As a reader, I find the Middle East fascinating and interesting. I mean, I’ve read like 2 books set in Iran – this one and Persepolis I. I loved the setting in If You Could Be Mine. She’s level headed for the MOST part, except when she’s backed into a corner.

Sahar is the sort of character who works very hard at school and at home. Even though I wanted to have a little chat with her about what is silly and what is not, I empathized with her and her problems. Yet, at the same time, I could understand her foolish ideas because when you are in love you want to be with that person no matter what, and sometimes when you are panicked you might do stupid things. You see, Sahar has some pretty dumb, risky ideas to stop the wedding. I just wanted her to move to America or Europe and have a happy ending where she could be gay without fear, and out of the closet. Basically Sahar is SOL.Įven though I cringed pretty consistently at Sahar’s actions in If You Could Be Mine, I still was hopeful for her.

OH and she has to come up with a way to stop the wedding so that she can still be with her love, Nasrin. On top of that, Sahar must study very, very hard to pass her exams and earn a place at the University of Tehran and become a doctor. Meanwhile, she’s also taking care of her dad, as her mom died of a heart attack. Unfortunately, the two cannot be together because being gay is basically against the law in Iran and Sahar could be killed because of it. The problem, though, is that Sahar is in love with Nasrin. Normally, this would not be such a huge deal. Sahar’s best friend Nasrin is about to get married. I inhaled If You Could Be Mine, feeling on edge for most of the reading experience. Still, I saw it up and netgalley and immediately had to request. I mean, perhaps my reading is very narrow and that’s why. Friends, I was so freakin pumped up over If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan because it’s about a lesbian Muslim girl who lives in Iran and I have never come across that before. Y’all, the publisher Algonquin has this new house called Algonquin Young Readers, which publishes you guessed it YA. Reading books with unique concepts is kind of my favorite thing ever, especially when said book is a young adult contemporary with a situation that I have never encountered before.

If you could be mine by sara farizan