfolds deliciously but obviously. But the storyline and characters are rich and delightful. The themes and descriptions about the art of spices for food and healing give it sophistication and originality.
About halfway through, the writing and character development catch up with the plot line and start showing depth and nuance befitting of a story that intertwines themes of family lineage, Ayurvedic practices and finding love while finding oneself.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (my first!).
May 22, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for my first arc in exchange for an honest review.
Overall Rating: 3/5.
Plot: 3.5/5.
Romance: 2/5; friends to lover but extremely rushed – definitely not the focus of the book.
Spice: 0/5
1. PLOT - An enjoyable read with a very cool premise of a spice shop and a family tradition to work there and become spice healers, and our main character, Tulsi, who never had the opportunity to figure herself out and what she wanted from her life.
The plot leaves you wondering about the ‘potential curse’ and is focused a lot on family dynamics.
2. ROMANCE - the romance was definitely a secondary focus and, although I liked the guy, his character was left very unexplored and the romance between him and Tulsi was very rushed. I think the romance should have been either completely removed or given more space and time to develop.
I could not understand why they liked each other. the only conversations they had were about the tragic things that happened in their lives or their families. And sometimes it even felt like each of them was trying to one-up each other in who had it worse (you might not notice it at all; but once I realised that one would say something about their family, like their parent leaving or some tragic event and the other would counter with ‘yeah, my family does …’ and talk about themselves instead of actually trying to talk about the experience the other one had. This was a little annoying and after it happened a few times, I couldn’t stop noticing it. That being said, im pretty sure it was always Tulsi who did that).
Additionally, they never had nice, chill moments together. It was always talking about issues or finding oneself and never just two people enjoying each other’s company. At the beginning the guy cooked for her once and it was so cute but since then, it was just deep conversations. I also feel like Tulsi didn’t take charge of what she wanted until she was reassured by the love interest that it was OK to do it, and only then was she confident enough follow through.
But mainly, it was extremely rushed. Tulsi would think of him as quite a vital part of her life very early on.
“He didn’t just take her breath away, he became the air she needed” as much as I loved this sweet line, there was not enough relationship building between the characters to warrant these sorts of feelings.
3. THE FAMILY DYNAMICS – I love complex family dynamics and how we can watch side characters getting redemption arcs in becoming better people. But this was not really the case here.
Tulsi’s family were honestly awful. An emotionally unavailable mother who would cry or walk away every time her daughter would ask the most basic questions. She made every situation about how she felt and poor Tulsi felt guilty to do anything because of how it would affect her mother emotionally. We saw a daughter being the more mature of the duo.
And the grandmother? F**k me. she was awful. She was controlling and manipulating. She even screamed out when Tulsi would do something she didn’t like or basically call the main character incompetent for not learning as fast as she wanted her to or not wanting the future she planned out for her. She would go as far as to basically pressure Tulsi to just have a kid that the grandmother can start teaching about the spices, with the first guy that was available and then leave the guy and not to seek romantic relationships.
I hated her but what I hated the most was the fact that throughout the whole book, people lie, manipulate and mistreat Tulsi all the time and we are left watching her having to be the adult and mitigating all the situations.
Even squabbles between other people and her family were always dealt with by Tulsi, like giving her mom advice or scheduling a lunch for her two grandmothers to talk out their issues (who used to be friends and are not anymore). Like she was constantly surrounded by narcissistic people, and she was the one coming to rescue and be the voice of reason.
Also, when her whole life was turned upside down, she was left still feeling guilty if anyone spoke badly of her mother and grandmother and it felt very toxic – like the years of their narcissism caused Tulsi to feel the need to be overprotecting over them.
The character I loved the most was Ash. He was written very well, and I loved seeing him get a ‘happy ending’. And, unlike her family, he actually steps up and takes some charge.
I, personally, think that this book suffered from trying to do too much.
