Sarvenaz Tash’s Virtually Yours is a delightful and lighthearted read that is sure to please romance fans. It follows Mariam Vakilian, who is a freshman at NYU. Right before leaving for college, Mariam and her long-time boyfriend Caleb broke up and now Mariam finds herself struggling to move on and date new people. When she receives a coupon from a new virtual reality dating service called HEAVR, she decides to give it a go. Maybe it will give her the kickstart she needs to get over Caleb. HEAVR throws a monkey wrench into Mariam’s plan, however, when one of her top three matches ends up being Caleb of all people. Mariam is torn because as much as she knows she should move on, surely this must be a sign that she and Caleb were meant to be together, right?

Mariam was my absolute favorite part of Virtually Yours. She’s incredibly relatable because she’s so perfectly imperfect. She’s a sweet girl, one I could easily see myself making friends with if I was at NYU, She’s also that friend that you love so much, but at the same time, find yourself wanting to scream at because she doesn’t think and ends up doing cringy things. Or maybe she’s me. Haven’t we all made bad decisions at times even when our hearts are in the right place? Anyway, I just loved Mariam, flaws and all. I especially loved her journey because at the beginning of the story, she’s clinging to her past so tightly that she can’t even see what’s right in front of her face. It was fun to watch her “wake up” so to speak. For that reason, I’d consider Virtually Yours equal parts rom-com, coming of age story.

My biggest issue with Virtually Yours is that I found the HEAVR match results to be unrealistic. I mean, seriously, if you select ‘Worldwide’ in terms of who you’re willing to be matched with, what are the odds that out of all the people in the world using that service, two out of your top three matches end up being people you know? That just really annoyed me and had me considering not finishing the book, but I finally let it go and ended up enjoying the rest of the story. I was also not a fan of the catfishing in the novel. I understood why it was there but could have done without it.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy read that will leave you with a smile on your face, give Virtually Yours a try. You won’t regret it! 3.5 STARS

I really did enjoy this book however, I do not understand why sometimes they only allow it on a protected pdf. I hate that format!

Thanks Net Galley for the preview!

I loved the description of this book and could not put it down! I instantly fell in love with and related to Mariam. I could relate to feeling lost after a break-up and not knowing who to turn to. The VR part was interesting and put a twist on modern day dating. I loved the subtle start to Mariam and Jeremy's relationship and the things that brought them together seemed fresh and exciting. This book never felt predictable or boring and I couldn't get enough. I would have loved a few more chapters- I will be hoping for a sequel!

Honestly, I feel like <i>Virtually Yours</i> by Sarvenaz Tash had a pretty interesting premise and a fantastic start. Overall, I was really enjoying the read as I began. After a little while, though, I began to slowly lose interest until I realized that I didn't actually care about any of the characters in the story. <i>Virtually Yours</i> follows Mariam Vakilian, a Freshman at NYU as she navigates the world after her breakup with long-time High School boyfriend, Caleb. In an attempt to move past her first love, Miriam decides to give virtual dating a try since all of the college students were given a coupon for the dating service at the start of the year anyway. Amazingly, much to both her surprise and perhaps targeting her lack of self-control in this case, Miriam soon finds out that one of her top three matches is none other than her ex-boyfriend. So, as any heartbroken girl might feel tempted to do, Miriam decides to try and convince her ex that they belong together by secretly dating him under a pseudonym and with a virtual reality avatar. Meanwhile, her number one match actually happens to be the guy she works with at the gym.

I really liked the idea for this story to begin with. It was cute, it was futuristic, and while I did feel certain I knew how the book would end (I was right) I was excited to give it a try. And to give credit where credit is due, <i>Virtually Yours</i> was off to a great start. I was intrigued, I enjoyed getting to know the characters, and I really felt like this was a story I could see happening in the future. I even recall commenting on how much I loved it at the beginning. And, wonderfully, the book was culturally diverse, which I appreciated. I think it was just an excitement over the premise and the belief that the story would just keep getting better. Unfortunately,<i> Virtually Yours</i> fizzled out about halfway through the novel and it had everything to do with the fact that none of the characters really seemed to have any chemistry with each other.

I just couldn't keep myself interested when I felt that there was very little reason, barring the fact that they had somehow held a relationship for two years, for Miriam to love the love interests and for them to love her. I didn't like the relationship with Caleb as there was nothing about the pair that made me feel they worked as a couple. I didn't like the relationship with Jeremy at all, largely because it often felt like the only thing Miriam and Jeremy talked about was her relationship with Caleb. I don't know how we're expected, as readers, to think that these two characters have gotten to know each other well enough when 99% of the subjects they talk about are Miriam's cat-fishing of her ex-boyfriend. It pretty much ruined it for me. There was no slow get to know you period, there were no moments where I felt that Miriam had genuine feelings for him and so all of the tension that was supposed to exist as a result of having feelings for him were present within the novel at all.

I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the supporting characters, either, as they all felt very flat, almost caricatures of their personality traits. It was unfortunate, but I genuinely didn't feel like I got to know any of them well at all and several felt like there were solely there for plot purposes. And I <i>hate</i> when characters only exist to serve a plot purpose. And I think this book basically just fell really flat when it came to getting to know its characters and actually having its readers care about these characters. It's a real shame, I think, since I do genuinely believe that this book got off to an amazing start. After a while, unfortunately, reading <i>Virtually Yours</i> simply felt more like a chore than anything else.

<i>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

VIRTUALLY YOURS was a fun, fast, and sweet read. It didn’t give me fireworks or butterflies, but it was still a solid YA romance.

