Color me In was an important and well written book about a teenager who is biracial from both black and Jewish background, who “passes” as white. She has to deal with all the racial stereotyping that is done throughout her life but then her parents decide to divorce as well which adds another dimension to her turmoil.
I appreciated the various points of view that the author incorporated into the narrative to help enhance the story.

I would recommend this book.

#ColorMeIn NetGelley

COLOR ME IN review notes thing:

I was initially interested in Color me In for the Jewish rep and the themes of “where do I belong” and “am I enough to claim this” because those are things I’ve experienced, especially as I’ve tried to be closer to my own Jewish identity coming from a dual-faith household and having my Jewishness come from my dad (Jewish identity is usually traced matrilineally).

From the very first scene, this book is full of emotional gut punches and powerful, important observations. Nevaeh has trouble connecting to her Black identity because she has lighter skin, and growing up her mom kind of lost contact with most of her family when she married Nevaeh’s dad, so growing up in a predominantly white community and going to a predominately white school, she doesn’t feel comfortable claiming her Blackness in several ways. This isn’t a topic I feel is my place to speak on, as a white person, but I do wanna say the emotional labor her cousin and aunt gives to her to make her more aware of how being lighter skinned makes some things easier than it is for them really stands out to me. Nevaeh talks about never claiming Black as part of her identity until Hanukkah dinner with her dad and his new girlfriend when Ashleigh makes derisive and dismissive comments about a BLM rally blocking traffic, and Nevaeh reveals she’ll be preforming a poem at a rally against police brutality because she’s one of those Black kids.

Nevaeh’s parents are separated, apparently as a result of her father cheating, and her mother is depressed which makes it difficult for her to be there and parent her daughter. Her father suddenly decides that, instead of a sweet sixteen, Nevaeh should have a belated bat mitzvah in the hopes it’ll bring her closer to her Jewish identity, especially living with her Baptist minister grandfather.

Nevaeh finds her mother’s old journal and begins reading the entries in an attempt to better understand her, and that added layer to the storytelling really adds nuance to Corinne and the ghost of her we see currently. I really like and appreciate that when Corinne starts going to therapy, she tells Nevaeh it, though the way it came out wasn’t the best because Corinne wasn’t necessarily in control of the conversation. When Corinne is able to control the conversation, she explains she had planned to tell Nevaeh about the therapy after a few sessions and that it is helping her, and that kind of candidness is wonderful to see.

Sometimes I had trouble parsing the pacing of events, though that could be due to reading an advance copy.

In a lot of ways this is a story of Nevaeh making a mess and learning she isn’t the center of the universe and her problems aren’t the only ones. She has a tendency towards selfishness, but no more than is normal because at 15-16 it’s sometimes hard to remember your experiences aren’t the only ones happening.

I adore the friendship between Nevaeh and Stevie. There are some major bumps and big fights between them over the course of this book, but their friendship is so strong. I especially love a line where Nevaeh describes their love as being outside the confines of romance, but also being deeper than friendship. They have such a good bond, I’m so glad they find their way back to each other.

This book is very much a look at multiracial and multicultural upbringing and the ways it’s hard to define self but also recognize privilege when dealing with internal and external conflicts. Nevaeh is trying to define herself, and along the way she hurts and hurts those she cares about, but this is ultimately a story of her personal growth. Nevaeh learns better to listen and to give up space so others can speak and have their voices uplifted, which is hard at times when she is finally learning how to use her own voice.

This book was utterly phenomenal on so many levels and I can not recommend it enough.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
DNF at 41%. The writing was typical and bland, and the characters seemed 2D. Every character had their struggles, but everything was told rather than shown. It's like everything I read was a collection of thoughts and moments, but it didn't form a complete story. I still can't really gather a plot after completing nearly half the book. I eventually couldn't take it anymore and had to put this one down.

Color Me In is a novel with Diaz's personal experiences as a biracial to construct Neveah's story. Neveah, who has so far lived in a white neighborhood, and being white-passing, has never had to fully acknowledge her biracial identity. Now, as she lives with her mother's family while her mother and her father sort out their divorce, she feels lost in the world, like she doesn't fit in. Now, when I started this book, I thought the story would be entirely about Neveah's troubles with fitting in (to be fair, a similar story in Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America was the basis of my assumption), but mid-way through the author shifts the story's focus from that to the question of 'okay, but what can she do with it?'

