It highlights the multiple layers of prejudice that one experiences being Muslim, brown, and lgbtqia+. The flashbacks where each character were able to tell their part of the story was fun. While the story is overall great, it was a little bit slow and took me a while to get through.

I won this arc in a giveaway to review but that in no way impacts my review. I give it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Overall I generally liked this book. It's not a perfect book and has some flaws but overall an interesting read.

Amir knows that he's gay but also strongly believes that his family will not approve. When Amir's blackmailed by a fellow classmate into giving him money to keep quiet about him being gay Amir decides to run away to Italy. There he befriends a group of Italian men. Our story is told through flashbacks as Amir's family is help at customs for interrogation.

I felt like the story was kind of choppy but I think that lends itself well to being in a room and being interrogated and knowing as an Iranian family that there are more than likely a lot of negative assumptions already being made or associated with you.

Occasionally Amir is educated in what could be described as Italian Gay culture and educates his new friends in pop culture. Those conversations didn't feel completely natural and almost like you were trying to explain something to your grandfather who doesn't really know how to use the internet.

The nipple story was so odd especially since it's referenced to multiple times in the story and is something that didn't happen to Amir just something he was told about. It felt like a random story the author had heard and felt like a story you might bring up when you're drunk but not one needed in this book.

I did appreciate getting some snippets of his parent's viewpoints and that their reaction felt plausible. No matter how much you love your kid, I can see that there could be some grief in regards to their life looking different than you imagine it. Also his parents knew how being different was difficult and knew that Amir being gay would make his life more difficult. I don't think its fair to share those concerns with your child as they are struggling with enough themselves.

I really enjoyed Down and Across, so I was excited to read this one, courtesy of NetGalley and Penguin in exchange for an honest review. I liked the story of Amir and his adventures in Italy as he explores his sexuality, friendship, and independence. Less successful was Amir’s character arc - he didn’t change all that much through the novel, though, to be fair, he did become less fearful of what others think of him (he runs away right before his high school graduation in fear that a classmate will out him to his conservative Persian parents). The ending wasn’t terribly satisfying, either. All in all, not a bad entry into the BIPOC LGBTQ+ category of YA.

Thank you to the publisher and Yallstayathome for providing me with an e-arc to review! All opinions are my own. I flew through reading this book, it was very quick and fast-paced! In the book, Amir is Muslim and Iranian and fears coming out. He fears his family’s culture/religious beliefs will make it difficult for them to accept his sexuality. When someone threatens to expose him to his parents, Amir makes the spontaneous decision to run away to Rome to escape his life. While in Rome, Amir stumbles into a group of older queer friends who take him under their wing and help him become comfortable in his own skin. Interspersed into the story of Amir’s time in Rome is him and his family in an airport interrogation room. It was interesting to read these scenes because we got to learn more about Amir’s family from their own perspective and it helped make them more well rounded characters. I am not Muslim or Iranian or in the LGBTQIA+ community, so I cannot speak to the accuracy of those representations in the book. I encourage you to seek out #OwnVoices reviews for that. I did have a few issues with a particular storyline in the book and how the story was resolved, but overall I’m happy I had the chance to read this book! *3.5 stars*

This story focuses on Amir--a high school student. He's just about to graduate when he is found out by a fellow classmate. Amir is gay. And to top it off, he is Iranian and Muslim. He talks.about this as if this combo is the worst thing ever because he has always stood out as an Iranian kid and had to tolerate jeers from others, but to be gay too? He just wants to keep this under wraps until he can head off to college.

This story is told in flashbacks and also from multiple points of view: Amir, both of his parents, and even his sister, Soraya. It starts in the airport, as the family is detained by security. Each family member tells his or her part of the story, to get back to that time when it all blew up. A fun read.

This book explores family dynamics, sexual coming out, bullying, and travel. It is entertaining, but does not dig deep enough emotionally to really develop the characters and their relationships fully.

I absolutely loved this book! It was a great heartfelt story about being gay and Iranian.
I loved reading this one so much! I can't wait for everyone to read this one!!

Let me tell you, Arvin let slip this book over a year ago at his book signing and I couldn't wait to read this. When I won an ARC I was so excited because I wanted to see what Arvin's first gay YA would be. I read his debut novel I wasn't that impressed (and I haven't read his second one but I have a copy!) so I was excited to see how this one would turn out.

This is book is truly amazing. The book switches from Amir and family being interrogated at the airport to Amir's story and how he ended up running away to Rome. Being Persian and gay are two things that don't mix, so instead of dealing with being blackmailed Amir runs off. This already sounds a little crazy, but hey we all do crazy things when we're in trouble or need to get away.

I found the style of moving back and forth from the story to the interrogation a good one. I liked that we were able to see everyone's feelings about what had happened in the last month leading up to the present time. Amir was telling his story while his family talk about what was happening while he was gone.

I loved the setting of Rome and how Amir finds his people there. There's the ups and downs, of course, but through it all he finds himself.

I really, really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to everyone. I won an ARC from Penguin Teen.

This is not necessarily a book that I would have picked up based on title or cover. I won an eARC through a giveaway during y’all stay home, and honestly knew nothing of the book before reading.
It was a quick read and kept me engaged. I liked the format of the book with each of the family members telling little snippets with Amir, the main character, filling in more details starting a month prior and leading up to the present in the airport.

“It is such a privilege, you know? To get to be yourself, all of yourself, in this great big world.”

This book had me wanting to run away to Rome just like the MC. Amir was sweet, even if he does have terrible decision making skills, and the friends he makes are as colorful as they are queer. Jahan was actual sunshine and I loved him. But, I felt the ending of this was lacking. The entire book is leading up to this one big moment: why Amir and his family, who are Iranian, are detained in the airport. But the moment arrived and then suddenly it was over and everything was fine? But also not resolved? I felt like this should have been a big part of the story, but at the end it felt like nothing, which was a bit disappointing.

Thank you Penguin Teen for the arc!

Wow, I devoured this in no time. This is such a heartfelt story about being gay and Iranian, and I also love the way both of Arvin Ahmadi’s books I’ve read have captured the way you might start hanging out with people all the time but really only know them in that particular context.