• We have the plot of Tulsi wanting more from her life
• as well as her having to deal with all the lies that were kept from her
• while at the same time having complex family dynamics between pretty much everyone in her family,
• a fake social media account that spread fake information about the shop as well as having to unpack who did it (which also didn’t hit hard because we didn’t have the time to establish that character well)
• AND 2 romances that were underdeveloped
I think by the end of the book I just felt bad for Tulsi. Everyone treated her questionably her whole time, preventing her from doing anything she wanted because they had other plans for her. she missed out on her extended family because of the lies and deceit that benefited the mother and mostly the grandmother (she was the real issue of the book). To the point that when she decides to do one thing for herself, and her love interest is like ‘go ahead I will wait’ I felt happy for her even though that should have been how she was treated anyways. Because of her family emotional control and unavailability, Tulsi is left to think she ought to be grateful and happy when others show her basic human decency.
That being said, if the book focused on one or two of the plot point and took more time to develop them, this could have been a great book. But it was trying to do too many things in a far too short of a book.
Overall Rating: 3/5.
Plot: 3.5/5.
Romance: 2/5; friends to lover but extremely rushed – definitely not the focus of the book.
Spice: 0/5
1. PLOT - An enjoyable read with a very cool premise of a spice shop and a family tradition to work there and become spice healers, and our main character, Tulsi, who never had the opportunity to figure herself out and what she wanted from her life.
The plot leaves you wondering about the ‘potential curse’ and is focused a lot on family dynamics.
2. ROMANCE - the romance was definitely a secondary focus and, although I liked the guy, his character was left very unexplored and the romance between him and Tulsi was very rushed. I think the romance should have been either completely removed or given more space and time to develop.
I could not understand why they liked each other. the only conversations they had were about the tragic things that happened in their lives or their families. And sometimes it even felt like each of them was trying to one-up each other in who had it worse (you might not notice it at all; but once I realised that one would say something about their family, like their parent leaving or some tragic event and the other would counter with ‘yeah, my family does …’ and talk about themselves instead of actually trying to talk about the experience the other one had. This was a little annoying and after it happened a few times, I couldn’t stop noticing it. That being said, im pretty sure it was always Tulsi who did that).
Additionally, they never had nice, chill moments together. It was always talking about issues or finding oneself and never just two people enjoying each other’s company. At the beginning the guy cooked for her once and it was so cute but since then, it was just deep conversations. I also feel like Tulsi didn’t take charge of what she wanted until she was reassured by the love interest that it was OK to do it, and only then was she confident enough follow through.
But mainly, it was extremely rushed. Tulsi would think of him as quite a vital part of her life very early on.
“He didn’t just take her breath away, he became the air she needed” as much as I loved this sweet line, there was not enough relationship building between the characters to warrant these sorts of feelings.
3. THE FAMILY DYNAMICS – I love complex family dynamics and how we can watch side characters getting redemption arcs in becoming better people. But this was not really the case here.
Tulsi’s family were honestly awful. An emotionally unavailable mother who would cry or walk away every time her daughter would ask the most basic questions. She made every situation about how she felt and poor Tulsi felt guilty to do anything because of how it would affect her mother emotionally. We saw a daughter being the more mature of the duo.
And the grandmother? F**k me. she was awful. She was controlling and manipulating. She even screamed out when Tulsi would do something she didn’t like or basically call the main character incompetent for not learning as fast as she wanted her to or not wanting the future she planned out for her. She would go as far as to basically pressure Tulsi to just have a kid that the grandmother can start teaching about the spices, with the first guy that was available and then leave the guy and not to seek romantic relationships.
I hated her but what I hated the most was the fact that throughout the whole book, people lie, manipulate and mistreat Tulsi all the time and we are left watching her having to be the adult and mitigating all the situations.
Even squabbles between other people and her family were always dealt with by Tulsi, like giving her mom advice or scheduling a lunch for her two grandmothers to talk out their issues (who used to be friends and are not anymore). Like she was constantly surrounded by narcissistic people, and she was the one coming to rescue and be the voice of reason.