The first half is, yes, about the issues she faces - being considered black enough to discriminate, at her school, while too white for her new black neighborhood, and especially her cousin, who is hostile to her at the start. She isn't sure how much claim she has to her Jewish heritage, either, as her father has kept the family non-religious for the most part; now he wants her to have a bat mitzvah and everything. She has her insecurities, and struggles with making the right decisions, often, thinking it her lane or thinking it is not her lane; she sees more the overt racial discrimination that her family faces, or her boyfriend faces. I felt like by the end, it was about how she could use her privilege as a white-passing person to be a better ally, rather than wallow in her insecurities.

While Neveah's personal exploration of how she sees her identity is a well-done plot, I felt there were many minor subplots that weren't exactly given their due. Neveah's relationship with her mother was barely touched upon, considering she is kind of reading the latter's diary secretly - she barely interacts with her mother, even until the end. Another relationship that was half-formed was that with her best friend, whose presence only served to introduce drama at appropriate intervals? I didn't get half the time what their fights were about, to be honest. Jordan's and Neveah's relationship seemed more fleshed out than that friendship, and this is saying something, since half of their interactions are hostile. There was that subplot about the school bully (who said some pretty horrible racial things, by the way) and her father's new girlfriend (who is framed as the temptress who lures her father away) - both characters were cliched cardboard characters.

Finally, I think there were some things the book did well - like Neveah's journey through herself, finding a way to reconcile both parts of her identity in herself, working through her issues with her parents - but some parts - minor storylines that seemed to only add tension or distract - were meh.

Honestly starting the book it took me awhile to fully immerse myself into the story. I did enjoy how Naveah learned about both sides of her and how she learned how her complexion affects the people around her. An example of this is when her nememis at her school tries to cyber-bully her and pick a fight outside of their school and Naveah's boyfriend ends up getting harassed by the security guard because he thought that he did something to the girls.

This review is all over the place but like I said i liked how Naveah learned both sides of her race. How she was able to connect more with her family, fall in love and just become a all around new person. This is an own voices book so that is a plus. Another thing i liked is how Naveah wrote poetry. Sprinkled throughout the story Naveah would randomly come up with a poem based on whats going on around her and I really enjoyed that aspect. I love how confident she became towards the end of the story whereas at the beginning she was meek and didn't really speak up for herself.

Color Me In by Natasha Diaz follows 16 year-old year old Nevaeh Levitz, who is spending her time between her White Jewish dad and her Black Baptist mom, Naveah is having a difficult time dealing with her parents separation and embracing the two parts of her world that makes her whole.

From my personal experience I’ve seen biracial kids struggle with identity and if it’s not addressed at early age it really can become overwhelming.

Because of her skin completion Nevaeh can easily pass for White, and when her cousin Jordan experiences a run in with authority, Nevaeh recognizes how much privilege she has and in turn uses that to fight for the ones she loves. Now this would be a YA without some romance.

Nevaeh falls for a Dominican boy named Jesus and the love they have for each other is really cute. This YA really wow’d me. Its thought-provoking, Inspiring and the writing is very poetic. I read this in one day. What an amazing debut and I can’t wait to see what more the author has in the future.

Thank you, Netgally & Delacorte Publishing, for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rate: 4 out of 5 Stars

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley for a fair and honest review. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book early, I just loved it. The poetry and descriptive language is exemplary. Nevaeh is a relatable character and the representation is sorely needed and valued by me, as a Jewish reader. Nevaeh is a 15 year old biracial Jewish New York girl whose parents have separated. She is stuck in the middle between her Jewish father who never forced religion but more the cultural belonging to Jewish culture; and her light skinned mom whose return to her family after estrangement has brought Nevaeh into the folds of her family's Baptist church coming. Nevaeh is so light skinned, with freckles and "down" hair that she "passes" for white quite a lot. The paradox being she's too light in the Black community and not quite white for the snobs at her private school. Examples of people's bias are provided. Things happen to cause her to open her eyes and her courage to share her beautiful thoughtful poetry.

We also get a glimpse into her mother Corinne's diary and how she met Nevaeh's father Samuel. There's a sharp contrast between that recollection and later when her dad had moved on with someone else, as her Bubby puts it, another shiksa. Having Nevaeh study to be a Bat Mitzvah at 15, older than the other students at shul, with Rabbi Sarah who is another multi faceted character. Character development is done quite well for this author and the story moves along at a good pace. Some of the things that happen with her ex best friend who tricks her on her birthday had me a little shocked at how far things got out of control, and how she denounced her father at the end, after giving up trying to keep a good relationship with his daughter... i would have liked to see them make up. The way her Bat Mitzvah was done to blend her 2 cultures was beautiful. I would absolutely recommend this book when it comes out!!

Nevaeh is caught between two worlds. Her parents have separated and so not only does she have to deal with that trauma but they are apart of two different cultures and so Nevaeh feels like she is not enough of one or the other to lay claim to those identities and speak for them. And not only that but she has to grapple with the privileges afforded to her because of her proximity to the dominant culture.

I think this book will resonate with teens going through a similar situation. It was interesting the way her parents separation was presented. No information was given to Nevaeh. She just had to deal with the aftermath. That’s how some kids of divorced/separated parents feel. They are just expected to deal with it with no explanation or time to process their feelings.

I was so thankful Nevaeh had her Auntie Anita because my adult brain kept screaming “Why is no one talking to Nevaeh about what it going on?” We all have that one Auntie in our family that at first may seem a bit mean but in the end she had our back all along. When she gave Nevaeh the auntie speech, I felt that in my soul.

One of the hidden gems in this novel is the poetry. I loved it every single time it popped up. It was like a little surprise on the page. Reminded me of my teen self when I used to spend hours in the field adjacent to our neighborhood writing poetry to deal with my feelings about the things going on in my life. It just may be my favorite part of the book.

Bold. Poignant. Inspiring. A love letter to those who may be need to hear that it’s okay to be their authentic self. That it’s okay to be a part of more than one world. You can choose both.


P.S. And since I’m a potterhead I appreciated all the Harry Potter references.

Color Me In is a powerful and striking debut from Natasha Diaz. For anyone who's felt torn between parts of our identity or unsure what we can call our own, Color Me In is for you. Color Me In is one of those books that draws you in. It demands to be read. Diaz presents an emotional and heart wrenching story about wondering our place in the world and our family. It presents a marriage and family in conflict. Those unsaid moments of family taboos, closed off questions, awkward silence, and things best left unsaid, or not. Color Me In perfectly develops and explores that feeling of being pulled in different directions when we don't know what we can claim as our own. What parts of our identity can we express?

s someone who grew up adopted in a family that never looked like me, and a setting where very few people looked like me - or had similar experiences, I could deeply identify with Nevaeh's feelings of being pulled in different directions. The dissonance between the home we grew up in and our sense of home. Color Me In is a multi-faceted story that delivers on multiple layers - Nevaeh's own personal journey with her identity and friends, the unfolding of the relationship between Nevaeh's parents, and her own growing relationship to her family.

Color Me In follows the story of a teenager named Nevaeh who is reeling from her parents divorce. She spends her time between her dad and her mom’s house and is struggling with the separation. On top of that, she is also questioning her identity as Naveah is half Jewish and half black. She doesn’t know where the to fit in and she doesn’t just want to claim one part of her ethnicity.

Being that she is light-skinned means she’s often mistaken for a white person which makes her feel disconnected from her own ethnicity. Nevaeh is constantly working on a journey of self discovery to find out who she really is. At her Aunt Anita’s house she feels like she doesn’t fit in with her mom’s side of family and it doesn’t help that her cousins bully her about the way she looks and how she acts “white”. While her father wants her to be more connected to the Jewish heritage and culture. She always feels like a fish out of water.

Neveah is also pulled in different directions when it comes to religion. Her mother is Christian and her dad is Jewish. When is comes to living under their households its a constant strain of pressure to live under their lifestyle that they place upon her. Neveah struggles to make a path for herself of her own choosing. She doesn’t fit in at school as it is not diverse and feels excluded from people of her own race. I could feel Naveah’s pain and her raw emotions as she tries to move forward in her life and find some kind of clarity.

