Better Catch Up, Krishna Kumar
Anahita Karthik
HarperCollins
Published January 27, 2026
Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads
About Better Catch Up, Krishna Kumar
“Come for the road trip of a lifetime. Stay for the kissing!”— Meg Cabot, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Princess Diaries series.
Buckle up for a wild ride with this cheeky and charming rom-com where one girl’s quest across India to seal her first kiss turns into finding first love in the most unexpected places. Perfect for fans of Axie Oh, Ann Liang, and Jenny Han!
Eighteen-year-old Krishna Kumar may have gotten into her dream college, but that doesn’t mean she’s stopped being a bi disaster. Even after spending her whole summer in India flirting with her gorgeous neighbor Amrit, she has nothing to show for it. And now, her fate is sealed: she’s destined to be the only freshman who’s never been kissed.
Then her flight home is delayed right as a distinctly flirty text from Amrit lights up her phone. Krishna is determined to seize her last chance at a perfect first kiss with her summer crush, even if it means asking her cousin-turned-nemesis, Priti, for help. Because Amrit is miles away at a family wedding—and Priti’s best friend, Rudra Desai, is the only one with a car.
The unlikely trio set off on a road trip to crash a wedding and save Krishna’s summer. But as she starts to fall for the quiet but irresistibly hot and charming Rudra, who everyone knows is unrequitedly in love with Priti, Krishna’s heart better catch up to her head before she skips right past her first kiss and falls directly into her first heartbreak.
My Review
I enjoyed the pacing of this road trip romance. Krishna is a fun narrator, taking readers with her through mishaps, awkwardly blurted comments, and her desperate attempts for a first kiss.
Though at its core, this is a romance, the story also highlights the relationship between Krishna and her cousin, Priti. Krishna doesn’t understand why her cousin became so distant after Krishna’s move to the States, and at first, she is kind of resigned that she’ll never get it. But the close proximity of the road trip forces Krishna to confront more surprising feelings than those she develops for Rudra. As she understands more about why Priti’s behavior changed, she sees a path to reconciliation and realizes how much she misses her cousin. I loved that.
I also loved the romance between Krishna and Rudra. Watching her fall for him and trying to figure him out was lots of fun. There’s one miscommunication toward the end that would have resolved quickly if the two actually talked to one another. Despite that stretch, I am super glad I read this one.
If you’re looking for a road trip romance, definitely check this one out.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 16 up.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used fairly frequently.
Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing and making out. References to arousal. Vage references to sex.
Spiritual Content
Krishna visits a holy site with a group. They remove their shoes before entering the site. They attend part of a wedding celebration. Some wedding traditions are briefly described.
Violent Content
In a couple of scenes, men eye Priti and Krishna or call out at them in a suggestive way.
Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol at a party and a nightclub. Whether they’re of legal drinking age isn’t discussed, but they could be. Several unfortunate things happen when a character drinks too much.
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