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Like a Love Story Hardcover – June 4, 2019

by Abdi Nazemian (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 787 ratings
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Purchase options and add-ons

Stonewall Honor Book * A Time Magazine Best YA Book of All Time

"A book for warriors, divas, artists, queens, individuals, activists, trend setters, and anyone searching for the courage to be themselves.”—Mackenzi Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue

It’s 1989 in New York City, and for three teens, the world is changing.

Reza is an Iranian boy who has just moved to the city with his mother to live with his stepfather and stepbrother. He’s terrified that someone will guess the truth he can barely acknowledge about himself. Reza knows he’s gay, but all he knows of gay life are the media’s images of men dying of AIDS.

Judy is an aspiring fashion designer who worships her uncle Stephen, a gay man with AIDS who devotes his time to activism as a member of ACT UP. Judy has never imagined finding romance...until she falls for Reza and they start dating.

Art is Judy’s best friend, their school’s only out and proud teen. He’ll never be who his conservative parents want him to be, so he rebels by documenting the AIDS crisis through his photographs.

As Reza and Art grow closer, Reza struggles to find a way out of his deception that won’t break Judy’s heart—and destroy the most meaningful friendship he’s ever known.

This is a bighearted, sprawling epic about friendship and love and the revolutionary act of living life to the fullest in the face of impossible odds.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    432 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Balzer + Bray
  4. Publication date
    June 4, 2019
  5. Grade level
    8 - 9
  6. Reading age
    13 - 17 years
  7. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.33 x 8.25 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    0062839365
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0062839367
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Nazemian paints a picture of late ‘80s queer life in New York City that’s neither romanticized nor viewed as only tragic…. [His] latest will remind readers that first love is isolating and unifying, exhilarating and terrifying, and every paradox in between.” — ALA Booklist (starred review)

“Three characters discover their inner truths at a time that sometimes feels apocalyptic for their community and loved ones…. The intense and nuanced emotions evoked by the characters’ journeys help to give this powerful novel by Nazemian a timeless relevance.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“At the height of the 1980s AIDS crisis, three teens grapple with love and friendship…. [A] truly lovely romance to cherish. Deeply moving.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A book for warriors, divas, artists, queens, individuals, activists, trend setters, and anyone searching for the courage to be themselves.” — Mackenzi Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue

“Like a Love Story is a fresh and poignant narrative about friends, family, friends who become family, and a society that is not always compassionate to those who need it most. I love this book with my entire heart. What a gift Abdi Nazemian has given us.” — Brandy Colbert, author of Stonewall Award winner Little & Lion

“A gorgeous, heart-wrenching book that explores love, loss, and forgiveness in all of their many forms. Abdi Nazemian deftly shows how we can only move forward by examining and embracing the past, and how anger and injustice can pave the way for a better and more hopeful future.”
— Robin Benway, National Book Award–winning author of Far from the Tree

“Like a Love Story brought me right back to the scene of my teen years... and it did so masterfully. This book made me sob, it made me laugh, it broke my heart and put it back together again. I absolutely loved it.” — Bill Konigsberg, Award-Winning Author of The Music of What Happens

Praise for THE AUTHENTICS: “As with the novels of Benjamin Alire Saenz or Randa Abdel-Fattah, Daria’s thought-provoking journey will resonate with teen readers of all backgrounds.” — Booklist (starred review)

Praise for THE AUTHENTICS: “The ferociously authentic Daria is a memorable protagonist.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Praise for THE AUTHENTICS: “A beautiful and compelling story about identity, race, and family love. A must read in an age where #weneeddiversebooks more than ever.” — Melissa de la Cruz, New York Times bestselling author

Praise for THE AUTHENTICS: “A charming and touching examination of everything that makes us who we are.” — Adi Alsaid, author of Let’s Get Lost and Never Always Sometimes

Praise for THE AUTHENTICS: “Will resonate with readers who have felt like they don’t know where they belong or who they want to be, and certainly with the children of immigrants who feel caught between worlds.” — Publishers Weekly

Praise for THE AUTHENTICS: “Surprisingly powerful…will appeal to any reader searching for identity and belonging, particularly those whose lives include two different cultures.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

From the Back Cover

It’s 1989 in New York City, and for three teens, the world is changing.

Reza is an Iranian boy who has just moved to the city with his mother to live with his stepfather and stepbrother. He’s terrified that someone will guess the truth he can barely acknowledge about himself. Reza knows he’s gay, but all he knows of gay life are the media’s images of men dying of AIDS.

Judy is an aspiring fashion designer who worships her uncle Stephen, a gay man with AIDS who devotes his time to activism as a member of ACT UP. Judy has never imagined finding romance . . . until she falls for Reza and they start dating.

Art is Judy’s best friend, their school’s only out-and-proud teen. He’ll never be who his conservative parents want him to be, so he rebels by documenting the AIDS crisis through his photographs.

