Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

I really struggled to engage with this book. It felt like the characters were more archetypes than realistic people. They're too extreme. And events follow the same patterns. Things escalate too quickly.

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

Thank you to NetGalley for a free eARC copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

This book is very good! Ri is going through so much, and while she makes plenty of mistakes, she learns from them and develops as a character. I also love Ri's Abuela so much-- she, too makes mistakes but out of love and is also open to learning.

This was good book that we optioned for our common read curriculum. It wasn't ultimately the one we went with, but this was an excellent coming of age story with excellent characters

An emotional, authentic coming of age story of Ri , a biracial teenager, wanting to explore her Latinx heritage. Her mother has shielded her from that part of her life and family and it is a struggle for Ri to fit the desire she has for more. Struggling with understanding her racial identity on top of everything else a teen goes through made for a good book for older teens to read.

Fans of Elizabeth Acevedo will love Everything Within and In Between. This YA novel about a biracial girl looking for the truth about her mother will tug at your heartstrings. Ri is grappling with how to fit in as a Mexican American teen while being raised to push away her heritage. The author perfectly captures the feeling of desperately trying to find your place and your voice. Barthlemess packs so much into this book - discussions about white privilege, complicated families, and finding forgiveness and peace where you thought you never would.

This was a beautiful coming of age story. Perfect for young adult readers needing positive affirmations for their futures.

The book cover gives nothing away and that is what I like about it. The identity of the MC cannot be determined or guessed just by looking. Actually, this fits the main premise if the book, passing. I never thought what it would be like to assimilate from the perspective of the LatinX community. I didn't realize skin color was an issue like it is in the African-American community. Then I stop and think about who I see in the media and realize the narrative fits!
At times, I'm reminded of the novel The Black Kids. In the sense that the MC has a white best friend who frequently makes racially insensitive comments.

This book was so funny. the characters were so well written. Everyone should read this. I would totally recommend!

Ri Ferendandez just wants to fit in with her family's culture. Her obstacle? Her grandmother that raised her to only speak English as they are living in America.
.
Ri has believed for the longest time that her mother didn't want her. Yet, one day Ri discovere a letter in Spanish that her mother sent her grandmother. Off Ri goes to connect with her mother and make new bonds. Learn about her culture and practice family traditions.
.
Yet, not everything is as it seems for Ri. Her mom is nothing like what she imagined and her heritage is a big question mark. Ri, the headstrong female, is set to discover who she truly is.
.
Everything Within and In Between is a beautifully written YA novel by Nikki Barthelmess. Readers will immediately be sucked in and cheer for Ri to discover who she really is... and they might discover who they are in the meantime.

I'm so torn about this title. I thought the writing was good and the story was engaging from start to finish however I did find the plot to be very predictable on all points. I also struggled with the protagonist. I grew very frustrated with her at a lot of points in the story. I understood her behavior to a degree but I felt that she was unnecessarily cruel in the way she expressed her emotions to the people she claimed to love. She felt wronged by a lot of people in her life at various points in the story and it was just really harsh the way she acted even given the circumstances.

Everything Within and In Between is about a second generation Mexican-American girl who is struggling to find more about her roots because her grandmother, whom she lives with, wants them to be more “American”. This is a contemporary novel and I had high hopes because I have a hard time finding Latinx books with good representation, but this book met them.

It follows María, or Ri, who’s in high school and wants to take Spanish class because her family never taught her and wanted to feel closer to her roots, and her grandma wasn’t happy about it. At the same time, she’s trying to reach her mother, who left when she was a child.

Ri was a lovable character in my opinion, and the whole cast of characters were well thought out and written and I really enjoyed the Latinx representation. It has found family, which is a trope I love in books, and the friendships Ri formed in Spanish with people of her culture I found really special. My favorite character relationship was between Ri and Nina, who were childhood friends and reconnected because of that class. It was really interesting to see how much they actually needed each other the whole time and became friends in the end again.

