A wonderfully poignant, original and thought-provoking story of first love, first heartbreak and generational and cultural differences. A wonderful fresh voice in the publishing scene!

This is a story of a family in generations, in times of changing attitudes, and at a time when there were many global events that impacted people. It was really interesting to read about the open and liberal culture of Iranians in the 70s and then transition that to the reality of modern children of Iranian immigrants in the UK in the mid-2010s. I thought it was a great story of generational trauma, and the diversity of culture and experiences within one people, even within one family. ⁠
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I loved reading Soraya and Neda’s stories, I thought the similarities and differences were almost like mirror images at times. It was also fascinating to see how each of their past experiences and family lives had impacted their relationships with romantic partners and friends. Neda is obviously more introspective and prefers to keep her business to herself and confides only in her closest family members, whereas Soraya, who grew up in the UK, surrounded by British friends, is much more open and confides in them first, while keeping her personal life from her family. ⁠
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This book has been on my TBR for a very long time, and after running into the author, Sara Jafari, signing her books in a Waterstones, it inspired me to finally pick it up. I’m so glad I did, because it was an incredibly quick read, for a book that talks about heavy topics, like sexual assault, religion, substance abuse and domestic violence. This was a great introduction to the historic context of Middle-Eastern and East-Asian cultures and the struggles they have faced when people of these backgrounds move further west. I am by no means an expert or well-versed in this subject, but this has been a really eye-opening first introduction and going forward I will definitely be seeking out more books by Jafari, as well as other authors from nearby countries and with similar backgrounds.

I thought that this was going to be a romance but it was actually more about Neda and her daughter Soraya. Both told the story from their sides and the men in their lives. Which was fine, but it kind of missed what I was wanting from the book and what you expect when reading the blurb.

The Mismatch by @sarajafari next to my face which is smiling because who wouldn’t smile when they read this book? This book marked my 15th read of the year, wew. And a slightly different read from all of the children's classics. ⁣
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Thank you to @netgalley and Arrow Publishing who sent me this ebook for free, in exchange for an honest review. Admittedly, this was actually sent to me last year and I’ve sat on it like an IDIOT because this book is a must read. Trust me. ⁣
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Soraya struggles with her female identity, desire for sexual experiences, and her need to feel included and understand her racial identity and religion. Split between living her best university life and obeying her very strict Iranian family, Soraya struggles to balance her Muslim guilt and her need for romance. ⁣
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WHAT a book. I wish this book existed when I was 17 years old, when I was navigating my strict Muslim household with the want to go out and experience the world as a independent woman in England. Toeing the line of both cultures but not feeling like I belonged to either. This book was my whole existence as a teenager and it was so accurate I constantly found myself with my mouth agape in how uncanny Jafari’s tale related to my actual life experiences. ⁣
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So though I received this book for free, I will actually be buying a copy because I want to support this author and this book. Please, if this sparks your interest even a tiny bit, try this one. It might teach you a few things about Muslim teenagers and young women growing up in the UK and other struggles that come with that.⁣
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This book was a little triggering in parts for me, so I would definitely look up the triggers first before going in but overall this book was brilliant. ⁣
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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5

The Mismatch is the story of Soraya, a British-born woman with Iranian parents, who has grown up in a strict Muslim household with her 3 siblings. We learn more about most members of the family as we move through the story, especially her mother Neda, who has a story thread of her own, detailing when she was Soraya's age in Iran, meeting her husband and starting out married life. Its not always easy reading.

Soraya is a virgin, never been kissed, and as she graduates from university, this is playing more and more on her mind. At graduation she starts talking to Magnus, who has a reputation for being a womaniser. They grow closer and their relationship develops. As always, there are pitfalls and misunderstandings between the two, and it is all set against a much more intense family and cultural background than is often the case in 'rom-com' books.

Well written and kept me engaged

I unfortunately did not finish this book. I read to around 17% and felt that it wasn't the right book for me at the time. I owe this to being a mood reader and struggling to connect with the characters and setting. I have thought of this boom since putting it down, and seen praise for it across different forums, so will give another chance when the mood strikes.

Have given 3 stars due to intentions of trying again and reading in the future.

