What books have inspired you? Have made you want to create and take in more inspiration? Just Another Epic Love Poem did that for me. It made me want to pick up an old notebook and write poetry. It inspired me to look up poets mentioned and read their work, to put poetry on hold at the library.

Mitra’s struggle to find love, hold onto it, and believe that she deserved it was so relatable. I also related to her journey to find out who she is outside of her relationships. And the parts about her mother’s addiction.. oof. That was tough to read, but so rewarding to experience with the characters.

This book will stay with me, & I highly recommend you pick it up for yourself and see how it impacts you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc and to the publisher for an arc and finished copy.

Beautifully written novel about the growing relationship between two best friends as well as their struggles with parental issues like addiction and absenteeism. The author weaves poetry throughout the story - not just the "never-ending" poem between Mitra and Bea, but also poets like Rumi, Khalil Gibran and Naomi Shihab Nye.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

This book was beautiful. It did a great job of being cute and sweet while also tackling difficult things, like relationship issues Jaleh’s addiction. The poems throughout the books were fun to read and I’m glad they were there. I like reading books with little mini-chapters throughout the book so it was a nice addition. It was nice to read a book that wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows and was more realistic when it comes to friendships and relationships (like how you get to see the bad side of characters ab at some point don’t really like them). Mitra, Azar, and Bea were all phenomenally written. I felt like I could feel all of their feelings through the page (I really like being immersed in books so this was a huge plus for me!). I was up until 3 am (unrelated) and while up I decided to read a bit but I could not stop. It was a very captivating story that I definitely enjoyed, despite being an emotional wreck while reading. Silently hoping for a sequel 🥹.

Y'all this book! Gorgeously written YA coming of age story & sapphic romance that made me cry. This follows Mitra- a quiet, bisexual Iranian girl attending a Catholic school with her best friend and secret crush Bea. The friend she has been writing ongoing poems with for years.

Mitra's mom is an addict who left their family years ago and she carries a lot of pain from that. Now her mom wants to come back into her life, but Mitra isn't ready for it. Meanwhile, Mitra and Bea start dating which is magical, but also fraught with conflict at times. And if that wasn't enough, they're making decisions about where to attend college in the fall.

This is an achingly beautiful book written in both poetry and prose. It's a love story, a coming of age story, and a story about trauma and healing. I absolutely loved and hope more people pick it up! Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy for review, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-f/f contemporary YA romance
-friends to lovers
-angst
-poetry

I can't say much about this book because it just has to be experienced. But just the sheer amount of talent and craft to be able to simultaneously write poetry for different characters, distinctly and well. I am not a poetry reader, but this book just grabbed me from the beginning. The angst of teenage years, of about to leave for college and the world is your oyster and wanting to leave but also completely knowing and understanding your life now. Of completely being in love wiht your best frined how overwhelming every ounce of that crush is and how scary it is when your friend feels more, how it can completely ruin everything. THis book is beautiful in every way and I cannot wait to read whatever Parisa writes next, just an absolute triumph in craft and just beauty.

This was a beautiful YA, sapphic, friends-to-lovers novel! I really liked the main character and the internal struggles she dealt with throughout the book, such as religion, substance abuse, family, healing and growth, and falling in love with your best friend. The way she and the love interest share poetry with each other was a nice addition to the book, without it being written in prose. I thought that this one was written in a way that felt very true to being a senior in high school, but it didn’t feel childish like some YA contemporary books can be.

An excellent debut novel - I will absolutely be keeping an eye on this author!

🌈Queer rep: FF main pairing with a pan female main character and a lesbian love interest. Secondary nonbinary, lesbian, and bi/pan characters.

Thoughts and Themes: I had only read a few pages of this book and already didn't want to put it down because of how beautifully written it was. This book managed to break my heart and then put it back together again by the end. It was something that I needed to read and there is so much that I will revisit when I need to hear it.

This book covers so many things and is more than just a romance. I love that it goes over the complexity of addiction and how that affects the family unit. I like that it also goes over Mitra's inability to trust anyone because of her past and how she has to work through that. I liked that we also got the complexity of being queer in a religious setting and how Mitra and Bea both navigated this aspect of their lives.

Something that really stood out to me in this story was the navigation of being queer and religion for both Mitra and Bea. I liked that we saw what it was like being in a Catholic school and not subscribing to the religion and also being queer. I thought it was interesting to see how Mitra navigated this and how her sister navigated not being Catholic. It was nice to see that Mitra, Azar, and Bea navigated the space differently.

