Blog Tour and Review: Rana Joon and the One and Only Now

 Title:  Rana Joon and the One and Only Now

Author: Shideh Etaat

Genre:  Coming of Age YA, LGBQIA

Publication Date:  July 25, 2023

Publisher:  Simon Teen

BUY LINKS:

Bookshop: 

https://bookshop.org/a/25463/9781665917629

Rating  💥💥💥💥

About the Book:

This lyrical coming-of-age novel for fans of Darius the Great Is Not Okay and On the Come Up, set in southern California in 1996, follows a teen who wants to honor her deceased friend’s legacy by entering a rap contest.

Perfect Iranian girls are straight A students, always polite, and grow up to marry respectable Iranian boys. But it’s the San Fernando Valley in 1996, and Rana Joon is far from perfect—she smokes weed and loves Tupac, and she has a secret: she likes girls.

As if that weren’t enough, her best friend, Louie—the one who knew her secret and encouraged her to live in the moment—died almost a year ago, and she’s still having trouble processing her grief. To honor him, Rana enters the rap battle he dreamed of competing in, even though she’s terrified of public speaking.

But the clock is ticking. With the battle getting closer every day, she can’t decide whether to use one of Louie’s pieces or her own poetry, her family is coming apart, and she might even be falling in love. To get herself to the stage and fulfill her promise before her senior year ends, Rana will have to learn to speak her truth and live in the one and only now.

My Thoughts

This was such an emotional coming of age story set in the mid 90's.  Rana lost her best friend about a year ago and not only has to grapple with graduating without him, but has been hiding a secret from her family that can cause issues.  Rana must decide how to be her authentic self in a world that might not accept her for being her authentic self.  

Wow.  This story had me in my feels.  It reminded me of Let me Hear a Rhyme by Angie Thomas, since some of what the main character does happened in that book as well.  I truly felt sorry for Rana for most of the book.  And by the time I was finished with the story, I was a bit spent.  It had an emotional hold on me in a different way as many of the books I've read this year so far.  I am definitely going to be looking for more works from this author in the future.  

I received a copy of the book via the Publisher on NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions

About the Author

Shideh Etaat is an Iranian-American writer living in Los Angeles. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. Her work has been published in Tremors: New Fiction by Iranian Americans, Day One, Foglifter, Nowruz Journal, and My Shadow Is My Skin: Voices from the Iranian Diaspora. Rana Joon and the One and Only Now is her first book. When she isn’t busy writing you can find her helping her five-year-old son navigate life.

Author’s website:  shidehetaat.com

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

There is a giveaway for 2 copies of this title, courtesy of Simon & Schuster! Follow this link to enter: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1e4a114d83/?