LOVE IN ENGLISH

LOVE IN ENGLISH by Maria E. Andreu

Love in English is a super engaging YA read that is very easy to get caught up in, but unfortunately it comes with a lot of baggage.

We have had the privilege of knowing several exchange students in our local school district. With that being said, it is easy to fully appreciate this story about a teen from another country desperately trying to get a handle on the English language and culture while trying to live through teenage drama, especially when it comes to matters of the heart.

Ana is from Argentina. Her father moved the family to the US hoping that they could all experience the American dream. The truth is, the family just wants to go home. He expects them to leave their language and culture behind, and fully immerse themselves in their new home. To completely remove that part from their lives is to deny a huge part of who the family is, and they suffer as a result.

As a poet, Ana desperately tries to make sense of words and grammatical structures in English sentences, especially in school. She catches bits and pieces and tries to glue them together in her mind. It takes a lot of effort to make it make sense, and at times she longs to slip back into her comfortable Spanish language.

Then there's love. That's just as confusing as the English she's trying to master. Falling for Harrison, who's American, and also for Neo, who's Greek and understands the daily struggles Ana faces, the question is which one really speaks the language of her heart? She'll have to figure that out quickly before she loses them both.

HEADS UP- There is quite a bit of language in this one including some f bombs. Ana's best friend is a lesbian, so there's periodic updates as to how her relationship is going as she pursues and dates another girl. Ana lies to her parents about where she is at one point.