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caylieratzlaff's review
5.0
Holy crap, y’all.
“Love doesn’t belittle. It’s not supposed to make you feel broken, empty, addicted, and self-conscious. Or question your sense of self. We can’t romanticize that kind of love that essentially just hurts…”
MY HEART.
This ripped me open. It’s a beautiful look at South/East Asian culture and white male privilege tied with first loves and not healthy relationships ships. Rani finds herself and this book is a breathtaking tale of friendship and family and culture and UGH. SO GOOD.
“Love doesn’t belittle. It’s not supposed to make you feel broken, empty, addicted, and self-conscious. Or question your sense of self. We can’t romanticize that kind of love that essentially just hurts…”
MY HEART.
This ripped me open. It’s a beautiful look at South/East Asian culture and white male privilege tied with first loves and not healthy relationships ships. Rani finds herself and this book is a breathtaking tale of friendship and family and culture and UGH. SO GOOD.
notinjersey's review against another edition
4.0
American Betiya shows us the struggle between family tradition and the teenage desire for love. Rani is Indian American whose family does not allow dating. Oliver, a teen with a difficult home life, does not understand her inability to bring him home to her parents. Oliver has a lot of struggles himself, but the way he fetishizes and manipulates Rani is very cringe worthy. He uses her as an inspiration in his art and although Rani feels uncomfortable by this, as well as the things he says, she doesn’t have the experience to know that what he is doing isn’t right. I listened to this book and it kept my attention throughout. It was a worthwhile listen.
jugglingpup's review
5.0
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC of this book.
I don’t even know where to start with this book. It was at times very difficult and heartbreaking, but at others it was lighthearted and loving. Rajurkar was able to navigate incredibly touch and complex topics of identity and abuse. It was impressive.
Rani loves her family, though sometimes she can still be embarrassed by them as any teen is well aware of. I loved how the book started and ended with a very similar scene (I promise this is the closest I will get to a spoiler). The very first scene introduced the idea that Rani was loved and surrounded by a large and extended family. It also went into how her family had auntie-uncles and some of the differences that her family had from the stereotypical white families. I was hooked. They were loud, they were real.
Rani knows she will be a pediatrician. Her family supports this and she even visits with a family member who is a doctor so she can see how things are. No one expects her to date and they think boys are just a distraction from her having a good life. I loved how consistent her family was, how their ideas made sense. All of the ideas did not come out of nowhere. It was just incredible how real and fleshed out every character was. None of the words said or actions taken were without a solid foundation. I never felt like I was surprised by what happened in a bad way.
The romance started so quick, I thought it was going to be a stereotypical YA romance. I can get behind some fluffy romance. But this was anything but fluffy. It was immediately more intense. The way Rani doubted herself and what she remembered, the way that Oliver acted. It was such a great look at how emotional abuse can happen in a relationship. I had never seen racism and fetishization in a relationship covered in a YA book before. I AM HERE FOR IT. Please give me these complex looks at relationships. This is probably the best book I have read about abuse, partially because it is not only about abuse.
Rani’s family is not abusive. They are loving and do whatever they can to support her. They are strong willed, especially her mother. I loved the juxtaposition of the abusive partner to her family. So many people think that artists are going to be the most liberal and not have any issues and that traditional families are constricting and abusive. Rani shows that this is far from the case. I loved how it showed that even “woke” people can be racist and have issues. It is especially gross when they don’t address these issues and then say they are an expert on these areas. I really can’t say enough about the characters of this book.
I highly recommend this book. It is exactly the sort of book I wanted and needed to see.
I got an ARC of this book.
I don’t even know where to start with this book. It was at times very difficult and heartbreaking, but at others it was lighthearted and loving. Rajurkar was able to navigate incredibly touch and complex topics of identity and abuse. It was impressive.
Rani loves her family, though sometimes she can still be embarrassed by them as any teen is well aware of. I loved how the book started and ended with a very similar scene (I promise this is the closest I will get to a spoiler). The very first scene introduced the idea that Rani was loved and surrounded by a large and extended family. It also went into how her family had auntie-uncles and some of the differences that her family had from the stereotypical white families. I was hooked. They were loud, they were real.