Also, when her whole life was turned upside down, she was left still feeling guilty if anyone spoke badly of her mother and grandmother and it felt very toxic – like the years of their narcissism caused Tulsi to feel the need to be overprotecting over them.
The character I loved the most was Ash. He was written very well, and I loved seeing him get a ‘happy ending’. And, unlike her family, he actually steps up and takes some charge.
I, personally, think that this book suffered from trying to do too much.
• We have the plot of Tulsi wanting more from her life
• as well as her having to deal with all the lies that were kept from her
• while at the same time having complex family dynamics between pretty much everyone in her family,
• a fake social media account that spread fake information about the shop as well as having to unpack who did it (which also didn’t hit hard because we didn’t have the time to establish that character well)
• AND 2 romances that were underdeveloped
I think by the end of the book I just felt bad for Tulsi. Everyone treated her questionably her whole time, preventing her from doing anything she wanted because they had other plans for her. she missed out on her extended family because of the lies and deceit that benefited the mother and mostly the grandmother (she was the real issue of the book). To the point that when she decides to do one thing for herself, and her love interest is like ‘go ahead I will wait’ I felt happy for her even though that should have been how she was treated anyways. Because of her family emotional control and unavailability, Tulsi is left to think she ought to be grateful and happy when others show her basic human decency.
That being said, if the book focused on one or two of the plot point and took more time to develop them, this could have been a great book. But it was trying to do too many things in a far too short of a book.
May 2, 2024
Grab your chaa and settle in for this inviting story that questions who culture belongs to. The journey of these three generations of Ayurvedic spice healers in historical Salem will envelop you like the warmth from cinnamon and cloves and stay with you long after the last page.
Read
June 7, 2024In the three short pages of the author’s note, Namrata Patel captures the hyphenated identity crisis with humor and heart, setting the perfect tone for “The Curious Secrets of Yesterday.” From this beginning, I knew this book was special.
The story opens with Tulsi Gupta, a young woman at the threshold of choosing between her identity and her family. Pigeonholed into her family’s Ayurveda business, Tulsi feels forced to step into her role as a spice healer when all she wants to do is see the world. When she finds a mysterious old letter in the attic that opens a window into her grandmother’s and mother’s past, she realizes she has to unravel their secrets to learn who she really is.
While this is a lighthearted story, don’t be fooled. The book touches on abandonment issues, societal stigma, cultural appropriation, the persnickety world of social media, and more, with grace. The best part of this book is Tulsi’s relationships with her mother and grandmother. They reflect the complexities many of us face in our own lives with the people we love: contradictory and messy relationships built on a strong foundation of love.
This is a fast and easy read, and while I wish the romance had more time to develop and shine, I enjoyed Tulsi’s journey to learn more about her family and herself. Namrata Patel has brought her own successful spin to the eternal clash of generational differences in values and culture.
The story opens with Tulsi Gupta, a young woman at the threshold of choosing between her identity and her family. Pigeonholed into her family’s Ayurveda business, Tulsi feels forced to step into her role as a spice healer when all she wants to do is see the world. When she finds a mysterious old letter in the attic that opens a window into her grandmother’s and mother’s past, she realizes she has to unravel their secrets to learn who she really is.
While this is a lighthearted story, don’t be fooled. The book touches on abandonment issues, societal stigma, cultural appropriation, the persnickety world of social media, and more, with grace. The best part of this book is Tulsi’s relationships with her mother and grandmother. They reflect the complexities many of us face in our own lives with the people we love: contradictory and messy relationships built on a strong foundation of love.
This is a fast and easy read, and while I wish the romance had more time to develop and shine, I enjoyed Tulsi’s journey to learn more about her family and herself. Namrata Patel has brought her own successful spin to the eternal clash of generational differences in values and culture.
