This is a beautiful #ownvoices book that I would recommend to all of my friends. I wasn't sure what to expect, but a friend I work with on Project LIT told me that I needed to request it and read it. Glad she told me to and glad I did. We are planning to discuss it at our YA Pub Day chat in March.

Thank you Netgalley and the publicist for allowing me to read this eARC! I absolutely enjoyed it. American Betiya is a young adult contemporary book written that shows the perspective of an Asian growing up in America.
First of all, Rani’s perspective was excellently written. Rani learned how to love her culture, her religion, and everything important to her. She learned how to see past everyone’s opinions and focus on what she wants. The feelings of comfort Rani felt when she was closer to her heritage and religion are similar to my own. As a South Asian myself, it was relieving to see this as an Indian in this generation. The fear of embarrassment-of judgment, the stereotypical aspects applied to the race, the discrimination, and racism were so familiar and was reflected well throughout the book. From the beginning, Oliver gave me uncomfortable vibes. His trying to fit in with her family, and showing an unusual interest in Rani’s culture was sufficient to show he was obsessed. Oliver's behavior irritated me and I was glad to see Rani finally see through that veil of emotional manipulation and strengthen her relationship with Kate and her family.
This book showcases all the emotions perfectly and was well written. It focuses on self-development, and the challenges POC might face in our diverse developing society. I highly recommend it, and urge everyone to take a minute to read it!

American Betiya is a book I think more POC teens should read. Especially as we are cultivating a culture which talks more openly about cultural appropriation and racist comments. There are the hate crimes, the blatant racism, and the discrimination. But it's also in the little comments over dinners, nicknames, and emotional manipulation. At times, American Betiya was difficult to read, because as readers we can, hopefully, see the red flags. But as a woman of color, I can see their echoes in my life. The comments I brushed off, the phrases I heard in the corner of rooms, and the unspoken silences.

I wish that teen me had read this book. Knew not to laugh away those moments that made me uncomfortable. To recognize the comments for what they were. And what happens to Rani is worse than I ever experienced. American Betiya is about the lines that are so easily laughed off, but are ignorant and become insidious. A line between our attractions and fetishizing them. It's also a story about love, about toxic relationships, and the need for self-independence.

This YA novel tackles a very tough subject - racism against the South Asian community in a neoliberal city where the prejudice often takes place in the form of microaggressions. This book is made for someone like me - a South Asian girl who grew up in a neoliberal suburb and has grown up to marry a white man.

American Betiya's main character, Rani, is an artist who wants to be a pediatrician. She meets Oliver, a "bad boy" artist type and quickly begins a secret-from-her-parents relationship with him. She ignores the red flag actions he takes (calling her Princess Jasmine, mimicking her dad that he's never met, etc.), although a part of her brain is screaming that what he's doing isn't okay. She's also got her best friend, Kate, and her family, including her visiting grandma and ailing grandfather in India to worry about.

I'll start with the good: this book is sex-positive, covers microaggressions in a thoughtful way and Rani, the main narrator, is multifaceted and interesting. There are, however, some things I will note about this book that I didn't particularly enjoy:

-The narrative is VERY anti-marijuana. I do not partake, but I also think there is no need to be judgmental of others who do - the book clearly has an anti opinion of marijuana, and it gets to the point where the author treats it as if it's literally equivalent to heroin.
-The dialogue feels stilted and unnatural at many points of the book.
-This is a small point, but it really took me out of the book. Rani has theoretically been to India multiple times and is ingrained in her culture. But she has no idea what a tandoor is when she sees one. Girl, I've never been to Pakistan and I have lost a lot of my culture since moving out of my parents', but I know what a tandoor is!!

Al in all, the book got 3 stars from me. It's a good book with a gorgeous cover and an interesting premise. Thank you to Anuradha D. Rajurkar, NetGalley and Random House Children's for an eARC of American Betiya in exchange for my honest and unfiltered review.

Precise Rating - 4.5

I was provided with an ARC as I was tour host for Hear Our Voices.

TW: Use and abuse of drugs, addiction, loss of a loved one (grandparent), grief, gaslighting, manipulation and lies, cultural conflict, racism among others.

American Betiya is a poignant, relevant and a beautifully narrated story. It has its flaws but they can be easily overlooked ad ignored.