Rani knows she will be a pediatrician. Her family supports this and she even visits with a family member who is a doctor so she can see how things are. No one expects her to date and they think boys are just a distraction from her having a good life. I loved how consistent her family was, how their ideas made sense. All of the ideas did not come out of nowhere. It was just incredible how real and fleshed out every character was. None of the words said or actions taken were without a solid foundation. I never felt like I was surprised by what happened in a bad way.
The romance started so quick, I thought it was going to be a stereotypical YA romance. I can get behind some fluffy romance. But this was anything but fluffy. It was immediately more intense. The way Rani doubted herself and what she remembered, the way that Oliver acted. It was such a great look at how emotional abuse can happen in a relationship. I had never seen racism and fetishization in a relationship covered in a YA book before. I AM HERE FOR IT. Please give me these complex looks at relationships. This is probably the best book I have read about abuse, partially because it is not only about abuse.
Rani’s family is not abusive. They are loving and do whatever they can to support her. They are strong willed, especially her mother. I loved the juxtaposition of the abusive partner to her family. So many people think that artists are going to be the most liberal and not have any issues and that traditional families are constricting and abusive. Rani shows that this is far from the case. I loved how it showed that even “woke” people can be racist and have issues. It is especially gross when they don’t address these issues and then say they are an expert on these areas. I really can’t say enough about the characters of this book.
I highly recommend this book. It is exactly the sort of book I wanted and needed to see.
thindbooks's review
4.0
I liked this book which is about a girl named Rani who is a perfect indian daughter that never lies to her parents until she meets Oliver who is an artist and has tattoos. Then start dating in secret but Oliver has trouble at home and wants more from Rani then she can give. Rani learns about relationships and how a girl should have ownership of her identity.
I enjoyed a good amount of the author's writing in this book. I thought the story was well written and I enjoyed the story plotline. There were many conflicts in the book that kept the readers entertained with all the drama in the Indian community and between the couple. The pacing was well paced in the beginning of the story but towards the middle it started to rush a little and I thought it would have been better with the slow pace. Though I have to say that I enjoyed the Indian culture mentioned in the book. As an Indian reader, I felt connected to the story as I can relate to it. Overall the writing was well done.
I enjoyed the main character in the book who is Rani and it's written in her POV. I felt connected to her character as I am an Indian who went through some of the same problems. Though I have to say that I didn't like her character development in the book. I felt that it wasn't a slow build of a development but more at the last 20 minutes. I did enjoy the side characters and Oliver in this book. The side characters didn't play like a huge role but I enjoyed their presence. There is romance in this book and it's a little descriptive but not hugely descriptive.
With the ending I didn't really enjoy it as much and felt that I rushed through it. It was a good ending but just not my type. The reason I gave this book a 3.5/5 stars is because it wasn't a 4 star read or a 3 star read but more of an in between. I do recommend this read because I think it's a great own voice book with Indian culture in it. I recommend this book to fans of Sandhya Menon and those who want to read books with Indian culture in it.
*this book was sent to me by hear our voices tour*
I enjoyed a good amount of the author's writing in this book. I thought the story was well written and I enjoyed the story plotline. There were many conflicts in the book that kept the readers entertained with all the drama in the Indian community and between the couple. The pacing was well paced in the beginning of the story but towards the middle it started to rush a little and I thought it would have been better with the slow pace. Though I have to say that I enjoyed the Indian culture mentioned in the book. As an Indian reader, I felt connected to the story as I can relate to it. Overall the writing was well done.
I enjoyed the main character in the book who is Rani and it's written in her POV. I felt connected to her character as I am an Indian who went through some of the same problems. Though I have to say that I didn't like her character development in the book. I felt that it wasn't a slow build of a development but more at the last 20 minutes. I did enjoy the side characters and Oliver in this book. The side characters didn't play like a huge role but I enjoyed their presence. There is romance in this book and it's a little descriptive but not hugely descriptive.
With the ending I didn't really enjoy it as much and felt that I rushed through it. It was a good ending but just not my type. The reason I gave this book a 3.5/5 stars is because it wasn't a 4 star read or a 3 star read but more of an in between. I do recommend this read because I think it's a great own voice book with Indian culture in it. I recommend this book to fans of Sandhya Menon and those who want to read books with Indian culture in it.
