Reviews

Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win by Susan Azim Boyer

deannakrik's review

hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

justinepucellawinans's review

5.0

JASMINE ZUMIDEH NEEDS A WIN is an excellent YA contemporary that I couldn't put down. It is the perfect combination of high drama, hilarity, and important issues of identity and racism that is an absolute must-read. I adored Jasmine as a character--she is authentic, so funny, easy to root for, and it is a delight to read from her perspective. Despite the book taking place in 1979, all of the issues are relevant and important to today. The characters are amazing, the voice is so strong and funny, and I really couldn't have asked for more from a contemporary YA.

ellie_egg's review

4.0

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and Goodreads for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! Jasmine is a very interesting character, who has a very set way of being that quickly gets flipped on its head by peer pressure, real world events, her own burning desire for one specific thing, and the now growing acts of racism and xenophobia that she experiences. I think she is overall a likeable protagonist, even if her choices and logic can sometimes be flawed, but who didn't make bad decisions when they were 17?

I enjoyed the setting of 1979 Southern California, and all that that entails, though there were a few anachronisms that I hope are fixed in the final book, as they somewhat took me out of it.

I wish some of the side characters had been a bit more fleshed out, but I can also understand why they weren't, as Jasmine is so focused on herself during her campaign, and with everything else going on in her life, that her friends definitely get thrown to the wayside.

Overall, I think this is a good read for teens and young adults who feel lost and struggle with their identity, as it gives them someone to relate to.

wildflowerz76's review

DNF. I'm not sure why, but this isn't working for me right now. I might come back to it later.

gabbysletsread's review

inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

sparetimereader's review

4.0

🗳️ Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win 🗳️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Short synopsis: Jasmine is desperate to go to NYU and major in Journalism, to get a step ahead of the competition she pretends like she’s the senior class President. Now she’s desperate to make that a reality. 

My thoughts: This was a fun YA book with some major depth to it! Set during 1979 when a real life incident occurs with Iranian students in Europe. I really liked how the author incorporated a real incident to make this have a little bit more of a punch. 

We see how culture and racism can effect kids just striving to be accepted. I also really liked how Jasmines brother Ali stood up for his family, that had to have been very difficult but he was brave. 

The relationships throughout were so realistic for a high school kid, totally took me back to the days when we all just wanted to be accepted and find your “people.”

The music mentioned throughout was a fun addition; The Pretenders, the Beetles, Aerosmith, and other legendary rock stars.

Read if you love: 

• Exploring culture
• Politics 
• YA reads featuring Iranian Americans
• Personal development 
• Identity struggles

Thank you @booksparks for including me in your #booksparksbookclub December pick! This one is out now! 

alylentz's review

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I enjoyed this so much! I really appreciated Jasmine's struggle to stay true to herself, her family, and friends with politics and her high school election in the foreground and romance taking a backseat. I really loved all of these characters and the sense of humor throughout. I would recommend to readers looking for an out of the box historical fiction pick with a strong narrative voice and vivid characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia

Moderate: Hate crime

thewoollygeek's review

5.0

I couldn’t get enough of this book, as someone who grew up in the 80s it felt so good going back to an almost familiar childhood. This is such a fast-paced read, I almost read it in one sitting if I hadn’t needed to work next morning I would have ! Jasmine is such a fantastic character, by that I mean I love that she’s not perfect , but has flaws and foibles. I think an important thing with this is probing time and again sadly how little changes , shady politics, intolerance and racism in times of hardships, bad foreign policies (western world not just US). I know over time we’ve made so much progress, but this alstroemeria highlights how it’s never as much as is needed. I really enjoyed this and recommend it to not only fans of YA, but anyone with humanity in them

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

guardianofthebookshelf's review

informative inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

mady_garrett's review

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.75

this was cute! i recieved this as a gift from bookSparks and the author, both of whom i am very thankful for the book! the book was definitely a slower paced book, but the idea was very original and one that i found very entertaining! this book was set in the 70s, and it was very fun to have my mind in a different year when i was reading this book. my only issue was that the ending kinda seemed predictable, especially with jasmines character development throughout the book. other than that tiny thing this was really good, but it wouldn’t be the first book i recommend to someone. overall 2.75/5⭐️