Thank you Algonquin Books for allowing me to review Love Across Borders on NetGalley.

Genre: Biographies & Memoirs

Stars: 2

Entitled. Over 256 pages the author complains and whines about situations she placed herself in. These were long pages. Is it as easy to fall in love with a rich man as a poor? Following the author's thought-processes there would be no poor. Cash, property, stocks, bonds -- all assets should be handed over. A person's education, mental and physical abilities, o ethic would not be a factor.

Miller wants the reader (argh me) to agree that love has no borders. People should love one another making all laws, borders, cultural, and population details not relevant either before or after finding their partner or having a child or two out of their birth country.

Basically, the author met a man who was not a U.S citizen. She wanted him to enter the U.S. because she loved him. There were a multitude of laws and requirements necessary for consideration. She found those taxing. I did find solace in that I wasn't anywhere near her when Trump's ban of Muslims was brought to her attention.

The book plays off heartbreaking challenges of human beings placed in the world by chance. She uses statistics one way, her way.

Overall, she mocked the lives of people running and seeking a life free of cruelty.

An interesting read, that is good but not great.

I love how honest and detailed this book is at times, but I do wish that other aspects had been elaborated a bit more. I would love to see an expanded edition of this in the future.

In a vast and complex world, how do people in love navigate and overcome the challenges of moving across borders to be with their loved ones? Anne Lekas Miller lays out the hoops individuals have to jump through - laws, rules, and regulations to make this happen. Having passports and legal papers are key or else you’re out of luck. What happens when borders are redrawn, countries are at war or countries’ internal strife, corruption, and economies force people to cross borders to seek a better life elsewhere or to be with their loved ones? The book highlights individuals and families navigating these situations and the obstacles they encounter, including the author. These stories shared with the author are heartbreaking, harrowing, desperate, and frustrating. I can only imagine what they went through. Their experiences with government officials were fairly similar - not treated courteously and demeaned - that was sad. It would have been interesting if the author had sought out a couple of positive encounters. It would have also been interesting if the author had discussed the challenges countries face when individuals and families fleeing war, untenable situations, etc., cross borders from other countries into theirs, especially in huge numbers. One example is the Syria/Turkiye situation. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, there are 3.6 million registered Syrian refugees and 360,000 refugees of other nationalities in Turkiye - that’s 4 million people! And this does not take into account unregistered individuals. That’s a staggering number. I don’t know that any country has the infrastructure and economy set up for this huge wave of people, who fled Syria, and understandably so. There was criticism of countries that individuals are fleeing to but not much discussion about countries that individuals are fleeing from and what they could be doing as well. I love the concept of a global borderless society - wouldn’t it be great if we were there or at least getting there. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I absolutely loved this book with all my heart. It is so eloquently written in a way that Anna’s personal love story is woven in around all of these other stories of refuge, asylum, etc. and it was such a beautiful and heart wrenching experience. As a white woman who happens to love a man in the same country as me is such a huge privilege that I truly take for granted, and this book highlights that in a way that we are forced to look at the privileges we have as citizens. I appreciate so much everyone who played a part in this story and I highly suggest this book, particularly to people who have never had to personally experience fear for citizenship, search for asylum, lack of resources due to inability to work in a country or get papers, etc. I think this is a lovely betrayal of love without giving up, and I will always remember this.

Love Across Borders is personal to me. Over ten years ago, I was studying abroad in Spain when I met the man who would ultimately become my husband. I was American and he was Peruvian, and upon graduation, we had to determine how—and where—we would stay together. After he was nearly denied entry to the US in early 2014, I decided I would go live with him in Peru. By then, it was clear that we’d have to make things official if we wanted to (legally) stay together. So a year later we got married and we began the long process of my husband obtaining and renewing his green card and, finally, getting his US citizenship. Admittedly, we had it easy. Neither one of us was ever a refugee or an undocumented immigrant or deported. But as one half of an interracial couple, and a couple whose family is split across continents, love and borders are subjects that matter deeply to me. This is why I was so excited to pick up Love Across Borders.

