Get Hold Of Something In Between Drafted By Melissa De La Cruz Shared As Booklet
Im a cheerleader, I like peanut butter and pizza, Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus, I grew up on Gossip Girl and Sex and the City reruns, I believe in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, Freedom of speech. Every Olympics, my family gathers around the TV and we join the chant: “USA! USA! USA!” I love my country, I love America. Being American is as much a part of me as breathing, Except it turns out Im not American where it counts, On paper.
while pertinent issues about immigration and xenophobia are brought up and this is clearly a very personal story to the author, this story still fell very short for me.
melissa de la cruz relies too much on "telling" instead of "showing", even going so far as to state the obvious, which makes the book unbearably bland and longwinded.
neither the plot nor the characters interested me, and most of the time i felt like i was just reading this so i could finish it and add it to my reading challenge.
as for the love story:instalove, while i'm not as against this trope as other reviewers, i couldn't really tolerate this particular scenario, jasmine was a little too annoying for my liking she spent so much time agonising about her life instead of actually doing something tangible to change it, and when she wasn't agonising about her life all she did was think about royce, which got boring very quickly.
and royce he never really felt fleshed out as a love interest, so it felt like their relationship was just existing for the sake of it, and in the end, their relationship was also full of miscommunications, they broke up and got back together at leasttimes i think and it honestly felt tiring to slog through a few hundred pages of this after a while.
BUT PLEASE NOTE: this is NOT an ownvoices review, i have not commented on the aspect of the book that involves jasmine being a firstgeneration filipino in america who is the child of undocumented immigrants, because i don't think i have the authority to.
i have seen that other reviewers in similar situations really like this book because they see thenselves represented in it, as such, take my words with a pinch of salt,
Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists, FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELTi'm absolutely in love with this, to finally read a book where i can actually say this character is me, her family is like mine, . . well the feeling is indescribable, i'm so happy with this book, it's uplifting and heartbreaking. this is SUCH an important story, while i was so fortunate enough to be born here in the United States, my parents are immigrants from the Phillipines and this book reminded of their hard work and sacrifice to make sure i was successful, to make sure that i didn't take any of my opportunities for granted.
the main character jasmine had so much growth and i can relate to her inways, of course i'm not in high school anymore but the values and the work ethic that were instilled in Jasmine by her parents and the Filipino culture are something that I see in myself and my family.
This book made my heart so happy, the romance was adorable and albeit a bit cheesy but hey it's okay, What i loved the most about Jasmine and Royce's relationship is how much they taught each other about who they
are and how their families shaped them as individuals and how it affected their relationship.
god i just loved this and i could go on, but you should really just read this yourself, Something In Between is such an important read, Melissa de la Cruz brings to light the struggles of undocumented families and informs her readers on the subject likewise, she still tells a great love story, I can't recommend this enough!
Our main character, Jasmine, has worked hard her whole life, She hopes to get into a top college, However, her parents tell her that their family is undocumented, and all her hopes seem to shatter, How can she get a scholarship to go Stanford if she isn't documented There's also the threat of her family being forced out of the US, Jasmine still fights for her dreams though, and the book follows her journey,
Meanwhile, there is also a cute romance unfolding between Jasmine and a senator's son, The senator, however, takes a big stance against undocumented families, That, and other things, make the relationship a tough one, Along with the main ship, I also enjoyed seeing Jasmine interact with her friends and family,
I strongly recommend reading the author's bit at the end of Something In Between, She describes what inspired her to write the novel, and tells how her history corresponds with Jasmine's in some ways,
Overall, I am very glad I read Something In Between, Melissa de la Cruz has opened my eyes to the fears and struggles of undocumented families, . . who just want to feel safe in their home, the USA,
/Stars
I received a free arc from the publisher in exchange for an honest review I received this on a read to review basis from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to the author, Melissa de la Cruz, and the publisher, Harlequin Teen, for this opportunity,
This is the story of teenage Jasmine de los Santos: Cheer captain, A student, hospital volunteer, national college scholar winner, of Filipino origin and, oh yeah, an undocumented citizen of the USA.
The story could well have been a solely dark and harrowing one, but the author chose to address the issue of Jasmine and her family's 'alien' status through first introducing the reader to them as individuals.
I loved this approach as it meant that I created a bond with these characters before pitying their predicament and empathizing with their emotional quandary, They are more than their green card, and de la Cruz introduces them as such,
I felt that the initial emotional impact that this story generated was lost about the midday point, Jasmine meets a boy, who happens to be the son of a political figure who is distinctly against the stay of illegal immigrants in the country, That, and her strict Filipino parents, make their relationship a troubled one, My issue with this arose when the main plot started to take a back seat to their romantic encounters and her angsty innermonologues concerning her feelings, The two plot points did merge to make a whole, cohesive story but I still would have preferred this without any romance in it at all as it often felt surplus to the important story that was being narrated.
Jasmine was such an interesting character, her story a touching one and her feelings on it were honest and real this did not need romance or boy drama to boost appeal or popularity!
I adored the mix of ethnicity that this book offered, in both main and side characters and Jasmine's love for both her heritage and the USA were wonderful to read about.
The story also written with a beautiful, melodic and soulful tone to the writing that was so soothing to read, I just wish that this story would have remained true to its initial synopsis, There is already an overabundance of romance stories in the YA genre and this did not need to become another one of them, .