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wiltedpages's review against another edition
5.0
American Betiya centers Rani Kelkar, a high school senior with a talent for art, though her parents and her want her to go into the medical field (more on that later). When she enters an art show and wins, her entire family is there with her to celebrate at the showing. While that’s happening, she notices a cute guy lingering, and he asks her on a date. Oliver and Rani soon start dating and it’s almost perfect, from the way she’s treated, to the attention, and affection.
Almost. Rani can’t tell her parents she’s dating Oliver and he starts to grow more and more impatient, all while Oliver continues to invalidate her and her culture.
Rani finds herself drawn to Oliver, the ~mysterious~ boy with dark hair, tattoos, and a love of art. Oliver loves Rani, her culture, her art, and her (or so it seems). Oliver doesn’t understand many things. Rani’s parents, her culture, her future, and her. She faces tons of microaggressions from Oliver, which she brushes off at first. He repeatedly calls her Princess Jasmine, doesn’t stand up for her when she refuses to eat beef, and doesn’t understand why culture plays a role in why Rani can’t tell her parents about him.
Some of the content was very triggering, so I'm keeping it off Goodreads. Just remember, trigger warnings include drugs, alcohol, racism, microaggressions, fetishization
Read the full review on my blog: https://wiltedpages.wordpress.com/2021/03/05/book-review-american-betiya-by-anuradha-d-rajurkar/
Almost. Rani can’t tell her parents she’s dating Oliver and he starts to grow more and more impatient, all while Oliver continues to invalidate her and her culture.
Rani finds herself drawn to Oliver, the ~mysterious~ boy with dark hair, tattoos, and a love of art. Oliver loves Rani, her culture, her art, and her (or so it seems). Oliver doesn’t understand many things. Rani’s parents, her culture, her future, and her. She faces tons of microaggressions from Oliver, which she brushes off at first. He repeatedly calls her Princess Jasmine, doesn’t stand up for her when she refuses to eat beef, and doesn’t understand why culture plays a role in why Rani can’t tell her parents about him.
Some of the content was very triggering, so I'm keeping it off Goodreads. Just remember, trigger warnings include drugs, alcohol, racism, microaggressions, fetishization
Read the full review on my blog: https://wiltedpages.wordpress.com/2021/03/05/book-review-american-betiya-by-anuradha-d-rajurkar/
jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
Rani is an Indian-American teenager who has always obeyed her parents. She is eighteen and a senior in high school and has a passion for photography. Her parents want her to go to school for something more serious and Rani doesn't want to disappoint them. Then Rani meets Oliver, who is just the sort of guy that her parent's won't like. He's a white guy with lots of tattoos and an artist. Rani is drawn to Oliver because of his love of art and Oliver seems fascinated by Rani's Indian culture. Rani grapples with the new emotions of a first love and the complexities of a cross-cultural relationship, which she decides to keep a secret from her parents since they don't want her dating at all. This was a story that had just the right amount of angst and edginess. This is not a saccharine sweet teen romance. We are not dealing with the "perfect Indian daughter" here and Rani makes decisions that she fears would shock and disappoint her parents. Rani is a relatable protagonist trying to live a life that strikes a balance between being her own person and being a good daughter. There are lots of messages in here about pursuing your own dreams, being true to yourself, and also fetishism.
What to listen to while reading...
Oh! Sweet Nuthin' by The Velvet Underground
True Colors by Cyndi Lauper
Make Me Feel by Janelle Monae
Dreaming of You by Selena
Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
What to listen to while reading...
Oh! Sweet Nuthin' by The Velvet Underground
True Colors by Cyndi Lauper
Make Me Feel by Janelle Monae
Dreaming of You by Selena
Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
4/5
Really enjoyed the plot of the book and the characters journey. I found the cover to be absolutely beautiful and the story more so.
Really enjoyed the plot of the book and the characters journey. I found the cover to be absolutely beautiful and the story more so.
chrliesangel28's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
saiyagill's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
etakloknok's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
hellocookie's review
5.0
A brilliant debut that explores young love and a journey of self-discovery. American Betiya explores culture, racism, microaggressions, privilege, toxic masculinity, and more through a cohesive and captivating narrative. An excellent contemporary YA that is filled with interesting characters and will surely resonate with many.
ponckumari's review against another edition
1.0
DNF
Absolutely unlikable/unbelievable characterization right off the bat. I mean even Devi from NHIE will not do that.
Tried very hard to finish but I am not going waste time I don’t have.
Absolutely unlikable/unbelievable characterization right off the bat. I mean even Devi from NHIE will not do that.
Tried very hard to finish but I am not going waste time I don’t have.
whitneymouse's review against another edition
**Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Knopf Books for Young Readers for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changed my opinions of the book**
I tried so hard to like this book. I wanted to like it. A friend who's opinion I respect quite a bit told me I would love it.
I didn't. I've been trying for the better part of a year to finish this and have just lost interest every time I go back in to finish it. The main protagonist, Rani, is a photographer who falls for what feels like literally the first boy to look at her some type of way. We barely meet Oliver before she's falling all over him. And he's not anything special. He's suuuuuuper boring. They begin secretly dating because her parents don't want her to date. He also is very clueless about her ethnic background, which leads to some tension and some issues (even early on in the book). The exploration of interracial relationships and that cultural tension and identity should be themes I identify with as the biracial child of an interracial relationship who had figure out along the way where I fit into the cultures I was born into. But when the protagonist AND the love interest are both as interesting as watching paint dry, I can't. There are other books that explore these themes that are also engaging. I don't care enough about either of these characters to continue to force myself to finish their story for the book's sake, unfortunately.
I tried so hard to like this book. I wanted to like it. A friend who's opinion I respect quite a bit told me I would love it.
I didn't. I've been trying for the better part of a year to finish this and have just lost interest every time I go back in to finish it. The main protagonist, Rani, is a photographer who falls for what feels like literally the first boy to look at her some type of way. We barely meet Oliver before she's falling all over him. And he's not anything special. He's suuuuuuper boring. They begin secretly dating because her parents don't want her to date. He also is very clueless about her ethnic background, which leads to some tension and some issues (even early on in the book). The exploration of interracial relationships and that cultural tension and identity should be themes I identify with as the biracial child of an interracial relationship who had figure out along the way where I fit into the cultures I was born into. But when the protagonist AND the love interest are both as interesting as watching paint dry, I can't. There are other books that explore these themes that are also engaging. I don't care enough about either of these characters to continue to force myself to finish their story for the book's sake, unfortunately.
mslater116's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Gaslighting, Racism, Suicide, Alcoholism, and Addiction