This was a story of true compassion and love through all boundaries. This was an awe inspiring book and needed in this time

Regrettably, I found the writing style not for me. This is just my opinion and I fully believe others will speed through this on a beach during vacation, or even in their own backyard.
I prefer a little more substance and plot, however.

I was gifted a e-copy of Awakened by Love from Azin Sametipour herself in exchange for an honest review.

Awakened by Love is a diverse novel, it is a story about love, religion, finding ones own path, and determination. I found it to be a beautifully written story that follows Zoha and her struggle to be the person she wants to be as well as the person her family wants her to be. I really enjoyed learning about a different culture and world view than my own. I could truly see Zoha's internal struggle throughout the novel which made me feel all the feels.

Characters were well developed, there was a great flow to the novel. There was some intense themes so it's not a novel for kids or those faint at heart but I would definitely recommend this novel to others.

Thanks to author Azin Sametipour and NetGalley for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Awakened by Love is the first book of a trilogy that follows the story of Zoha Farzam, a young Muslim girl that lives in California and struggles between her two lives: the one in which she's a role model, the perfect daughter, and the one in which she's just an ordinary girl attending university.

THE CHARACTERS
-Zoha: our main protagonist is a kind person, quiet and very fond of her family. I liked her meekness and her ability to endure difficulties with grace and kindness, I personally think this makes of her a strong woman, but I have to admit that more than once this also frustrated me because many times Zoha kept silent while she should have reacted or felt sorry while she should have felt insulted!

-Ethan: main male protagonist. To me he wasn’t particularly fascinating and his actions didn't really catch my attention.

-Zoha's family: I liked the fact that it is a very traditional family (though this has a negative effect on Zoha) because we don't often get to see families like this in YA books. I can relate with Zoha and I really appreciated how much love she feels for her family despite everything they do. It was also very interesting to read something about Iranian culture and traditions that I didn't know of.

-Sara: my favourite! She's so funny and strong.

PLOT AND SETTING
The plot is not exceptionally original, except maybe for the "different cultures" theme going on. Same for the setting!

OVERALL OPINION
Awakend by Love is an enjoyable novel, it really gets you from the start (I finished it in one day!). I'd recommend reading it if you're looking for an easy read!

exceptionally captivating and immersive. It’s one of those books that you continue to read “just one more chapter” until there is nothing left except the disappointment that comes with the book reaching its end

A fabulous read ,The plot of the story is so intriguing and prevalent to what a lot of Muslims Americans go through everyday , trying to find the balance between beliefs and modern world . A roller coaster journey of forbidden love and inner struggles . Definitely a must read.

This is a romance set from a different culture's viewpoint. The story didn't really catch my attention and had to keep reading over paragraphs.

A good story well written, as a Jew can understand both sides of this romantic story. And book that Jews, Muslims etc. Should read as this problem will be on the increase the more we all mix in society. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can sympathise with all of the families involved.

This book was very average.
I enjoyed learning about the culture and how different it is from my own. I knew that going into it that it would deal with a Muslim girl trying to balance that world with the American one. The part I struggled with is the constant mention that she is Muslim. If you tell me once, I know. There’s nothing wrong with mentioning it here and there throughout but the first 25% was just that.
I understand why the title is what it is. It’s definitely not misguiding. Which I enjoyed.
The writing was good, but it could use variety.
Characters:
The characters were different from each other which was nice. I definitely didn’t like the mother, but I understand that her culture is very important to her.
The main character was kind of annoying to me but most protagonists are for me. I’ve always enjoyed side characters more.
Overall, I wouldn’t buy this book but I know there are plenty of people that will love it! That is why I gave it 3 stars.

An engaging and entertaining page-turner. I was pleasantly surprised by the story. I love books that capture my attention from the first page.

Zoha Farzam is a nineteen-year-old, muslin, American born into a traditional Iranian family. As a first born Zoha is a role model for her younger sisters and cousins. She is following her family footsteps and is pursuing her pre-med degree at UC Davis. Zoha is modeled student, dedicated to her family and religion. From the outside, she is a perfect Muslim, but on the inside, Zoha is fighting a great war between the Muslim girl her parents raised and a "normal" American girl Zoha wants to be. Is she brave enough to pursue her dream and go against her family and religion?

It starts with a scarf. Without her parent's permission Zoha removes it during her first year in college. But when she meets Ethan Renard 3 years later - Zoha can't resist the interest and her feeling towards him. From the start, Zoha knows that Ethan will never be approved by her family. Romance with someone outside of her faith is something Zoha has never expected to experience in her life, will she cross the line and taste the forbidden fruit?

Unpredictable ending of the book. I am hooked on the story and can not wait for the next two books of this trilogy. Wonderful writing, amusing and strong characters, and fascinating storyline.

Meet Zoha, a career driven, family oriented Muslim student. Her life is planned out perfectly, and Ethan is the last person she expects to fall in love with. As an enologist and a Christian, he is everything she must resist, and yet, she falls anyways.
Awakened by love explores Zoha's life, and her struggles finding balance between two different sides of her life. Is she the perfect student and model sister her family wants her to be? Or is she a girl in love; a girl with the all-american college experience?
Despite having some issues with the actions of a few characters (I'm looking at you, Ethan), and despite having a slightly wishy-washy main character, I can't deny that Azin has a rare gift for storytelling. The pacing of this story is nothing short of excellent, the secondary characters are exceptionally strong, and the rich culture in the story is introduced in a way that is completely intuitive. This is a beautiful story and I can't wait to follow Azin in her career and see how this story plays out in her future works.

Awakened by Love is sweet love story between Zoha, pre-med student, born in Muslim family and Ethan, enology student born in one of the richest family Napa valley.

They meet one day in the library and the sparks fly. It takes a lot of time for Zoha to give in. She is torn doing what she wants and doing what her family excepts of her, between what she believes and what she is suppose to believe. She is caught between two worlds and will take a lot of courage to make her own path. She has a bit of rebellious steak, she removes scarf whilst in college, but will it be enough?

I love the dynamic between them. The way Ethan loves her the way she is and at the same time encourages her to be free, to take charge of her life. We see love grow from reluctant start and as the love grows, so does Zoha. I can't wait to see what will she become.

I was really interesting to read from perspective of another culture. I've near read a book from the Muslim point of view. It interesting to see that even though the culture is totally different from mine, is a lot alike at the same time. People everywhere struggle with acceptance, with finding yourself, doing what you are suppose to do.

I really like the book and can't wait for the next one, because the ending was a bit sad...

This novel meaningfully explored some complex themes of faith, family, and first love from the perspective of an Iranian-American woman, who struggles to navigate competing parts of her identity.

Well, I dare say this story was so different from all the books that I’ve read so far. I hadn’t read any book with Muslim’s main character let alone Iranian one! I liked the writing, I liked the whole Iranian traditions and the names the author used for characters. I liked Farsi words that she used. I loved it so much. I really really enjoyed it! This book shows how differences in cultures can affect human life. Or when people immigrated what problem their children’ll have because they are torn between the way their parents raised them or the life they see in other people.
Told in Zoha’s POV, 3 rd person. The story is a first installment in a trilogy. It was well-writen and well-paced. All in all, I enjoyed it so much and I hope you like it as well!
Thanks to Azin Sametipour, Netgalley and Palatine Hill for the advanced digital copy in exchange an honest review.

Really enjoyable read, it's nice to read something from a different culture to help get a better understanding of life. I couldn't put this book down, it kept my hooked from page one.