Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan Realistic

Synopsis

A 2015 ALA Top 10 Rainbow List Title

A 2015 YALSA Quick Option for Reluctant Readers

"Both personal and universal, this is a compelling story about high school, family unit and owning up to who you lot really are. Farizan is just the vocalization YA needs right now. Trust me, you'll be glad you listened." --Sarah Dessen

Leila has fabricated it most of the way through Armstead University without having a trounce on anyone, which is something of a relief. As an Iranian American, she'due south different enough; if word got out that she liked girls, life would be twice equally hard. Simply when beautiful new girl Saskia shows up, Leila starts to take risks she never thought she would, specially when it looks every bit if the allure between them is mutual.

Struggling to sort out her growing feelings and Saskia's confusing signals, Leila confides in her one-time friend, Lisa, and grows closer to her fellow drama tech-crew members, peculiarly Tomas, whose comments most his own sexuality are frank, funny, wise, and sometimes painful. Gradually, Leila begins to encounter that almost all her classmates are more complicated than they outset announced to exist, and many are keeping fascinating secrets of their own.

My Review

This is 1 of those books that I wish I had read while I was in loftier school.  While I read a lot during those years, I didn't read much YA, and books featuring one thousand/k or f/f relationships were far and few in betwixt (okay, I'm not that old, only that was like eight years ago already, and YA has come a long manner since then!).

Tell Me Once more How a Vanquish Should Feel is a breath of fresh air for YA readers questioning their sexuality and their identity as a whole person.  While light-hearted and, in parts, hilarious and entertaining, this book is deep and inspiring…exactly the type of volume that can brand a difference in someone's life.

Leila is a fun main character.  The manner Sara Farizan has written her makes her seem real; she is downwardly to earth, witty, and awkward.  As an Iranian American, she knows she has her differences already, but when a new girl, Saskia, moves to town and starts at her schoolhouse, she realizes that she has a huge shell on her.  She finds her alluring, gorgeous, and brilliant.  While she isn't fix to come out of the closet (she doesn't believe her family would corroborate of her liking girls), she falls more than and more for Saskia.

Saskia can tell that Leila has a shell on her, and uses it to her reward – holding Leila's manus, sneaking kisses in the dressing room…just does she really render the feelings?  Later all, Saskia is cute, popular, and fun…while Leila hangs around with a different oversupply and spends her time working on the school play with some of her classmates who are no where near being in that aforementioned crowd.  So when she starts to experience similar the attraction between them is mutual, Leila doesn't know that she'south in for an emotional rollercoaster ride, and maybe not e'er a expert ane.

My favorite part about Leila is that she isn't agape to be herself.  She states in the volume that she isn't skinny, but that she'southward happy with how she looks.  This blazon of portrayal of positive body image in YA is exactly what we need to be seeing.  If more people read books where the main character is happy with who they are, despite their flaws (heck, even while embracing their flaws), it could do wonders for self-esteem.  So a big thanks to Sara Farizan for promoting this type of message.  I accept so much respect for this!

Plus, not but is Leila confident about herself (appearance-wise), she's adorable.  The things she says and does in this book are so awkward (and come on, permit'southward face it, easy to relate to), and some of it tends to exist pretty amusing at times.

"'Expect at how pretty yous are!' Mom exclaims.  'Y'all should straighten your hair all the time!'
Well, I guess that's one thing I can straighten almost myself."

While coming out is a big issue for Leila throughout the book, it is an important role of the novel and one that makes it feel even more real. She is concerned nearly what her family will recall, since they are Persian and it isn't actually acceptable for her to like girls.  She fifty-fifty points out that friends of her parents kicked their son out for coming out, and she is afraid they might react the same manner. And then she struggles throughout the whole novel to figure out who she is, and what she wants, and she does and so alone for the bulk of information technology.  But as she begins making friends with her classmates who are working on the school play (the girls who handle the technical parts, and Thomas, who is gay and already out), she begins to realize that maybe she really does have friends who won't estimate her, and maybe coming out wouldn't exist the worst

This is the type of book is the type of book we need to see more of.  It has the perfect balance of humor, romance, and a twist at the terminate that wraps the book upwards and then nicely.  As soon as I put this one down, I wanted to read it over again, and I know it's going to be one that I recommend often (and it'due south definitely going on my favorites shelf!).  While I haven't read Sara Farizan'south first book, yous tin can bet that I'm going to pick it up as soon as I get the chance!

Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Source: http://www.herestohappyendings.com/review-tell-me-again-how-a-crush-should-feel-by-sara-farizan/

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