This book! It pulled me in right from the beginning and didn't let me go until I turned the very last page! The main character, Rani, is bright, ambitious, and dutiful daughter who doesn't so much as glance at anything that might get in the way of her education––her future. And that anything includes boys. But when a charismatic tattoo-covered artist catches her eye, Rani finds herself sneaking behind her parents' backs. Her relationship with Oliver slowly deteriorates, leaving her trapped in a web of her own making. This is a powerful story of love, identity, friendship and betrayal that will leave readers asking for more.

Rajurkar's book pulls you in from the first pages with raw honest and emotional writing that tackles the complexities of first love when complicated with racism. toxic relationships, family and the pull of two cultures. What begins as a lovely romance with exciting and daring, Oliver, takes a turn that leads Rani down a dangerous path where she finds herself losing her own sense of self and identify. This book has so much to offer YA and adult readers and doesn't shy away from important themes. Rajukar's debut novel is authentically written and filled with well-observed details.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for this e-arc

“Our worlds seem so different on the surface, but maybe they’re reflections of the same soaring sky—one shot at dawn, one at dusk.”

In American Betiya by Anuradha D. Rajurkar, high school senior Rani meets Oliver at a local gallery exhibit where they both have art displayed. Rani, the daughter of Indian immigrants and part of a close-knit Indian community, aspires to become a pediatrician but also enjoys photography. Oliver, a painter and student of the arts, is Rani’s mother’s worst nightmare: covered in tattoos, and brazenly staring at Rani from across the room.

Rani is intrigued by Oliver’s artistic talents, his charisma, his bold looks… and his intense interest in her. Rani has had little experience with boys in general due to focused academic studies and strict parents who forbid any dating or romance. Yet Rani and Oliver share instant attraction and chemistry, and soon enough, Rani is sneaking out at nights to spend time with Oliver.

But the romance drives Rani to tell more and more lies to her family, straining her relationship with her parents and her grandmother, who’s visiting from India. And the romance itself begins to sour as Oliver fetishizes Rani and her Indian culture, and also commits microaggressions—especially as Rani insists on keeping the relationship a secret from her parents. Rani is frustrated and hurt by the ways Oliver disrespects her culture and parents, but also feels guilty over what she isn’t able to give him, most of all when his increasingly dysfunctional family and home life takes a toll on his mental and emotional well-being.

In this book, Anuradha Rajurkar thoughtfully explores difficult questions about finding a balance among culture and heritage, family expectations, and personal identity and expression. As Rani experiences first love—cross-cultural love, no less—she must grapple with establishing healthy boundaries for herself, her parents, and Oliver, as well as taking a stand against obsession and appropriation, particularly when it’s rationalized away as interest and love.

Rani is a very layered, flawed, and real character, who makes mistakes along the way as she’s faced with a boy insisting that he loves her, though his actions don’t always match his words. Her story will resonate with teens who feel caught between cultures and expectations, struggling to honor their background while faced with pressure from people who claim to understand and appreciate that background, but sometimes behave in ways that are anything but respectful. Through all her struggles, Rani is strengthened by an incredible network of friends—her best friend Kate, her cousin Shalini, and a group she later meets in college—all who provide an alternate presentation of what love and support can and should look like.

Especially moving and insightful is Rani’s relationship with her grandmother, and their conversations and reflections on overcoming painful life experiences: “The best masalas use spices slow-roasted over the flame […] browned, even a little burned. We are like that only—we burn a little to attain the complex flavor […] And that burning, the pain… one must not avoid such pain. It is part of a… rich life.”

Anuradha D. Rajurkar’s debut is a well-written and powerful story that is not to be missed.

4 stars

For me, this novel had a bit of a slower start because I LOVED the main character - Rani - immediately, but I could not get behind the love interest. Fortunately, that all changed rapidly as the focus shifted and became much, MUCH more engaging.

Rani is a teenager who loves photography, has a fantastic best friend, is close to her family, connects with her culture and heritage, and falls for a pretty disappointing guy quickly. While I did not find the romance aspect of this piece particularly special or captivating, I love the conversation happening around Rani's changing willingness to deceive the people she loves, desire to face instead of overlook or downplay hurtful comments and abuses, and growing self-awareness and respect. Also, I really appreciate that there is some age appropriate processing of several relationships. Without feeling pedantic, these scenes promote a didactic purpose: modeling of healthy relationships - and identification of unhealthy relationships - for young readers.

I really liked the surprise substance I found along with the romance here and look forward to reading more from Rajurkar!

[Posted to Goodreads as well.] This book already won a prize before being published (the National SCBWI Emerging Voices Award) and it's easy to see why -- it's so beautifully written and exceptionally wise. Though it's about teenage characters and written for a teenage readership, the truth is that adults will get a lot out of this book, too, and possibly more. The narrator, Rani, is impossible not to root for as she navigates the high-stakes final months of high school. She's smart, compassionate, a good friend, and working very hard to balance everything, including her parents' expectations for her and the demands her first love makes of her. What makes this book incredibly powerful, though is seeing Rani how confronts racism -- both from sources she expects and, painfully, places she doesn't -- with strength and grace and hard-won wisdom. Rare will be the reader who doesn't stand up and cheer at the end of this book -- and immediately recommend it to everyone they know!

This is an unforgettable #ownvoices novel. American Betiya won the SCBWI YA Emerging Voices Award and after reading it, I wasn't surprised.. With a setting in Evanston, IL and India, readers will get a personal view into Rani's close-knit Indian family and Oliver's troubled world. Oliver is the boyfriend who desperately wants to fit into Rani's life, but goes about it in a toxic way.

This is a novel brimming with friendship, family, love, identity, culture, self-discovery, and self-esteem.
Highly recommend.

First of all: I think the book description ruined parts of this book for me. It gives away plot points which occur over halfway into the book. I think I would have been more emotionally connected to some of the events which happened in American Betiya if the description had not given them away, and I think it's too bad that everyone who is in interested in this book will essentially have it ruined for them if they read the description before reading.

The main story of this book is a toxic teenage relationship. I think it's really important that books like this exist; I've read a lot of YA books where the relationship is clearly toxic, but it's not well addressed or is even romanticized. The way Oliver fetishizes Rani's culture is clear from the start, and it's difficult to read as the story goes on. There were times I was surprised Rani didn't stand up for herself and had to remind myself this is her first relationship and she is desperate to hold on to it, even when it hurts her. There is a sort of honest rawness in the way Rani clings to Oliver, unwilling to give up on first love despite recognizing the issues with the way he speaks to her even early on.

Overall, a worthwhile read with resolutions not often seen in YA books.