Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel
Ratings27
Average rating3.4
I'm conflicted by this book. I gave it a 3, but it's probably a 2.5. Due to the subject matter — a coming out story of a lesbian as well as the intersectionality of her ethnicity — I wanted to love it. However, this didn't read like a YA book, it read like it should've been for middle school or younger. The plot was simplistic, the action rushed, the characterization was 2-dimensional. I read this book in 2 hours. I read fast, but it's also really telling of how little substance this book had. As a positive, I will say that as much as I usually hate first person writing, I didn't mind Leila as a narrator. There is somewhat of a tiny plot twist that if this book had been written even an iota better, could have really been something.
This was both funny and cute and almost had me crying at some points. This book had a lot of heart, I loved the main characters and I loved her family and friends and learning a bit about Persian culture.
Fun, uncomplicated YA, and there's nothing wrong with that. I enjoyed the glimpses into Persian culture in the US and the main character's voice was a lot of fun and easy to spend time with. This read a little bit like a middle-grade book, or the younger end of YA, with a bit too much Valuable Lessons Learned, but overall I enjoyed this.
(Read Harder 2017: #15 Read a YA or middle grade novel by an author who identifies as LGBTQ+.)
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Entertaining and heartfelt YA novel about the challenges of an Iranian-American teenager coming out as a lesbian to her friends and family, as well as taking some independent steps away from the career path her parents expect her to follow. Throw in an object of affection who should have come with huge warning signs, and you have lots of drama, a fair amount of humor, and happy endings for pretty much every character.
I overall enjoyed this book. The pacing was good, and I identified strongly with the narrator while reading. The only thing I didn't like is that this book unfortunately has the trope of girl-with-borderline-traits-hurts-everyone-and-is-therefore-an-irredeemably-bad-person. While said character exhibits a lot of controlling and abusive behavior, I feel like her character was very flat, and the book could have benefitted from showing more of the character's vulnerability.
The ending of this book is incredibly sweet and I was smiling giddily when I finished.