Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel – Sara Farizan

20312458 Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Borrowed
Published: 2014
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, LGBTQIA+, Romance, High School, Friendship, Family

REVIEW:

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve been in a book slump since the beginning of this whole confinement situation. Sure, I’ve finished a couple of books and enjoyed a few too, but it just hasn’t been the same at all.

That is, until I got to this beautiful little surprise. This is a book that has been on my TBR pile for many years, and I always thought of it as a book I would read if I had no more books I wanted to read. Crazy, right? But hell, I missed reading LGBTQIA+ stories so I gave this one a shot.

I read it in a single day, in two sittings, with real interest. No more book slumping for me. I can’t imagine what it would be like for someone whose parents come from a country that has criminalized homosexuality to realize they are gay and deal with this fact, but that is exactly Leila’s situation.

This year is a challenging one for Leila. Before, she could hide her sexual orientation from her family and friends, but it becomes harder when Saskia enters the picture and her former best friend Lisa starts acknowledging her again. Leila learns about authenticity, true friendship and true connection the hard way. Not from a book, not from classes but from life experience.

It’s a book that is both heavy and light. There is humour but also deeper messages and scenes. It made me feel both relaxed and tense. Yet I recommend it highly.

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