I applaud hat this one does outside of the love story, exploring the complications of learning the nuances of a second language and a second culture. The shared experience of the students in the ESL class was a solid element. I didn't care for the love story. A bit shallow.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me a free copy of this advanced copy of the book to read and review.

My students loved this one. I passed it along after reading it, and I knew they'd adore this love story. For some, it was a mirror and they felt seen, other simply enjoyed the sweet story.

As a 16-year-old who has just moved to the U.S. from Argentina, Ana is going through some culture shock. Add to this her struggles with the English language, and you get a realistic and moving immigration story. Ana chronicles her life as a student in her school's ESL program who is trying to be a "normal" teen. The misunderstandings she has with words are so spot on, and her desire to fit in and be a part of something rings true as well. With words, Ana manages to get herself into, and out of, various scrapes, and have readers rooting for her all the way!

While I didn't love Love in English by Maria E. Andreu, I know that my older middle school students and high school students will appreciate the teen love story that clearly has Andreu's own experiences weaved into it. I have a few copies in my teacher's classrooms.

One of the things I love most about my school is the amount of diversity and the acceptance and inclusion of all in the school; we do not care where you are from or what language you speak–you are welcome with open arms! While reading Love in English, I found myself being so upset with the students and some of the teachers in Ana’s school. Why was her ethnicity and language acquisition something that anyone would find funny or bully-worthy?! But then I remember that other places are not like my school…

I also found myself connecting with Mr. T the ELL teacher! When I first started working at my school, I was intimidated with teaching ELL students because I didn’t think I would be of any help with someone learning English when it was the only language I knew. But throughout my first few years there, I began to learn that teaching ELL students is one of my favorite honors of being a teacher. My 7th year teaching, I taught a class much like Mr. T’s class, and it is one of my favorite classes I’ve ever taught. Mr. T shows how an ELL class, done correctly, can truly become home at school.

Also, as a reading teacher & librarian at a school with a large Latinx population, primarily from South America, I found that it is so hard to find books that truly reflect my students’ experiences, but Love in English is a mirror for so many of them! It made me so happy while reading because I know that Ana’s experience is one that they will connect with.

Overall, this story looks at language acquisition in a way that I have not seen in another book and it does so during a wonderful story with some amazing poetry woven throughout. I also love that the language acquisition aspect is based on the author's experiences, I do wish that Ana’s backstory was reflective of Andreu's experiences as well to ensure authenticity of all parts of the story; however, I feel like Maria’s explanation of this choice shows it was thoughtful (though, like Ricki shares, my opinion is not as valuable as a Latinx, and specifically an Argentinian).

Love in English introduces Ana, a poet and lover of words who emigrates with her mother from Argentina to New Jersey to join her father. She struggles with his edict that they speak only English at home, as well as missing her friends and homeland. As she begins to settle in and make friends, including Gracie, a Spanish speaking lesbian "influencer," Harrison, a cute All-American boy she helps with math, and Neo, a Greek Cypriot in her ESL class, she becomes more optimistic about the future. She writes quirky poems about learning the ins and out of the English language, especially the multiple pronunciations and meanings for words, as well as idioms like "the elephant in the room," which add humor throughout the novel. The story explores Ana's experiences as a documented immigrant and effectively puts the reader in her shoes as she navigates the complexities of American culture and, of course, the love triangle between herself, Harrison and Neo. The author is basing Ana's experiences on her own as an immigrant teen, giving the narrative a feeling of authenticity and charm.

one of my favorite books of this year!! an adorable and heartfelt romance!! the relationships were well-developed, the romances were so cute, and the main character were enjoyable to read about!!! 5/5 stars !!!

This young adult novel was so good! I HIGHLY recommend you listen to the audiobook of this - it is so good. Ana moves to New Jersey from Argentina, and the book tells the story of how she struggles to find the right words to explain what it means to be “American.” Go listen to this! It really made me rethink a lot of things. My school is 30% ELL learners, and this book allowed me to step into Ana’s (and my student’s) experience of not knowing English. I’m still thinking about it. It’s just so good!

Thanks to @NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for my ARC!

I was granted eARC access to Love in English a little after publication day via NetGalley as a perk of being a HarperCollins Canada Influencer. Thank you to my contacts at HCC for this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Love in English is both a classic high school love triangle sort of story and also an exploration of the immigrant experience in modern-day America. Ana's family just moved here from Argentina and she quickly finds out that four years of English classes back home did NOT prepare her for classes in English here in the States. In math class, she meets a charming all-American boy named Harrison who needs her help with the subject and likes the way she rolls the Rs in his name. In ESL class she meets Neo, a shy Greek boy who dreams of being an architect and quickly develops an American movie viewing hobby with Ana in the school's library. Both catch feelings for her, but which will she choose? Meanwhile a more experienced fellow foreign student, Altagracia, befriends Ana and shows her the ways of teenage girls in America. Instagram, makeup, fashion, pop culture, everything!

I love the way Ana's language barrier is portrayed throughout the book. Anything she doesn't understand is wawawa like the adults in the Peanuts cartoons. I've never been in an immigrant situation, but I am multilingual and I completely feel that "I have no idea what the middle of that sentence" feeling from many, many language classes. I can't possibly ever grasp the difficulty of learning other subjects and making friends while not being fluent in the language, but this book provides a unique look into that sort of situation. My family hosted international students when I was a kid, and I imagine this is exactly what their experiences were like. I do remember many evenings trying to help them with their homework but not having the shared vocabulary to communicate effectively.

This book is very typically YA in that it deals with the love triangle, classic teenage miscommunication tropes, and minor teenage acts of rebellion. If you despise love triangles, maybe skip this one. There's enough family life and gal pal and general classtime scenes that it isn't the whole book, but it's there, and its inescapable. Team Neo, by the way! He's clearly the more genuine personality.