This book discusses a variety of topics such as: racism, the Black Lives Matter movement, gentrification, being biracial, mental illness, religion, and more. It may seem like a lot to tackle in one novel,but Diaz executes these topics well into the story as it is based off her own experiences about having a biracial and multiracial identity. Her writing has lyrical quality and she has this ability to bring her readers into the story by making it real and emotional.

Diaz has woven a intricate narrative throughout this book. I love how deep the poems are laced within the book since Naveah is a writer. My favorite part about this book was the characters. Not only are they diverse but they are so in depth too. Though Nevaeh’s family and friends stood didn’t see eye to eye all the time, when it comes to it they are to support each other. Nevaeh’s journey in this book is heartfelt and sometimes painful with the ups and downs of growing up. Through the many obstacles she faces she learns to grow, find herself, forgive her parents, and to move on towards the future. She learns how to use her voice to speak up for what she believes in.

*Trigger Warning: Racism, Bullying, Some Violence

the fact that this book was inspired by the authors real life was just so fascinating. this book was very intriguing and i honestly learned a lot.

Color Me In focuses on Nevaeh, a 16 year old biracial, jewish girl that's just trying to find herself. this book covered racism and the way it still affects the world. it was good that nevaeh eventually learned to speak up and use her privilege to help her family and friends.

i absolutely loved everything about this book.

“We all make assumptions about each other. It doesn’t matter if you’re family or a
stranger on the subway; we do it everywhere, even here, in our safe spaces, where we’re
supposed to love each other up and down.”

With straight brown hair and pale skin, no one realizes 16 year old Nevaeh is half black.
She’s not popular at her white NY prep school and with her black fam, she sticks out like a sore
thumb. So where does she fit in? When her dad (white, Jewish, and filthy rich) is caught
cheating on her mom, Nevaeh moves in with her family in the city with her grandpa, aunt, and
two very opinionated teen twin cousins - causing Nevaeh to confront her biracial heritage - and
her privilege - for the first time.

Color Me In is a truly phenomenal debut, following a richly complex character who
struggles to figure out who she is. An ode to the multitudes girls of color contain within themselves, I was deeply impressed by how many themes operated inside Color Me In - impressed at Diaz's ability to balance those themes and to fully explore each. Some of my favorite elements were:
1. Loving a parent with deteriorating mental health
2. Balancing multiple ethnic and religious identities
3. Coming of age
4. First love
5. Bullying
The writing was lyrical, but easily digestible with hilarious dialogue which alleviated tension brought in by heavier discussion topics. I enjoyed moments where Nevaeh has to confront her privilege and
how to use it so much. She is a regular kid - she makes mistakes, but it was elating to watch her learn from them.


Diaz gives us a refreshingly real story about growing up, especially in a New York
setting. I found myself relating so much to Nevaeh as someone who is both biracial and a New
Yorker. It pulled at my heart to watch her learn how to love, how to be a good friend, how to
be who she is, and to learn about how the world sees her. For "Color Me In" I only have two points of criticism:

1. Didn’t like the way fat characters were described
2. All of the female antagonistic characters embodied either the "airhead" or the “she devil” stereotype . The attitude that female villains should be either hyper sexual or unintelligent is outdated and should be retired from our literature.

Other than those things, I dig this story and will be 1. Buying it and 2. Reading it again and
again.
4.5/5 stars

Color Me In is a semi autobiographical coming of age story that follows Nevaeh Levitz, a biracial New Yorker teen. Nevaeh grew up in the suburbs, but after her parents split, she moves in with her mother's family Harlem. Here she begins to learn about the identity and history on her mother's side that she hadn't been aware of before.

I like how this book dealt with the slight discomfort Nevaeh had in both of her identities of being Jewish and black. One side of her family judges her because she is affluent and white passing and the other wants her to immerse herself in the Jewish faith. Both have good intentions, but lack of proper communication drives Nevaeh to a crossroads. She feels disconnected from them both and I enjoyed that through the narrative of this book, she started to become more comfortable in just living somewhere in the middle. Nevaeh makes mistakes and she is a little bit selfish, but the moment she learns she doesn't have to conform to anyone's standards of who she should be, is where the real turning point begins.