April 4, 2024
Tulsi Gupta, her mother and grandmother run a spice shop in Salem focusing on ayurverdict healing. But Tusli feels stuck, to keep her family legacy she should take over the shop but deep down that’s not what she wants to do. Her whole life has been about the shop and at 30 years old she has no sense of self.
The story centers on the Gupta family and their shop and also their lack of family history. It becomes apparent very quickly that they just don’t talk about anything difficult, Tulsi doesn’t even know her deceased fathers name because she avoids upsetting her mother by leaving it alone. There seems to be many secrets of the past that the elders of the family are content to forget and never speak of again. The writing is simple to read and you get a sense for the family dynamics, characters and setting quickly. Even though it’s low stakes fiction and obviously will have a HEA the family dynamics and turmoil felt real. Overall it’s a lighthearted and feel good story, I loved the other characters in town and how they all worked together. Some of the references to pop culture made me laugh (Yes, chef 🐻) I also really appreciated the authors note about the hyphen connecting cultures, I’m Indian-Canadian so I really related. I did enjoy the commentary about Ayurvedic practices, that while they belong to no one culture in particular, real knowledge is required to make true use of the spices and blends. Not just quick social media remedies. It’s seemed like a light way to touch on cultural appropriation without getting too deep
The Curious Secrets of Yesterday publishes on June 1. Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Namrata Patel for this e-ARC
The story centers on the Gupta family and their shop and also their lack of family history. It becomes apparent very quickly that they just don’t talk about anything difficult, Tulsi doesn’t even know her deceased fathers name because she avoids upsetting her mother by leaving it alone. There seems to be many secrets of the past that the elders of the family are content to forget and never speak of again. The writing is simple to read and you get a sense for the family dynamics, characters and setting quickly. Even though it’s low stakes fiction and obviously will have a HEA the family dynamics and turmoil felt real. Overall it’s a lighthearted and feel good story, I loved the other characters in town and how they all worked together. Some of the references to pop culture made me laugh (Yes, chef 🐻) I also really appreciated the authors note about the hyphen connecting cultures, I’m Indian-Canadian so I really related. I did enjoy the commentary about Ayurvedic practices, that while they belong to no one culture in particular, real knowledge is required to make true use of the spices and blends. Not just quick social media remedies. It’s seemed like a light way to touch on cultural appropriation without getting too deep
The Curious Secrets of Yesterday publishes on June 1. Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Namrata Patel for this e-ARC
February 4, 2024
Thank you to netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to love The Curious Secrets of Yesterday—I love the plot itself and thought the Gupta women were so interesting and intriguing. I also was really excited to read about Tulsi digging into her family's past and trying to figure out where she fits into everything and what her path is.
However, I found the novel fell a little flat for me. I felt like the writing itself was on the more simplistic and sometimes repetitive side. While there was character development not just in Tulsi but within the other members of her family, the pacing felt off. Some moments felt quick and others dragged longer. I felt the same about the romance; the foundation was there but I just felt off on their pacing.
I do think this is still a great premise and that this will resonate with a lot of readers, but for some reason, I just felt very disconnected.
My true rating is 2.5 stars.
I really wanted to love The Curious Secrets of Yesterday—I love the plot itself and thought the Gupta women were so interesting and intriguing. I also was really excited to read about Tulsi digging into her family's past and trying to figure out where she fits into everything and what her path is.
However, I found the novel fell a little flat for me. I felt like the writing itself was on the more simplistic and sometimes repetitive side. While there was character development not just in Tulsi but within the other members of her family, the pacing felt off. Some moments felt quick and others dragged longer. I felt the same about the romance; the foundation was there but I just felt off on their pacing.
I do think this is still a great premise and that this will resonate with a lot of readers, but for some reason, I just felt very disconnected.
My true rating is 2.5 stars.
May 11, 2024
This was a fantastically engaging story with wonderfully flawed characters. While I know nearly nothing about the cultures central to the story, the author does a great job teaching without it feeling like a lecture. I’ll definitely have to look for other books by this author!