This unfortunately just didn’t work for me. Beautiful writing but I was expecting a more straight up romance and this had a lot more hard hitting themes than I was looking for. A really lovely book if your looking for a more womens fiction with romance elements in it rather than the other way around.

A beautiful book, I really enjoyed reading Saraya and Nedas story, heartbreaking but promising, a really wonderful book.

A beautifully written and thought provoking story of love and family.
I was expecting a lovey dovey romance novel but this is far from it. Yes it has some of your standard romance tropes but it balance romance perfectly with more hard hitting themes of race, religion and relationships.
The alternating voice of Soraya and Neda show how hard it is for women to conform to society and family expectations. I loved how it showed both women’s hardship and the consequences of said hardships.

This book follows 21 year old Soraya, who has recently graduated and is trying to find her way after university. We see her face some troubles at home that resurface years of trauma. We also follow Neda as a a teenager, who is Soraya's mother.

This book was incredibly hard to read because as said in the book, it is harsh reality for many Muslim women throughout the world. Some parts were difficult to read and I found myself getting frustrated. It was written amazingly and really conveyed many peoples realities.

The relationship between Magnus and Soraya could have been pushed a little more for me, I sometimes felt it was a bit weak. When Magnus eventually won Soraya back at the end, I did not feel as satisfied as I should have when the two main characters get back together. However, I did really like them together and I'm glad they made it work in the end.

Neda's point of view was a nice break from Soraya's but definitely harder to read and I found myself less interested in it. However, I did enjoy the more present perspectives of Neda.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and think the author did an amazing job at telling such a harsh reality. I will definitely be reading more books from this author. Thank you for the e-arc!

I really liked the plot of this book, its characters and its themes. It was trope-y enough to satisfy hard-core rom-com fans but it wasn't contrived or in a cookie-cutter mould. The characters were sympathetic and quite likeable. And the themes of identity, self-hood and growing up set it apart from other romance novels that lack substance or grit.

But. But. But. I didn't like the writing style. Something about the style felt clunky or awkward. It was frustrating because I cared about the characters but I didn't want to read the book to find out about them. In the end, I zoomed through the book, trying to take in plot and character without focusing on the writing style too much. It just wasn't for me.

A lovely coming of age story about love but also about abuse.
This was a compelling read and I’m really looking forward to the next novel from Sara.

I loved this book, I found the characters compelling and well rounded, the storyline kept me hooked from the start. I would love to read more by this author!

I loved this book! I'm from a Persian family and it's so rare to find stories about young women growing up in/from families like ours so I loved it and am desperate to see more books like it!

My goodness this was a hard read at times, pressure and expectations from families, society and religion. I went through many emotions, feeling very cross but by the end very emotional. The characters were so engaging and I loved their development. I was pleasantly surprised by this book, I assumed it would be a predictable romance but I was very wrong.

The Mismatch by Sara Jafari. This was another book on my wish list, but which I was able to read through NetGalley. I kept seeing this book appear everywhere, had no idea what it was about, so was totally surprised by this book. Soraya comes from a very strict family and knows she could never fall in love with just anyone. Beside the story of Soraya is her mother Neda’s who knows what it’s like to be mismatched in marriage. Neda left Iran with her husband for a better life but unfortunately it doesn’t all go to plan. This was a completely different book for me and to be honest had I read what it was about I probably would have thought it wasn’t for me. This book blew me away and opened my eyes to a different religion that resulted in a different life to what I’m and many are used to. Like I mentioned Soraya’s story runs along that of here mums, Soraya’s in 2014 and her mums starting in 1973 in Tehran, both mother and daughter go through relevant to there time. There are so many aspects to this books, it’s a coming of age book, Soraya still a virgin, leaving university, on the cusp of entering life as a adult, with a sense of being lost. It’s a story full of secrets and of religion, a religion in which it’s boundaries and beliefs don’t change with time or the country you live in. It’s a book about mental health and how a family deals with that. Even though this is a book of fiction for me it had that sense of realism to it, it had so much heart in it and a rawness to it, there is no point in which it felt predictable, there were shocks and surprises right until the end. Don’t judge this book by it’s cover, as I would have done or even by the description on the back, neither does this book justice. It’s a thought provoking, eye opening, emotional read, that will definitely leave you with a huge book hangover. A huge amount of praise should go to the author @sarajafari for this heart wrenching, powerful and emotional read. Definitely up there with the best book I’ve read this year and I’ve already recommended to a friend. I couldn’t put it down and I can’t stop thinking about it,how remarkably strong Soraya and Neda were, without really knowing it. Bad decisions are made along the way but there strength gets them through and looking outside the religious box they’ve believed in and in many respects been forced to believe gets then through, to a better and happier place. Cant wait to see more from this author.

