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If you’re looking for books by South Asian authors about South Asian experiences, you’re in luck! 2023 brings a bumper crop of new titles with South Asian characters to shelves, 11 of which are highlighted here.
These books span a variety of genres, from fantasy to contemporary, and they explore love, family, pop culture, immigration and sexuality. They draw from a wide range of narrative traditions, like Bangla natok (drama) in The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim and '90s rom-coms in While You Were Dreaming by Alisha Rai. They are set in New Jersey and in Agra, on television sets and in imagined worlds. Two debuts are by Gen Z writers for Gen Z readers: Kismat Connection by Ananya Devarajan and All the Yellow Suns by Malavika Kannan.
Related: 11 Books Featuring South Asian Characters to Read in 2021
Making your 2023 reading list? Check out the best books by South Asian authors to look for in 2023 below.
The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim (January)
Bangla natok (drama) meets Jane Austen in this very funny debut. Zahra Khan wants to be a writer, but her Amma has other plans: to find Zahra a “suitable” Bangladeshi, Muslim boy — like Darcy-esque Harun Emon. Zahra and Harun are mismatched but agree to fake-date to appease their parents. Meanwhile, Zahra is falling for Nayim Aktar, a recent immigrant and her co-worker at a nearby Pakistani tea shop. Taslim draws on lived experiences: the author grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, one of the largest Bangladeshi enclaves in the country.
How To Win a Breakup by Farah Heron (March)
There’s gaming, baking, and fake dating in this charming pastry-filled romance. After being dumped by her popular boyfriend, math whiz and gamer girl Samaya Janmohammad is determined to “win” their breakup after she discovers he has hooked up with her frenemy. Enter Daniel — hockey jock and master baker — who agrees to whip up an imitation relationship with her in exchange for calculus tutoring. Fans of Heron will recognize Samaya as the younger sister of the protagonist of her previous YA novel, Tahira in Bloom; new readers will appreciate Heron’s attention to diversity and representation, and details of the Indian/Tanzanian/Muslim community.
The Karma Map by Nisha Sharma (March)
Part-travelogue, part-coming-of-age, The Karma Map stars grumpy girl Tara Bajaj and sunshine boy Silas D’Souza-Gupta. Tara has masked her truths with beautiful clothes, a social media feed filled with parties, and an Ice Queen-like attitude. Bullied offline, she decides she needs a fresh start, and decides to guide a youth group’s temple tour through North India. There, she meets aspiring photojournalist and fellow junior guide Silas, who is retracing the journey his two mothers took when they fell in love. The book wrestles with the spirituality and ritualistic nature of Hinduism and centers the struggles of being a not-here-nor-there diasporic teen.
Rosewood by Sayantani DasGupta (March)
DasGupta’s bright and funny mashup of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility and several Shakespearean comedies has Elia Das and Rahul Lee match wits at a summer camp where they are being scouted for the second season of Rosewood, a hit Regency-era romance-slash-detective-series. Elia is a reluctant camper: She is a literary purist, an outspoken feminist, and a practical being, and the fake frippery gets on her last nerve. But her beloved little sister, Mallika, is a hopeless romantic and pop culture-fiend, so Elia plays along. Along the way, Elia falls for Rahul, fellow Shakespeare-o-phile, but when she discovers that Rahul has not been entirely truthful about his past and position, she has to decide whether to follow her head or her heart.
While You Were Dreaming by Alisha Rai (March)
Rai draws inspiration from the 90s rom-com While You Were Sleeping in a powerful novel that prompts readers to question the harmful and complex elements of the American immigration system. High-schooler Sonia Patil keeps a low profile after her mother’s deportation for overstaying a visa. Her sister Kareena is undocumented and supports the pair; Sonia doesn’t want to jeopardize their relative stability. When Sonia, in superhero cosplay garb, rescues her crush James from a tumble into a canal and her heroic act goes viral, she is thrust into the spotlight.
Of Light and Shadow by Tanaz Bhathena (May)
In a fantasy set in a world inspired by the badlands of 17th-century India and Zoroastrian mythology (the same universe as the author’s Wrath of Ambar duology), a bandit and a prince fight greed together — and change each other in unexpected ways. Roshan Chaya is a gang leader on a mission: to seek justice from the corrupt provincial governor who impoverished her community. Prince Navin is an outcast and is captured by Roshan; in his attempt to ingratiate himself to Chaya, he comes face-to-face with the poverty at the heart of his kingdom, raising questions about his own family. Bhathena once again showcases her lush writing and tremendous world-building skills; this is a satisfyingly suspenseful, romantic, and adventurous tale.
The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar (June)
In Jaigirdar’s delicious and delightful rom-com, an aspiring TV star navigates old and new relationships in the spotlight. Post-breakup, all Shireen Malik can do is eat donuts from her parents' shop, You Drive Me Glazy, and binge-watch the Great British Bake Off. News that she's been accepted as a contestant in the first ever Junior Irish Baking Show energizes her and her passion for baking—until she discovers that her ex-girlfriend, Chris Huang is also a contestant! To complicate matters of the heart even further, Shireen’s friendship with another contestant, redhead Nimah, is heating up the tent.
Kismat Connection by Ananya Devarajan (June)
High school senior Madhuri Iyer’s family legacy dictates that she will marry her first boyfriend. Determined to prove to her astrology-obsessed mother wrong, Madhuri ropes Arjun Mehta, her childhood best friend and a boy she’s sure she’ll never fall for, into an experimental, fake dating-adjacent relationship. Arjun, of course, only has ever had eyes for Madhuri, and his stars show that this is his year of good luck; this is his opportunity to shoot his shot. This debut, told in alternating chapters, also explores the nuances of Madhuri's cultural identity as she learns to appreciate her heritage after being bullied away from it, and her endearing relationship with her sister, Raina.
All the Yellow Suns by Malavika Kannan (July)
Sixteen-year-old Maya Krishnan, a queer Indian-American girl, lives in a conservative central Florida suburb, is often at odds with her parents, and has never been kissed. After being asked to join a secret society of artists, vandals, and mischief-makers who fight for justice at their school, she falls for Juneau Zale — rich, white, complicated. Kannan draws on her own experiences as an organizer and activist; She founded Homegirl Project, a youth-led collective that trains girls of color in political organizing and was a teen organizer for Women’s March and March For Our Lives. This is an achy, stunning coming-of-age story about activism and identity, family and belonging.
What a Desi Girl Wants by Sabina Khan (July)
Eighteen-year-old Meher Rabbani’s estranged father is remarrying, and she returns to Agra, India to attend his wedding; she is determined to rebuild their relationship and rediscover her nawabi (royal) roots. Unfortunately, her father wants little to do with her once Meher is in India, and she fears that her soon-to-be stepsister, social media influencer Aleena, is about to replace her. She unexpectedly finds comfort, friendship, and love in her grandmother's assistant, Sufiya—there are many stolen kisses (and one moonlight cruise in the shadow of the Taj Mahal) in this sweet novel.
Forty Words for Love by Aisha Saeed (August)
Moonlight Bay was once a magical place, regarded as the “glittering city by the sea.” Now, in this hollowed-out place touched by tragedy and economic depression, childhood friends Yasmine, a Moonlight Bay native, and Rafay, an immigrant from Willow Forest, navigate their feelings for each other in a town where tensions between townspeople and recent arrivals are growing. Saeed’s luminous novel is timely: Rafay’s story echoes the experiences of refugees worldwide, especially those displaced by climate change.
