Perfectly Parvin, Olivia Abtahi
Perfectly Parvin, Olivia Abtahi
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Perfectly Parvin

Author: Olivia Abtahi

Narrator: Mitra Jouhari

Unabridged: 6 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/18/2021


Synopsis

*Odyssey Honor Audiobook*

Fourteen-year-old Iranian-American Parvin Mohammadi sets out to win the ultimate date to homecoming in this heartfelt and outright hilarious debut.

Parvin Mohammadi has just been dumped--only days after receiving official girlfriend status. Not only is she heartbroken, she's humiliated. Enter high school heartthrob Matty Fumero, who just might be the smoking-hot cure to all her boy problems. If Parvin can get Matty to ask her to Homecoming, she's positive it will prove to herself and her ex that she's girlfriend material after all. There's just one problem: Matty is definitely too cool for bassoon-playing, frizzy-haired, Cheeto-eating Parvin. Since being herself hasn't worked for her in the past (see aforementioned dumping), she decides to start acting like the women in her favorite rom-coms. Those women aren't loud, they certainly don't cackle when they laugh, and they smile much more than they talk.

But Parvin discovers that being a rom-com dream girl is much harder than it looks. Also hard? The parent-mandated Farsi lessons. A confusing friendship with a boy who's definitely not supposed to like her. And hardest of all, the ramifications of the Muslim ban on her family in Iran. Suddenly, being herself has never been more important.

Olivia Abtahi's debut is as hilarious as it is heartfelt--a delightful tale where, amid the turmoil of high school friendships and crushes, being yourself is always the perfect way to be.

About The Author

Olivia Abtahi is a writer and filmmaker born in Washington, DC. When she isn't drafting novels about awkward teens, you can find her working on documentaries about social justice and climate equity. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and daughter.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Colleen

Actual Stars 3.5⁣ ⁣ “𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡..𝐎𝐊? 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞. 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐭, 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬.”⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Parvin Mohammadi is a young 1/2 Iranian American teenage girl trying to fit in with both her Iranian and American culture. A......more

Goodreads review by Charlie

Wow this book was so fun and kept surprising me. Netflix NEEDS to make this into a TV movie, or possibly an ongoing TV show, right now. Seriously. Parvin is one of my fav characters I've come across in ages: she's an obnoxious prankster who hangs out with the queer artsy kids at school. (And her fri......more

Goodreads review by nitya

Read for MLIS elective Probably one of my favorite books so far, I love the DC setting and that the protagonist was 14 for once! (I started high school at that age too.) And the (casual) diversity was really lovely to see. I am so hyped for the sequel/companion book! P.S. Fuck travel bans, ICE, and Tr......more

Goodreads review by Rosh

Being an Iranian-American, I hadn’t yet read a book that I felt represented me and people who look like me. This was that book for me! Parvin is the epitome of the teenage girl just trying to find her place in this world. Although I’m full Iranian and Parvin is only half, the things she goes through......more


Quotes

Praise for Perfectly Parvin:
A 2023 Sequoyah Book Award Nominee (OK)
A 2023 Texas Lone Star Reading List Pick
A 2022 Golden Kite Honor Award Winner

A 2022–2023 Georgia Peach Book Award Nominee
A 2022 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Pick

A 2022 ALA Rise: A Feminist Book Project List Pick

A 2021 New York Public Library Best Book Pick
A 2021 Chicago Public Library Best Book Pick
A 2021 BuzzFeed Best Young Adult Pick

A Book Riot Must Read YA Romance Pick


“Abtahi writes a touching contemporary that's hilariously heartfelt about one girl's journey to self-discovery.” —BuzzFeed

★ “Abtahi deftly navigates Parvin's transitional life phase, equipping her with enough humor and moxie to see her through even the toughest challenges . . . A joyful celebration of the right to take up space in the world.” —Booklist, starred review

★ “Abtahi’s charming debut will have readers cheering for Parvin. . . an incredibly charming, funny, and lovable protagonist who greets life with unbridled enthusiasm . . . as she navigates her two cultures with vim. . . A truly delightful story about a charming and engaging teen navigating freshman year.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“Parvin’s narratorial voice sparkles with wit and pathos, and her journey toward self-acceptance seamlessly incorporates political and emotional realities. . . A diverse, fast-paced, feminist romance.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The fast-paced writing, wonderfully diverse cast, and very realistic and age-appropriate thoughts, choices, and realizations make this a solid read. Smart, funny, and full of heart.” —Teen Librarian Toolbox

Authentic and organically hilarious. . . A fresh, charming standout.”—YALSA
 
“At its heart, this breezy YA title is about trying to find love by pretending to be someone else when being yourself is all that matters.” —Brightly

“The ebullient, eponymous heroine of Olivia Abtahi’s novel Perfectly Parvin—a prankster with a rambunctious wit . . . determines to remake herself as a demure, seen-but-not-heard young lady. The effort is doomed—if often hilarious—and has her trying but failing to tamp herself down through a friend’s quinceañera party and Farsi classes, through online makeup consults with her Iranian aunt and a tragic band audition.” —The Globe and Mail