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Like a Love Story
It's 1989 in New York City, and for three teens, the world is changing.
Reza is an Iranian boy who has just moved to the city with his mother to live with his stepfather and stepbrother. He's terrified that someone will guess the truth he can barely acknowledge about himself. Reza knows he's gay, but all he knows of gay life are the media's images of men dying of AIDS.
Judy is an aspiring fashion designer who worships her uncle Stephen, a gay man with AIDS who devotes his time to activism as a member of ACT UP. Judy has never imagined finding romance...until she falls for Reza and they start dating.
Art is Judy's best friend, their school's only out and proud teen. He'll never be who his conservative parents want him to be, so he rebels by documenting the AIDS crisis through his photographs.
As Reza and Art grow closer, Reza struggles to find a way out of his deception that won't break Judy's heart--and destroy the most meaningful friendship he's ever known.
Reza is an Iranian boy who has just moved to the city with his mother to live with his stepfather and stepbrother. He's terrified that someone will guess the truth he can barely acknowledge about himself. Reza knows he's gay, but all he knows of gay life are the media's images of men dying of AIDS.
Judy is an aspiring fashion designer who worships her uncle Stephen, a gay man with AIDS who devotes his time to activism as a member of ACT UP. Judy has never imagined finding romance...until she falls for Reza and they start dating.
Art is Judy's best friend, their school's only out and proud teen. He'll never be who his conservative parents want him to be, so he rebels by documenting the AIDS crisis through his photographs.
As Reza and Art grow closer, Reza struggles to find a way out of his deception that won't break Judy's heart--and destroy the most meaningful friendship he's ever known.
432 pages
First published June 4, 2019
About the author
Abdi Nazemian
13 books926 followersAbdi Nazemian spent his childhood in a series of exciting locations (Tehran, Paris, Toronto, New York), but could usually be found in his bedroom watching old movies and reading.
Abdi’s first novel, THE WALK-IN CLOSET, was awarded Best Debut at the Lambda Literary Awards. He has written three young adult novels, all published by Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins: THE AUTHENTICS (2017), LIKE A LOVE STORY (2019), and THE CHANDLER LEGACIES (2022). LIKE A LOVE STORY won a Stonewall Honor and was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best young adult books of all time.
Abdi has written for three television shows: NBC's ORDINARY JOE, Fox’s ALMOST FAMILY, and NBC’s THE VILLAGE. He has written six produced films including THE ARTIST’S WIFE (Strand Releasing, 2020) MENENDEZ: BLOOD BROTHERS (Lifetime, 2017), and THE QUIET (Sony Pictures Classics, 2006). He also wrote, directed and produced the short film REVOLUTION (2012). He is proud to say that his words have been spoken by the likes of Carmela Soprano, The Nanny, and The Girl With The Most Cake.
As Head of Development for Water’s End Productions, Abdi has been an executive producer or associate producer on numerous films, including CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, IT HAPPENED IN L.A., THE PRICE, THE HOUSE OF TOMORROW, and LITTLE WOODS.
Abdi lives in Los Angeles with his two children and husband, and holds dual citizenship between the United States and Canada.
Abdi is not the inspiration for Madonna’s children’s book “The Adventures of Abdi,” though he will forever insist that he is.
Abdi’s first novel, THE WALK-IN CLOSET, was awarded Best Debut at the Lambda Literary Awards. He has written three young adult novels, all published by Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins: THE AUTHENTICS (2017), LIKE A LOVE STORY (2019), and THE CHANDLER LEGACIES (2022). LIKE A LOVE STORY won a Stonewall Honor and was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best young adult books of all time.
Abdi has written for three television shows: NBC's ORDINARY JOE, Fox’s ALMOST FAMILY, and NBC’s THE VILLAGE. He has written six produced films including THE ARTIST’S WIFE (Strand Releasing, 2020) MENENDEZ: BLOOD BROTHERS (Lifetime, 2017), and THE QUIET (Sony Pictures Classics, 2006). He also wrote, directed and produced the short film REVOLUTION (2012). He is proud to say that his words have been spoken by the likes of Carmela Soprano, The Nanny, and The Girl With The Most Cake.
As Head of Development for Water’s End Productions, Abdi has been an executive producer or associate producer on numerous films, including CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, IT HAPPENED IN L.A., THE PRICE, THE HOUSE OF TOMORROW, and LITTLE WOODS.
Abdi lives in Los Angeles with his two children and husband, and holds dual citizenship between the United States and Canada.
Abdi is not the inspiration for Madonna’s children’s book “The Adventures of Abdi,” though he will forever insist that he is.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,717 reviews
August 17, 2022
Like a Love Story is the kind of book I wish I read as a teenager, when I was still walking the labyrinthine hallways of my identity and desperately needed the kindness of a friend who would sit with me in comfort, knowing there's not much they can change but reminding me that I was not alone. Its power, now that I've read it as an adult, is no less affecting. The whole world still feels shaped around this story, which I know will be a warm welcoming place ready to receive me, whenever I longed to open the book and run my fingers under the words, feeling for the hope I will always find sheltered there.
**
It’s 1989, at the height of the AIDS crisis, and Reza is an Iranian closeted teen who’s moved to New York from Toronto “by way of Tehran,” and is living with his mother and new stepfather and stepbrother.
Reza did not want to die of AIDS; the desire to not die has never been so searing. Dark images of men pierced by the illness tore at him, and every nightmare that shook him carried the same subliminal four-letter warning. Fear sloshes over Reza, each wave colder than the last, and he might have floated on, believing those dull miseries are all there is, if Reza didn't meet Art and Judy and a small bird of hope took flight. Reza's attraction to Art—this dreamer who taught him to hope for a different life—made Reza’s legs tense to flee, to scramble back to the safety of denial. Reza tries to cut his desires from him by dating Judy, and his life becomes a wobbling cup of lies that is always on the verge of spilling. But with the help of Stephen (Judy’s uncle who is a gay activist and has AIDS, and in whose mind, ugly things are made beautiful), the unaccustomed feeling of community, and yes, even Madonna, Reza’s courage, once shriveled by fear, rises in his chest. Reza only hopes that, in his blundering, he didn't sever ties that might otherwise be stimulated to warmth and affection again, and that his friendship with Judy can beat with a new rhythm.
Like a Love Story is a novel that is at once gutting and filled with unfathomable tenderness, and it made my heart sing like a plucked string. There are countless avenues to tears in this novel, and I strongly doubt anyone, as cynical and unyielding as they may be, can get through it dry-eyed. But Like a Love Story is not without joy, and hope. It's a love letter to queerness, to activism, to self-expression, to the people who love despite scorn and condemnation, and the wars they wage everyday to simply exist.
Like a Love Story is also a clear indictment against the ways in which history steamrolls over anyone who falls outside the norm. “Our history. Who we are. They won’t teach it in schools. They don’t want us to have a history. They don’t see us,” writes Nazemian, and invoking the realities of daily life in the time period, where people of color and queer people paid the heavy toll for the scathing indifference of governments and the pitiless profiteering of pharmaceutical companies, he continues: “They don’t know we are another country, with invisible borders, that we are a people.” This devastation signals a time capsule, except that things have changed so little for marginalized communities that it's hard to consign even the most hyperbolic discrimination to the past.
The novel’s strength, though, is in the voices Nazemian gives his characters. The first-person narration alternates between Reza, Art and Judy, occasionally interrupted by hearty and thought-provoking passages from “The Queer 101 Notecards” Stephen made for Art that range from advice about high school to odes to Madonna. There is a romantic subplot as well, and I relished how that element feels almost secondary, despite being necessary for the story as a whole. It's a welcome subversive take on the coming-of-age romance. You meet people, and if you’re lucky enough, they sink in your chest like stones into water, spreading sand as ripples in a pond. They may stay in your life forever, or you will part, once, or twice, and then be divided anew, whether by choice or by fate. Life is nothing but achingly bittersweet. And so is Like a Love Story’s ending.
All in all, this is a unique, charming, and moving story filled with flawed and yet real characters, and it's an absolute must for any library serving teens.
**
It’s 1989, at the height of the AIDS crisis, and Reza is an Iranian closeted teen who’s moved to New York from Toronto “by way of Tehran,” and is living with his mother and new stepfather and stepbrother.
Reza did not want to die of AIDS; the desire to not die has never been so searing. Dark images of men pierced by the illness tore at him, and every nightmare that shook him carried the same subliminal four-letter warning. Fear sloshes over Reza, each wave colder than the last, and he might have floated on, believing those dull miseries are all there is, if Reza didn't meet Art and Judy and a small bird of hope took flight. Reza's attraction to Art—this dreamer who taught him to hope for a different life—made Reza’s legs tense to flee, to scramble back to the safety of denial. Reza tries to cut his desires from him by dating Judy, and his life becomes a wobbling cup of lies that is always on the verge of spilling. But with the help of Stephen (Judy’s uncle who is a gay activist and has AIDS, and in whose mind, ugly things are made beautiful), the unaccustomed feeling of community, and yes, even Madonna, Reza’s courage, once shriveled by fear, rises in his chest. Reza only hopes that, in his blundering, he didn't sever ties that might otherwise be stimulated to warmth and affection again, and that his friendship with Judy can beat with a new rhythm.
The most important four-letter word in our history will always be LOVE. That’s what we are fighting for. That’s who we are. Love is our legacy.
Like a Love Story is a novel that is at once gutting and filled with unfathomable tenderness, and it made my heart sing like a plucked string. There are countless avenues to tears in this novel, and I strongly doubt anyone, as cynical and unyielding as they may be, can get through it dry-eyed. But Like a Love Story is not without joy, and hope. It's a love letter to queerness, to activism, to self-expression, to the people who love despite scorn and condemnation, and the wars they wage everyday to simply exist.
Like a Love Story is also a clear indictment against the ways in which history steamrolls over anyone who falls outside the norm. “Our history. Who we are. They won’t teach it in schools. They don’t want us to have a history. They don’t see us,” writes Nazemian, and invoking the realities of daily life in the time period, where people of color and queer people paid the heavy toll for the scathing indifference of governments and the pitiless profiteering of pharmaceutical companies, he continues: “They don’t know we are another country, with invisible borders, that we are a people.” This devastation signals a time capsule, except that things have changed so little for marginalized communities that it's hard to consign even the most hyperbolic discrimination to the past.
