Name: Something in Between
ISBN: 9780373212385

Melissa de la Cruz

It feels like there's no ground beneath me, like everything I've ever done has been a lie. Like I'm breaking apart, shattering. Who am I? Where do I belong? Jasmine de los Santos has always done what's expected of her. Pretty and popular, she's studied hard, made her Filipino immigrant parents proud and is ready to reap the rewards in the form of a full college scholarship. And then everything shatters. A national scholar award invitation compels her parents to reveal the truth: their visas expired years ago. Her entire family is illegal. That means no scholarships, maybe no college at all and the very real threat of deportation. For the first time, Jasmine rebels, trying all those teen things she never had time for in the past. Even as she's trying to make sense of her new world, it's turned upside down by Royce Blakely, the charming son of a high-ranking congressman. Jasmine no longer has any idea where--or if--she fits into the American Dream. All she knows is that she's not giving up. Because when the rules you lived by no longer apply, the only thing to do is make up your own.

Something in Between

Melissa Palmer

Book #91 Read in 2016
Something in Between by Melissa De La Cruz

Jasmine is a top scholar, cheerleading captain, hospital volunteer and all around success story. She wins a national college scholarship and is extremely happy. Her parents--not so much....as they must tell Jasmine that she cannot accept the scholarship as their Visas had expired and they are undocumented immigrants and not US citizen. Add to this storyline a romance with a rich senator's son and you have an interesting read. This book is very timely given all the current news and is more than just a teenage romance. I recommend it for high school girls. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.

Palak

Good book! The only complaints I would have is that the writing felt a little immature at times and the romance was somewhat unrealistic. But I love the concept and the themes. :) 3.5/5

Becky

3.5 stars

This was a very enjoyable YA read about a very important issue which affects a lot of countries. Immigration is something which affects people's lives and something politicians like to bring out to give them a talking point on their campaigns and garner them votes and it's nice to read a book which approaches the subject intelligently and passionately and you can see that passion in every word as this is something Melissa de la Cruz cares about.

Despite the very enjoyable read on something that affects so many Americans (and yes I say Americans and not illegal immigrants) I do feel there is one thing which let this book down and that was the level of drama in it. I cared far more about Jas's family struggles trying to get legal status than I did about her friend drama with Kayla but most importantly her romance. I hated hat her romantic troubles seemed to take over in the book and sometimes overshadow the actual important and relevant issue in her life. That's not to say I didn't like the romance because I did, I just wish it played a smaller role in the story.

In the end this was a very enjoyable read and I would recommend it to others but be aware of the romance if you're not feeling romantically inclined when reading.

Shannon Leigh Williams

This book has a combination of pros and cons that made it land simply in the middle of my rating scale. While the topics discussed, such as immigration and its relation to both family and politics, are important and valuable, I really did not enjoy the way this story was told. Jasmine is a selfish, stubborn, and immature main character, and I constantly found myself annoyed with her. Furthermore, the romance in this book felt superficial and was SO. Damn. Predictable. The writing style was unfortunately not a redeeming quality for this book, either. The narration and dialogue were cheesy and fragmented, as if the book had been written in a rush. I enjoyed gaining some insight as to what it could be like to be an undocumented immigrant, and this part of the story held a lot of value to me, but other aspects of the novel detracted from that for me.

skim haunts

Noelia Abreu

anna

madeline payer

rach

From the No.1 New York Times bestselling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for readers of all ages comes a thought-provoking and timely novel about immigration, family, friendship, and finding out where you belong. Jasmine de los Santos has always done what's expected of her. Pretty and popular, she's studied hard, made her Filipino immigrant parents proud, and is ready to reap the rewards in the form of a full college scholarship. And then everything shatters. A national scholar award invitation compels her parents to reveal the truth: their visas expired years ago. Her entire family is illegal. That means no scholarships, maybe no college at all, and the very real threat of deportation. But Jasmine won't give up. Because when the rules you lived by no longer apply, the only thing to do is make up your own.