Rani is an Indian girl living in the States. Much like most brown parents, her's are very strict and have a very different view of the world. They want her to focus on her studies so that she can stand on her own two feet. They don't approve of dating and surely have never had discussions around sex. Rani tries to keep up with them. she tries not to disappoint them even if it means that she has to sometimes not do the things that she really wants to do. Rani loves photography but has plans for becoming a doctor as it's what her parents want too. Rani's photographs are being exhibited at an event where she comes across this tall and brooding yet undeniably attractive, Oliver who has his paintings up for display. They meet, talk, and connect. Soon, they become friends and despite the cultural differences, they feel that they can make it work. Rani who never really had American males as close friends is obviously a little concerned but her best friend, Kate steps in and ensures that Rani and Oliver get some alone time as she handles Rani's parents. The more Rani ad Oliver get to know each other, the more they feel the pull towards one another. Even before anyone can have a say, they are dating. But, dating is not easy. Dating is even more difficult for someone who has never dated and is forbidden to date. So, Rani soon finds herself in a place where she struggles to be the ideal daughter, a supportive and understanding girlfriend and a good best friend. What she does, how she does and what happens in the end, for that you'll need to pick this book up!

I think that the story is done really well. It deals with themes like cultural differences, race and ethnicity, religion, racism and segregation, toxic relations, drugs and addiction among others.

I found the writing to be simple yet effortless. The story was easy to get into and the characters were well fleshed out. Since it's written in the first person, you get a first-hand account of what Rani feels, is going through and why does what she does.

Oliver is a complicated guy. He definitely loves Rani but has a lot of things that he needs to help himself with. The decision that Rani takes, in the end, is a valid and rational one. And yet I keep wondering what if she had chosen otherwise. How would have that impacted Oliver? The guy is not bad, he has just messed up thanks to his horrible childhood and present-day home life. I think that he has the emotional range to change and get better no matter who says what.

Finally, coming to the representation of brow people in the book. Since this is an #OwnVoices, I was not surprised to see that Anuradha was able to capture the essence of being an Indian, a South Asian in a western country so well. But what was pleasantly surprising was the fact that how she was not only able to include the essence but also use the complexity of brown culture to use as an element to drive the story forward.

I liked how art played such a great role in this book. For someone like me who enjoys painting and crafts, this felt relatable and real. I enjoyed both the character's creative outlet and how they both used it as a widow to escape into calmness.

The only thing that really felt very unnecessary was a sub-plot that we follow for a guy called Nilesh who was the ideal guy for the community until he started doing drugs and got caught up in the mess. In my opinion, this entire storyline can be removed and yet the book wouldn't lose much of its essence.

Besides that, I liked everything that it had to offer. When I went into this book, I was not sure how it would turn out to be, but now that I have read it, I think I can say that it's worth picking up.

A heartfelt and honest story about first love, family, and the way those two worlds do and don't fit together. Rani, the main character, especially shines as a young woman who is allowed to be confident and capable, but also to question herself and make mistakes. A lovely read! <3

The key theme of the book is how Rani, an Indian origin American, handles her cross culture relationship with Oliver right under her parents who are very old-school and rigid about dating. She keeps her relationship a secret from her parents to mainly not hurt their feelings which Oliver never seems to get. The way Rani feels about having to explain her culture and on why certain traditional things mean more than they seem is very well handled, be it about Indian clothes or about being vegetarian. I totally related to the story and how irritating the stereotypes can make you. About her family, I felt they were too rigid for current times as most Indian families I know in the US are more casual about relationships these days.

This will definitely come under a mature YA novel. From the relationship perspective, this would help young readers to notice the red flags that Rani missed. I was happy that Rani embraced her culture and learnt life lessons from her failed relationship. I absolutely hated Oliver especially the way he dealt with Indian culture and him being young wouldn't work as an excuse in this case.

A lot of South Asians will relate to this book perfectly!

I wished the title had something other than ‘betiya’ which is an endearment term for daughter in Hindi language but in general not a lot of readers will not understand it and miss out on this book as not even all Indians would understand this word.

I really enjoyed this book. This was definitely a very mature YA book, so I would probably give it an age rating of 16-18. The book was very open about Rani's relationship with Oliver. I think this is the first book that I have read that discusses the festishization and tokenization that South Asian women face in relationships. I liked Oliver wasn't romanticized and his actions were not excused. This book provokes some interesting questions about how second generation Indian Americans go about in their romantic endeavors. This was definitely an interesting book to read around Valentine's day, that's for sure. I would recommend this book to any older teenagers who are coming into their identity and want to start exploring romantic relationships but do not know what red flags to look for. I think the topic and content of this book is really important and valid; but I personally wasn't pulled into the story or attached to the characters, so that is why I am not giving the book five stars.

A story about first love, dysfunctional love, racism, family obligations and friendship. American Betiya is Rani's amazing story of finding first love, navigating her friendship with Kate, keeping her secrets from her traditional Indian parents, and learning more about herself and them than she thought. It's an amazing story about Rani's quest for breaking free of her family's world, but learning to embrace the traditions and culture in a new light. Definitely recommend. I can't explain how amazing it is.