I wish we got more of Ana's friend and any other social interactions she had, and I wasn't convinced of what Ana saw in Harrison at any point, so the love triangle didn't hit as hard for me. It also might have been fun to have a scene here and there where other students were getting Ana to teach THEM words (in Spanish.) Again, I grew up with international students in my house. I know that happens! Especially when the topic of food comes up, those words must be pronounced correctly!

All in all this is a very cute teenage romance with a unique immigrant/language-learner perspective and I really enjoyed it. If you like YA romance, read this!

Heart-warming romance that effectively immerses the reader in the world of an ESL teen.. I really enjoyed this sweet book.

Cute YA story about Anna, a new immigrant to the U.S. who speaks little English and her attempt to fit into her American school. Through group work, she meets Harrison and they attempt to get to know one another while trying to understand each other. #NetGalley #LoveinEnglish

LOVE IN ENGLISH by Maria E. Andreu is a young adult novel which I am very happy to recommend for a number of reasons: plot, character development, and extremely clever use of language. The story centers around high school student Ana, a recent immigrant to the States who is trying to fit in. An English Language Learner, Ana is torn between her attraction to popular musician and fellow math student Harrison and to Neo, another recent immigrant who becomes a true friend. Ana speaks Spanish; Neo comes from Greece so they use halting English and translating apps to understand each other, eventually bonding over American films like The Breakfast Club. Andreu effectively conveys the confusion and frustration which Ana and her peers face by inserting #### amidst the dialogue when a teacher or other student speaks. The characters are appealing, especially Ana who is a skilled poet:

... Everything is a riddle.
Content: the stuff that fills my ESL notebook. The things I write.
Content: how I want to feel here.
Close: what my father wants me to do. Close the door on everything that came before. Close: how I want to feel. To someone.
I want a piece of peace A week without feeling weak A scene I’ve seen before.
I want to be whole, complete, unabridged, intact.

LOVE IN ENGLISH received a well-deserved starred review from School Library Journal. It's an amazingly empathetic (Andreu herself is an immigrant) glimpse at fitting into a new culture: "putting down a life to pick up another one is hard, a swirl of regret and excitement and what-could-have-beens and what-will-bes" while also reminding readers that "the stories we tell ourselves make us who we are."

I listed this title in LA County Library's February Staff Picks list: https://lacountylibrary.org/booklist-details/757/

Adorable tale of kids in ESL class together learning to communicate among multiple languages. Humorous parts with the oddities of the English language, and romance sprinkled in.

I thought this was a super cute read! I loved the Spanish throughout the book. I loved how well she wrote about learning a language in another country and how difficult it can be to understand. I only wish the story had gone a little deeper. I think there was so much potential here for depth, but it fell flat. A very easy read for someone wanting to read something that isn't too heavy, but still has some depth.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a contemporary YA novel about English as a second language for immigrants. This was an excellent novel showcasing the challenges and bravery of immigrants in the US. I loved the story between Neo and Ana!! I would encourage youth to read this book for a different perspective on life in the US. Well done!

I was drawn in from the beginning of this book. I loved looking through Ana's eyes and seeing what a struggle it was for her to learn English and figure out where she fit in. This was a moving portrayal of discovering life, language, and culture in a new country. I loved the thought-provoking poems, as well as the innovative way of portraying the conversations in English that Ana, doesn't fully grasp.
This reminded me in some ways of a few other immigration stories I have read, but showed that they come in many shapes. This one is a very heartwarming tale that explores the quirks of the English language, and how challenging it can be to learn. And we see Ana adjust to the many challenges of living between two cultures, alongside the daily teen drama of first love and friendship.

A lovely book!

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

The novel follows sixteen-year-old Ana who has just moved from Argentina for her junior year in high school. She's a bright girl, but the language barrier proves to be difficult for her. She meets Americans at school, as well as other foreign students like herself in her ESL class, and begins to find her way. The author includes "#" symbols to indicate when English is spoken and Ana doesn't understand what's being said. This is brilliant, and gives the reader a real feel for what it's like to not know what's going on, and understand Ana on a different level.

After being separated from her father for several years, Ana returns to the United States. Faced with a new home, a new school, and a new friendships, Ana must navigate it all, while sometimes not being able to find the words to express herself. But, will she have to give up pieces of herself in order to fit into this new life?

This book was so flipping sweet! I swear, I was bursting with joy by the end of it.

Though her worries were similar to those of many teens - grades, parents, crushes, Ana also had a language barrier to deal with. I really appreciated the way Andreu told this story of Ana's love/hate relationship with words. She did a great job capturing the frustration of not always understanding what people were saying, as well as not always having the words to be able to express your thoughts properly.

Ana's musings about the mystifying nature of the English language amused me too. Homophones, letters with multiple sounds, and idioms vex me, and I'm a native speaker. I could only imagine it being even more baffling for a non-native speaker. The poetry exploring these linguistic oddities were highlights for me, and I loved seeing Ana's poetry evolve as her command of the language improved as well. The poems were also where Ana really expressed herself, and it was beautiful seeing her find her voice.

I enjoyed watching Ana crush on boys and make new friends, but what I saw as the strength of this novel, was allowing us to gain a bit of perspective on the challenges new comers to our country face. There were times Andreu replaced whole words with symbols in dialogs, and it was such an effective way to help one understand what it was like for Ana. These gaps, where words should be, and the expectation that you could fully understand without all the words.

Overall, I found this to be a very delightful and touching story of fitting in and finding your voice. It was filled with humor and warmth, and the ending had me shedding a multitude of happy tears. A very feel-good story.