*this book was sent to me by hear our voices tour*
thewordyhabitat's review against another edition
4.0
wow. so not what I expected. and completely blew me away. I admire how the author showed things that take a dark turn and also how complicated concepts like cultural fetishization and microaggressions were shown in the story. well done.
tobirose94's review
4.0
3.75 ⭐️ Beautiful storytelling about being a first-generation daughter. I think I’m just past my YA days because I wanted to shake her and yell “look at all these red flags.” I officially side with mothers in stories now.
naomireadsworld's review
5.0
4.5/5 Stars
I am not sure what I was expecting when I picked up American Betiya, but I am so grateful that I did. The novel follows Indian-American teenager Rani as she meets and dates (in secret) a white boy named Oliver.
The novel is very character-driven (my favorite!) and so to some might come across as slow. However, the character development is so strong. Rani is such an incredibly complex character, a girl who has to learn who she is and who she wants to be even when it feels like her relationship is all-consuming. I was groaning and shaking my fist at Rani as she made mistakes because I only wanted her to know how much she belongs to herself, and cheering for her when she stood up for herself.
Anuradha D. Rajurkar is an outstanding writer, and her powerful YA debut is one that every teenager (and adult) should read. American Betiya is a breathtaking and moving account of identity, family, first love, and racism.
CW: sex, ambiguous sexual consent (character consents, but does not appear comfortable), racism, fetishization of women of color
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
I am not sure what I was expecting when I picked up American Betiya, but I am so grateful that I did. The novel follows Indian-American teenager Rani as she meets and dates (in secret) a white boy named Oliver.
The novel is very character-driven (my favorite!) and so to some might come across as slow. However, the character development is so strong. Rani is such an incredibly complex character, a girl who has to learn who she is and who she wants to be even when it feels like her relationship is all-consuming. I was groaning and shaking my fist at Rani as she made mistakes because I only wanted her to know how much she belongs to herself, and cheering for her when she stood up for herself.
Anuradha D. Rajurkar is an outstanding writer, and her powerful YA debut is one that every teenager (and adult) should read. American Betiya is a breathtaking and moving account of identity, family, first love, and racism.
CW: sex, ambiguous sexual consent (character consents, but does not appear comfortable), racism, fetishization of women of color
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
eml898's review
5.0
I really loved the exploration of relationships in this YA novel. Rani's relationship with Oliver is rife with all of the steamy tension I wanted and Rajurkar's exploration of how race impacts their relationship is a take not explored enough in other YA books I've read. But my favorite relationship journey is the one with Rani's mother - loving, overprotective immigrant mother trying to understand and guide her American daughter determined to carve out her own way.
lattes_lipstick_literature's review
4.0
*A Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. This is my honest and unbiased review*
This is a great book that delves into many topics that with our current social climate are needed. Rajurkar gives you such a realistic view of not only high school romance but into Indian American Culture. Rajurkar also isn't afraid to get into some bold topics such as toxic love, fertishization of women and racism. The main Character, Rani, is a high school girl who has artistic dreams but also wants to live up to her family educational expectations. She then meets Oliver, a white boy who her parents would never approve of.
Their relationship becomes a whirlwind of intense love, and rebellion. At first, you think this is a typical high school romance but soon you realize that Oliver's obsession with Ran is disturbing and he's not treating her like a human being but like some sort of exotic creature he can show off. You can't help but get emotional over the relationship, whether it's anger, frustration, or sadness. Rani is amazing (as is her relationship with Kate [her best friend] and her family) and we get to see her amazing transformation from shy teenager to young college woman. My favorite part of the book was the epilogue because you can really see Rani's growth and development.
Overall, an amazing YA book
This is a great book that delves into many topics that with our current social climate are needed. Rajurkar gives you such a realistic view of not only high school romance but into Indian American Culture. Rajurkar also isn't afraid to get into some bold topics such as toxic love, fertishization of women and racism. The main Character, Rani, is a high school girl who has artistic dreams but also wants to live up to her family educational expectations. She then meets Oliver, a white boy who her parents would never approve of.
Their relationship becomes a whirlwind of intense love, and rebellion. At first, you think this is a typical high school romance but soon you realize that Oliver's obsession with Ran is disturbing and he's not treating her like a human being but like some sort of exotic creature he can show off. You can't help but get emotional over the relationship, whether it's anger, frustration, or sadness. Rani is amazing (as is her relationship with Kate [her best friend] and her family) and we get to see her amazing transformation from shy teenager to young college woman. My favorite part of the book was the epilogue because you can really see Rani's growth and development.
Overall, an amazing YA book