Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel

Leila is a high school junior who enjoys video games and hanging out with her friends. She is not enamored of schoolwork or keeping up with her older sister’s accomplishments. Leila’s family is Persian, conservative, and strict, and her parents expect big things from their daughters. While her older sister is pre-med at Harvard, Leila is just getting by at her private high school. She’s flying below the radar for safety’s sake: Leila is just figuring out that she likes girls. She knows this will make her stand out even more at her mostly WASP-y school, and she cannot begin to imagine how her parents will react. But when Saskia, a gorgeous new student shows some interest in Leila, the latter grapples with her fears and feelings. Farsad’s Persian accents are impeccable. She trills as Leila’s mother and lowers her voice believably for her father. She gives Leila a delightful crinkly voice, perfect for the wry humor and self-deprecation of the character. Leila’s older sister and her frenemies get nuanced cattiness, and she voices young men with a slightly nasal tone. But the audio production distracts from the story, as all the talent and skill Farsad shows in voicing characters gets lost when listeners are pulled out of the audio experience by loud breathing and mouth noises. Ages 14–up. An Algonquin Young Readers hardcover. (Oct.)