The novel’s strength, though, is in the voices Nazemian gives his characters. The first-person narration alternates between Reza, Art and Judy, occasionally interrupted by hearty and thought-provoking passages from “The Queer 101 Notecards” Stephen made for Art that range from advice about high school to odes to Madonna. There is a romantic subplot as well, and I relished how that element feels almost secondary, despite being necessary for the story as a whole. It's a welcome subversive take on the coming-of-age romance. You meet people, and if you’re lucky enough, they sink in your chest like stones into water, spreading sand as ripples in a pond. They may stay in your life forever, or you will part, once, or twice, and then be divided anew, whether by choice or by fate. Life is nothing but achingly bittersweet. And so is Like a Love Story’s ending.
All in all, this is a unique, charming, and moving story filled with flawed and yet real characters, and it's an absolute must for any library serving teens.
June 8, 2020
4.5*
I don’t really write reviews on goodreads anymore but wow was this an amazing, beautiful, important book. A great read to start Pride Month. I higgggghly recommend that you read it.
I don’t really write reviews on goodreads anymore but wow was this an amazing, beautiful, important book. A great read to start Pride Month. I higgggghly recommend that you read it.
December 26, 2021
I didn’t mean to make this a full-on rant, but it turned out that way because I just really hated so many things in this book! this is definitely one of my messier reviews, but I just had a lot of (bad) things to say, and it really isn’t organized
my issues with Judy
- the way Judy was written is why I will never trust men writing female characters. she definitely was suffering from girl hate and “I’m not like other girls” in the beginning, and while she did grow and change throughout the story to not hate other girls… I just don’t think it’s the place of a man to write that kind of thing? it makes you question if the things in the beginning that Judy thought about other girls (“women this beautiful usually aren’t very funny. my theory is that they never develop a sense of humor because their beauty gets them through life too easily”) are things that this male author has actually thought about women
- idk there’s a part that specifically says “I always thought I hated girls, and now I’m group-hugging a bunch of them like they’re my long-lost sisters” (I made a note on Kindle here that said “I ALWAYS THOUGHT I HATED GIRLS WHEKLFHSDLF” because it really just took me out), so it’s obvious that she’s supposed to change throughout the story and not be a girl-hater. but it was just so WEIRD. like yay thank god she changed, but I don’t know... why did the only prominent female character in this book have to hate other girls. and why was she proud of it
- I also want to touch on something that made me personally very uncomfortable with Judy, beyond everything I just mentioned. the gay rep is ownvoices and I’m not a mlm so I don’t want to overstep, but it felt super super weird to me when Judy said things like “when I have kids, I want them to be gay. but I’ll accept them if they’re straight” and “I’d like to be in a place where all the men seem gay. a world of men who act gay, but who like women.” like please tell me I’m not the only one who thinks those are weird statements for a straight girl to make!!!
the other character I hated: Art
- I’m gonna be honest with you, I don’t have nearly as many critiques for him as I did for Judy, he was just an annoying character to me so that’s a personal thing. might be because I saw him as a stereotypical white gay, who knows
- but I did have an issue with the way he kept trying to push Reza to have sex when Reza was uncomfortable and really scared because of AIDS. like Art literally got naked and started pushing up against Reza. from the author’s note where the author talked a bit about a not-so healthy relationship he had been in as a gay teen, I thought maybe the pushiness might have been intentional? but I just really needed for that kind of behavior to be challenged in the text, and it wasn’t
- (also yeah this should go in the Judy section but writing about this specific instance reminded me of a scene where Judy tried to feel if Reza had a boner by putting a hand on his crotch and my Kindle note for this one was “what is going on”)
craft/technical issues I had:
- the pacing was very strange and there was no actual development of certain character relationships, so it felt so weird to see them care so strongly for one another. I’m a notorious insta-love hater, so when I saw “I could tell him that I think I love him too” my Kindle note was simply “but u just met him…….” and I think that does a good job of conveying my annoyance
- the way the love triangle conflict was “resolved” was just so poorly written. there was two big arguments (and in both of them, I hated the way Judy was acting), and then suddenly Judy was just out of the picture and not involved in the story until the end. it felt weird to keep including her POV, and honestly her whole POV was bad anyways, so I think the book could have benefited from just throwing away all her POV chapters
other things that made me uncomfortable
- first of all, I had an issue with the way certain things came off as transphobic:
→ “I basically want to sleep with everyone with a Y chromosome” — any time there’s a gay character who says they rely on _ chromosome for the basis of their attraction, it is always ALWAYS the worst because it blatantly ignores trans people
→ a character literally deadnamed a trans character without it being challenged like oh my god you are a queer rights activist how are you deadnaming a trans person
→ overall this had a very cis gay perspective on the queer activist movements in the US, when an integral part of these queer activist movements in the US were (Black) trans women. I know Madonna was important to the author, but it felt odd that she, a straight white woman, was the most important to the characters’ activism
→ all of this just made me feel really uncomfortable because in a book that is so obviously a love letter to historical LGBTQIAP+ activism...... it left out / mistreated a huge part of the community
- at one point, Art says the f slur, and Reza says he hates that word and it makes him uncomfortable. Art replies, “get over it. I’ve reclaimed it, and so should you.” I’m all for reclaiming slurs (that are yours to reclaim, obviously), but this was just... not it. I don’t know who needs to hear this but if your gay boyfriend says that the f slur makes him uncomfortable, your response to him should not be “get over it” like ??
- at the end, but literally the next chapter, Art and Reza have sex? and that’s such a significant moment for Reza, because the entire time in the book, Reza is terrified of having sex due to AIDS. so placing that sex scene right after that chapter felt so disrespectful, to both and Reza in relation to his character growth, when it could have been written with so much more care had there been, I don’t know, literally any chapter between that
overall, I just did not have a good time reading this book. at one point I did cry a little bit, because there were a few heart-tugging moments and quotes, and I got emotional about how I and other people like me would not have the rights we do today because of the queer rights activism that was touched on in this book. I did like Reza’s character a lot—my heart broke for him repeatedly—and I also liked seeing the way that first love was not written as the end-all, be-all like it often is in YA
but clearly none of that was enough to redeem this book for me! I appreciate the story it was telling about activism and AIDS in the US, especially from an ownvoices gay Iranian author, but there were just so many things that felt weird and didn’t work for me, unfortunately
while I am a queer Asian like the author, I’m definitely not mlm, so I’m going to direct you to this great review from a mlm person of color. it touched on other issues in the book, and I thought it was really well-written!
:: rep :: gay Iranian MC, gay MC, fat MC, gay side characters, Iranian side characters
:: content warnings :: homophobia (including internalized), racism, AIDS, bullying, death of loved ones, use of d and f slur, deadnaming of a trans character
Isn’t love supposed to conquer all? Then let it conquer AIDS.
my issues with Judy
- the way Judy was written is why I will never trust men writing female characters. she definitely was suffering from girl hate and “I’m not like other girls” in the beginning, and while she did grow and change throughout the story to not hate other girls… I just don’t think it’s the place of a man to write that kind of thing? it makes you question if the things in the beginning that Judy thought about other girls (“women this beautiful usually aren’t very funny. my theory is that they never develop a sense of humor because their beauty gets them through life too easily”) are things that this male author has actually thought about women
- idk there’s a part that specifically says “I always thought I hated girls, and now I’m group-hugging a bunch of them like they’re my long-lost sisters” (I made a note on Kindle here that said “I ALWAYS THOUGHT I HATED GIRLS WHEKLFHSDLF” because it really just took me out), so it’s obvious that she’s supposed to change throughout the story and not be a girl-hater. but it was just so WEIRD. like yay thank god she changed, but I don’t know... why did the only prominent female character in this book have to hate other girls. and why was she proud of it
- I also want to touch on something that made me personally very uncomfortable with Judy, beyond everything I just mentioned. the gay rep is ownvoices and I’m not a mlm so I don’t want to overstep, but it felt super super weird to me when Judy said things like “when I have kids, I want them to be gay. but I’ll accept them if they’re straight” and “I’d like to be in a place where all the men seem gay. a world of men who act gay, but who like women.” like please tell me I’m not the only one who thinks those are weird statements for a straight girl to make!!!
You are not alone and never will be, because you have a beautiful, constantly evolving history full of ghosts who are watching over you, who are proud of you.
the other character I hated: Art
- I’m gonna be honest with you, I don’t have nearly as many critiques for him as I did for Judy, he was just an annoying character to me so that’s a personal thing. might be because I saw him as a stereotypical white gay, who knows
- but I did have an issue with the way he kept trying to push Reza to have sex when Reza was uncomfortable and really scared because of AIDS. like Art literally got naked and started pushing up against Reza. from the author’s note where the author talked a bit about a not-so healthy relationship he had been in as a gay teen, I thought maybe the pushiness might have been intentional? but I just really needed for that kind of behavior to be challenged in the text, and it wasn’t
- (also yeah this should go in the Judy section but writing about this specific instance reminded me of a scene where Judy tried to feel if Reza had a boner by putting a hand on his crotch and my Kindle note for this one was “what is going on”)
craft/technical issues I had:
- the pacing was very strange and there was no actual development of certain character relationships, so it felt so weird to see them care so strongly for one another. I’m a notorious insta-love hater, so when I saw “I could tell him that I think I love him too” my Kindle note was simply “but u just met him…….” and I think that does a good job of conveying my annoyance
- the way the love triangle conflict was “resolved” was just so poorly written. there was two big arguments (and in both of them, I hated the way Judy was acting), and then suddenly Judy was just out of the picture and not involved in the story until the end. it felt weird to keep including her POV, and honestly her whole POV was bad anyways, so I think the book could have benefited from just throwing away all her POV chapters
“Us. All of us. What we did. What we fought for. Our history. Who we are. They won’t teach it in schools. They don’t want us to have a history. They don’t see us. They don’t know we are another country, with invisible borders, that we are a people. You have to make them see. You have to remember it. And to share it. Please. Time passes, and people forget. Don’t let them.”
other things that made me uncomfortable
- first of all, I had an issue with the way certain things came off as transphobic:
→ “I basically want to sleep with everyone with a Y chromosome” — any time there’s a gay character who says they rely on _ chromosome for the basis of their attraction, it is always ALWAYS the worst because it blatantly ignores trans people
→ a character literally deadnamed a trans character without it being challenged like oh my god you are a queer rights activist how are you deadnaming a trans person
→ overall this had a very cis gay perspective on the queer activist movements in the US, when an integral part of these queer activist movements in the US were (Black) trans women. I know Madonna was important to the author, but it felt odd that she, a straight white woman, was the most important to the characters’ activism
→ all of this just made me feel really uncomfortable because in a book that is so obviously a love letter to historical LGBTQIAP+ activism...... it left out / mistreated a huge part of the community
- at one point, Art says the f slur, and Reza says he hates that word and it makes him uncomfortable. Art replies, “get over it. I’ve reclaimed it, and so should you.” I’m all for reclaiming slurs (that are yours to reclaim, obviously), but this was just... not it. I don’t know who needs to hear this but if your gay boyfriend says that the f slur makes him uncomfortable, your response to him should not be “get over it” like ??
- at the end, but literally the next chapter, Art and Reza have sex? and that’s such a significant moment for Reza, because the entire time in the book, Reza is terrified of having sex due to AIDS. so placing that sex scene right after that chapter felt so disrespectful, to both and Reza in relation to his character growth, when it could have been written with so much more care had there been, I don’t know, literally any chapter between that
But most of all, we love each other. Know that. We love each other. We care for each other. We are brothers and sisters, mentors and students, and together we are limitless and whole. The most important four-letter word in our history will always be LOVE. That’s what we are fighting for. That’s who we are. Love is our legacy.
overall, I just did not have a good time reading this book. at one point I did cry a little bit, because there were a few heart-tugging moments and quotes, and I got emotional about how I and other people like me would not have the rights we do today because of the queer rights activism that was touched on in this book. I did like Reza’s character a lot—my heart broke for him repeatedly—and I also liked seeing the way that first love was not written as the end-all, be-all like it often is in YA
but clearly none of that was enough to redeem this book for me! I appreciate the story it was telling about activism and AIDS in the US, especially from an ownvoices gay Iranian author, but there were just so many things that felt weird and didn’t work for me, unfortunately
while I am a queer Asian like the author, I’m definitely not mlm, so I’m going to direct you to this great review from a mlm person of color. it touched on other issues in the book, and I thought it was really well-written!
:: rep :: gay Iranian MC, gay MC, fat MC, gay side characters, Iranian side characters
:: content warnings :: homophobia (including internalized), racism, AIDS, bullying, death of loved ones, use of d and f slur, deadnaming of a trans character
// buddy read with the loveliest
November 6, 2019
Wow. Wow wow wow. This book was incredible.
June 12, 2019
Wow, this book hit very close to home for me.
It's 1989 in New York City. Reza has just moved with his mother to live with his wealthy new stepfather and stepbrother, and attend his final year of high school. He knows he likes boys but all he sees in the media are images of people dying of AIDS, so he knows he has to keep his true self hidden.
Judy has always been her own person, an aspiring fashion designer with a bold sense of style. She spends all of her spare time with her best friend, Art, and her uncle, Stephen, who is dying of AIDS and is a prominent member of ACT UP. The one thing Judy wants to find is love, but she doubts she'll ever find anyone to love her for who she is.
Art is out and proud, a talented photographer who tries to put the constant bullying of his peers and the disdain of his parents behind him. He documents the work of the ACT UP activists through his photographs. Stephen is his role model, and he spends so much time learning from him. Art wants to find someone to love him, but love and sex in the midst of so much uncertainty around AIDS frightens him.
Reza and Judy start dating, and Art feels like a third wheel. But Art and Reza are drawn to each other. Reza tries desperately to fight his attraction to Art, because he doesn't want to disappoint his mother and he worries that acknowledging his sexuality will doom him to a death sentence of AIDS. Art wants Reza, but knows that Judy is happy with him, and he doesn't want to betray his one true friend.
"There may be no harder place to be queer than high school, a place of bullies and slurs, a place steeped in rituals of heterosexuality. Who's dating who? Who kissed who? Who will be homecoming king and queen? Who will be your prom date? And you have to play along, because if you don't, your difference has a spotlight on it."
Abdi Nazemian's incredibly moving, heartfelt Like A Love Story so accurately captures what it was like to come to terms with your sexuality during the early days of the AIDS crisis. You were tremendously fearful of even kissing someone, because you worked out elaborate circumstances in your head by which you could contract the disease. And if you got AIDS, who would love you? Your family would abandon you, the government would gouge you on the price of drugs, and you would be a pariah? So why not hide your true self instead, pretend to be "normal"?
This is a book about friendship, family, fear, acceptance, and finding love. It's a story about finding the courage to be yourself even in a world full of fear, and finding your people, who will love you and accept you no matter what. It's also a beautiful love letter of sorts to those who came before us, who loved fearlessly and joyfully, who finally lived the lives they dreamed of, without worrying what people thought of them, and it's a tribute to all of the people who died of AIDS and lost loved ones and lived in courage rather than fear.
I had been waiting for this book to be released and I jumped on it the day it was published. I loved every single minute of Like A Love Story . It's gorgeous and funny and sad and beautifully written, and all too many times I found myself nodding, recognizing myself in certain situations. Nazemian put every ounce of his heart into this story and it shows, and I'm definitely going to go back and read his earlier books, because I love the way he writes.
I love books that effectively capture a specific time and place, and Like A Love Story did that. It is an important, hopeful book that deserves every accolade it receives.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2018 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2018.html.
You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
It's 1989 in New York City. Reza has just moved with his mother to live with his wealthy new stepfather and stepbrother, and attend his final year of high school. He knows he likes boys but all he sees in the media are images of people dying of AIDS, so he knows he has to keep his true self hidden.
Judy has always been her own person, an aspiring fashion designer with a bold sense of style. She spends all of her spare time with her best friend, Art, and her uncle, Stephen, who is dying of AIDS and is a prominent member of ACT UP. The one thing Judy wants to find is love, but she doubts she'll ever find anyone to love her for who she is.
Art is out and proud, a talented photographer who tries to put the constant bullying of his peers and the disdain of his parents behind him. He documents the work of the ACT UP activists through his photographs. Stephen is his role model, and he spends so much time learning from him. Art wants to find someone to love him, but love and sex in the midst of so much uncertainty around AIDS frightens him.
Reza and Judy start dating, and Art feels like a third wheel. But Art and Reza are drawn to each other. Reza tries desperately to fight his attraction to Art, because he doesn't want to disappoint his mother and he worries that acknowledging his sexuality will doom him to a death sentence of AIDS. Art wants Reza, but knows that Judy is happy with him, and he doesn't want to betray his one true friend.
"There may be no harder place to be queer than high school, a place of bullies and slurs, a place steeped in rituals of heterosexuality. Who's dating who? Who kissed who? Who will be homecoming king and queen? Who will be your prom date? And you have to play along, because if you don't, your difference has a spotlight on it."
Abdi Nazemian's incredibly moving, heartfelt Like A Love Story so accurately captures what it was like to come to terms with your sexuality during the early days of the AIDS crisis. You were tremendously fearful of even kissing someone, because you worked out elaborate circumstances in your head by which you could contract the disease. And if you got AIDS, who would love you? Your family would abandon you, the government would gouge you on the price of drugs, and you would be a pariah? So why not hide your true self instead, pretend to be "normal"?
This is a book about friendship, family, fear, acceptance, and finding love. It's a story about finding the courage to be yourself even in a world full of fear, and finding your people, who will love you and accept you no matter what. It's also a beautiful love letter of sorts to those who came before us, who loved fearlessly and joyfully, who finally lived the lives they dreamed of, without worrying what people thought of them, and it's a tribute to all of the people who died of AIDS and lost loved ones and lived in courage rather than fear.
I had been waiting for this book to be released and I jumped on it the day it was published. I loved every single minute of Like A Love Story . It's gorgeous and funny and sad and beautifully written, and all too many times I found myself nodding, recognizing myself in certain situations. Nazemian put every ounce of his heart into this story and it shows, and I'm definitely going to go back and read his earlier books, because I love the way he writes.
I love books that effectively capture a specific time and place, and Like A Love Story did that. It is an important, hopeful book that deserves every accolade it receives.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2018 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2018.html.
You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
June 21, 2019
Could YA books with queer characters of color be any more iconic? I loved Like a Love Story and I'm so happy it exists, alongside books like Benjamin Alire Saenz's
Ari and Dante
and Kelly Loy Gilbert's
Picture Us in the Light
and more. What sets this novel apart from other similarly fantastic YA reads is its masterful portrayal of the 1980s AIDS epidemic and the activism of that era.
The novel follows Reza, a closeted Iranian teen, Art, the out and proud guy Reza falls for, and Judy, Art's best friend who excels at fashion design. Toward the beginning of the book, Reza dates Judy to conceal his sexuality. When this arrangement unravels the three must deal with the fallout, of Reza's sexuality, of Art and Judy's friendship, and more.
Abdi Nazemian tackles so much in Like a Love Story and grounds it all in history so well. The fear Reza experiences about contracting AIDS and dying, Art and Judy's uncle Stephen's activism with ACT UP, the characters' love for Madonna - Nazemian shows how the historical oppression of queer people affects his characters in intimate and powerful ways. He honors so many complex, important topics like coming out as a person of color, what happens when a friend betrays you, death and grief, and more. He writes in a palatable, straightforward way that still gives space for all the feelings that come with loss and love.
The focus on love is what made this book shine the most. Until the last 80 or so pages I considered giving it four stars, as Art and Reza's relationship gave me insta-love vibes and did not feel as developed or compelling compared to the romances in Aristotle and Dante and Picture Us in the Light. But, the last 80 or so pages tied all of the novel's threads together to reveal its beautiful center: love of art, love of activism, love of love. I got pretty emotional reading Nazemian's author's note and felt so inspired by and happy for him, how he took his experience as a queer youth of color and transformed it into such amazing art. I know that we have a lot more to fight for to advance equality and justice for the LGBTIA+ community. And, right now, I'm giving my queer heart a little break, a little moment, so it can sing a happy song for this book's existence and all the love it entails.
The novel follows Reza, a closeted Iranian teen, Art, the out and proud guy Reza falls for, and Judy, Art's best friend who excels at fashion design. Toward the beginning of the book, Reza dates Judy to conceal his sexuality. When this arrangement unravels the three must deal with the fallout, of Reza's sexuality, of Art and Judy's friendship, and more.
Abdi Nazemian tackles so much in Like a Love Story and grounds it all in history so well. The fear Reza experiences about contracting AIDS and dying, Art and Judy's uncle Stephen's activism with ACT UP, the characters' love for Madonna - Nazemian shows how the historical oppression of queer people affects his characters in intimate and powerful ways. He honors so many complex, important topics like coming out as a person of color, what happens when a friend betrays you, death and grief, and more. He writes in a palatable, straightforward way that still gives space for all the feelings that come with loss and love.
The focus on love is what made this book shine the most. Until the last 80 or so pages I considered giving it four stars, as Art and Reza's relationship gave me insta-love vibes and did not feel as developed or compelling compared to the romances in Aristotle and Dante and Picture Us in the Light. But, the last 80 or so pages tied all of the novel's threads together to reveal its beautiful center: love of art, love of activism, love of love. I got pretty emotional reading Nazemian's author's note and felt so inspired by and happy for him, how he took his experience as a queer youth of color and transformed it into such amazing art. I know that we have a lot more to fight for to advance equality and justice for the LGBTIA+ community. And, right now, I'm giving my queer heart a little break, a little moment, so it can sing a happy song for this book's existence and all the love it entails.