Characters: Through this book you are introduced to our main character, Mitra, her sister, Azar, her best friend/love interest, Bea, her mom, dad, and several others at school. I really enjoyed all of the characters that are included in this book even if you briefly interact with some. I found even the background characters to be intriguing and add something to the story.

I loved the relationship between Mitra and Bea throughout the book and how complex yet simple it all was. It felt so real to me and I could see myself being their age again and in love. I liked that it wasn't completely perfect throughout the whole thing and they had discussions about their fears and insecurities.

Writing Style: This book is written in first person through Mitra's point of view and it includes poetry from the book that Mitra and Bea are working on. There is also other poetry pieces included throughout the book. I thought that this book was beautifully written and there were so many lines that had me pause to think. There were also so many lines that I just had to share with others.

This review will be posted on GoodReads and Storygraph

In Just Another Epic Love Poem, senior Mitra Esfhani and her best friend, Bea Ortega, have forged an unbreakable bond through the pages of The Book, a collection of their shared experiences and poetic musings started when they were twelve years old. From passing The Book back and forth over the past five years, Mitra and Bea have allowed themselves to express their deepest emotions in the comfort of a safe space. For introverted Mitra, The Book has been a safe-haven to express all of the ups and downs of her teenage life, except for the fact that she is hopelessly in love with Bea. But, when Mitra allows herself to open up one day at school and take a chance, what follows is a beautiful story that delves into the themes of love, friendship, betrayal, heartbreak, and self-discovery. Written with heart, humor, and sometimes sorrow, Just Another Epic Love Poem is a promising story that will resonate with readers seeking an immersive tale of love, connection, forgiveness, and growth.

From the description, I did not realize this book was actually going to be a full-fledge story. I was under the impression that it was solely going to be a collection of poems, written back and forth between Mitra and Bea. While the reader does get a peak into the musings written in The Book, this story is so, so much more. Written from Mitra’s perspective, I felt so connected to her journey through her search for love in friendships, in romantic relationships, in her family, and in herself. I absolutely loved this book and its ability to take me back to those years in high school, where there were always more questions than answers, and where insecurities and fear lurked in our deepest thoughts. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to go on a journey filled with emotion and sometimes heartbreak, but most importantly love and self discovery.

Thank you to Penguin Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC of Just Another Epic Love Poem in return for my honest review.

I loved this book! This was such an excellent and refreshing take on friends to lovers. It was heavy and emotional, at times and there was plenty of sweetness to balance it out. I also thought the pacing was really great. This felt like a love letter to youth & first loves.

This one was so cute, I was fighting for Mitra’s character to fight for what she wants! I also really loved the mixed media and poems within this story, and I also loved the dog!

“Just another epic live poem” by Parisa Akhbari
Rating : 5/5
Genre: Fiction
Buckle up for a wild ride in a conservative catholic school. Mitra and Bea have been best friends since 8th grade, and it all started with a poem. Mitra is Iranian-American, which means rich history, greatest poets, and the most delicious food!
Mitra is afraid to love, people hurt her when she trusts them, but Bea gets her… after all she is her best friend.
Will their poetry saves them? Can Mitra trust Bea with her feelings?
I enjoyed this book, and it gave me all the feelings! This is my 2024 favorite so far!

A Sapphic YA romance! Two senior girls who have been best friends for five years finally decide to tell each other how they feel! They get together early on so it’s just cute moments and some relationship strife of course. Mitra and Bea are here to write a never ending poem and we get to follow along!

The only thing that can be improved on is that title! The word “another” should be taken out because it implies there’s a previous book or poem and for a minute I thought this was a sequel to something but ITS NOT just a cute standalone!

Loved dealing with the mom who’s addiction has a bigger affect on the older child rather than the younger and seeing that dynamic between the sisters different ways of letting her back into their lives. I loved how we dealt with ghe mother as an almost main synonymous plot so it held more of our attention instead of bringing more strife than necessary on Bea and Mitras budding relationship.

I wish we got closure between bea and her parents! I feel there was still so much to dive into there! Can we get a second sequel book from her POV and they get engaged in the end?? Kthxbye!

As a queer Iranian woman, I love to see stories that show Iranian culture plus a queer main character falling in love.
This is a really good book about two best friends realizing that they want to be more than friends, but all the while navigating their messy teenage lives. The turning point that almost breaks them up was great, and there was a lot that made me wonder if they were going to still be together by the end of the story.

