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alfalky's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Bullying, Racism, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, and Drug abuse
aargot1's review
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
sridevi93's review
challenging
emotional
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Addiction, and Drug use
Moderate: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
theshivaniyadav's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Infidelity, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Pregnancy
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
gaiadances's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Islamophobia, and Racism
bookmaddie's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
3.0
It's funny to think about reviewing this book, because even though it's marketed as a romance, it felt more like a coming of age story. I didn't really root for the central romance that strongly, and was more interested in Soraya's family backstory and the conflicts brought up there. While the romance served as the basis for the story in the beginning, the narrative quickly moves to focus on Soraya's personal growth and finding herself (which I enjoyed). Because the romance isn't the central driver to the story, it felt kind of like a cop-out when Soraya and Magnus, the romantic interest, reunite in the end. I honestly agree with her friends that she should have rejected him as he was a jerk.. but alas. :'-)
Soraya is a sweet main character, and I could empathize a lot with her struggles facing adulthood after college. I think Jafari did a great job bringing in Soraya's mother's story, and that really helped inform the narrative in a multitude of ways as the story wound on. Through Soraya, Jafari explores romance from within and outside of the traditional perspective of Muslim women. It was refreshing to read a perspective like this, which I've not encountered much in romance books before.
I feel like it's hard to call this book completely romance, but it has the same heart-warming feels that any romance would give you, so it toes the line perfectly.
Soraya is a sweet main character, and I could empathize a lot with her struggles facing adulthood after college. I think Jafari did a great job bringing in Soraya's mother's story, and that really helped inform the narrative in a multitude of ways as the story wound on. Through Soraya, Jafari explores romance from within and outside of the traditional perspective of Muslim women. It was refreshing to read a perspective like this, which I've not encountered much in romance books before.
I feel like it's hard to call this book completely romance, but it has the same heart-warming feels that any romance would give you, so it toes the line perfectly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Drug abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism
frantic_vampire's review
I think this book just isn’t for me 🤷♀️. It’s definitely not the romance book that I thought it was going to be. It’s more of a family drama, I think? It’s told through two different timelines with a lot of internalized religious guilt, sexism, and racism. With a thin vail of romance to cover its rough edges. I’m not sure if it’s the writing style or if it’s the characters themselves, but I’m not connecting with the story at all. And I think it would be best for me to pass this book on to someone who would really enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Islamophobia, and Racism
Minor: Alcoholism
sfbookgirl's review
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Mismatch is a modern-day love story involving cultural customs, dysfunctional family issues, and forbidden love. Recent university graduate Soraya Nazari thinks it is about time that she experiences life to the fullest. After being raised in a somewhat constrictive household of Iranian immigrants, Soraya decides to experience a budding romance with one of her old classmates, Mangus.
But what becomes a casual fling turns into something more. The Mismatch also interweaves Soraya’s mother’s young adult life before immigrating to England. I found these chapters to be the most eye-opening and captivating. The Mismatch is an unconventional love story that I would say is more of a character study than a romance, but I still enjoyed the book for its insight into a culture unlike my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Sexual content
allisonwonderlandreads's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"Now, her future lay ahead of her, with no plan, no time line of what was to come, and she realized she was falling facefirst, ungracefully, into adulthood."
I'm not sure I would categorize this book as a romance because it limits the scope and focus of all this book is. It's a poignant look at the transition from college to "adulthood," such that that means anything. It's nerve-wracking, overwhelming, and portrayed with astute detail here. British-Iranian Soraya is our protagonist. We join her as she struggles with finding a job and a passion (separate but related questions), feels crushed by family secrets and expectations, and experiments with her first romantic relationship. The story also draws attention to racist and xenophobic experiences and sexist encounters that bombard Soraya's journey.
In terms of the romance, I appreciated the acknowledgment of pre-dating stress and the feeling you need to hit certain landmarks. Soraya and I are motivated by different things, but I appreciated the similar anxieties around not fitting the commonly expected dating mold. While I think there's a burgeoning conversation among millennials about how unhealthy it is to compare milestones with others, I often feel dating expectations are still somewhat assumed. On the other hand, I'm with Soraya's friends that I still wasn't completely Team Magnus by the end of the book. There are still some unresolved red flags with him that I would ideally want addressed. I felt the author skimmed through the relationship for overall effect rather than building up ooey-gooey romantic feelings in the readers. That's part of the reason that I think this works more as a general fiction piece.
Another layer of the story is the background chapters following Soraya's mother Neda, starting in 1970s Tehran. It builds up intrigue by contrasting a bright, young academic and romantic finding her future husband to a future where she can't stand him. There's also the specter of Soraya's older sister Laleh in the 1990s. Cut off from the family under secretive circumstances, her absence is mysterious and lingering, suspicious and upsetting.
We do get a lot of Soraya's thoughts and struggles with internalized guilt and shame, and I think those portions were striking. It covers weighty topics from anxiety to the ramifications of domestic abuse and addiction in the family. There were many quotes I highlighted for their insightfulness so I could consider them again in future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Homophobia, and War
kates_books's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
This book is so much more than a romance. It covers such a wide variety of topics that I have never seen in a book before, from religious guilt to struggling with post grad life to the inside of a broken marriage but divorce not being on the table. I loved that despite the cultures represented in the book not being my own (this is an own voices book) I was still able to deeply relate to the characters and their struggles. The authors voice is unique and refreshing and authentic and profound in a unpretentious way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Toxic relationship