May 24, 2019
wowowowow, this is one of those stories that hollows you out completely and then makes you whole again. it’s a love letter to the queer community, and to past queer activists who have paved the way for all of us to live better lives today. I can’t think of a better read heading into pride month. ✨
August 5, 2022
4 stars
It’s New York City in 1989 and this story revolves around three teens: Reza, Judy, and Art. Reza recently moved to NYC from Canada and before that, Iran. He’s known for a long time that he is gay, but is too scared from the HIV/AIDS crisis to admit it. Then there’s Judy, a plus size aspiring fashion designer whose uncle is dying of AIDS. And Art, Judy’s best friend and the only out of the closet teen at school who is documenting the AIDS crisis with his camera.
I really enjoyed this book, I think it’s a great story for teens and young adult readers to experience. A lot of us weren’t around when the events in this book take place and it paints a clear picture of what it was like for people growing up in the AIDS crisis. Now, having HIV is not a death sentence, but for many people it was and it was a very scary reality that people were living with. I loved all three main characters and their individual stories, Reza was my favorite of the three.
One critical note of the audiobook, parts of Art’s POV were barely audible because the narrator spoke so softly, so I did miss a portion of what was said from him which was a tad bit irritating.
It’s New York City in 1989 and this story revolves around three teens: Reza, Judy, and Art. Reza recently moved to NYC from Canada and before that, Iran. He’s known for a long time that he is gay, but is too scared from the HIV/AIDS crisis to admit it. Then there’s Judy, a plus size aspiring fashion designer whose uncle is dying of AIDS. And Art, Judy’s best friend and the only out of the closet teen at school who is documenting the AIDS crisis with his camera.
I really enjoyed this book, I think it’s a great story for teens and young adult readers to experience. A lot of us weren’t around when the events in this book take place and it paints a clear picture of what it was like for people growing up in the AIDS crisis. Now, having HIV is not a death sentence, but for many people it was and it was a very scary reality that people were living with. I loved all three main characters and their individual stories, Reza was my favorite of the three.
One critical note of the audiobook, parts of Art’s POV were barely audible because the narrator spoke so softly, so I did miss a portion of what was said from him which was a tad bit irritating.
July 27, 2020
"If you see an elderly person walking down the street, or across from you at a coffee shop, don't look away from them, don't dismiss them, and don't just ask them how they're doing. Ask them where they have been instead. And then listen.
Because there's no future without a past."
Because there's no future without a past."
January 27, 2021
Amor é nosso legado!!!!!!!
March 9, 2020
2nd reading, and I love this book so much. Endless love.
-----
Truly one of the best books I've read all year, Like a Love Story has the potential for wide appeal, but perhaps its greatest strength is how unflinchingly queer it is. Abdi Nazemian writes a book that could be (and honestly should be) read by everyone, but it is above all a love letter to queer youth and anyone who ever was a queer youth.
It's a history lesson about what it was like to be queer in the late 80s and early 90s, the way AIDS put a dark fearful cloud on so many human beings as they were coming-of-age. But while well-researched, this is fiction and it has a lovely fairy tale vibe without every losing any gritty human emotion.
Here's a passage I adore: "Us. All of us. What we did. Our history. Who we are. They won't teach it in schools. They don't want us to have a history. They don't see us. They don't know we are another country, with invisible borders, that we are a people. You have to make them see. You have to remember it. And to share it. Please. Time passes, and people forget. Don't let them."
Music (particularly Madonna) plays a huge role in the novel, and the scene when the characters go to a Madonna concert is one of the greatest scenes in the book, IMO. It actually moved me to tears as I thought about the first Tori Amos concerts I went to and how I felt so SEEN and LOVED during those shows. You can just tell that Nazemian has truly *lived* so many of the things of this book because of its honesty, and it's clear that this book is a labor of love.
If I could control things, I would love to see this book reach the kind of readership The Hate U Give has found. Queer youth today face fewer challenges than Art and Reza face in the book, when falling in love with someone seemed, to many, to equal disease and death, (and certainly fewer than Stephen and Jimmy), but there is still such a long way to go. Too many queer youth still struggle with crippling depression and hurt themselves because they don't know how to accept themselves or belong to communities that don't see them. Many still equate being queer with loneliness and shame and even death. And so I'm so glad for all the love and hope in this novel, one that never lets go of the beauty and necessity of resistance.
This is the best book for Pride Month that I could have possibly asked for (and maybe one of the best YA novels I've ever read for all the love it exudes). I don't often buy multiple copies for my classroom, but I will be buying more of this one. I want to share this with everyone.
Let me end this short review (which falls far short of what this book means to me) with this incredible passage that needs to be sent out to every LGBTQ+ kid everywhere:
-----
Truly one of the best books I've read all year, Like a Love Story has the potential for wide appeal, but perhaps its greatest strength is how unflinchingly queer it is. Abdi Nazemian writes a book that could be (and honestly should be) read by everyone, but it is above all a love letter to queer youth and anyone who ever was a queer youth.
It's a history lesson about what it was like to be queer in the late 80s and early 90s, the way AIDS put a dark fearful cloud on so many human beings as they were coming-of-age. But while well-researched, this is fiction and it has a lovely fairy tale vibe without every losing any gritty human emotion.
Here's a passage I adore: "Us. All of us. What we did. Our history. Who we are. They won't teach it in schools. They don't want us to have a history. They don't see us. They don't know we are another country, with invisible borders, that we are a people. You have to make them see. You have to remember it. And to share it. Please. Time passes, and people forget. Don't let them."
Music (particularly Madonna) plays a huge role in the novel, and the scene when the characters go to a Madonna concert is one of the greatest scenes in the book, IMO. It actually moved me to tears as I thought about the first Tori Amos concerts I went to and how I felt so SEEN and LOVED during those shows. You can just tell that Nazemian has truly *lived* so many of the things of this book because of its honesty, and it's clear that this book is a labor of love.
If I could control things, I would love to see this book reach the kind of readership The Hate U Give has found. Queer youth today face fewer challenges than Art and Reza face in the book, when falling in love with someone seemed, to many, to equal disease and death, (and certainly fewer than Stephen and Jimmy), but there is still such a long way to go. Too many queer youth still struggle with crippling depression and hurt themselves because they don't know how to accept themselves or belong to communities that don't see them. Many still equate being queer with loneliness and shame and even death. And so I'm so glad for all the love and hope in this novel, one that never lets go of the beauty and necessity of resistance.
This is the best book for Pride Month that I could have possibly asked for (and maybe one of the best YA novels I've ever read for all the love it exudes). I don't often buy multiple copies for my classroom, but I will be buying more of this one. I want to share this with everyone.
Let me end this short review (which falls far short of what this book means to me) with this incredible passage that needs to be sent out to every LGBTQ+ kid everywhere:
"I'll tell you what we will never be deficient of. LOVE. We love art and beauty. We love new ideas and pushing boundaries. We love fighting against corruption. We love redefining archaic rules. We love men, and women, and men who dress like women, and women who dress like men. We love tops and bottoms, and top hats, especially when worn by Marlene Dietrich. But most of all, we love each other. Know that. We love each other. We care for each other. We are brothers and sisters, mentors and students, and together we are limitless and whole. The most important four-letter word in our history will always be LOVE. That's what we are fighting for. That's who we are. Love is our legacy."
July 4, 2019
LIKE A LOVE STORY is a little like a love story, really. But more in the sense of love for oneself, one's body, and one's community. I think it did a really good job of that, particularly when propped up against the setting, but when it comes to the love story, the romance, within the book.. it kinda failed. And by kinda I mean really.
Nazemian's story takes place on the cusp of the nineties, in 1989, and is set against the AIDS crisis. Not as a backdrop but as a very real threat and very present player for our three protagonists. Art is out and proud and angry. His best friend, Judy, has an uncle dying of AIDS. And the new kid, originally from Iran, is Reza; someone both friends fall for but who, despite initially dating Judy, is closeted.
I knew this wouldn't be an easy story but I knew it would be an important one. It was a frightening time and is made even more terrifying when held up against the current social and political climate. Addressing the bigotry and the homophobia was all very visceral and awful but well done. I felt like I was living it. Where the fear of touch, of being touched, infected every interaction. Where not subscribing to white, heteronormative, ideals made you worthy of hate or shunning. Where it was acceptable to wish your son dead just for being queer. Where hate fuelled both sides of the equation; one side for being ushered into an early grave just for being who they were, and the other for not understanding or not accepting people different from themselves.
What I believe failed this story was the characters.
The romance is fast tracked as is fairly typical -- though the fact that these two besties go from zero to eleven within half a page over the new kid is unlikely as it is; but for it to be turned into a triangle, infusing unnecessary drama into the mix, just becomes tedious -- and ultimately, it's the leads that do a disservice to the goings on around them. Or, rather, I feel they overshadowed the rest with their nonsense. I outright disliked two of the POVs (one more strongly than the other) but overall it was their behaviours, too, that I just couldn't stand.
The most important four-letter word in our history will always be LOVE. That's what we are fighting for. That's who we are. Love is our legacy.
I'm heartbroken that this didn't work but I do think, if the synopsis draws you in, you should still pick it up. LIKE A LOVE STORY is a book that features a four star topic but is, unfortunately, saddled with one star protagonists.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
Nazemian's story takes place on the cusp of the nineties, in 1989, and is set against the AIDS crisis. Not as a backdrop but as a very real threat and very present player for our three protagonists. Art is out and proud and angry. His best friend, Judy, has an uncle dying of AIDS. And the new kid, originally from Iran, is Reza; someone both friends fall for but who, despite initially dating Judy, is closeted.
I knew this wouldn't be an easy story but I knew it would be an important one. It was a frightening time and is made even more terrifying when held up against the current social and political climate. Addressing the bigotry and the homophobia was all very visceral and awful but well done. I felt like I was living it. Where the fear of touch, of being touched, infected every interaction. Where not subscribing to white, heteronormative, ideals made you worthy of hate or shunning. Where it was acceptable to wish your son dead just for being queer. Where hate fuelled both sides of the equation; one side for being ushered into an early grave just for being who they were, and the other for not understanding or not accepting people different from themselves.
What I believe failed this story was the characters.
The romance is fast tracked as is fairly typical -- though the fact that these two besties go from zero to eleven within half a page over the new kid is unlikely as it is; but for it to be turned into a triangle, infusing unnecessary drama into the mix, just becomes tedious -- and ultimately, it's the leads that do a disservice to the goings on around them. Or, rather, I feel they overshadowed the rest with their nonsense. I outright disliked two of the POVs (one more strongly than the other) but overall it was their behaviours, too, that I just couldn't stand.
