Like A Love Story.

☆☆☆☆☆

like a love story.
abdi nazemian.

Publisher  Balzer+ Bray.

Publication Date:June 4,2019.

Genre: YA Contemporary|LGBT.

Format|Pages: Hardcover|432.

 Source:  Goodreads|Library.

 CONTAINS SPOILERS

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. 

 ✎

Woah. I was not sure what to expect from this book when I picked it up from library. However, I remember hearing few good reviews about it and I wanted to check it out. Once I started to read it, I knew that LIKE A LOVE STORY would end up a book that I was going to enjoy, instead I ended up falling in love with it. I do not think that there was anything about this story that I did not enjoy. I felt as if every page, every chapter had me falling more in love. Multiple times I had force myself to put down due to work, school and homework. I always looked forward to returning to it that night and seeing what was going to happen next. LIKE A LOVE STORY had me wishing that I had more time to read. There were few times at night where I did read later than I should have but that is because I was engaged with story and had trouble setting it down. There were a lot of emotions that went through me while reading LIKE A LOVE STORY and I felt inspired afterwards. It’s such magical, breathtaking story. I am still thinking about it.



I liked all of the characters; however, both Art and Reza were my favorites. I felt the connection and attraction between Reza and Art from the moment that the two of them met. I think that Reza knew that but instead of accepting it, he denied it. He should not date Judy, and if he told her right from the start, all the pain and the anger could had been avoiding. At least that is the feeling I have. I felt horrible for Judy and how she got hurt, but at the same time I was happy when Art and Reza finally got together. It was clear from the moment that the two of them got together, that they belonged with each other. I do wish that Reza was not so afraid all the time, but understood why he was. Considering what was going on, I would be too. I did find myself hoping that at some point he would let Art in, that he would see that there was nothing to be afraid of. I hoped a happy ending for both of them, considering what they had go through to get together. It was one of the reasons that I was not too happy with the ending; it was not the one that I was hoping for.



I have read few LGBT novels through the years, but it was nothing LIKE A LOVE STORY . It one of the most incredible, inspiring books that I have read. A book that will stay with you and you will find yourself thinking about long after turning the last page. It is powerful. A story about love, friendship, hope. A book that I would highly recommend to everyone.