Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Goodreads Synopsis
Eighteen-year-old Amir Azadi always knew coming out to his Muslim family would be messy--he just didn't think it would end in an airport interrogation room. But when faced with a failed relationship, bullies, and blackmail, running away to Rome is his only option. Right? Soon, late nights with new friends and dates in the Sistine Chapel start to feel like second nature... until his old life comes knocking on his door. Now, Amir has to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth to a US Customs officer, or risk losing his hard-won freedom.
Review
How It All Blew Up was a fun and enlightening read that is told it multiple perspectives but mainly from our main character Amir. We follow Amir’s journey of struggling with being open about his sexuality, being blackmailed and how his family would react to the news. I liked Amir as a character, he was incredibly sweet but also incredibly naïve and at times made very stupid decisions. However, this made him realistic and sometimes relatable.
I found it difficult to connect with any of the other characters in this book but I think that it was because there wasn’t enough time to do so. The only character I seemed to like other than Amir was his sister.
Whilst I liked this book, I couldn’t find it in myself to love it. I felt there were too many coincidences in this book, for example he lands in Rome and on the same day he manages to meet another American who is also gay and in turn introduces him to another character who lets him stay with him in his apartment. It all just slotted together too perfectly and I wanted to see Amir struggle for a little bit in a new country!
I also wanted to see more from Amir and his family after being held at customs. I wanted to know about how the dynamic had changed or did it not? This was the main plot point of the book and I feel like it was very much brushed under the rug in the pretence of the families thoughts and feelings coming out in the customs interviews.
Overall, this was a quick read with humour and drama intertwined which shows how difficult it can be for people to come out to their family.
Rating: 3/5 stars