The most important four-letter word in our history will always be LOVE. That's what we are fighting for. That's who we are. Love is our legacy.
I'm heartbroken that this didn't work but I do think, if the synopsis draws you in, you should still pick it up. LIKE A LOVE STORY is a book that features a four star topic but is, unfortunately, saddled with one star protagonists.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
December 13, 2021
Express Yourself. Be True Blue. And thank your Lucky Star(s) for this beautiful and tragic book by Abdi Nazemian!
(See how many Madonna references I wedged in there?!)
This book IS Like a Love Story...but is so much more than that. A look at AIDS, at the height of catastrophe, with so much unknown. A story of acceptance (or the lack of acceptance) in a family. A love triangle meant to be broken and its fallout. And most importantly, what it takes to be yourself and risk absolutely everything and embrace the unknown to be the person you were absolutely born to be.
I grew to love Reza, Judy, and Art so, and I miss these fabulous characters. I also will never be able to listen to the Queen of Pop (yes, I said it!) Madonna quite the same way again. 👑
Those of you who occasionally dabble in YA...this one is worth your time and ALL the tears that come with it!
4 ⭐
(See how many Madonna references I wedged in there?!)
This book IS Like a Love Story...but is so much more than that. A look at AIDS, at the height of catastrophe, with so much unknown. A story of acceptance (or the lack of acceptance) in a family. A love triangle meant to be broken and its fallout. And most importantly, what it takes to be yourself and risk absolutely everything and embrace the unknown to be the person you were absolutely born to be.
I grew to love Reza, Judy, and Art so, and I miss these fabulous characters. I also will never be able to listen to the Queen of Pop (yes, I said it!) Madonna quite the same way again. 👑
Those of you who occasionally dabble in YA...this one is worth your time and ALL the tears that come with it!
4 ⭐
November 14, 2020
Não é um livro fácil de digerir ou perfeito. Acho que é nas imperfeições que ele se torna tão grandioso. A história é linda. Triste, mas esperançosa. É muito sobre o que você faz enquanto está vivo, quem você ama e o que defende. Terminei muito emocionada, humanizando quase todo mundo e entendendo todas as decisões cheias de defeitos que levaram cada um ao seu destino. Uma história sobre amor, todo tipo de amor.
September 3, 2019
Conte sua história. Agradeça às pessoas queer que vieram antes de você e lutaram para que você estivesse aqui, vivo e seguro. O ódio sempre é errado, o amor não. Ame, viva e se importe com quem está ao seu lado. Não deixe que apaguem quem você é. Tenha orgulho. Grite isso para o mundo inteiro.
Esse livro é um manifesto sobre identidade, vivências queer e amor. Perfeito para quem gostou de "Dois garotos se beijando" e "A lógica inexplicável da minha vida". Leiam e espalhem.
Esse livro é um manifesto sobre identidade, vivências queer e amor. Perfeito para quem gostou de "Dois garotos se beijando" e "A lógica inexplicável da minha vida". Leiam e espalhem.
November 30, 2020
So close to five but just couldn’t get there:
Super developed character:
Stephen: mentor character and activist who showed the gravity of any situation while offering comic relief.
Reza: one of the 3 protagonists and POVs. Deals with being an immigrant, a POC, homosexual, and comes from a culture that violently opposes who he is (so a lot of internal conflict for a soft spoken character who wants to please his family above all else).
Art: the extrovert gay character who uses confidence to mask his fear because the alternative is unthinkable. This leads him to moments of being a little hot headed but never without reason.
Judy: the straight white middle class ally and best friend dealing with her own internal struggles. Niece of Stephen who teaches her the uphill battle his community faces.
There are side characters like Reza’s mom, sister, step brother and step father. All of whom have moments of sympathy—well kinda. There are also the families of the other protagonists and various students and protestors who served a specific purpose and nothing beyond that.
Plot: 3 high school seniors from different backgrounds living in NYC interact in a love triangle that tests their friendship during the height of the AIDS epidemic.
It’s a compelling coming of age tale that involves three teenagers finding strength through Madonna’s music to freely express who they are during a time where that was potentially fatal.
Writing style: captured unique voices for each character, and created some very emotional dialogue. Though the stakes were high there wasn’t much tension throughout the text. Actions and reactions but no buffer between where you believe things might go another way. It’s not a flaw, just a style that kept the focus more on the internal struggles of the 3 main characters and not the external struggles of the world.
Super developed character:
Stephen: mentor character and activist who showed the gravity of any situation while offering comic relief.
Reza: one of the 3 protagonists and POVs. Deals with being an immigrant, a POC, homosexual, and comes from a culture that violently opposes who he is (so a lot of internal conflict for a soft spoken character who wants to please his family above all else).
Art: the extrovert gay character who uses confidence to mask his fear because the alternative is unthinkable. This leads him to moments of being a little hot headed but never without reason.
Judy: the straight white middle class ally and best friend dealing with her own internal struggles. Niece of Stephen who teaches her the uphill battle his community faces.
There are side characters like Reza’s mom, sister, step brother and step father. All of whom have moments of sympathy—well kinda. There are also the families of the other protagonists and various students and protestors who served a specific purpose and nothing beyond that.
Plot: 3 high school seniors from different backgrounds living in NYC interact in a love triangle that tests their friendship during the height of the AIDS epidemic.
It’s a compelling coming of age tale that involves three teenagers finding strength through Madonna’s music to freely express who they are during a time where that was potentially fatal.
Writing style: captured unique voices for each character, and created some very emotional dialogue. Though the stakes were high there wasn’t much tension throughout the text. Actions and reactions but no buffer between where you believe things might go another way. It’s not a flaw, just a style that kept the focus more on the internal struggles of the 3 main characters and not the external struggles of the world.
January 16, 2020
Nazemian has graced us with his impeccable writing, poignant storytelling and a nuanced and meaningful read. So much honesty, courage and potpourri of emotions portrayed in a single book. RTC.
Extending my deepest gratitude to Edelweiss and Balzer + Bray for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. However, this does not affect any opinions or feedback stated concerning the book whatsoever.
TW: Homophobic slurs, racial slurs, heterosexism, violence
"The most important four-letter word in our history will always be LOVE. That’s what we are fighting for. That’s who we are. Love is our legacy."
I loved this book to bits. It is more than just a love story. It is more than just the value of friendship. It is more than just loving someone who your bestfriend also happens to love. It is more than just being an immigrant living in a Western country. This has all the markings of a grand and stellar debut. Nazemian had written this book as if his life depended greatly on it. He had put something of an essence into this story. He gave it its own life, instilled in it a longing to be heard not only by the members of the LGBT community themselves but also the people belonging to all genders. Emphasizing the impartiality between every person's identity and the normalcy of being a homosexual even amidst facing discrimination from people who are seemingly above reproach in a world full of contempt and obloquy are only what made up a quarter of the book alongside the persistence of fighting and standing up for equal human rights. This book delivers one hell of a blow to the universe for its bias and prejudice.
"Maybe freedom always comes with pain."
One of the main characters, Reza, comes from a different culture, one that does not tolerate homosexuality. He was born in Iran and brought along to another country before he finally settled in NYC because this was where his mother found new love after his father died in an uprising back in his motherland. He now is exposed to an affluent kind of living and has therefore all the resources he needs for himself. Well at least, while he is at home and at school. There is only one thing that always keeps him on edge; he likes boys and he wants to keep it a secret from anyone. Scared of the possibility of banishment from the family and AIDS taking over his system, he could only do so much as keep his infatuations in check and confine them deep within his mind, not letting them take control of his body. With trepidation hanging over his head, he resorted to having a seemingly intimate connection with a girl in his new school, all while searching for his own identity in the process. But then, along the way, he developed some kind of strange fascination to this guy at school.
"I need to live, and to live, I can’t ever be what I know that I am."
The guy's name is Art, another one of the main characters in the book. This one had a keen fondness for anything that has to do with art. He pours his love for it resolutely and shows it through the set of clothes he wore, the way he sticks colors in his hair, his love for Madonna, his dogged alluring stance he carries on perpetually, and being the only queer in an all heterosexual school. He has a family that does not quite understand him; a father who pampers his son with his riches so as to gradually make him just as competent as he is someday, a burgeoning venerable and an honest-to-goodness businessman, and a mother who incessantly weeps at the sight of her son divagating from his father's wishes but does not do anything about it. He has only ever felt accepted by a community of homosexuals involved in an activism along with his long-term best friend Judy. He makes a militant activist himself who fights alongside the gay community to preserve their gay rights movement and advocacy to attain some justice for themselves.
“It’s the parents that have to change first. Because so long as parents are telling their kids that being gay is a sin, or that this disease is God’s way of killing gay people, or that celibacy is the only way not to die, or that they can get it from sitting on the wrong toilet seat, then nothing else matters. Because teenagers, well, I mean, we don’t tell grown-ups what we do because we already know how they’re going to react. We already know that they’ll either pretend we never said what we said, or ground us, or blame us. And you know, most people don’t really have parents like you.”
Amidst these activists running amok stands Judy, the ever-supportive friend and an allegiant ally to the activists' cause. She is dearly connected with the other two main characters, one who she has developed a crush on and the other who she has been friends with ever since they were kids. She aspires to reach her desire to be a fashion designer when she grows up; that and to have a lifetime spent with Reza. Conflicts arise when love finds its way among the three of them, toppling relationships and building them back up again.
"I love this about these guys, their ability to laugh through their anger, to find light even in injustice."
There are several constants evident in the book that served as shared coping mechanisms which futher deepened the foundation of friendship and averted the fraying relationships from fully crumbling to pieces and instead gave way to a newfound bond that is both steady and impenetrable. Just like how their love for Madonna brought them even closer to each other, they also have Stephen, Judy's gay uncle, on the center stage of their friendship. Stephen stood as their anchor, their mentor and loving parent for most of the times they felt lost and indecisive. If there is one person in the world I would be given the chance to meet, it would be him. His character was made to be endearing and brave that somehow at some point while going through the motions in my life, I had thought of him and instinctively his appealing traits have become suddenly infectious that it got me living like I was him at those moments.
"It feels like being reminded that the point of BEING alive is to FEEL alive."
The only time I got slightly upset with this book, had it not ended up that way, was when I had reached the part somewhere towards the ending. There was something in it that left me out of sorts. I actually thought this one aspect in the book would remain as is until it ended but it led me towards a different and unfamiliar territory altogether. I think it may work out for some readers out there but damn, how could you do this to me, Abdi?