American Betiya was truly an amazon story that followed the life of Rani and her romantic experience with Oliver. Each chapter was full of something new and many different emotions were shown that rung through me as if I was feeling the same as Rani was. I didn't want the story to end as I was so interested in the culture that was explained and just the story itself was very amazing to read. I am so delighted with the epilogue that was at the end of this book as it fit perfectly into the story and ended in the best way possible for Rani's future. I truly enjoyed this book and I am so excited for this to release as other people should definitely be reading this!

This is an engaging, sometimes very fun, sometimes much deeper, YA novel. I appreciated its focus on a first-generation southeast Asian immigrant teen and her desire to set herself apart from her family and cultural expectations while also realizing that her family and culture ARE not only valid but important and worthwhile. That's a somewhat reductive description of a very nuanced novel, but I loved how the novel purports to focus on a stereotypical 'bad boy'/good girl romance but almost immediately complicates that dynamic. I couldn't stand love interest Oliver from nearly the first page, with his exoticizing interpretation of MC Rani's photography, and the novel rewards the skeptical reader eventually by expanding away from a simple romance arc.

Ah, where to begin with this book.

The story opens with Rani, the protagonist, presenting photographs she took at an art show. Enter Oliver, the quintessential bad boy with tattoos and a troubled past—Rani’s parents’ worst nightmare. Put the two in a relationship, and you have this novel!

There were many things I liked about this book. American Betiya will probably hit close to home for a lot of young, first generation American women (or honestly, a lot of young women with incredibly strict parents). First, I love all the representation that South Asian women are getting in literature nowadays! I found myself really relating to Rani’s need for secrecy and her struggles in an interracial relationship; the author did a great job handling those. I think the author also did an excellent job getting into the mindset of a high school senior and the excitement of your first love—this book made me feel sixteen again.

Now to the not-so-great parts... At times, dialogue was what mostly drove the story forward. It felt as if I got a lot of details through some banter between Rani and her best friend. And because of this, I felt like more could have been done with the “supporting characters” like Oliver and Kate to make them more three dimensional. The story did a lot of telling versus showing. Additionally, there were certain parts of the book that made my skin crawl. While I was ultimately satisfied with the way these plot points were dealt with, it was incredibly disconcerting to read the fetishization of Rani’s culture.

Overall, not a bad read. The book had a satisfying ending and a good message. A solid 3/5 stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What can I say about this treasure of a book? Beautifully written. The complexities of wanting to blend and understand what our parents are attempting to shelter us from

I loved this story about a girl falling in love. I know what it’s like when someone fetishizes your for your race/exoticism, but you love them so you ignore it.

I loved the story of Rani and her first love. How you wonder if this is what it’s supposed to feel like. The bliss of feeling seen and special. This will not be a book forgotten by me for a long time.

I’ll be real. As a person of color, I feel like this story tells of our struggles, wanting too look past hard things.
I loved it and i feel like the blurb did not do it justice. Please read and understand what I r deal with , 4.5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


All opinions are my own. Thanks @netgalley for providing this eArc

OH wow I LOVED THIS!! The characters were so authentic. I really liked Rani, an Indian American girl negotiating two cultures and forbidden love. She is very smart and has character. Her boyfriend, her family and best friend are beautifully portrayed as well.

I went into this wanting to love it. It has all of my favorite tropes, plus Indian representation, which is sorely lacking in mainstream YA lit. However, this sounded like a boomer trying to sound like a teenager. The slang was annoying to read, and Indian culture was over-stereotyped. It tries so hard to be relatable to the South Asian teenager, but ti comes off as forced and phony.

What a beautifully written story. A strong and vulnerable character. Realistic. Stakes. Emotions. The plot had me throughout the entirety of the story. I strongly recommend this story to readers who love YA.

I absolutely loved the ways in which the author depicted Indian culture, and Rani's struggles with respecting her culture and trying to fit in with "American" culture. The complexities of first love and having a relationship with someone who doesn't respect one's culture shown in such a heartbreaking and honest way. I cringed every time Oliver called her Princess Jasmine or did something equally terrible to fetishize or disrespect her and her family. I was caught a bit off guard by how explicit some of the sexual scenes were, though I did appreciate that teens are getting more representation of these instances to engage with.

Trigger warning for a mention of suicide about 75% in.
This one took a little longer to read than usual. But it was worth the extra time. There's so much to love about this book-- Rani's passion for photography, her relationship with her grandparents in India, and the realization that she deserves better than what a certain character puts her through.
The blurb is right that the plot is mostly about how Rani starts dating a guy that her parents would hate and she struggles to hide the relationship from them. But this ended up being so much more than that. It's not a story about a girl who hates her culture and wants to break away from it in favor of the artsy white boy with tattoos. The relationship soon becomes a problem for Rani, as she realizes that Oliver doesn't want to hide from her parents and seems to have no respect for her needs.
I disliked Oliver from almost the beginning. The first red flag was when he started calling Rani "Princess Jasmine" and "exotic," as if her culture was some kind of fetish to him. And while he takes Rani home to meet his dysfunctional mother early on, he never respects the fact that she doesn't want him to meet her parents. He even shows up outside her house when her entire family is home. At that point, I was practically begging Rani to just dump him already. Which doesn't happen until he makes a big, public gesture that reveals their relationship to everyone in the worst possible way.

