A review by bookishends
American Betiya by Anuradha D. Rajurkar

3.0

I tried to read this book before it came out, but had to put it down because it wasn’t doing anything for me. Over two years later, I tried again and sadly it didn’t get much better for me. I loved that, for the most part, Rani wasn’t self-hating or ashamed of her culture. And I enjoyed seeing her reconcile with not being very religious but still partaking in religious customs and holidays. So, this book hit the mark for me when it came to the exploration of identity, but the romance made it a tough read.

Oliver was earnest but so very corny. And it was hard to like him because we never get a chance to really know him before the cringe happens, especially with his attempts at Indian references. I could understand why he was the way he was because of his upbringing, but his obsession with Rani and desire to be a part of her family was a lot. The only thing their relationship had going was the physical aspect.

The book also felt a bit too long, and there were several scenes that I thought went on for a while without adding anything to the story or our understanding of the characters.

The book did end up making me cry toward the end because of all the feels with Rani and her family, and the ending was satisfying in a bittersweet way. So I don’t hate that I read this, but it was average at best.