May 13, 2024
3 stars (Kindle). I really enjoyed "The Candid Life of Meena Dave" but this story just dragged for me, then somewhat abruptly ended. I understood the intent of the story, however I felt like it could have been structured a bit better.
June 12, 2024
"That's a five-star book" was my first thought after finishing the last words in Namrata Patel's latest book, The Curious Secrets Of Yesterday.
Three generations of women are wrapped in a story of intergenerational trauma and family expectations while managing their spice shop and their individual lives.
This book is full of culture, warmth, and love. The kind of love that is familiar, protective, and always wanting what's best for its family. The kind of love that surrounds you even as you forge your own path. This is a calm and patient love.
Patel's writing is straightforward and beautiful, full of tangible characters, and with a real sense of home.
Simply put: Patel wrote a feeling in book form.
Icing on the (spice) cake:
-food forward
-beyond relatable
-found family
-Lucas, the perfect book boyfriend
PS this audiobook is incredibly well done!
What's your last five-star book?
Thank you NetGalley, Kaye Publicity and Lake Union Publishing for the complimentary copies to read and review.
Three generations of women are wrapped in a story of intergenerational trauma and family expectations while managing their spice shop and their individual lives.
This book is full of culture, warmth, and love. The kind of love that is familiar, protective, and always wanting what's best for its family. The kind of love that surrounds you even as you forge your own path. This is a calm and patient love.
Patel's writing is straightforward and beautiful, full of tangible characters, and with a real sense of home.
Simply put: Patel wrote a feeling in book form.
Icing on the (spice) cake:
-food forward
-beyond relatable
-found family
-Lucas, the perfect book boyfriend
PS this audiobook is incredibly well done!
What's your last five-star book?
Thank you NetGalley, Kaye Publicity and Lake Union Publishing for the complimentary copies to read and review.
July 10, 2024
After 4 chapters stating the same thing over and over…..Tulsi wasn’t interested in staying with the family business/tradition, and wanted more from life, I quit reading. Guess I need a little more forward progress in a plot to keep me interested.
June 1, 2024
DNF, too many cliches
May 29, 2024
It’s a heavy weight that’s placed on the next generation’s shoulders when they are expected to carry on the family business. It’s difficult, at times, to know if this is even what you want or if it was just required of you. Tulsi has a tough time figuring out how to make this work for her, almost hiding in the shadows and letting life happen. Then people come into her life and she sees there’s more out there for her. It’s heartwarming to see her change in this book. The characters draw you into their lives (and drama) and I enjoyed the time I spent with them.
I received a copy from #NetGalley and #BrilliancePublishing for an honest review.
I received a copy from #NetGalley and #BrilliancePublishing for an honest review.
June 5, 2024
spicy and heartfelt
Awww, I like this book. It checks a lot of boxes: I learned quite a bit about Indian culture and spice; I appreciate all the life advice; and I love a little rom-ystery!
Tulsi really grew on me in this coming-of-age story. I’d almost mark it a four-stars because the threads of the story are too predictable, but went with five because it’s sweet, and sometimes I just like a happy ending.
Awww, I like this book. It checks a lot of boxes: I learned quite a bit about Indian culture and spice; I appreciate all the life advice; and I love a little rom-ystery!
Tulsi really grew on me in this coming-of-age story. I’d almost mark it a four-stars because the threads of the story are too predictable, but went with five because it’s sweet, and sometimes I just like a happy ending.
August 13, 2024
A quick feel good story! Love reading books by Indian authors. I do wish there was more of Lucas and Tulsi and their evolvement. Felt a little unfinished on that end but Tulsj as a person, perfect ending!
January 7, 2024
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.
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.
October 3, 2024
Talk about a story about discovering yourself and what you want in life.
Tulsi's grandma and mom have expectations for her to take over the family business, but she's not sure she's up for the task. On a journey to find herself, she learns about her past and is then faced with deciding what her future holds.
