This book was requested by a previous Lesbrary reviewer who did not finish or review it. In order to keep my Netgalley feedback up to date, I am submitting this review marking it as a DNF, though it was another reviewer who requested this.

One sentence synopsis: Two girls fall in love in Iran in 1988 under a regime that punishes homosexuality with death.

My thoughts: Holy depressing book, Batman! This novel is based on a true story, which makes the events even more depressing. Ellis uses this book to shed light on the horrific reality of trying to be in love with someone of the same gender in areas of the world where such love is punishable by law. It’s easy to think a person could either run away, hide their relationship, or suffer through life in a heterosexual marriage, but that isn’t this story. Ellis’s characters are young, a bit naive, and a bit impulsive and she does not shy away from showing the repercussions of that.

I'm a big fan of Deborah Ellis. I've taught her book "The Breadwinner" to my 7th grade class, and its two sequels "Parvana's Journey" and "Mud City" were equally as enjoyable. She returns to the Middle East with the story of Farrin Kazemi, a smart, fifteen year old girl of wealthy parents who falls in love with Sadira, a new girl at her school. The story is set in Iran in 1988, a country in which homosexuality is an unspeakable crime punishable by death. Not much has changed in Iran (and dozens of other countries) since, as thousands of people have been arrested and executed there for no other reason but the fact that they are gay or lesbian.

I loved the way the author handled this topic. There is nothing 'shocking' about the romance between Farrin and Sadira, just the natural, organic relationship between the two girls. It's absolutely heart wrenching, and the letters they exchange to each other are so profoundly beautiful that I couldn't help but to be emotionally moved by the fact that it is a true story.

The writing is a bit uneven here, however. There are boring facts about Iran's history inserted into the narrative that could have been woven into the text better. There's also a deus ex machina kind of twist that was a little awkward, but forgivable though. It is a YA book, so I would recommend this book to teen readers.