A review by abbie_
Liquid: A Love Story by Mariam Rahmani

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

4.0

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my digital ARC of Liquid! A chaos bisexual, freshly minted with a PHD but no teaching prospects and armed with a spreadsheet seeks a rich spouse. But when a personal tragedy takes her to Tehran with her mother, her plans go awry. I really enjoyed this book, the narrator (unnamed) is witty, sharp, self-aware, apathetic - I can see her dividing readers, but I personally couldn’t get enough of her.

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I definitely preferred the vibe of the first half, the narrator’s dating escapades were hilarious, and pretty tragic in their own rights. The second half, where she travels to Tehran, was also interesting and engaging, but also had the feel of a slightly different book. The narrator is Indian-Iranian, and I appreciated the commentary on how her mother, an Indian woman, is treated in Iran. I also loved the little peek into the underground queer community in Tehran.

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I feel like it lost a little steam towards the end, lost a bit of its vibrancy. But still overall, thoroughly enjoyable!  If you enjoy novels centred around academia such as History. A Mess and The Idiot, plus messy bisexuals and family dynamics, consider Liquid!