How it All Blew Up is a coming-out story about an eighteen year old Amir Azadi. After being blackmailed by students for money, Amir runs off too Rome where he makes a new group of LGBTQIA+ friends and comes to terms with who he really is.
What I like about this book is the very diverse characters we have - Amir is not only gay but comes from a Muslim background living in America. His journey through Rome is told in flashbacks at the airport interrogation room after having a fight with his family on the plane. There are small snippets of conversations with his parents and sisters on the situation which I liked because it added some insight into their point of view and also tackled some stereotypes to do with culture and race.
As for the actual plot itself, there's not many actions scenes, although I understand that it's not really necessary in a book like this. Instead, there was a lot of drama, partying and new friendships. The imagery of Italy was described really well, I can picture the lovely scenery and buildings in my head. The dishes they had sounded delicious!
The characters themselves were likeable. Amir was a good main character, and it's insightful to see what he is going through. I like how his character grows more confident of himself as the story goes on. However, I don't think the supporting characters were that strong - I feel like they are too similar so it was hard to differentiate between them. The pacing was okay but I did find myself skim reading some sections and then going back to it.
Overall, an enjoyable read that I would recommend.
What I like about this book is the very diverse characters we have - Amir is not only gay but comes from a Muslim background living in America. His journey through Rome is told in flashbacks at the airport interrogation room after having a fight with his family on the plane. There are small snippets of conversations with his parents and sisters on the situation which I liked because it added some insight into their point of view and also tackled some stereotypes to do with culture and race.
As for the actual plot itself, there's not many actions scenes, although I understand that it's not really necessary in a book like this. Instead, there was a lot of drama, partying and new friendships. The imagery of Italy was described really well, I can picture the lovely scenery and buildings in my head. The dishes they had sounded delicious!
The characters themselves were likeable. Amir was a good main character, and it's insightful to see what he is going through. I like how his character grows more confident of himself as the story goes on. However, I don't think the supporting characters were that strong - I feel like they are too similar so it was hard to differentiate between them. The pacing was okay but I did find myself skim reading some sections and then going back to it.
Overall, an enjoyable read that I would recommend.