As Reza and Art grow closer, Reza struggles to find a way out of his deception that won’t break Judy’s heart—and destroy the most meaningful friendship he’s ever known.

This is a bighearted, sprawling epic about friendship and love and the revolutionary act of living life to the fullest in the face of impossible odds.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Balzer + Bray (June 4, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062839365
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062839367
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 - 17 years
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 8 - 9
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.33 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 787 ratings

About the author

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Abdi Nazemian

Abdi Nazemian

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Abdi Nazemian spent his childhood in a series of exciting locations (Tehran, Paris, Toronto, New York), but could usually be found in his bedroom watching old movies and reading.

Abdi’s first novel, THE WALK-IN CLOSET, was awarded Best Debut at the Lambda Literary Awards. He has written three young adult novels, all published by Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins: THE AUTHENTICS (2017), LIKE A LOVE STORY (2019), and THE CHANDLER LEGACIES (2022). LIKE A LOVE STORY won a Stonewall Honor and was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best young adult books of all time.

Abdi has written for three television shows: NBC's ORDINARY JOE, Fox’s ALMOST FAMILY, and NBC’s THE VILLAGE. He has written six produced films including THE ARTIST’S WIFE (Strand Releasing, 2020) MENENDEZ: BLOOD BROTHERS (Lifetime, 2017), and THE QUIET (Sony Pictures Classics, 2006). He also wrote, directed and produced the short film REVOLUTION (2012). He is proud to say that his words have been spoken by the likes of Carmela Soprano, The Nanny, and The Girl With The Most Cake.

As Head of Development for Water’s End Productions, Abdi has been an executive producer or associate producer on numerous films, including CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, IT HAPPENED IN L.A., THE PRICE, THE HOUSE OF TOMORROW, and LITTLE WOODS.

Abdi lives in Los Angeles with his two children and husband, and holds dual citizenship between the United States and Canada.

Abdi is not the inspiration for Madonna’s children’s book “The Adventures of Abdi,” though he will forever insist that he is.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
787 global ratings
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I LOVED this book. It’s full of heart, humility, humanity, courage, and queer history. A must read!
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Top reviews from the United States

Brit *My Little Book Nook*
5.0 out of 5 stars I cannot sing this novel’s praises enough. It gets a billion stars and my highest recommendation.
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2019
Verified Purchase
If you’re a fan of honest, hard-hitting contemporary YA, you need to read Like a Love Story.

I cannot, in recent memory, recall a book that has left me breathless and trembling quite like Like a Love Story. Days later and I am still given to bouts of overwhelming emotion because of this book. It’s brutally honest, witty, intriguing, and extremely diverse. It made me laugh and sob. It shattered my heart and left me sorrowful, but still filled me with happiness and hope. 

In my honest opinion, this is required reading.

These characters are works of art. Beautifully flawed, raw, and real. The passion and purpose that motivates them gave me chills, and even the secondary characters are brilliantly crafted. They have taken up residence in my heart and I will not soon forget them.

Like a Love Story is a wonderful coming of age story about finding oneself, finding purpose, and finding love. This story is affecting, thought-provoking, and compelling. It is unique and powerful, and it needs to be easily accessible to all people (and especially in high school libraries). Like a Love Story truly is a love story. It’s about loving yourself and embracing who you are, loving your history and others like you, loving the journey, and using that love to bring about change whenever and however you can.

And it’s also about loving Madonna.

I cannot sing this novel’s praises enough. It gets a billion stars from me and my highest recommendation.
19 people found this helpful
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FLPeter
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
Take my word for it…Most gay romances will pale in comparison to this awesome entry. It makes the top 100 YA lists for a reason…justifiably!

The writing is beautiful….Pure magic….Just transports you.
The characters are diverse and well developed. So many supporting characters lend importance to the tale.

The novel gets sadder and heavier as it goes on, but it stays “real” and there are events, and dialogue, and character-evolving that will inspire you and give you some hope. Not a sugar-coated HEA ending, but enough to pull you away from your Kleenex box and feel like things will be ok.

I thought it was creative to have some of the uncle’s index cards on gay history highlighted here & there in the book. Nice touch.

My only small complaint is the Pulse tie-in at the end felt a bit too much. I liked that it was referenced along with other milestone events, but not that their annual meeting took place the weekend of the Pulse tragedy. I was like “I can’t take much more of this.” Just my humble opinion.

