***3.5 stars*** I'm so glad to have had a chance to read and review this ARC. It's an authentic and raw story with some playfulness and a touch of snark. A bonus for me personally was the setting in Rome; it's hard me for me to resist any story set in Italy!
The story opens in an airport interrogation room, and eighteen-year-old Iranian-American Amir is explaining two very important things to the customs officer: 1) Amir is NOT a terrorist and 2) Amir is gay. The rest of the story leading up to this point in the interrogation room unfolds as Amir tells his story of bullies at school, his fear of coming out to his conservative parents, and ultimately his decision to run away to Rome. He talks of the friends he made there, the acceptance he felt, but underneath it all this conflict with his family and his culture.
The book deftly addresses so many important topics: the fear that LGBTQ teenagers feel about coming out to their conservative families, the bullying that they endure at school, the confusion and awkwardness of first relationships, and the racism and prejudice against Muslims and people of Middle-Eastern backgrounds. All of theses topics are woven together effortlessly in Amir's story. Through it all, I loved seeing Amir's character development, how his confidence grew once he found friends and acceptance in Rome.
What I didn't like: I felt that the book overall was still a little rough around the edges and needed more editing. The story sometimes lacked continuity and attention to detail, and occasionally a sentence just didn't make sense. I also wasn't a fan of the 2nd person point of view used during the Interrogation Room chapters; it made those parts of the story (which made up about half the book) clunky and awkward.
Despite the book's flaws, I thought this was a great story. I loved Amir's character, as well as those of his family. I absolutely adored the setting in Rome and enjoyed the story of Amir finding himself there. I hope this story speaks to LGBTQ teenagers out there who need to see themselves in stories; it's so important that these books get written!
The story opens in an airport interrogation room, and eighteen-year-old Iranian-American Amir is explaining two very important things to the customs officer: 1) Amir is NOT a terrorist and 2) Amir is gay. The rest of the story leading up to this point in the interrogation room unfolds as Amir tells his story of bullies at school, his fear of coming out to his conservative parents, and ultimately his decision to run away to Rome. He talks of the friends he made there, the acceptance he felt, but underneath it all this conflict with his family and his culture.
The book deftly addresses so many important topics: the fear that LGBTQ teenagers feel about coming out to their conservative families, the bullying that they endure at school, the confusion and awkwardness of first relationships, and the racism and prejudice against Muslims and people of Middle-Eastern backgrounds. All of theses topics are woven together effortlessly in Amir's story. Through it all, I loved seeing Amir's character development, how his confidence grew once he found friends and acceptance in Rome.
What I didn't like: I felt that the book overall was still a little rough around the edges and needed more editing. The story sometimes lacked continuity and attention to detail, and occasionally a sentence just didn't make sense. I also wasn't a fan of the 2nd person point of view used during the Interrogation Room chapters; it made those parts of the story (which made up about half the book) clunky and awkward.
Despite the book's flaws, I thought this was a great story. I loved Amir's character, as well as those of his family. I absolutely adored the setting in Rome and enjoyed the story of Amir finding himself there. I hope this story speaks to LGBTQ teenagers out there who need to see themselves in stories; it's so important that these books get written!