I adored this book! It reminded me very much of 'Sofia Khan is not obliged'. Through it's storyline it shows how the world needs to change and how it is changing in some places for the better in terms of acceptance.
Being a Muslim, Soraya feels very trapped by her religion and wants to break free and experience life like her peers do and targets Magnus, the popular quintessential British lad. He seems world's away from Soraya and she starts a friendship with him based on a bet, hoping to have a little fun after university. However she realises Magnus isn't all he seems and they actually have more in common than she thought proving that you can never judge a book by its cover! We also go back in time to experience Soraya's Mum's life and how she came to Britain and why she protects Soraya the way she does.
I love how this challenges views of race and religion and embraces relationships based on love and acceptance of one another. This is how life should be.

I absolutely adored this book. From the start, I felt myself relating to Soraya on some level. I was also a late bloomer romantically, and I can verify that alllll the feelings she had about kissing, wanting to get it over with, worrying when you got to ~that moment~ are very true. However, that seems to be where my personal relatability ended. And I am SO glad about that.

This book deals with a lot of things other than romance. On the surface, it is a romance novel. Weird girl falls for the cool player boy, cool player boy falls for the weird girl, and both of them have their own fears in the relationship. But once you get past that, you see how deeply this book deals with: Islamophobia, familial relationships, addiction, and issues within the Muslim community, which white people like me truly don’t understand. And it’s for those reasons I loved this book. I feel like so often, I don’t read about these issues. I don’t know or understand the cultural dynamics of Muslim families, and so often I’ve judged without understanding this, similar to Magnus when he learned how Soraya’s father treated her. However, this book has pushed me to want to understand more.

Structurally, I also thought this book was well done. I really enjoyed how Jafari switched POV’s from Soraya to her mother, Neda, and how at first, that wasn’t obvious. I also liked how in the end, the POVs wound up overlapping the the “current time” of the novel. The book flew at a very steady pace, and at no moment did I feel like it lulled.

Should you read this book? Yes. Honestly there is no other option.

The Mismatch is ostensibly a romance. But it is so much more than that. It's a story about guilt, about family secrets, about fear and courage.

Soraya is 21 and never been kissed. She has just graduated and living in London but struggling to find her way. Her family is Iranian and as a woman, she lives with a lot of guilt. Women are expected to act a certain way, to conduct themselves decorously so as not to bring shame on their family. But Soraya is conflicted. She longs to get her first kiss out of the way. To feel 'normal'.

When she begins spending time with Magnus, she's sure she can simply use him for kissing practise. After all, he's a laddish rugby player who she's certain she'll have little in common with. But she soon discovers he is so much more than that and her guilt and confusion become overwhelming as it becomes clear they are both developing real feelings for one another.

Meanwhile, she is haunted by thoughts of her older sister Laleh who disappeared from their lives when she was 17. She is also hiding a shameful secret about her father.

There is real depth of emotion in this story, and I really connected with Soraya, and with her mother, Neda - a mother and wife, a teacher and a warrior. A strong woman tested to her limits.

Despite Soraya and Magnus being a mismatch, can they find their way through the complications of their relationship to open their hearts to one another?

This book was so much better than I expected from the description. Expecting it to be a bit of a light chick lit this was actually a beautifully told story building from the past with the mother to the present with the daughter really effectively. The main themes addressed in the story are around those of immigration and acceptance along with the changing lives, expectations and racial experiences of second generation immigrants.

I really enjoyed this book.

I was expecting a typical rom com, with the usual boy meets girl, they are against one another at first, but then get to know one another and fall in love. You know the type.

However, this book did tick some of the stereotypical boxes, but also did offer so much more. Soraya and Magnus are total opposites, both with a complicated home life and background stories. Some of the themes can be hard to read about, but they are included within this story in a subtle and though provoking way.

I really enjoyed the story and was happy with the way it was told.