I think this was a great read for Latinx Heritage Month. I recommend it. I think people who enjoy heart felt contemporaries and books about connecting with your heritage will probably like it.

Let me start by saying that this was an emotional coming-of-age story.

The author has done an excellent job of balancing a personal coming-of-age narrative full of shifting friendships and loves with a larger picture of history and community.

A contemplative, insightful look at the lives of a multiracial kid striving to regain her heritage and establish her identity in the face of conflicting messages regarding race, skin color, education, family, language, friendships, and addiction.

I love how smart and diverse YA books are becoming. They cater to so May different types of backgrounds ect these day so there is something for everyone to try to connect with.
Premise
For Ri Fernández’s entire life, she’s been told, “We live in America and we speak English.” Raised by her strict Mexican grandma, Ri has never been allowed to learn Spanish.

What’s more, her grandma has pulled Ri away from the community where they once belonged. In its place, Ri has grown up trying to fit in among her best friend’s world of mansions and country clubs in an attempt try to live out her grandmother’s version of the “American Dream.”

In her heart, Ri has always believed that her mother, who disappeared when Ri was young, would accept her exactly how she is and not try to turn her into someone she’s never wanted to be. So when Ri finds a long-hidden letter from her mom begging for a visit, she decides to reclaim what Grandma kept from her: her heritage and her mom.
This was a very interesting read that I think many teens can relate to in today society. It was interesting to follow Ris journey on her path to her true self and to embrace the side of herself she had been kept from exploring so long. You can relate to the two viewpoints of her grandmother wanting the best for her and trying to protect her, but also the curiosity and desire to know more about where she came from as well.

Overall I thought this was a great book! I was surprised by the twists in the plot, and happy with the ending.

I had mixed feelings with this one. I didn't love that Ri's Grandmother has hidden away the fact that her mother is reaching out to her. I also didn't love that she didn't like Ri experiencing and learning about her family heritage. I get that she wants better for Ri and wants her to have a chance to live the American Dream and have a better life but she shouldn't be kept away from her heritage.
This is an emotional coming-of-age story as we watch Ri struggle with connecting more with her heritage, her mom and her grandma.
This book is definitely more appropriate for older teens as there is drinking and drug use that furthers the development of the characters.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

This is a beautiful and heartbreaking story of a child coming to terms with her identity, her culture, and her family. Maria, who just goes by Ri, has been living with her grandparents since she was a child, without any contact from her mother. Readers quickly learn that Ri discovered a letter written by her mother and hidden away for over two years. The catch: the letter is written in Spanish, and even though Ri's grandmother was born in Mexico, only English is spoken in their house.

Throughout the story readers watch Ri explore the ways her Mexican culture has been whitewashed, and the efforts she makes to not only recognize the subtle and blatant forms of racism that exist in her life, but her fight to learn more about her family's culture, identity, and traditions.

This story is beautiful and challenging as Ri confronts friends and family members with hard truths. The ending is beautiful, though bittersweet - much like life itself. There are no perfect resolutions, but always opportunities to move forward with deeper understanding.

I think that this was an interesting coming of age story; I didn't find myself connecting with any of the characters and the pacing felt a little slow in times. Otherwise, this was an interesting read.

Ri’s coming-of-age story is emotional as you watch her struggle with connecting more with her heritage, her mom and her grandma. Each character in the story goes on a journey where they grow and learn more about what it means to be part of the American dream. This book is a journey of friendship, love for ourselves and others, and discovering who we are.
I enjoyed Ri's story and felt for all of the struggles she goes through as she grows. This book is definitely more appropriate for older teens as there is drinking and drug use that furthers the development of the characters. While this book includes a lot of talk about racism, it is well done because everyone can connect to the story. A reader of color will connect with Ri and her experience while the white reader will develop more compassion for those around them who have these experiences while also creating introspection on how they interact with the people of color around them. But ultimately this book is just about finding out who we are and understanding those we are close to.