This book also takes a look into the past through Nevaeh's mother's journal entries. I enjoyed these sections because it gave insight into the pain and trauma her mother experienced and how it became the basis for
the hurt Nevaeh feels.

Color Me In follows the life of Nevaeh Levitz, a 15 year old biracial poet who is dealing with the divorce of her Jamaican Baptist mother and Jewish father. Throughout the book Nevaeh finds herself in many situations that cause her to question her ethnicity, her socio-economic status, her place in a family structure that she did not experience a lot growing up and her religion. She deals with having to step up to the plate and acknowledge her societal and economical privileges and respond to them in situations where others may be mistreated because of the lack thereof. Other parts of the book deal with regular teenage events: romantic relationships and jealousy from others, the expectation of fulfillment and loyalty within friendships, stepping outside of your comfort zone to pursue a dream and bulling. The story was written in such a beautiful way that it is impossible to not be able to connect with Nevaeh in some fashion. I loved this book and the poetry written by Nevaeh. I would definitely check out any future books following the story. Such a great read and highly recommended!

Thanks goes to Netgalley and Random House Children's for this ARC copy in exchange for my review!

"Color Me In" has a young adult character that I think some readers will definitely enjoy. We follow 15 year old Nevaeh Levitz who is dealing with the fall out of her parents separation. She and her mother are living with her mother's relatives in Harlem while her mother tries to move forward. Nevaeh feels trapped between the world she came from (rich and affluent) and where she starts to feel more comfortable with her black relatives in Harlem and starts putting together the pieces of her mother's history. Diaz gets into colorism, being biracial, racism, Judaism, and first love. I think she does a great job juggling all of this, though at times parts of Nevaeh's journey feels a little forced.

Nevaeh feels like a person split in two. Though she's biracial (Jewish and African America) she is still seen as a white girl living with her relatives in Harlem. Her mother and father have separated with Nevaeh feeling lost due to her father being gone for two months while her mother sinks further into depression. Nevaeh is finally getting to know her aunt, uncle, and three cousins. We slowly find out that Nevaeh's father kept her mother from seeing her relatives and there definitely seems to be subtle and not subtle signs of racism coming from him. And we get to see how Nevaeh finds out more about where she came from (on her mother's side) and how she's not just one thing.

The secondary characters were developed well though I thought that Nevaeh's father was just a hot mess. I wish that Diaz had delved more into the father's actions because it was heavily implied he looked down upon his wife's blackness, but no one came right out and called his behavior racist. You can see why Nevaeh's mother is depressed and realizing how she gave up her sense of self (a black woman who was a child of immigrants) to marry a rich man who wanted her to deny that part of herself in order to fit in.

We also have Diaz including a Rabbi (Rabbi Sarah) who starts to teach Nevaeh more about Judaism and prepares her for her Bat Mitzvah. I did find Rabbi Sarah to be a little unorthodox though with how she talks to Nevaeh. I just once again don't know how realistic that would be with an adult and a 15 year old.

I thought that Diaz's relationship with her aunt was quite realistic and I felt pangs for Nevaeh trying to fit in with her cousins and the constant rejection from one of them.

I thought the writing was sharp in places, but honestly the way that Nevaeh and her cousins speak though sounded way too old. Not that all teens run around speaking broken grammar, it just sounded like they were making too many speeches. For example, when Nevaeh goes back to her school and addresses the principal and other adults. I just felt like it was too try hard in that moment. Also incorporating some of Nevaeh's writing/poetry wrecked the flow for me at times. I also thought including Nevaeh's mother's diary tripped things up a bit too.

The setting of Harlem came alive based on how Nevaeh sees it, places, and people. Nevaeh's father's home seems separate from her and every time she goes back there it gets a little worse.

The ending leaves things slightly unfinished for Nevaeh and her father, but definitely in a more solid place with her mother, aunt, grandfather, and cousins.

As a librarian I can recognize that this is a book that will probably appeal to many teen readers. I have to say that it wasn't my favorite. It took me quite a while to get through it. As a darker skinned African American it was hard to read. Race is already super complicated and typically (there's even a movie about it called Dark Girls) darker skinned African Americans, particularly females, are viewed so negatively by the world. I can see people who come into this book like I do, being turned off to it. Again, that's not to say it's not a good book that many will enjoy, I can just see the other side of it as well.

