Title: Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel
Author: Sara Farizan
Genres: romance, realistic fiction, LGBTQIA
Pages: 304
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Review Copy: the library
Availability: October 7th 2014
Summary: Leila has made it most of the way through Armstead Academy without having a crush on anyone, which is something of a relief. As an Iranian American, she’s different enough; if word got out that she liked girls, life would be twice as hard. But when beautiful new girl Saskia shows up, Leila starts to take risks she never thought she would, especially when it looks as if the attraction between them is mutual. Struggling to sort out her growing feelings and Saskia’s confusing signals, Leila confides in her old friend, Lisa, and grows closer to her fellow drama tech-crew members, especially Tomas, whose comments about his own sexuality are frank, funny, wise, and sometimes painful. Gradually, Leila begins to see that almost all her classmates are more complicated than they first appear to be, and many are keeping fascinating secrets of their own. [Image and summary via Goodreads]
Review: I was pretty much slammed with ~feelings~ right away when I started reading Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel. The writing is fun, simple, and easy to get into. I fell in love with Leila’s character, her teenage struggles and her relationship with her family. Leila’s romance was equally amazing.
The one thing the book was lacking was backstory and motivation for certain side characters. It would be great to have a sequel fleshing out these other characters, who didn’t feel quite as complex or fleshed out as Leila — though, to be fair, Leila is hard to beat. The key plot twist in the book was surprising and bordering on inexplicable. Still, I was invested enough in Leila herself to enjoy the book from beginning to end.
Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel is definitely a must-read! Get it when you have the chance.
Recommendation: Get it soon!