One thing I loved about this book is her decision to leave the town she grew up in to travel and see what the world had to offer her. Even after finding love, she's determined to take a beat and do something for herself instead of stopping everything to pursue a relationship with the cutie chef next door. Idk idk idk boys drool and I don't think they're do or die (even if I would jump in front of a train for Daniel lol).
3 ⭐️ because I felt like something was missing??? The focus on certain things were odd and I wish they would've talked less about her cliche shirts 🤧
Tulsi's grandma and mom have expectations for her to take over the family business, but she's not sure she's up for the task. On a journey to find herself, she learns about her past and is then faced with deciding what her future holds.
One thing I loved about this book is her decision to leave the town she grew up in to travel and see what the world had to offer her. Even after finding love, she's determined to take a beat and do something for herself instead of stopping everything to pursue a relationship with the cutie chef next door. Idk idk idk boys drool and I don't think they're do or die (even if I would jump in front of a train for Daniel lol).
3 ⭐️ because I felt like something was missing??? The focus on certain things were odd and I wish they would've talked less about her cliche shirts 🤧
June 30, 2024
Why did I keep reading?
The idea of the story was fine, but the characters were all very immature with limited development and growth. It easily could have been a short story. The main character was so weak it was annoying.
This is the second book I've read by the author, and I won't read any more,
The editing was very poor with many grammatical errors (split infinitives, and word usage - less when fewer should be used).
The idea of the story was fine, but the characters were all very immature with limited development and growth. It easily could have been a short story. The main character was so weak it was annoying.
This is the second book I've read by the author, and I won't read any more,
The editing was very poor with many grammatical errors (split infinitives, and word usage - less when fewer should be used).
June 4, 2024
solid 3.5 stars! this book wasn’t ground breaking by any means but it was so cute and i really enjoyed reading about the family dynamic and all of the characters. I wish the book was longer and that we could’ve seen the story develop more before it ended, but in all it was super cutesy and if you need a fun and fast read I definitely recommend it!
July 2, 2024
DNF page 96/36%
It was just so boring and repetitive. Tulsi just was too whiny and not a believable character. I really tried but after I just could not pick it back up after 3 days I knew I couldn't do more.
It was just so boring and repetitive. Tulsi just was too whiny and not a believable character. I really tried but after I just could not pick it back up after 3 days I knew I couldn't do more.
June 25, 2024
More than family secrets, this story is about a woman in her early thirties still trying to find herself. All her life, she was taught to continue the family tradition of spice healers, ayurveda. Although Tulsi always did what was expected of her without giving it much thought. And now she’s approaching her final test. Either the tradition continues or ends with her. Scared to disappoint her family, Tulsi is facing a big dilemma. She doesn’t want the same life her mother and grandmother had, especially when it seems such a lonely life.
When Tulsi finds a letter from her grandmother, speaking of a long-ago betrayal, she sees it as a door to her family’s past. One that always brings so much sorrow to both women. Tulsi starts to uncover secrets and old wounds she’s determined to help mend. And in the process, she might discover her life’s true purpose.
The family dynamics are, in a word, complex. There is a lot of love that often clashes with tradition and expectations. In particular, Tulsi’s grandmother can be very stubborn in her views of the world, work, granddaughter, and past. And that becomes the biggest opposing force against Tulsi. She realises how much she allows her family to be in their ways without questioning it and how that strips away a part of her identity. All those secrets have a cost, and it might be Tulsi.
The story reflects a lot on family relations, old views, how traditions and fates can suppress and be unfair, and how past trauma affects present relationships. There’s also a big emphasis on dealing with what is out of our control. The story doesn’t follow only the growth of the main character. Her mother and grandmother also have a bit of learning to do as well.
While Tulsi might not know what she wants to do with her life, she shows a lot of emotional maturity. She becomes the mediator in her family’s healing process. And even in the romantic relationship that starts to bloom on the side, she isn’t afraid to show herself, even if that means babbling to fill in any awkwardness. The romance never overpowers the main story. It’s a helper. An outsider perspective that helps Tulsi become even more assured of herself.