This book is so important. I can't wait for everyone to read it. It has such amazing writing and the characters were fantastic.

This book knocked me off my feet. When I was least expecting it, it punched me in the heart, and I was crying through a whole bat mitzvah.

Nevaeh Levitz is struggling to find where she fits in her family when her dad is white and Jewish and her mom and the people she knows best are Black and go to church. She’s never felt like she quite belongs in either world, but as the story goes on and she grows more sure of herself, it becomes clear she can carve out a spot that’s uniquely her own. She doesn’t have to be one thing or the other.

Color Me In is not just an incredible story, it’ll also teach you about privilege, the challenges of growing up, and how to use your voice to help those closest to you. Let’s get to the review!

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Who is Nevaeh Levitz?
Growing up in an affluent suburb of New York City, sixteen-year-old Nevaeh Levitz never thought much about her biracial roots. When her Black mom and Jewish dad split up, she relocates to her mom’s family home in Harlem and is forced to confront her identity for the first time.

Nevaeh wants to get to know her extended family, but one of her cousins can’t stand that Nevaeh, who inadvertently passes as white, is too privileged, pampered, and selfish to relate to the injustices they face on a daily basis as African Americans. In the midst of attempting to blend their families, Nevaeh’s dad decides that she should have a belated bat mitzvah instead of a sweet sixteen, which guarantees social humiliation at her posh private school. Even with the push and pull of her two cultures, Nevaeh does what she’s always done when life gets complicated: she stays silent.

It’s only when Nevaeh stumbles upon a secret from her mom’s past, finds herself falling in love, and sees firsthand the prejudice her family faces that she begins to realize she has a voice. And she has choices. Will she continue to let circumstances dictate her path? Or will she find power in herself and decide once and for all who and where she is meant to be?

Nevaeh is doing her best to figure out her life after a pretty big upheaval. She recently moved in with her mom’s sister’s family after her parents split up and with her mother deeply upset and depressed, Nevaeh has to deal with everything that comes with her new life all by herself.

During this time, Nevaeh makes her way up to the attic and finds her mother’s old journal. As she reads through it, she begins to find out more about her mom’s past as well as one of the reasons why her parent’s marriage may have failed.

I LOVE stories with journal entries from the past, especially when they’re from the main character’s parent. It’s a great way to learn with a character. They’re learning new facts about someone they’re close to just as the reader is.

But that is only a small portion of the book. Nevaeh also has to deal with her father. He is dating his secretary (she is awwwwful) and has decided that he wants Nevaeh to have a bat mitvah. Nevaeh is horrified but ultimately agrees, if only to get her cheating father off her back.

That brings in Rabbi Sarah who is meant to teach Nevaeh Hebrew and everything she needs to know to ensure her bat mitvah goes smoothly. Little does she know, Rabbi Sarah will teach her much more than what’s in the Torah. Besides Nevaeh, Rabbi Sarah might be my favorite character. It’s clear she’s been through some shit and Nevaeh (and I) appreciates that. She’s not easy to get close to, but for Nevaeh, she tries. She is so damn supportive…I want a Rabbi Sarah.

There is also Nevaeh’s life at school with her best friend, Stevie (who is a badass dancer), and her time with her cousins at home and at church. While Nevaeh’s cousins accept her as their family, her cousin, Jordan repeatedly reminds her that she doesn’t live the same life or experience it in the same way as they do.

Nevaeh can pass for white, so her experiences in society (especially around cops) is much different than it is for all the Black people in her family. It’s through Jordan and a horrifying experience at school (I think I stopped breathing during this scene), that Nevaeh realizes just how much privilege she has and how she can use it to help the people she loves most.

And speaking of people she loves…Nevaeh falls for a Dominican boy named Jesus. OMG their relationship is so freaking cute. There are no words. Compared to what we read about Nevaeh’s mother’s past experiences with men, Nevaeh’s relationship with Jesus is the exact opposite. It’s supportive and loving and gets even better once Nevaeh begins to come into her own.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about Nevaeh’s poetry. She’s a brilliant writer and her poems are sprinkled throughout the story at integral moments. Her poetry is another way the reader gets to see what Nevaeh’s feeling and how she changes throughout the story. The topics and emotions in her poems change as she comes to better understand herself and her world.