This author is amazing, and I’m off to see what else I can read by him. And to refer this book to my friends and family.
2 people found this helpful
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Erica A. Guillot
4.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2021
Verified Purchase
Beautiful story with amazing characters and setting. It’s a little sexually graphic for what I consider young adult, but still a wonderful read.
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NataliaB
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Book!!
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2020
Verified Purchase
Like a Love Story, it is a beautiful book that portrays the story of three teenagers in 1989, adolescence is a time of search, of discovery that is plagued with fears, pain and shame, and this book comes to counteract those feelings, brings Love and celebrate individuality. I hugged Reza, I felt like Judy and celebrated Art, although at the beginning as well as at the end I thought 'Wtf Art!' but you can't help but love him even so. Uncle Stephen, everyone needs a Uncle Stephen but Jimmy is the one who had my heart from the beginning.One of the most beautiful and powerful LGBTIQ books I have read, full of truth and strong voices. I definitely want my children to read this book, everyone should read this book and I would like to have those notes card from Uncle Stephen.I always wonder the same, how do I teach my children not to be ashamed? I teach them to be what they want, to dream big, not to use labels, to listen, to be strong and to be proud but all that is nothing if we fail to teach them not to be ashamed, for be and for ask and speak out loud.This book talks a lot about this andhave this beautiful characters that get in to you. I absolutely recommend it and I regret not having it on paper with that beautiful cover, surely it would be full of underlines, notes as I remain in my reader
4 people found this helpful
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DVM95
5.0 out of 5 stars I THOROUGHLY Loved This Book!!!
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2020
Verified Purchase
I THOROUGHLY loved this book!!! It was a very nostalgic trip back to high school life in 1989.
The novel is set in New York City (1989) and tells the tale of three high school seniors.
Reza is an Iranian immigrant who has just moved to the city with his mother to live with his stepfather and stepbrother. He's terrified that someone will guess the truth he can barely acknowledge about himself. Reza knows he's gay, but all he knows of gay life are the media's images of men dying of AIDS.
Judy is an aspiring fashion designer who worships her uncle Stephen, a gay man with AIDS who devotes his time to activism as a member of ACT UP. Judy has never imagined finding romance...until she falls for Reza and they start dating.
Art is Judy's best friend, their school's only out and proud student. He'll never be who his conservative parents want him to be, so he rebels by documenting the AIDS crisis through his photographs.
The love triangle emerges as Reza realizes that his attempts to date Judy are not going to make him straight.....AND as he begins to fall in love with Art. Can these boys find happiness together without completely ruining their individual friendships with Judy?
Reza's feelings of fear, self-loathing, and trying to NOT be gay resonated true with my own experiences on the journey of self-acceptance.
This novel is a very touching and inspiring rememberance of a time when the gay community was first navigating the spectre of the AIDS epidemic in America. As such, it stirs up a mixture of emotions.....I cried, I laughed, but ultimately I experienced hope.
6 people found this helpful
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Steph L
5.0 out of 5 stars A heavy but great novel
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2021
Verified Purchase
This novel is about the AIDS Crisis so you know from the summary that it’s not a lighthearted story. I loved the characters they were so well crafted. I loved the story, yes it was heavy, but it is an emotional story, and there are fun moments. The writing in this book is fantastic. I loved the romance and the New York Setting. This is not a fun story, but I enjoyed my time reading it.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Daniel lozano
5.0 out of 5 stars Bello! Excelente libro, divertido y emotivo
Reviewed in Mexico on December 22, 2022
Verified Purchase
Excelente libro, muy bien redactado, me hizo recordar mis épocas de preparatoria. Conecte con los personajes y me transporto a la época, con elementos de la cultura pop!
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Ana Carla Campos
5.0 out of 5 stars o que é amor? será possível descreve-lo?
Reviewed in Brazil on July 15, 2021
Verified Purchase
Tem como ler esse livro 20 vezes? Porque quero muito vivenciar essa história para o resto da minha vida. Esse foi um dos livros que acabei pensando: "Como seria incrível uma adaptação dessa história de amor"; amor? o que é amor? tantas descrições, um sentimento tão amplo, seria possível colocá-lo em apenas uma caixa? Essa história me fez refletir sobre o amor, o quão diferente ele pode ser para cada um de nós. Só leiam!
One person found this helpful
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Allan’s Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Love Like A Love Story
Reviewed in Canada on July 20, 2019
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I almost never give five-star reviews and I certainly haven’t ever given one before I finish a book but by the time I got to the end of #75 Love, I knew this book was made for breaking my own rules. The characters come to life and it’s just so wonderfully queer and so deliciously 80s — tinged with all the pain that comes with queer + 80s.
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Damien
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 22, 2020
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I love! Love! Love! This book. Its a bit on the expenisve side but the queslity of the book is amazing and the story is so gripping and u want to know what happens next. I highly recommend this book for pride or anytime .
One person found this helpful
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emanuele
3.0 out of 5 stars Non male
Reviewed in Italy on September 16, 2019
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Ho letto questo libro, in lingua inglese, su consiglio di un amico, perché cercavo storie ambientate a New York e poi perché sono un fan di Madonna da lungo tempo. La storia è molto carina, solo che l'ho trovata un po' naive. Personaggi un po' abbozzati, però devo dire che la vicenda cattura e si segue e le tematiche sono davvero molto importanti.
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