By Miranda E., Severna Park High School
A Very Large Expanse of Sea is about a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl, one year after 9/11. She's constantly stereotyped and mistreated. Shirin's just moved to a new school and everything seems the same, everyone is just as awful toward her. That is, until she meets Ocean James. He's a genuine character that doesn't treat her poorly. He's interested in her and is constantly trying to be friendly to her. But they lead incredibly different lives and it terrifies Shirin to think that they could ever get close.
I liked this book because it was a quick, cute romance but it wasn't predictable, and I liked the diversity of a Muslim main character. I liked learning about the female perspective in the Muslim community. There's a lot of hate and stigma around her headscarf but she still wears it every day. Ocean's character was realistic for a boy which I appreciate in romance books, picture-perfect boys aren't realistic characters, and Ocean's own story is one that kept me intrigued with him as well.
I didn't like the ending, I felt that it was a stretch to find a happy ending. I almost gave up on the book a few chapters from the end because of how indecisive Shirin became in her own choices but after sticking with it I understood her better.
You will like this book if you enjoy romances and rom-coms. It’s a quick read, cute and funny with a mix of diversity and heavier topics like 9/11 and Muslim stereotyping.
Click Here to check out A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi