Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I had seen this book floating around on Goodreads and a few of the Booktubers I watch have read it so I thought I'd give it a try. It easily became my first 5 star read of 2019. Thank you, Tahereh Mafi for writing this beautiful story with beautiful characters.
This story is set only a year after 9/11, in 2002. It's an extremely sensitive time in the United States. You never think a terrorist attack can happen to your country until it does, most people are now on edge deathly afraid that another one is bound to happen. This makes it hard for someone like Shirin, a sixteen year old Muslim girl to live in the U.S. She also is tired of being stereotyped and is angry that people can be so horrible to her. She never did anything to hurt them but they are too willing to hurt her. Shirin is tired of the rude stares, degrading comments and occasional physical violence that happens because of her race, religion and the hijab she wears. She has built up protective walls and refuses to get close to anyone except her parents and her brother. Instead she drowns out her never ending frustration through music, specifically by breakdancing in the afternoons with her brother. One day a guy, Ocean James, accidentally bumps into Shirin with his biology book and after their first encounter everything is different. He is the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her because they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds and Shirin has had her guard up for so long she's not sure she'll every be able to let it down. But Ocean is determined to break down her walls, he wants to know everything he is able to find out about Shirin - he knows she's different but in the best and most beautiful way.
I love this book soooo much. It is my first (and hopefully not the last) five star book of 2019! Woo! This book was written so beautifully, the previous book I read is nothing compared to this one. Shirin and Ocean's relationship was so perfect. Ocean not being afraid of saying this is so respectable and it was perfect how that impressed Shirin. I loved that no matter how hard she tried she couldn't keep her walls up from him. Ocean was such a pure character and he is now my new book boyfriend (sorry ladies). My thoughts are so jumbled and I can't seem to write well but it's because I'm so shocked by how much I just LOVED this book. It's my favorite book I've read in 2019 as of right now (January 18th).
I loved it so much that I went and got a signed copy at Barnes & Noble. So worth it and I already know that I will be rereading this!
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