Every mystery or new character introduced had a very clear purpose. Once you get familiar with the story, it’s obvious where the plot is going. However, the stars of the show are the characters and their relationships. So, it doesn’t matter if the plot is predictable because it’s only creating opportunities for Tulsi to grow and discover herself.
I had a lovely time reading this book even when Tulsi’s grandmother was so uncooperative or their lives took a turn for the worse. I adored following Tulsi and witnessing her journey to discover herself as an individual, her place in her family and her family’s traditions. It’s a hopeful and loving story where everything works out for the best. And sometimes that’s exactly what you need.
When Tulsi finds a letter from her grandmother, speaking of a long-ago betrayal, she sees it as a door to her family’s past. One that always brings so much sorrow to both women. Tulsi starts to uncover secrets and old wounds she’s determined to help mend. And in the process, she might discover her life’s true purpose.
The family dynamics are, in a word, complex. There is a lot of love that often clashes with tradition and expectations. In particular, Tulsi’s grandmother can be very stubborn in her views of the world, work, granddaughter, and past. And that becomes the biggest opposing force against Tulsi. She realises how much she allows her family to be in their ways without questioning it and how that strips away a part of her identity. All those secrets have a cost, and it might be Tulsi.
The story reflects a lot on family relations, old views, how traditions and fates can suppress and be unfair, and how past trauma affects present relationships. There’s also a big emphasis on dealing with what is out of our control. The story doesn’t follow only the growth of the main character. Her mother and grandmother also have a bit of learning to do as well.
While Tulsi might not know what she wants to do with her life, she shows a lot of emotional maturity. She becomes the mediator in her family’s healing process. And even in the romantic relationship that starts to bloom on the side, she isn’t afraid to show herself, even if that means babbling to fill in any awkwardness. The romance never overpowers the main story. It’s a helper. An outsider perspective that helps Tulsi become even more assured of herself.
Every mystery or new character introduced had a very clear purpose. Once you get familiar with the story, it’s obvious where the plot is going. However, the stars of the show are the characters and their relationships. So, it doesn’t matter if the plot is predictable because it’s only creating opportunities for Tulsi to grow and discover herself.
I had a lovely time reading this book even when Tulsi’s grandmother was so uncooperative or their lives took a turn for the worse. I adored following Tulsi and witnessing her journey to discover herself as an individual, her place in her family and her family’s traditions. It’s a hopeful and loving story where everything works out for the best. And sometimes that’s exactly what you need.
July 30, 2024
4.25
The Curious Secrets of Yesterday by Namrata Patel is a surprising book that hooked me quickly. I wasn’t expecting this when I started it but it’s a highly engaging story of Tulsi Gupta, who works with her mother and grandmother, at the family spice store. Though she is getting trained to takeover the business one day, deep down that’s not what she wants. The primary plot might be about self-discovery but there are so many side plots which are all equally interesting. We have a cute romance, mystery surrounding her father, a social media account for the business which popped out of nowhere and so much more. It has elements of mystery and intrigue and I loved reading about the complex relationships among the three generation of women. I definitely recommend this one.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.
The Curious Secrets of Yesterday by Namrata Patel is a surprising book that hooked me quickly. I wasn’t expecting this when I started it but it’s a highly engaging story of Tulsi Gupta, who works with her mother and grandmother, at the family spice store. Though she is getting trained to takeover the business one day, deep down that’s not what she wants. The primary plot might be about self-discovery but there are so many side plots which are all equally interesting. We have a cute romance, mystery surrounding her father, a social media account for the business which popped out of nowhere and so much more. It has elements of mystery and intrigue and I loved reading about the complex relationships among the three generation of women. I definitely recommend this one.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.
November 3, 2024
2.5 / 5.0
Meh, this wasn't for me.
