Shahriar has always felt out of step with his time—and in 1895 London, being true to himself isn’t just difficult, it’s dangerous. But one night changes everything, offering him the chance to escape into a different era, a new identity, and maybe even real happiness. Decades later, in 1920s Boston, Oliver is trying to figure out how to live openly in a world that doesn’t quite see him. When he meets a mysterious boy, everything shifts. Spanning over a century, this is a sweeping story of queer love across time, of choosing your family and finding the courage to be who you really are.
Mortality is such a curious thing, right?
Anyone who’s ever listened to Queen’s Who Wants to Live Forever or read any of the many outstanding vampire novels we have been graced with, has probably asked themselves the question: Would I want to live forever? Do the many benefits of the concept live up to the fact that you’ll outlive all your loved ones? And what if, whoever you are, you spend eternity looking for a place to belong – and are denied it at multiple turns?
Abdi Nazemian handles these introspective questions so well in this story. While books dealing with mortality or belonging can sometimes read a bit stuffy, this is not the case here. Every emotion is felt by Oliver and Bram with an intensity that makes you feel part of a much bigger story.
This familiar ache, this intrinsic wish to belong—no matter the place or time—translates beautifully onto the page. The yearning for a world that gets better, that learns to be better simply because you want it to do better, to become safer, kinder, not just for yourself but the loved ones around you is a constant glimmer of hope that pervades the narrative.
And in the end, Exquisite Things serves as a powerful reminder that home is rarely a place and much more often a person (and if you’re very lucky, even an entire found family).
While I don’t really want to go too much into detail about the characters (this story truly feels like one you have to experience, not interpret based on a synopsis), I can say that at its core, Exquisite Things is a story about two boys who live forever and who always find each other, in every timeline. A romantic concept that is often hindered by Oliver and Bram themselves, who are by no means perfect, make mistakes, are messy and altogether enthralling in how they navigate and come to terms with their fate. Oliver’s depression is as painful as it is realistic because some pain, some fears are always present, no matter the timeline. Meanwhile seeing Bram feel this infinite loneliness until he finally finds who he belongs with will rip your heart out time and again—but make the happy ending all that more cathartic.
Where Nazemian truly shines, in my opinion, is in bringing a setting to life.
To jump between two points of perspective and flesh them out enough to the point where you feel you truly know and understand these characters is already quite a feat, but pair this with the multiple timelines and you either have a recipe for disaster or for a magical story. Nazemian turns the concept into the latter. You follow a journey that spans the late 19th century to present day and somehow, every timeline feels more vibrant and realistic than the last. The underlying themes of queer resistance, community, cheeky references to Oscar Wilde and the ever-changing values and rules of society are so well-placed that you feel as if you’re on a time-traveling journey yourself.
While my personal favourite was the 80s timeline, I am itching to share this book with friends and find out whether they prefer one of the others. Each timeline (and each POV, for that matter) has something so special, whether it be a plot point that you don’t see coming, a moment between the boys that has your heart breaking or being mended, or a tidbit that makes you want to research more about the current timeline and whether things really transpired like that or whether the author took some liberties at points.
It’s a treat that I’m sure readers will gobble up and keep them thinking long after they close the book.
A captivating, out-of-the-ordinary love story about two boys who find eternal life awaits readers in Exquisite Things. With a touch of magical whimsy and a found family that reminds you of what—and who—really matters in life, this book is a must for fans of time-hopping romances and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
Exquisite Things is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of September 23rd 2025.
Will you be picking up Exquisite Things? Tell us in the comments below!
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.