Color Me In blew me away in so many ways. Nevaeh and I have a few things in common. We are both half Jewish and have less-than-ideal fathers. The sections when she discovers her dad isn’t the person she thinks he is slapped me in the face. I have been in that moment and Nevaeh’s anger is all too real.

And don’t even get me started with the bat mitzvah scene. I cried through the whole thing. It’s about growing up and making amends and being who you are, not necessarily what people tell you to be. It killed me and brought me back to life.

Another moment that really stuck with me is when Nevaeh finally realizes her privilege and how much power comes with being white-passing.

I’m white and being white comes with a lot of privilege. Before reading this story, I thought I knew how to use some of that privilege to help make the world a less shitty place. But based on the way Jordan explains it to Nevaeh, I didn’t “get it” as much as I thought I did. There’s one scene where Jordan lets out all her feelings about living in a world that’s set against her and it was very eye-opening.

I hope a ton of white readers check out this book and learn how to use their privilege for good. Or at the very least, understand a little better what Black people go through every day.

Color Me In by Natasha Diaz is thought-provoking, fun, sad, and so well-written I could cry (and did). I’m blown away by Natasha Diaz and I can’t wait to read her next books. I am giving Color Me In 5 out of 5 stars. Please get this book. You won’t be disappointed. (the crying is worth it.)

Color Me In comes out August 20, 2019.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Color Me In by Natasha Diaz follows Neveah Levitz as she contends with her parents' sudden breakup and comes to terms with her biracial identity. Since this is semi-autobiographical, I feel bad saying that I really struggled with this book. All of the ideas were there, but nothing felt wholly developed.

I think Neveah's arc in general, finding her voice, finding out when her voice isn't the most important or needed in the room, speaking up when she should be heard, etc, are all really important lessons that a 16-year-old girl would face. However, there were some scenes and some dialogue that were just so on the nose. They felt very cliche. As did several characters. The gold-digging, wanna-be Real Housewife woman her father is dating, her Jewish Bubby, Abby, the stereotypical high-school mean girl. Obviously, people like this exist, but probably not all in the same place at the same time. Everything seemed to move too quickly. Neveah meets Jesus and BAM they're in a relationship. Neveah meets Rabbi Sarah and now they have to spend a lot of time together and BAM they care about each other. There wasn't enough time to develop all the storylines to their satisfying conclusion. It felt like any possible YA cliche can and did happen to Neveah while she was at school, and then it all got wrapped up in an easy bow at the end.

Now, I'm a white woman in my late 20s. Obviously this book isn't written for me. Maybe the cliches and quick pace will help teens grasp the concepts? I don't know. It seems that a lot of people really like this book, so I could be an outlier.

Neveah is caught between two worlds when her parents suddenly and dramatically split up the Summer before her Sophomore year. Her mother is a ghost of herself and her father would rather pretend that everything will just be fine if they all decide to just move on. The home she’s grown up in seems cold without her mother and downright hostile once her father’s girlfriend begins spending more time there. But in the small room she shares with her mother in rapidly gentrifying Harlem doesn’t feel that much better, given how ire she seems to draw from her cousin, Jordan, whom she has to share the space with. It seems like she doesn’t really belong anywhere, too black for her tony private school and too Jewish for Harlem, but she can’t escape either side and she’ll have to do the work to understand just how much of her there is to understand and present to the world.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in two days. Neveah’s a poet and there are bits of her poetry strewn throughout the book so we can get a really in depth look into who she really is. I was skeptical of the book at first glance because I feel like stories about black kids in their own spaces without a white best friend or boyfriend are hard to come by. It feels like the industry knows that they need to include the white readers in some way that has never been a concern when the shoe is on the other foot, but I’m glad I didn’t let that deter me because biracial stories matter. That split between the two worlds is real and deserves illumination, especially now that we’ve all collectively realized we are not in a post-racial society. Neveah doesn’t always say the right things or do the right things and she gives sermons on privilege and what it means to be an ally in the way she chooses or doesn’t choose to move in the world. It was a great read, an engaging one and definitely one to add to the bookshelf.

I found a few typos so another grammar review is necessary.