Happy Monday bookworms! Today's ARC review is for How It All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi. To start off I would like to thank Penguin Teen Canada for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review! This book comes out September 22nd so make sure to look out for it! How It All Blew Up follows Amir Azadi, who tries to avoid a stressful coming out situation with his family by fleeing to Rome. There he escapes the bullying, blackmail and failed relationship of home by making new friends and sightseeing. He never knew that all of it would end up with him and his family in an airport interrogation room. Now Amir has to tell the whole story to a customs officer or risk his new found freedom. From the first time I had read a sample of this book I was very excited to experience the whole story. The plot itself is very intriguing as we follow Amir’s journey through Rome. I admire Amir as a character because even though he was dealing with a very stressful and emotional situation, he still was kind and curious about the culture around him. I cannot speak to the accuracy of the muslim and LGTBQ representation, but as the book is own-voices I am confident in the content. What also stuck out to me was the genuineness of the friends that he meets on the way. I felt that all of the characters could be real people and I found that I was equally invested in their lives as I was with Amir’s. The book itself is written with a dual format. Those being Amir’s perspective of past events, as well as records of the interrogation room. I felt that the use of both these elements brought the story together in a unique and exciting way. I loved all of the characters but one that stands out in particular is Amir’s little sister Soraya. She was a very funny and compassionate character and her relationship with Amir reminded me of my sister and I which made it even more relatable. While I was interested the whole time while reading, the plot was a bit predictable at times. I also did not enjoy a certain story in the book that was a bit gruesome for me. I definitely see this book as memorable and one reason is the travel aspect and sightseeing vibe! It made me miss travelling a whole lot more, and was a great escape from our current reality. I would definitely recommend this for fans of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda! I gave this book a 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I hope you enjoyed my review of How It All Blew Up! I had a lot of fun reading, reviewing and photographing this book. Have you read any other Arvin Ahmadi books? Let me know in the comments below!
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AuthorPaige is a bookstagrammer and blogger who loves all things bookish. From fantasy to mystery she can’t get enough! She’s always ready to recommend you a book and she can talk about her favourites all day. When she’s not reading, you can find her watching Marvel movies, playing video games, and taking bookstagram photos. Visit her on Instagram and Twitter for more updates. CategoriesArchives
April 2024
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