Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel

Starred review from August 18, 2014
With self-deprecating wit (“Now I have all the proof I need that my entire life is a sitcom designed by God for His personal enjoyment”) and a keen eye for interpersonal dynamics, Iranian-American narrator Leila Azadi details the dramas taking place in the intersecting circles of her elite New England private school and high-achieving Persian community. When a family friend comes out, his parents’ obnoxious bragging turns to silence (“it’s like Kayvon never existed”), causing Leila to fear being disowned for her “lady-loving inclinations.” An unanticipated crush on stunning, enigmatic new student Saskia compels Leila to explore unfamiliar terrain emotionally and socially. For better and worse, Leila learns that people are not always what they seem: the theater tech girls “who are for sure gay” are straight, and Saskia, Leila’s family, and her childhood best friend Lisa are full of surprises. Farizan exceeds the high expectations she set with her debut, If You Could Be Mine, in this fresh, humorous, and poignant exploration of friendship and love, a welcome addition to the coming-out/coming-of-age genre. Ages 14–up. Agent: Leigh Feldman, Writers House.

September 1, 2014
In a warm and uplifting coming-out story, Leila, whose family is Persian, develops feelings for Saskia, a flirtatious and careless new classmate. Leila realized she liked girls at summer camp, but she's not ready to share her discovery with other students at her elite private high school or with her conservative parents. But with wild new-girl Saskia possibly flirting with her, her zombie-movie-loving buddy Greg trying to date her, and Leila's former friend Lisa paying attention to her after spending years with the popular crowd, Leila's secret becomes harder to keep. There are numerous subplots, including an Iranian family friend's wedding, a school production of Twelfth Night and multiple love triangles, but every loose end is tied up, and the story never feels crowded. Leila's journey with Saskia as well as with her family is related with emotional nuance and care. An appealing cast of well-drawn characters-Christina, a vampire-obsessed theater tech-crew member, Tomas, the gay director and taskmaster of the middle school play she helps with, and Tess, a refreshingly confident nerdy girl-makes the story shine. Lessons abound, from the truth that her seemingly perfect older sister is actually human to "everybody farts," but skillful character development keeps Leila's discoveries from ever feeling didactic. Funny, heartwarming and wise. (Fiction. 12-18)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Leila, an Iranian American teen, attends a private high school, where her parents have high expectations for her future. She has made it to her junior year without romance complicating her life, and that's just fine with her. Leila would just as soon not have everyone find out that she likes girls. But when beautiful, confident, worldly Saskia breezes into the narrator's life, everything turns upside down. Saskia easily lures the innocent Leila, and confuses her with mixed signals. With a plot that unfolds naturally, good writing, and vivid character development that leaves readers alternately cringing and aching for the protagonist, teens will find a satisfying coming-of-age novel. Fragments of Persian culture are incorporated smoothly within the narrative. Books featuring gay and lesbian teens of Middle Eastern descent are rare, and this engaging high school drama fills that need. Leila's coming out to her friends and family, and her fear of disappointing her parents will resonate with all young adults.-Nancy Silverrod, San Francisco Public Library

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 15, 2014
Grades 8-11 *Starred Review* Leila knows she likes girls, but she is not sure whether she wants anyone to know, particularly her conservative Iranian American family. She is happy to keep it a secret, but when dangerously charming Saskia takes a sudden interest in her, Leila starts to let loose in ways that are sometimes freeing and sometimes uncomfortable, especially when it becomes clear that she is in danger of being outed before she is ready. While Leila struggles to pin down who she is and what she really wants, her estranged friend Lisa begins to rekindle their friendship, and it grows into something warm, delightful, and truly surprising. Though her sexuality is a driving factor, Leila's coming-of-age crisis encompasses so much more: she worries about disappointing her parents by choosing the wrong career, being shunned from the Persian community, whether she will fit in with her peers, and, classically, what she wants her future to hold. Farizan handles each worry with an expert, light hand, tempering Leila's anxieties with the loving support of her friends and family, and a playful, tongue-in-cheek tone. Deftly balancing Leila's unique cultural background and experience with more universal coming-of-age struggles, Farizan fashions an empowering romance featuring a lovable, awkward protagonist who just needs a little nudge of confidence to totally claim her multifaceted identity.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

December 22, 2014
Leila is a high school junior who enjoys video games and hanging out with her friends. She is not enamored of schoolwork or keeping up with her older sister’s accomplishments. Leila’s family is Persian, conservative, and strict, and her parents expect big things from their daughters. While her older sister is pre-med at Harvard, Leila is just getting by at her private high school. She’s flying below the radar for safety’s sake: Leila is just figuring out that she likes girls. She knows this will make her stand out even more at her mostly WASP-y school, and she cannot begin to imagine how her parents will react. But when Saskia, a gorgeous new student shows some interest in Leila, the latter grapples with her fears and feelings. Farsad’s Persian accents are impeccable. She trills as Leila’s mother and lowers her voice believably for her father. She gives Leila a delightful crinkly voice, perfect for the wry humor and self-deprecation of the character. Leila’s older sister and her frenemies get nuanced cattiness, and she voices young men with a slightly nasal tone. But the audio production distracts from the story, as all the talent and skill Farsad shows in voicing characters gets lost when listeners are pulled out of the audio experience by loud breathing and mouth noises. Ages 14–up. An Algonquin Young Readers hardcover.

January 1, 2015
Sixteen-year-old Iranian American Leila finds herself in a secret relationship with new girl Saskia--who reveals herself to be a master manipulator. Leila turns to an old friend, Lisa; when their friendship turns romantic, Saskia threatens them as well as their friends, who rally in support of the couple. Leila's clever first-person narrative lightens what, in less capable hands, could be an angsty story.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 2014
Sixteen-year-old Iranian American Leila Azadi is, in her own words, a "Persian scaredy-cat." Afraid to tell her best friends and her conservative family that she is gay, Leila finds herself in a secret relationship with Saskia, a gorgeous, sophisticated new girl with a decidedly wicked side. As Saskia reveals herself to be a master manipulator, Leila turns to an unexpected ally, Lisa, an old friend who recently lost her brother in a car accident. When Lisa and Leila's friendship turns romantic, a spurned Saskia threatens the couple as well as their friends, who rally in support of the girls. The humor and cleverness of Leila's first-person narrative lightens what, in less capable hands, could be an angsty story, while well-drawn secondary characters balance the novel's more extremely rendered villain. While Leila's coming-out process provides narrative tension, this is not a problem novel. Instead, Farizan's second book (If You Could Be Mine, rev. 11/13) is more of a David Levithan-style romance in which a character's sexual identity is neither problematic nor in question, and coming out is just one of many obstacles affecting the course of true love. amy pattee

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)