The Letters We Keep

A present-day enemies-to-lovers romance starring two Desi college students from different economic backgrounds develops alongside a 1970s story of star-crossed lovers in this swoony tale by Sharma (The Karma Map). When aspiring engineer Jessie Ahuja meets handsome Ravi Kumar, the son of a wealthy tech mogul, she instantly hates him for his arrogance and vaping habit; their rivalry for the same university study nook soon escalates from minor inconvenience to proverbial war. After his fraternity brothers prank Jessie, locking her in the campus tower that’s purported to have been haunted since two students died in a 1972 fire, he breaks in to free her. Inside the tower, they find hidden love letters that seem to be written by one of the presumed-dead students from decades before. Jessie and Ravi begin reading the correspondence together, unraveling a 50-year-old mystery about a love affair with disturbing parallels to their own dynamic, prompting Jessie to wonder if she and Ravi’s relationship will follow the same fate. Though the alignment of the past and present story lines can feel forced, sharp banter and steamy intimate scenes make the easy chemistry between the romantic leads sparkle. Ages 15–up. Agent: Joy Tutela, David Black Literary. (May)