by Tahereh Mafi
First published 2018
It's 2002, and Shirin, a Muslim-American teenager, is navigating the aftermath of 9/11. Facing Islamophobia at school and at home, she's built up walls to protect herself. Then she meets Ocean, a free-spirited surfer boy, and their tentative romance challenges Shirin to open her heart. As they fall for each other, they must confront the bigotry around them and choose between conformity or embracing who they truly are.
Genres: fiction, romance, family-life, contemporary, 21st-century, contemporary-romance
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
12 pages · Board book · Little Hippo Books
Content warnings: racism