It was too verbose and the plot felt very ennui and meandering. Just another GenZ, meta -fueled, tradition vs modern day who am I drama to find oneself. Some chapters literally say the same thing and just take up space without realigning the plot of story forward. Plus, for a 30 year old adult, she sure behaves like a child.
Until Next Time,
MC
Meh, this wasn't for me.
It was too verbose and the plot felt very ennui and meandering. Just another GenZ, meta -fueled, tradition vs modern day who am I drama to find oneself. Some chapters literally say the same thing and just take up space without realigning the plot of story forward. Plus, for a 30 year old adult, she sure behaves like a child.
Until Next Time,
MC
December 24, 2023
The Curious Secrets of Yesterday details the lives of three generations of the Gupta family in Salem, Massachusetts. Tulsi, a 30-year old woman, was raised by her mother, Devi, and grandmother, Aruna. These women work together in their shop, Rasa, which sells Indian spices specifically curated to help their clients. Devi and Aruna anticipate that Tulsi will take over the shop. She has been studying spice healing from her grandmother her whole life and just needs to take on final test before becoming a fully fledged spice healer. While struggling with family expectations, questioning her life path, and personal history, she meets two men that change her life.
I could definitely relate to Tulsi when it comes to family expectations as I am a third generation small business owner who has had similar pressures. Tulsi's struggle to not let her family down while still pursuing her passions is something many can understand. It's a beautiful, albeit packed, story of love, struggle, family, and pressures of social media. Patel's writing has you turning the page and wanting more from each character.
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I could definitely relate to Tulsi when it comes to family expectations as I am a third generation small business owner who has had similar pressures. Tulsi's struggle to not let her family down while still pursuing her passions is something many can understand. It's a beautiful, albeit packed, story of love, struggle, family, and pressures of social media. Patel's writing has you turning the page and wanting more from each character.
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
June 21, 2024
This was such a cute story. I was invested in Devis and Ash’s story. I loved how it was about the Parents/Adults. Usually most romance novels are about the Teens or young adults but this being about Tulsi's mom and the backstory about the grandmothers made it better. I recommend this book if you are trying to get into reading more romance novels by southeast Asian authors.
November 27, 2024
I wasn’t to sure about reading this but since I was in a slump I opened it up because it was the top of my stack in kindle. So glad I did. It started slow but once the major conflicts came it was full speed ahead. Couldn’t wait to see how it all came out. I may have to look for other books by this author.
October 21, 2024
The author announces right at the start that this is a book about "hyphenated identities" -- in this case, Indian-American / Alternative-Ayurvedic / multi-generational (and the ever-present but usually ignored human-but-woman) living in the ur-Normal American context of Salem, Massachusetts. Fascinating. Tell me more!
And Namrata does. Books open windows for us readers into worlds we usually cannot inhabit, and this book is a stained glass window replete with clear panes and mirrors that let us see sharp imagery of different lives, familiar romance, familial dynamics, and a tasty seasoning of herbal remedies. One of those books that seems to stop without telling me as much as I want to know about what happens next. I hope we see our protagonist Tulsi again.
And Namrata does. Books open windows for us readers into worlds we usually cannot inhabit, and this book is a stained glass window replete with clear panes and mirrors that let us see sharp imagery of different lives, familiar romance, familial dynamics, and a tasty seasoning of herbal remedies. One of those books that seems to stop without telling me as much as I want to know about what happens next. I hope we see our protagonist Tulsi again.
December 3, 2024
2.5 stars. I enjoyed the cozy spice shop setting in Salem and liked learning more about Ayurvedic practices. I also appreciated Tulsi’s journey to learn more about herself and her family. It just felt overly long to me and fell a bit flat.
May 8, 2024
A very sweet heartwarming story of a young woman finding herself
June 4, 2024
Fun, light yet reflective. A perfect quick read
Full review to come
Full review to come
June 4, 2024
3.5 stars, but good enough to round up. I think second half of the book is better than the first.
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