Anna Lekas Miller balances her own personal experiences with the accounts of numerous people around the world who have been impacted by strict borders. The author’s own story takes place in the Middle East, where she fell in love with Salem. After he was kicked out of Turkey, they had to live in Syria—unsafe for them both—and find a country that could become a new home for them together. Their love story plays out in short chapters that appear between longer ones about others’ circumstances.

Those longer chapters highlight stories from a variety of people affected by borders in different ways. Some seek asylum in countries that unfairly reject refugees. Some live undocumented, afraid that they’ll be deported and torn away from the country and people they love. Still others are actually stateless, often because the country they left behind is either no longer a country at all or no longer under the rulership it had been. Where do stateless people go when no country wants to accept them?

I appreciate that this book focuses no only on the cruelty of strict borders, but on the relationships affected by them. Consider an American family whose patriarch is deported to Mexico: It’s not only the deported man who’s been affected, but also his wife and children. They must now either live in American without him, becoming a broken family, or relocate to Mexico to be with him, becoming a displaced family. Consider how the horrific Muslim ban prevented engaged and married couples from seeing each other for months or years. These are just examples highlighted with Love Across Borders.

For couples in which one person has “desirable” citizenship, marriage can be the only way to keep a loved one with you. But this doesn’t work if the other person is actually stateless. And if neither person in the couple has the “right” papers, both will live in limbo or a state of fear about how they could ultimately be ripped apart.

Love Across Borders is an eye-opening book that we could all benefit from reading. Even if you personally haven’t been affected by borders, you likely know someone who has. It is my belief that the world would be better off without borders, or at least with drastically less restrictive ones. People should be free to live where they want, where they are safe, and with the people they love.

Anna Lekas Miller has written an important and cogent book with Love Across Borders. Love—both romantic and familial—shouldn’t be divided or eroded by borders. In considering the many ways borders do affect us, hopefully we can start taking steps to ease restrictions and allow loved ones to stay together.

This was an interesting book about love, immigration, borders, passports...I enjoyed reading this! The author herself is an American, yet falls in love in Turkey with a Syrian man who cannot travel many places. This inspires her to find more stories of people like her, and as a reporter herself, she shares their stories. We read about people from Yemen, separated by the Muslim Ban, "stateless" people who have no passport due to their countries collapsing, people from Africa who truly love their country, but cannot survive on the pay and have to leave to make money, and more. I liked also reading the history of several countries she shares. If you have any interest in immigration, especially in the Middle East, you find this fascinating!

This didn't meet my expectations. I enjoyed reading how the author navigated her personal overseas love situation and it was interesting to read about her different experiences. As you read you do feel the frustration of their circumstances, but I got bored quite a few times with all the details. If you are thinking about proceeding with dating someone overseas you may benefit from reading this to better understand it is not as easy as it seems.

I was immediately drawn to this book because of the title. I'm also half Lebanese like the author and I found her journalistic writing very interesting. The topic of love and marriage is always intriguing to be and one of my favorite topics. The way Lekas Miller delivers this story is unique though. All the couples face issues with passports and borders and laws. Heartbreaking in my opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC to me for the purpose of this review. Five stars!

Love Across Borders is a fascinating and educational read following people who found love… with borders. Most people have probably heard stories of people marrying for residency or green cards, but we don’t always take the time to consider the costs associated. Monetary, emotional, and physical costs. Sometimes lives are at risk. All for love.

I really appreciated the many perspectives that Miller wove throughout her own story. I finished the book feeling like I had a greater sense of compassion and empathy for people willing to do anything for love. I also had a bigger understanding of my own privilege of life with a US passport.

I received an ARC of Love Across Borders in exchange for an honest review. I originally wanted to read this because I’m currently in a long distance international relationship. Goodness, once I finished, I was left with the realisation of how lucky I am for my privilege in my relationship, and how easy it is for me, a passport having US citizen, to get to my partner.

I have never been so angry, but so hopeful reading a book before. This book made me laugh, cry, and wish I had a physical copy to slam shut when I was furious learning about the ridiculously difficult journeys so many people have when they are in love.

I look forward to requesting this for my library once it releases. These are vital and important stories we must allow to be read and heard.