“The moral is, the dynamic of friendship changes when one friend finds romance. But change doesn’t mean it’s over.”
Let me tell you a fun fact on how I actually felt upon and while reading this book. Allow me to visualize it to when someone picks a pulchritudinous rose. Now, imagine seeing a rose flower in the distance. Pretty enticing, right? Now you come near it because you just couldn't resist. Its dazzling petals are calling out to you. Wouldn't you feel somehow rueful just ignoring the way it's hissing at the sight of you? So you saunter towards it and pick it up deliberately. But you haven't noticed its thorns prickle at your skin. Then, realizing there's blood slithering all over the palm of the hand you used to grasp it, you suddenly gasp in utter pain and agony. But still, the hurt lingers. Soon after, you wail and whimper and weep some more. It doesn't stop you from holding the rose much longer though. You assess its beauty. You want to examine it more closely. There you go. You find that you can't stop yourself even though your hands still tremble in the aftermath. Suddenly, without so much as a hint of a warning, you get irritated but then you shake it off like it was not there in the first place. Eventually, you feel the urge to smell it. Woah, that ambrosial smell! It must have been a gift from the gods! But you try hard not to let it get to you. Soon you figure out that you are not as invulnerable as you think you are so you keep the delicate rose and put it into a small container under water just so it would live long because you know in your heart it spoke many life lessons unto you and made known a gallimaufry of emotions but otherwise the best feeling in the world.
"I will myself to turn all my nerves into confidence, to release all the butterflies in my stomach into the cold city air, so that there will be only one butterfly left. Me."
I found its plot weaved exquisitely with its lush prose and down-to-earth historical narrative. It had me taken aback, had me rooting for Stephen and his growing horde of gay activists, had me beaming with excitement, had me tittering uncontrollably, had me sniveling for eternity, had me vexed with how the characters were being treated at times, had put me on the same wavelength as theirs and had indisputably pulled at my heartstrings completely. This book is sheer beauty at its finest. If these things still do not make you want to read it, then I do not know what will.
"We all come from love. And that’s where we’re going too. Where we are now, that’s the complicated part."
Extending my deepest gratitude to Edelweiss and Balzer + Bray for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. However, this does not affect any opinions or feedback stated concerning the book whatsoever.
TW: Homophobic slurs, racial slurs, heterosexism, violence
"The most important four-letter word in our history will always be LOVE. That’s what we are fighting for. That’s who we are. Love is our legacy."
I loved this book to bits. It is more than just a love story. It is more than just the value of friendship. It is more than just loving someone who your bestfriend also happens to love. It is more than just being an immigrant living in a Western country. This has all the markings of a grand and stellar debut. Nazemian had written this book as if his life depended greatly on it. He had put something of an essence into this story. He gave it its own life, instilled in it a longing to be heard not only by the members of the LGBT community themselves but also the people belonging to all genders. Emphasizing the impartiality between every person's identity and the normalcy of being a homosexual even amidst facing discrimination from people who are seemingly above reproach in a world full of contempt and obloquy are only what made up a quarter of the book alongside the persistence of fighting and standing up for equal human rights. This book delivers one hell of a blow to the universe for its bias and prejudice.
"Maybe freedom always comes with pain."
One of the main characters, Reza, comes from a different culture, one that does not tolerate homosexuality. He was born in Iran and brought along to another country before he finally settled in NYC because this was where his mother found new love after his father died in an uprising back in his motherland. He now is exposed to an affluent kind of living and has therefore all the resources he needs for himself. Well at least, while he is at home and at school. There is only one thing that always keeps him on edge; he likes boys and he wants to keep it a secret from anyone. Scared of the possibility of banishment from the family and AIDS taking over his system, he could only do so much as keep his infatuations in check and confine them deep within his mind, not letting them take control of his body. With trepidation hanging over his head, he resorted to having a seemingly intimate connection with a girl in his new school, all while searching for his own identity in the process. But then, along the way, he developed some kind of strange fascination to this guy at school.
"I need to live, and to live, I can’t ever be what I know that I am."
The guy's name is Art, another one of the main characters in the book. This one had a keen fondness for anything that has to do with art. He pours his love for it resolutely and shows it through the set of clothes he wore, the way he sticks colors in his hair, his love for Madonna, his dogged alluring stance he carries on perpetually, and being the only queer in an all heterosexual school. He has a family that does not quite understand him; a father who pampers his son with his riches so as to gradually make him just as competent as he is someday, a burgeoning venerable and an honest-to-goodness businessman, and a mother who incessantly weeps at the sight of her son divagating from his father's wishes but does not do anything about it. He has only ever felt accepted by a community of homosexuals involved in an activism along with his long-term best friend Judy. He makes a militant activist himself who fights alongside the gay community to preserve their gay rights movement and advocacy to attain some justice for themselves.
“It’s the parents that have to change first. Because so long as parents are telling their kids that being gay is a sin, or that this disease is God’s way of killing gay people, or that celibacy is the only way not to die, or that they can get it from sitting on the wrong toilet seat, then nothing else matters. Because teenagers, well, I mean, we don’t tell grown-ups what we do because we already know how they’re going to react. We already know that they’ll either pretend we never said what we said, or ground us, or blame us. And you know, most people don’t really have parents like you.”
Amidst these activists running amok stands Judy, the ever-supportive friend and an allegiant ally to the activists' cause. She is dearly connected with the other two main characters, one who she has developed a crush on and the other who she has been friends with ever since they were kids. She aspires to reach her desire to be a fashion designer when she grows up; that and to have a lifetime spent with Reza. Conflicts arise when love finds its way among the three of them, toppling relationships and building them back up again.
"I love this about these guys, their ability to laugh through their anger, to find light even in injustice."
There are several constants evident in the book that served as shared coping mechanisms which futher deepened the foundation of friendship and averted the fraying relationships from fully crumbling to pieces and instead gave way to a newfound bond that is both steady and impenetrable. Just like how their love for Madonna brought them even closer to each other, they also have Stephen, Judy's gay uncle, on the center stage of their friendship. Stephen stood as their anchor, their mentor and loving parent for most of the times they felt lost and indecisive. If there is one person in the world I would be given the chance to meet, it would be him. His character was made to be endearing and brave that somehow at some point while going through the motions in my life, I had thought of him and instinctively his appealing traits have become suddenly infectious that it got me living like I was him at those moments.
"It feels like being reminded that the point of BEING alive is to FEEL alive."
The only time I got slightly upset with this book, had it not ended up that way, was when I had reached the part somewhere towards the ending. There was something in it that left me out of sorts. I actually thought this one aspect in the book would remain as is until it ended but it led me towards a different and unfamiliar territory altogether. I think it may work out for some readers out there but damn, how could you do this to me, Abdi?
“The moral is, the dynamic of friendship changes when one friend finds romance. But change doesn’t mean it’s over.”
Let me tell you a fun fact on how I actually felt upon and while reading this book. Allow me to visualize it to when someone picks a pulchritudinous rose. Now, imagine seeing a rose flower in the distance. Pretty enticing, right? Now you come near it because you just couldn't resist. Its dazzling petals are calling out to you. Wouldn't you feel somehow rueful just ignoring the way it's hissing at the sight of you? So you saunter towards it and pick it up deliberately. But you haven't noticed its thorns prickle at your skin. Then, realizing there's blood slithering all over the palm of the hand you used to grasp it, you suddenly gasp in utter pain and agony. But still, the hurt lingers. Soon after, you wail and whimper and weep some more. It doesn't stop you from holding the rose much longer though. You assess its beauty. You want to examine it more closely. There you go. You find that you can't stop yourself even though your hands still tremble in the aftermath. Suddenly, without so much as a hint of a warning, you get irritated but then you shake it off like it was not there in the first place. Eventually, you feel the urge to smell it. Woah, that ambrosial smell! It must have been a gift from the gods! But you try hard not to let it get to you. Soon you figure out that you are not as invulnerable as you think you are so you keep the delicate rose and put it into a small container under water just so it would live long because you know in your heart it spoke many life lessons unto you and made known a gallimaufry of emotions but otherwise the best feeling in the world.
"I will myself to turn all my nerves into confidence, to release all the butterflies in my stomach into the cold city air, so that there will be only one butterfly left. Me."
I found its plot weaved exquisitely with its lush prose and down-to-earth historical narrative. It had me taken aback, had me rooting for Stephen and his growing horde of gay activists, had me beaming with excitement, had me tittering uncontrollably, had me sniveling for eternity, had me vexed with how the characters were being treated at times, had put me on the same wavelength as theirs and had indisputably pulled at my heartstrings completely. This book is sheer beauty at its finest. If these things still do not make you want to read it, then I do not know what will.
"We all come from love. And that’s where we’re going too. Where we are now, that’s the complicated part."
June 22, 2021
As a teen in the 80s I knew people died of AIDS. But it felt far away. Until I saw Rene Klijn, a beautiful fragile Dutch guy singing on television. His performance (Mr. Blue) touched my whole being. And when he died in 1993 it hurt. Of course I knew facts about AIDS, I knew the prejudices, and I knew Freddy Mercury died of AIDS. But Rene Klijn made me really understand what AIDS did to your body, to your whole life, what people having AIDS went through.
Don’t forget me. Not just me. Us. All of us. What we did. What we fought for. Our history. Who we are. They won’t teach it in schools. They don’t want us to have a history. They don’t see us. They don’t know we are another country, with invisible borders, that we are people. You have to make them see.
I loved this story about friendship, accepting yourself, prejudices, and finding love. I don’t think it’s perfect, and I could tell you a couple of things I liked less, but ... I loved the messiness Reza, Art and Judy brought with them, Art and Judy both falling for Reza. I loved to read about their doubts, their (secret) dreams, wanting to be accepted, as a gay boy or as a firmer girl. I loved the references to the pop culture back then, even though I’ve never been a huge Madonna fan, but Cindy Lauper’s ‘Time after Time’ is iconic, and when the Communards were mentioned twice I couldn’t get ‘Don’t leave me this way’ out of my head. I loved Stephen’s part of the story and had a lump in my throat when he died. And when I finished the story I was crying.
Although HIV is controllable these days, it’s still not curable and I believe, like Stephen said in the quote above, it’s important for teens to know where we came from, the fear, the suffering, people dying. If you haven’t yet, I’d suggest reading Where We Go from Here as well because that story gives a perfect inside of HIV nowadays.
Don’t forget me. Not just me. Us. All of us. What we did. What we fought for. Our history. Who we are. They won’t teach it in schools. They don’t want us to have a history. They don’t see us. They don’t know we are another country, with invisible borders, that we are people. You have to make them see.
