Exquisite Things, Abdi Nazemian
Exquisite Things, Abdi Nazemian
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Exquisite Things

Author: Abdi Nazemian

Narrator: Arya Shahi, Michael Crouch

Unabridged: 12 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 09/23/2025

Synopsis

From Stonewall Award–winning author Abdi Nazemian (Only This Beautiful Moment) comes the epic queer love story of a lifetime. Perfect for fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Picture of Dorian Gray.Shahriar believes he was born in the wrong time. All he’s ever wanted is to love and be loved, but 1895 London doesn’t offer him the freedom to be his true self, and Oscar Wilde’s trial for gross indecency has only reaffirmed that. But one night—and one writer—will grant Shahriar what he’s always wished for: the opportunity to live in a time and place where he can love freely. Rechristened as Shams and then as Bram, he finds what feels like eternal happiness. But can anything truly be eternal?Oliver doesn’t feel that 1920s Boston gives him a lot of options to be his full self. He knows he could only ever love another boy, but that would break his beloved mother’s heart. Oliver finds freedom and acceptance in the secret queer community at Harvard that his cousin introduces him to. When he meets a mysterious boy with eyes as warm as a flame, his life is irrevocably changed, forever.Spanning one hundred and thirty years of love and longing, this tale of immortal beloveds searching for their perfect place and time is a vibrant hymn to the beauty of being alive, a celebration of queer love and community, and a reminder that behind every tragic thing that ever existed, there is something exquisite.

About Abdi Nazemian

Abdi Nazemian is the author of Only This Beautiful Moment—winner of the 2024 Stonewall Award and 2024 Lambda Literary Award—and Like a Love Story, a Stonewall Honor Book and one of Time magazine’s 100 Best YA Books of All Time. He is also the author of the young adult novels Desert Echoes, The Chandler Legacies, and The Authentics. His novel The Walk-In Closet won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Debut Fiction. His screenwriting credits include the films The Artist’s Wife, The Quiet, and Menendez: Blood Brothers and the television series Ordinary Joe and The Village. He has been an executive producer and associate producer on numerous films, including Call Me by Your Name, Little Woods, and The House of Tomorrow. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband, their two children, and their dog, Disco. Find him online at abdinazemian.com.

About Arya Shahi

Arya Shahi is an Iranian-American playwright, poet, and rapper. He is the co-founder of PigPen Theatre Co., an award-winning theatre company and band. With PigPen, Arya has written, directed, and performed in original plays (including The Old Man and the Old Moon) as well as books adapted for stage (including Kate DiCamillo’s The Tale of Despereaux). PigPen’s album Bremen was released in 2012, followed by Whole Sun in 2015. Arya lives in Brooklyn. www.aryashahi.com

Reviews

Goodreads review by Marieke on June 30, 2025

An eternal life. That’s what some of us sometimes wish for, right? I’m afraid to die. I want to stay in this world and see with my own eyes what happens. I want to make a difference. I want to be with my loved ones. But what if they’re all gone and I’d be the only one still living? Hmmm, the world m......more

Goodreads review by Fernanda (ivyfer_isreading) on June 04, 2025

This is a six stars book if I’ve ever seen one. This is compared to Addie LaRue but while I do love that book this feels a lot deeper and more meaningful. I wish this was out already so everyone could read it this month, it’s the perfect read for pride month. We follow Bran and Oliver through the dec......more

Goodreads review by Lance on September 21, 2025

E-ARC generously provided by HarperCollins Children's Books in exchange for an honest review! Thank you so much. 4 stars. Containing equal amounts of beauty and philosophical musings, Exquisite Things is a decadently and delicately written queer love story centuries in the making.......more

Goodreads review by Nev on August 13, 2025

THIS BOOK WAS SO BEAUTIFUL. I had high hopes for it since I’ve loved multiple books from Abdi Nazemian before, but this truly knocked it out of the park. It’s a story about two queer boys, born in unaccepting times, finding each other, immortality, and getting to experience different decades in the......more

Goodreads review by Bethany on October 04, 2025

Thank you Harper Collins for the advanced copy to review! First of all - Abdi Nazemian could publish his random scribbles on paper and I’d line up to read it first. His prose is gorgeous and this book is just a stunner. I savored it because I did not want it to end. I highlighted over 130 lines on m......more

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