PositiveUSA Today... meandering and melancholy – but ultimately meaningful ... Sharif\'s memoir grips you for sure – sending you on international adventures and even to the Oscars stage – and could indeed help someone grappling with their sexuality. But despite shared growing pains, most won\'t relate to his specific privileges. The book also loses its way in its attempts to capture the weight of who his prolific grandfather was ... He posits a strong point, suggesting the world can\'t subsist on all-or-nothing ultimatums. But it comes across slightly tone-deaf, in spite of his obvious heroism, given the centuries advocates have spent fighting for equality to receive nothing in return.
Laura van den Berg
PositiveUSA Today... the perfect sequel to Call Me by Your Name – lustful, introspective and magical – though it is a work that requires readers to suspend disbelief almost to a fault ... has everything you loved – and everything that made you cringe – about Call Me by Your Name ... One can’t help but cringe when considering this exchange and other moments through a #MeToo-era lens – not to mention that there are no female narrators. This unbalanced power dynamic isn’t fully explored, something Aciman also didn\'t unpack in the first novel ... Aciman’s languid, rhythmic writing does an excellent job distracting you from what might otherwise give you pause; the Find Me romances are sensual and gripping. He writes like a cross-country runner: He slows and speeds pacing but never loses sight of the finish line. That question, though, of whether the Find Me romances should exist, doesn’t quite go away ... also fails to address the HIV/AIDS crisis in any way. The world Aciman has created seems to exist outside of time. It\'s not that every novel must reflect the state of the world in which its published. But when a work of art is altogether strong, it\'s that much more frustrating when individual pieces don\'t quite shine.
Beth O'Leary
PositiveUSA Today... a 21st-century rom-com that will please hopeless romantics ... the traditional romance revival (with a twist) that no one asked for but everyone needs to devour immediately ... The plot may be too saccharine for some readers. All the loose ends are tied up in a big, splashy romantic bow, though O’Leary leaves plenty of clues along the way to let you know what was coming ... Those who can\'t get enough saccharine will not be disappointed. Sexual tension! Multiple marriage proposals! A steamy castle make-out session! O\'Leary also carefully writes about consent and the ramifications of emotional abuse, as well as the importance of therapy ... O’Leary has clearly been influenced by relevant, romantic pop culture. It’s that much more impressive she manages to build on stories that have come before hers.