I loved this story about friendship, accepting yourself, prejudices, and finding love. I don’t think it’s perfect, and I could tell you a couple of things I liked less, but ... I loved the messiness Reza, Art and Judy brought with them, Art and Judy both falling for Reza. I loved to read about their doubts, their (secret) dreams, wanting to be accepted, as a gay boy or as a firmer girl. I loved the references to the pop culture back then, even though I’ve never been a huge Madonna fan, but Cindy Lauper’s ‘Time after Time’ is iconic, and when the Communards were mentioned twice I couldn’t get ‘Don’t leave me this way’ out of my head. I loved Stephen’s part of the story and had a lump in my throat when he died. And when I finished the story I was crying.
Although HIV is controllable these days, it’s still not curable and I believe, like Stephen said in the quote above, it’s important for teens to know where we came from, the fear, the suffering, people dying. If you haven’t yet, I’d suggest reading Where We Go from Here as well because that story gives a perfect inside of HIV nowadays.
August 12, 2022
۳.۵ از ۵
حقیقتا تنها چیزی که هیجان زدم کرد واسه خوندن این کتاب شخصیت اصلی ایرانیش بود.
میخواستم بدونم چه احساسی داشته یه نوجوون مهاجر ایرانی، تو دهه ۸۰ وسط نیویورک درحال مواجهه با اپیدمی ایدز باشی و متوجه شی که گیای. متوجه شی باید با تمام دنیای اطرافت و خانوادهی ایرانیت بجنگی و تو ترس دائم از مریضی که هیچ کس واسش اهمیت نداره زندگی کنی. دیدم خیلی حسش متفاوت از چیزی نیست که من هرروز حس میکنم، هرروز خودمو وسط یه جنگ روانی بزرگ با دنیای اطرافم پیدا میکنم، از آیندم میترسم و نمیدونم باید چیکار کنم. این احساسها جهانی تر از چیزین که هرکس میتونه تصور کنه، احساس مشترکی که یه جامعه رو بهم پیوند میزنه و برای اون ها اهداف مشترکی رو تعریف میکنه.
با این که نیمهی اول کتاب رو بیشتر دوست داشتم ولی بصورت کلی از توصیفهای نویسنده از منهتن و ایست ویلیج خیلی لذت بردم. شاید کتاب اونقدرا هم ��دید نبود ولی به حد کافی برام دوست داشتنی بود.
حقیقتا تنها چیزی که هیجان زدم کرد واسه خوندن این کتاب شخصیت اصلی ایرانیش بود.
میخواستم بدونم چه احساسی داشته یه نوجوون مهاجر ایرانی، تو دهه ۸۰ وسط نیویورک درحال مواجهه با اپیدمی ایدز باشی و متوجه شی که گیای. متوجه شی باید با تمام دنیای اطرافت و خانوادهی ایرانیت بجنگی و تو ترس دائم از مریضی که هیچ کس واسش اهمیت نداره زندگی کنی. دیدم خیلی حسش متفاوت از چیزی نیست که من هرروز حس میکنم، هرروز خودمو وسط یه جنگ روانی بزرگ با دنیای اطرافم پیدا میکنم، از آیندم میترسم و نمیدونم باید چیکار کنم. این احساسها جهانی تر از چیزین که هرکس میتونه تصور کنه، احساس مشترکی که یه جامعه رو بهم پیوند میزنه و برای اون ها اهداف مشترکی رو تعریف میکنه.
با این که نیمهی اول کتاب رو بیشتر دوست داشتم ولی بصورت کلی از توصیفهای نویسنده از منهتن و ایست ویلیج خیلی لذت بردم. شاید کتاب اونقدرا هم ��دید نبود ولی به حد کافی برام دوست داشتنی بود.
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September 17, 2021“The most important four-letter word in our history will always be love. That’s what we are fighting for. That’s who we are. Love is our legacy.”
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June 12, 2019
I feel like I fought and I loved and I lived through these dynamic, flawed characters.
I feel like crying.
I feel like loving and loving and loving.
Like a Love Story gifts us every shade of the emotional rainbow.
I feel like crying.
I feel like loving and loving and loving.
Like a Love Story gifts us every shade of the emotional rainbow.
July 8, 2019
This book will save the lives of young people in the queer community. I mean that literally and figuratively. A necessary addition to the LGBTQ+ canon that is being (and will continue to be) embraced by many—and rightly so. I’m happy this book is in the world.
XOXO
XOXO
June 7, 2020
4.5, rounded down.
One of the better YA LGBTQ+ books out there, it was surprisingly unputdownable and involving, with interesting and full-bodied characters (which ISN'T a crack about Judy's weight issues!). If it goes a bit over the top and didactic towards the end, to pull on those tear ducts - well, I have to admit it was effective. A few things disconcerted me: I never really got why everyone blamed Art (including himself) for the weird situation between Judy and Reza - it seemed to me he bent over backwards to put himself out of the picture - Judy's reaction seemed totally uncalled for to me.
And while I can still recall how scary those days before AIDS meds became common were, Reza's total phobia about ANY sexual expression seemed out of proportion, especially in a horny teenage boy. And why they would use condoms for their first experience when neither had ANY risk factors at all and COULD (as Art suggests) get tested, is rather ludicrous.
And though I suppose the various places the three main characters end up in are appropriate, I would have been happier with a happier ending! :-) Still, I was heartened at how much I enjoyed this... and since the author is also a film producer, he'd better get cracking on pre-production before Beanie Feldstein ages out of playing Judy! As it is, Ezra Miller is already too old to play Art! :-(
PS ... kind of bittersweet to finish this on the day of Larry Kramer's death, since he is name checked in the acknowledgements, and was one of the founders of ACT UP, which plays a large role in the proceedings here.
One of the better YA LGBTQ+ books out there, it was surprisingly unputdownable and involving, with interesting and full-bodied characters (which ISN'T a crack about Judy's weight issues!). If it goes a bit over the top and didactic towards the end, to pull on those tear ducts - well, I have to admit it was effective. A few things disconcerted me: I never really got why everyone blamed Art (including himself) for the weird situation between Judy and Reza - it seemed to me he bent over backwards to put himself out of the picture - Judy's reaction seemed totally uncalled for to me.
And while I can still recall how scary those days before AIDS meds became common were, Reza's total phobia about ANY sexual expression seemed out of proportion, especially in a horny teenage boy. And why they would use condoms for their first experience when neither had ANY risk factors at all and COULD (as Art suggests) get tested, is rather ludicrous.
And though I suppose the various places the three main characters end up in are appropriate, I would have been happier with a happier ending! :-) Still, I was heartened at how much I enjoyed this... and since the author is also a film producer, he'd better get cracking on pre-production before Beanie Feldstein ages out of playing Judy! As it is, Ezra Miller is already too old to play Art! :-(
PS ... kind of bittersweet to finish this on the day of Larry Kramer's death, since he is name checked in the acknowledgements, and was one of the founders of ACT UP, which plays a large role in the proceedings here.
April 12, 2020
Ainda preciso absorver tudo o que aprendi com esse livro mas ele é, de longe, um dos meus favoritos do ano e da vida. Que história linda, sincera e apaixonante. Ri, chorei, me diverti e, principalmente, descobri um pouquinho mais de mim.
Super recomendo!
Super recomendo!
January 9, 2020
This was honestly one of the worst LGBT+ stories I’ve ever read. Almost nothing in this book worked for me, though to be fair I’ll mention upfront the few things that did. I genuinely liked Reza as a character. I thought his struggle with coming to terms with his sexuality was very moving and I felt for him throughout. I also do like the idea of setting a YA novel during the AIDS crisis because it is something that is almost never talked about in American history.
Aaaand that’s about it for positives. SPOILERS BELOW
Let’s start with Art. Art is one of the most loathsome queer characters I’ve ever had the displeasure of reading about. He’s pushy, selfish and one dimensional. He had almost no character traits outside of being angry and gay. He polices how other queer people use language which is NEVER okay to do. If you’re a minority and want to reclaim a slur that’s on you but you should NEVER tell someone else in that same minority group that they have to automatically accept that. Art and Reza’s romance also falls completely flat. One reason is that they really only are together because they’re the only queer men in each other’s lives (which yes I realize dating while queer is hard) but they had absolutely no chemistry. The most they did was talk about Madonna which gets very old very fast. The other issue is how Art keeps trying to push Reza into having sex with him when he’s clearly not ready. Even though part of it is just trying to convince him they won’t get sick if they’re careful, it’s still gross to read about a partner pressuring their significant other into sex. AND THEN after Art spent the entire first half of the book whining about wanting to be with Reza, he’s willing to dump him almost immediately to leave to go to school. Why torture us with such a meaningless relationship if it’s not going to even go anywhere?!
Then there’s Judy. She’s not as bad as Art but my issue is more just the role she occupies in the story. I’m personally so over the whole “queer men date a straight girl but hurt her when they come out” narrative. It’s boring, cliched and predictable and given how this book literally only focuses on gay men, it’s continuing the frustrating trend of women’s only roles in LGBT+ stories being there to be hurt. And while I appreciated that Judy was fat and lower class, I really hated how prioritized her feelings were in this queer narrative. I’m not saying queer characters should be flawless but in a story about queer people dying for literally just being queer, I loathed that the emotional crux of the entire friend group rested with a straight character.
Rapid fire complaints now
This book includes a straight character policing a queer characters language, their excuse being they had to listen to a family member being called the f slur so they can’t bear to hear it... Get over yourself.
Reza’s HORRIBLE stepbrother is given a completely unearned redemption when, after being a completely homophobic dick throughout most of the book, is suddenly forgiven when it’s revealed he has mommy issues and for getting with Judy (who he also was awful to throughout the entire book but whatever...)
With the exception of Reza, almost every queer character in this story (or at least the ones with significant roles) are gay white men. And that’s not to diminish the real-life victims of the AIDS crisis but given that the book includes almost NO queer women, trans characters or other characters of color seems like a huge missed opportunity. (A much better, more inclusive depiction of this is FX’s Pose).
I really wanted to like this book. I wanted a book that could educate people on one of the darkest times in queer history but this book was most definitely not it.