Omg…have been having trouble with ya recently bc i’m getting older and i have had a harder time connecting with characters plus been finding dialogue cringe. It has kind of been tragic bc it’s my teen romcom fix as the genre has died out in movies and never been that kind to lesbians. Lucky this was amazing and I love ya again. The main character and everything that’s going on is very mature, the writing was gorgeous and emotional and engrossing, the relationship conflict totally made sense (which is really hard to do in romances, especially with teenagers) without making the characters unlikeable. Love love love i Am SOOO impressed by this. Also there are short chapters which I always appreciate especially when I’m reading on my phone and representation of feeling Insane about waiting for college decisions.

4.5 stars rounding up bc this is a debut!!! Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC!

I didn’t know what to expect going into this book but I really loved it. The poetry was sweet and the way the characters are presented made me feel like I was right there as the story unfolded. Mitra was an easy character to root for and I found myself lost in her friendship, first love and family obligations. I like that the story highlights difficult subjects regarding family and how a teen learns to manage those challenges. Definitely an eye opening and realistic book that I didn’t want to end. 4.5 stars.


Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC!

I haven’t read a book that describes the queer friendship that turns into a relationship this well in a while. This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions, and Akhbari’s writing is just sublime. I loved the inclusion of the poetry throughout the book.

I absolutely loved it

A third into the year, and I think I already found another top contender of my favorite read of 2024.

This book is just so tender, loving, and inexplicitly human. I thought this was going to be a sapphic slow burn friends-to-lovers, but I was pleasantly surprised when Mitra and Bea get together in the first third and the rest is coming-of-age, which I absolutely ate up.

I don't often compare myself to a book's protagonist, but I identified so strongly with Mitra. Her anxieties, the fears she has about opening up, her brand of introversion - I got so strongly attached to her and was feeling every up and down that came her way (Akhbari's prose and poetry is chalked full of emotions that hit hard in the right places).

The character interaction and dialogue is incredible. Every person Mitra interacts with, whether it be her family, friends, or teachers, they're all done so realistically but with such care. Of course, I absolutely adored her and Bea's relationship. I loved the exploration of a romance after the friends become official, and the gradual descent into the complications and messiness that come with that are as close to perfection one could get.

I honestly wanna go make every person in my life aware of this beautiful piece of literature (A intention I will inevitably fulfill), but, for now, I have to be content with trying to convince internet strangers to read this.

All in all, this is such a fantastic novel, and I cannot wait to see what else Akhbari may do in the future!

I loved this. It was messy and sweet and heavy! This was such a beautiful coming of age story of two girls in catholic school who are wary of trusting others because of their family histories but they find a friendship/love through poetry. Friends to lovers is probably my FAVORITE trope so it almost automatically had my heart! 100% check triggers, lots of heavy stuff but SO SO GOOD! I BAWLED!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

On the surface, a queer love story between longtime friends, but on closer inspection, it’s a story about forgiveness, and learning to trust even when that trust has been broken, even when you know you’re going to be hurt.

Normally I’m not a young adult lit reader, but I absolutely do not regret reading Just Another Epic Love Poem. Akhbari weaves lines of poetry throughout the story in such a purposeful way that I was completely enamored me the whole time I read. It brings me back to my early days in college when I wrote my own poetry, and it’s inspiring in that way.

Watching Mitra’s journey through managing her anxiety and opening herself up to truly trust the people in her life that she loves was a very well-crafted arc that I truly enjoyed. When I read Akhbari’s About the Author blurb, I could see her training as a therapist shining through. She writes about forgiveness and trust in a nuanced and authentic way that I think is missing from other media that have the same themes.

Ultimately, I think this is an important story not only for the young adults that it’s meant for, but for adults as well.

#JustAnotherEpicLovePoem 💜
Thanks @penguinteen for this beautiful book!

𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦...

𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧: Parisa Akhbati
𝙋𝙪𝙗 𝘿𝙖𝙮: 3/12/24

I thought this book was so beautifully written! I absolutely loved it and didn't want it to end. This amazing story was full of poetry, beautiful prose, complex family relationships and great friendships. The poems scattered throughout the story made my poetry loving heart so happy! I was drawn to the meaningful story, both lighthearted and complex, and all of the characters as well.

I really loved both of the main characters, Mitra and Bea and I enjoyed learning more about them as they learned about themselves and navigated the changing nature of their relationship. But I also really loved Mitra's father! He was so supportive of his daughters, their hobbies, friendships/relationships and who they were. This book deals with some darker themes involving Mitra's mother, but I appreciated the real way the author went about writing that - the hurt, the heartache and the difficult reunification process.


𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮:
• poetry
• lgbtq stories
• friends to lovers
• coming-of-age
• ya romance
• family drama

"𝑾𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒏. 𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒄 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒆𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒑 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒔."