JUST ANOTHER EPIC LOVE POEM
Out Now! ~ Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin Random House
☆ a Kirkus Reviews Best YA Books of 2024
☆ a Booklist 2024 Editor's Choice Books for Youth
☆ a Cosmo Magazine 15 Best YA Books You Need to Read in 2024
☆ a New York Public Library Best YA Books of 2024
☆ a Pacific Northwest Independent Bestseller
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Best friendship blossoms into something more in this gorgeously written queer literary romance.
For the past five years, Mitra Esfahani has known two constants: her best friend Bea Ortega and The Book—a dogeared notebook in which she and Bea have been exchanging poems since they were thirteen.
The rules of The Book are simple: No lies, no secrets, and no punctuation. This is a never-ending poem, as epic and everlasting as their friendship. Nothing is too messy or too complex for The Book— not Mitra’s convoluted feelings about her absent mother, or Bea’s heartache over her most recent breakup.
Nothing except the one thing with the power to change their entire friendship: the fact that Mitra is helplessly in love with Bea.
Written in lyrical prose and snippets of poetry, Parisa Akhbari's debut novel brilliantly captures the euphoria and heartache of a friendship evolving into something more.
Praise for Just Another Epic Love Poem
"In Akhbari's powerful debut, poetry gives life to the text through the verses of Mitra and Bea, as well as the renowned poets they read…This is laugh-out-loud funny, poignant, realistic, and heartbreaking in the best way."
Booklist, starred review
“An achingly poignant combination of coming-of-age and young queer love between two teens of color, this book easily deserves a spot on the shelf alongside Lo’s Last Night at the Telegraph Club.”
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
“Akhbari skillfully enmeshes myriad poetic styles with organic depictions of Iranian culture and food, and channels the insecurities of adolescence and the overlapping pressures of growing up to worthy effect in this promising debut.”
Publishers Weekly
“A heartbreaking but hopeful portrayal of parental addiction and its impact on families, written in lyrical first-person prose alternating with excerpts of poetry…Expressive, emotional, and quietly optimistic.”
Kirkus
“[A] tenderly written novel… A love affair among poetry, Iranian culture, and teenage angst is happily fused in Akhbari’s debut.”
School Library Journal
"The heartache and longing of witnessing a beloved character pine hopelessly over her best friend has never brought me this much unadulterated joy. My love for this never-ending epic love poem will truly never end!"
National Book Award Finalist Sonora Reyes, author of The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School
"Just Another Epic Love Poem is both a beautiful queer love story and a poignant coming-of-age tale about healing and learning to forgive. With lyrical prose, stunning poetry, and unforgettable characters, Akhbari's debut is a must-read."
Adiba Jaigirdar, award-winning author of The Henna Wars
"Be prepared to be utterly charmed and have your heart stolen by Mitra and Bea and their story."