*spoiler warning*

I actually liked that Rani's parents never found out that she and Oliver were in a relationship. Even from the mural, all they knew was that he was her friend. Basically every YA book involving strict parents involves the old reliable "shit hits the fan" moment where the protagonists' lies blow up in their face, but teenagers are going to have private lives, and they aren't always found out in some kind of dramatic way. I also liked that Rani's parents were realistically strict, but NOT abusive. Way too often do I see protagonists who end up forgiving their abusers as an ending (looking at you, The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali!) but Rani's parents never went out of their way to make her feel like shit.

When a teen falls hard for the bad boy in school, she begins to lie to her parents to stay in the relationship. As she gets closer to him, she finds herself juggling her identity, her culture, and the thrill of first love. Author Anuradha D. Rajurkar showcases the struggle for first-generation Indian American children in a realistic way with a delightful slow burn in her debut novel American Betiya.

Single child Rani Kelkar has her life plan in place: go to college as pre-med and become a pediatrician. She’s following in the footsteps of her aunt in India who would take Rani on hospital rounds during summer vacations to the city of Pune. Of course, that doesn’t mean Rani’s sole focus is her career. Her second love is photography, even if her parents don’t understand it. They see it as a hobby along with everyone else in the Indian-American community that dominates her parents’ social lives.

During a gallery showing where some of her pictures are on display, Rani meets Oliver Jensen. The tattoos, multiple piercings, and intensity of his gaze don’t scare her off, although she’s skeptical of him at first. His own passion for art and interest in hers, though, eases the tension between them. They strike up a friendship, and before Rani knows it she’s starting to like Oliver.

The feelings are definitely mutual. “Like” soon blossoms into “love,” and Rani’s heart and mind are with Oliver all day. Her best friend, Kate, encourages the relationship but cautions Rani not to fall too hard. Kate’s own love life has taught her to hold back, and she doesn’t hesitate to tell Rani to do the same. But Rani can’t get enough of Oliver and finds ways to sneak out of the house to be with him.

The sneaking part is the challenge. Despite the fact that Rani is 18 and by American standards an adult, by Indian standards—her parents’ standards—she’s not supposed to have any romantic attachments at all. Especially not with boys from outside their culture. Add “troubled home life” to the list, which Oliver has in spades, and Rani is managing to break almost all of her parents’ rules at the same time.

Yet the closer they get, the more Rani starts to feel like things are spinning out of control. Oliver’s mother is an alcoholic, and his sister is having trouble maintaining secure relationships of her own. Oliver turns to Rani more and more for emotional support, but what he demands from her becomes harder for her to handle and give. Soon it becomes clear that Rani will have to make a choice: Oliver or herself.

Author Anuradha D. Rajurkar captures the intensity of teenage relationships with perfection. Rani’s struggle to balance everything in her life, including her photography, with the need to be with Oliver rings true. So, too, does Rani’s willingness to compromise on her own values and morals. In the heat of the moment, she makes choices that favor Oliver but bother her the next day. The heedlessness with which teenagers go full throttle in anything is on perfect display here.

At times it may be hard for readers to buy into Oliver’s cluelessness about Rani’s cultural heritage. They both attend the same large high school known, as Rani points out several times, for its diversity and promotion of various backgrounds. Yet at times, it seems as if Oliver is discovering everything about the Indian culture afresh. In today’s world of social media and globalism, his all-encompassing naivete is hard to believe.

Rani, too, comes across as naïve in some moments. A brief encounter meant to show the existence of racism and Rani’s reaction both seem contrived, a narrative device to remind readers and characters alike that prejudices still exist in our current times. As sure as Rani is that breaking her parents’ rules is the right decision, in some scenes she comes off a little too doe-eyed to be believable.

The internal struggle she faces regarding those rules is all too real, however, and first-generation South Asian readers will completely relate. While a conversation at the end of the book with Kate comes off as a touch preachy, overall readers will enjoy this book. I rate American Betiya as Bordering on Bookmarking it.

Thank you to Random House Children's & Books Forward for the free ARC!

I really loved this YA book, it was beautiful. Early on it felt like it could be a little predictable but then it was so much more than I could have imagined. I hate to give anything away, it truly was a beautiful story about first loves, growing up, family and culture.