Aaaand that’s about it for positives. SPOILERS BELOW
Let’s start with Art. Art is one of the most loathsome queer characters I’ve ever had the displeasure of reading about. He’s pushy, selfish and one dimensional. He had almost no character traits outside of being angry and gay. He polices how other queer people use language which is NEVER okay to do. If you’re a minority and want to reclaim a slur that’s on you but you should NEVER tell someone else in that same minority group that they have to automatically accept that. Art and Reza’s romance also falls completely flat. One reason is that they really only are together because they’re the only queer men in each other’s lives (which yes I realize dating while queer is hard) but they had absolutely no chemistry. The most they did was talk about Madonna which gets very old very fast. The other issue is how Art keeps trying to push Reza into having sex with him when he’s clearly not ready. Even though part of it is just trying to convince him they won’t get sick if they’re careful, it’s still gross to read about a partner pressuring their significant other into sex. AND THEN after Art spent the entire first half of the book whining about wanting to be with Reza, he’s willing to dump him almost immediately to leave to go to school. Why torture us with such a meaningless relationship if it’s not going to even go anywhere?!
Then there’s Judy. She’s not as bad as Art but my issue is more just the role she occupies in the story. I’m personally so over the whole “queer men date a straight girl but hurt her when they come out” narrative. It’s boring, cliched and predictable and given how this book literally only focuses on gay men, it’s continuing the frustrating trend of women’s only roles in LGBT+ stories being there to be hurt. And while I appreciated that Judy was fat and lower class, I really hated how prioritized her feelings were in this queer narrative. I’m not saying queer characters should be flawless but in a story about queer people dying for literally just being queer, I loathed that the emotional crux of the entire friend group rested with a straight character.
Rapid fire complaints now
This book includes a straight character policing a queer characters language, their excuse being they had to listen to a family member being called the f slur so they can’t bear to hear it... Get over yourself.
Reza’s HORRIBLE stepbrother is given a completely unearned redemption when, after being a completely homophobic dick throughout most of the book, is suddenly forgiven when it’s revealed he has mommy issues and for getting with Judy (who he also was awful to throughout the entire book but whatever...)
With the exception of Reza, almost every queer character in this story (or at least the ones with significant roles) are gay white men. And that’s not to diminish the real-life victims of the AIDS crisis but given that the book includes almost NO queer women, trans characters or other characters of color seems like a huge missed opportunity. (A much better, more inclusive depiction of this is FX’s Pose).
I really wanted to like this book. I wanted a book that could educate people on one of the darkest times in queer history but this book was most definitely not it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2022
“don’t forget me. not just me. us. all of us. what we did. what we fought for. our history. who we are. they won’t teach it in schools. they don’t want us to have a history. they don’t see us. they don’t know we are another country, with invisible borders, that we are people. you have to make them see.”
like a love story takes place during the height of the aids crisis in the 1980s. it follows 3 teens: reza - an iranian boy in new york who knows he’s gay but beyond that, all he knows of gay life is from the media: men dying from aids, fear. judy - a headstrong designer who falls for reza. and art - judy's best friend and the only out and proud boy at school who documents the aids crisis through his lenses. the world is changing; these kids are right in the middle of it.
like a love story is a love letter to the queer community and a queer history lesson. a memorial of those who fought for us to have the life we have today, a thank you to them - all the gorgeous souls before us, their strength and courage, their will to live, singing a song of love and fight. a reminder of where we come from, the snapshots of our past, of people and moments in history that we will honor and never forget - the intimacy, drag queens, rage, found family, dancing, and so much love.
when reading queer history fiction, i love thinking of characters as actual people, wondering whether they would be proud of us. we will never get to meet them, but they live on in these pages, and i’d like to think they would be smiling down at us, proud that there was a purpose to all they did.
which is why like a love story is also a reminder for those living now; for us. a reminder to be brave and to live even when the world still wants to tell you “no”. to find community, to protect each other. a reminder that with all the anti-lgbtq+ bills, our work is never done. that we will continue to fight for us, for the right to exist alongside everyone else, for those before us, and for the kids who will come after us.
love is our legacy. that’s who we are and what we’re fighting for.
history will remember us.
June 19, 2019
TOTAL READING TIME: 5 hours.
My eighth book for Pride Month 2019!
These are going to be some strong words, but: this isn't just my favorite out of all the books I've read this month for Pride Month. This is my absolute favorite queer Young Adult book of all time.
I know there is no such thing as perfection or flawlessness. But even if this book did have flaws, they were minuscule enough for me either not to notice or not to care. All of this book's themes were interwoven so seamlessly--love, romance, the AIDS crisis, activism, homophobia, friendship, betrayal, coming out, immigration, culture, grief, and death--that it didn't feel like this book was taking on too much and seeming jumbled or unfocused. Not every book can pull off including a lot of themes in one story, but Like a Love Story more than pulled it off.
And I also loved how, despite it being under the historical fiction genre (oh my, how fast time flies! We're in 2019 and the late 80s/early 90s are now historical fiction!), it didn't feel... outdated. HIV/AIDS never went away, but while I read this book, I felt like the actual crisis that happened in the United States during the 80's was somehow... still happening. Abdi Nazemian's writing was just so immersive and captivating that I felt like I was in the book, with the characters, feeling what they were feeling, seeing what they were seeing. I could feel Art's anger, Reza's fear, Judy's loneliness. I also appreciated the specificity of the events that Nazemian chose to base this book on, such as the Wall Street protest and the St. Patrick's Cathedral protest, but I guess he had to since Judy's uncle Stephen was an actual member of ACT UP, an activist group fighting for a cure for AIDS, and not simply just a man dying from the AIDS crisis. But maybe it's also because we're put back in a time where we now have even bigger reasons to organize large-scale protests. Now that I think about it, there really isn't much of a difference between the state of the world in this book, and the state of the world we're in now, which is why it didn't feel like historical fiction and instead felt more like a modern-day novel.
And the characters. Oh, the characters. Art, my baby boy. He was my favorite out of all of them. If he and Reza and Judy were real, they'd actually be older than my parents right now, but I never stopped wanting to protect them. I wanted them to live forever and ever and ever, and while the very last chapter of this book does mention another real-life attack on LGBTQ+ people, a reminder that while we have come a long way, that there are still many, many more battles to be fought, I'm glad they all had happy endings.
I genuinely feel like this book is one of, if not the most important Young Adult book right now, alongside the likes of Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give or Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely's All American Boys. LGBTQ+ people are still under attack today, and maybe that's why this book surpasses the concept of time and history. This book is still relevant today, and that's actually terrifying. But before I can scare people too much, this book wasn't just about how queer people were systemically oppressed back then (and still are). This book was also about love. About friendship. About found families and about acceptance. And in that sense, this book was multi-faceted in that every component, every theme, were equally important.
I encourage everyone to read ALL of the LGBTQ+ books they can get their hands on, but if you can only read one queer YA book in your life, let it be this. Maybe I'm overselling it, some people might disagree, but I don't care. I know it's only been a couple of weeks since this book was released, but it is unacceptable that this has less than 300 ratings. I am ecstatic that Like a Love Story is being optioned for film, and once it hopefully gains the publicity and attention from that, I hope more people read this important and absolutely wonderful book. It's something I'm going to be thinking about constantly for a long, long time.
My eighth book for Pride Month 2019!
These are going to be some strong words, but: this isn't just my favorite out of all the books I've read this month for Pride Month. This is my absolute favorite queer Young Adult book of all time.
I know there is no such thing as perfection or flawlessness. But even if this book did have flaws, they were minuscule enough for me either not to notice or not to care. All of this book's themes were interwoven so seamlessly--love, romance, the AIDS crisis, activism, homophobia, friendship, betrayal, coming out, immigration, culture, grief, and death--that it didn't feel like this book was taking on too much and seeming jumbled or unfocused. Not every book can pull off including a lot of themes in one story, but Like a Love Story more than pulled it off.
And I also loved how, despite it being under the historical fiction genre (oh my, how fast time flies! We're in 2019 and the late 80s/early 90s are now historical fiction!), it didn't feel... outdated. HIV/AIDS never went away, but while I read this book, I felt like the actual crisis that happened in the United States during the 80's was somehow... still happening. Abdi Nazemian's writing was just so immersive and captivating that I felt like I was in the book, with the characters, feeling what they were feeling, seeing what they were seeing. I could feel Art's anger, Reza's fear, Judy's loneliness. I also appreciated the specificity of the events that Nazemian chose to base this book on, such as the Wall Street protest and the St. Patrick's Cathedral protest, but I guess he had to since Judy's uncle Stephen was an actual member of ACT UP, an activist group fighting for a cure for AIDS, and not simply just a man dying from the AIDS crisis. But maybe it's also because we're put back in a time where we now have even bigger reasons to organize large-scale protests. Now that I think about it, there really isn't much of a difference between the state of the world in this book, and the state of the world we're in now, which is why it didn't feel like historical fiction and instead felt more like a modern-day novel.
And the characters. Oh, the characters. Art, my baby boy. He was my favorite out of all of them. If he and Reza and Judy were real, they'd actually be older than my parents right now, but I never stopped wanting to protect them. I wanted them to live forever and ever and ever, and while the very last chapter of this book does mention another real-life attack on LGBTQ+ people, a reminder that while we have come a long way, that there are still many, many more battles to be fought, I'm glad they all had happy endings.
I genuinely feel like this book is one of, if not the most important Young Adult book right now, alongside the likes of Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give or Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely's All American Boys. LGBTQ+ people are still under attack today, and maybe that's why this book surpasses the concept of time and history. This book is still relevant today, and that's actually terrifying. But before I can scare people too much, this book wasn't just about how queer people were systemically oppressed back then (and still are). This book was also about love. About friendship. About found families and about acceptance. And in that sense, this book was multi-faceted in that every component, every theme, were equally important.
I encourage everyone to read ALL of the LGBTQ+ books they can get their hands on, but if you can only read one queer YA book in your life, let it be this. Maybe I'm overselling it, some people might disagree, but I don't care. I know it's only been a couple of weeks since this book was released, but it is unacceptable that this has less than 300 ratings. I am ecstatic that Like a Love Story is being optioned for film, and once it hopefully gains the publicity and attention from that, I hope more people read this important and absolutely wonderful book. It's something I'm going to be thinking about constantly for a long, long time.
November 12, 2020
Never in my life have I cried while reading a book as much as I have cried while reading Like a Love Story.
It was heart-wrenching. It was beautiful and tragic and eye-opening and... I don’t have the words. It transcends. It’s about friendship, and loss, and family, and most importantly, it’s about LOVE.
I’m a mess. Please, please read this book.
It was heart-wrenching. It was beautiful and tragic and eye-opening and... I don’t have the words. It transcends. It’s about friendship, and loss, and family, and most importantly, it’s about LOVE.
I’m a mess. Please, please read this book.
July 7, 2021
This one is hard to review. I appreciate the historical aspect and passion in the novel. But, Art and Judy are so dislikable. Judy was written very poorly. Why did she judge and/or hate other women?? And Art was so selfish, and pressured Reza to do the deed with him. Overall, this story was educational, but these characters were annoying. (Except for Reza, I loved him.)
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