Mariam Vakilian is a freshman at at NYU who has a coupon for a virtual-reality dating service called HEAVR. Her high school boyfriend of three years broke up with her, and she is ready to try out something new to get her mind off him. After going through the initial questionnaire supported by HEAVR’s happily ever after guarantee, Mariam sees her results: her #1 match is her coworker Jeremy, and her #3 match is her ex-boyfriend, Caleb. So, Mariam does what any heartbroken teenager might consider - she chooses Caleb and concocts an avatar with a fake name that looks nothing like her, and asks Caleb on a virtual date.

The catfishing plot bothered me much more than I thought it would. A few movies and books lately have done spins on the same thing, the recent movie SIERRA BURGESS IS A LOSER coming to mind. There’s something that’s just so wrong about these tropes, from the lying and deception to the level of obsession and conviction that it takes to keep the ruse up. It especially bothers me when the person being lied to comes to totally accept the lies and deception with very few questions asked. It’s so unrealistic! (For a better version of how this story can go, see any spin on Cyrano de Bergerac.) It took way too long for Mariam to see the error in what she did, and even in the end, her excuses of “I was heartbroken! I thought it was fate!” still win the day. Her friends and family are also pretty complicit in this, which is a little gross.

The chemistry between Mariam and Jeremy was really sweet and fun, but it was too few and far between to really ignite a love for the two characters together. Honestly, I think this book could have been longer and drawn out the interactions between them more, making it more of a pining-on-both-sides story. The ending is really rushed and doesn’t give you more than a ten-second glimpse into the happy ending as promised.

One aspect of this book that I loved was Tash’s integration of Iranian culture and family dynamics. Mariam and her family are Iranian Muslims, and it’s clear that her culture is a big part of her personal life; Tash brings in Iranian foods, sibling and parental relationships, and familial norms. It was a great way to make Mariam a more rounded character and to tell the story of a nonwhite female protagonist. Caleb is black and Jeremy is Mexican; Mariam’s college roommate Hedy is lesbian. And you don’t feel like any of these characters or their diverse traits are just thrown in as a token. Yay for diversity in YA and romance!

Overall, this was a solid and cute story with an interesting premise; I could have gone for a little less catfishing and a little more fun and flirty romance. Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks so much to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC of this!

I honestly don't have much to say about this book. Not in a bad way, but I just generally found it...fine.

The story follows college freshman, Mariam who has decided to embrace the world of virtual reality dating that has cropped up recently. After going through the entire matching process, it turns out that one of her options is Caleb, the ex boyfriend who broke her heart 5 months earlier. So, as any logical person would, she decides to VR date her ex boyfriend under a fake name and then shenanigans ensue.

I'm gonna start off by saying that I'm not huge on catfishing plots, especially catfishing that gets rewarded, so that whole thing kinda rubbed me the wrong way. It definitely wasn't the most problematic plot I've ever seen, but....eh.

The representation in this book? Fantastic. Almost every character was a POC and had a fully developed identity and home life. We get immigrant stories and biracial rep as well. The only major characters who aren't POC are queer, so that's pretty rad. This is one of the best examples of non-forced rep I've seen in a while. All of the identities seemed really natural and were explained without feeling diversity-bingo ish.

But, all in all, the plot was pretty bland and generic, and I wasn't super into any of the romances. It was a fine book, but not something I'd be banging anyone's door down about.

Trigger and Content Warnings: The whole book revolves around catfishing and deception, so... also there's a very brief and non graphic sex scene.

I'm glad more books are being written about the first year of college which can be confusing and stressful for many as you learn to balance the new with the old. This book is about online dating set in the near future where you can go on virtual reality dates through the online dating app. It is about learning to let go of old feelings and relationships from high school as you venture out into the new world of possibilities in college. Unfortunately, the deception part of this book where she tries virtually dating her ex on the app without him knowing was off putting to me. I get what the author was trying to do but I felt like too much focus was placed there instead of the new possibilities and relationships (both friends and romantic). Not my kind of book but I can see a lot of the teens I talk to at the library really enjoying it.

I loved this book! I will be recommending it to all my young adult readers! Thank you for this opportunity to connect books to their readers.

Virtually Yours was a cute, fun read. It's really nice to have a main character who isn't a young, white girl. Having an Iranian protagonist that shows real Iranian traditions was really awesome. Mariam was a funny character who was relatable. Even if Mariam is lying to these people and you think "stop cat-fishing!", you still like her! Caleb was kind of a blah character, but that didn't make me hate the book. Overall, it was a cute rom-com!

Currently unable to read this format but I look forward to reading a copy when it is published! Looks like a great premise and a fun read!

I would love to review this book, but the format makes it impossible. However, I am still interested in it and will read it when it publishes for consideration with my students.

This book was a truly delight to read. It follows Mariam, a freshman at NYU, who is fresh off of a break up from her first love, Caleb. In an attempt to get over him and adjust to college life, she goes to HEAVR, a new virtually reality dating service. When she takes their personality test, she is matched up with Caleb, as well as Jeremy, someone from her college. When she decides to go on a VR date with Caleb anonymously, things begin to spiral out of control. Mariam struggles with not only her love life, but also adjusting to being in college for the first time.

I loved this book. It was the perfect mix of humor, awkwardness, and drama. It felt very true to how college is, and I found it very easy to relate to Mariam and all her friends. I also loved the diversity of the characters in this book. The characters were all very well developed and felt like people. There were a few minor cliches and annoyances I had with the parts of the book, but I overall found it a great read and highly recommend this.

Unable to read and review due to the current format. If mobi becomes available, I'll download but I can't read a pdf. :-(