This book is an excellent illustration of the damage done to women by misogynist, patriarchal religions--not just more conservative forms of Islam, but also various flavors of Judaism and Christianity-- in which women are owned like chattel. Jafari tells the stories of two Iranian-British women, those of Neda, married to an addict, and Soraya, her daughter, dating a typical white guy. Neda embraces conservative Islam in Iran to protect herself from the sexual harassment and assaults she experienced there; she marries a man she doesn't really know, and travels to the Uk to train as a doctor. There her husband falls into first opium and then methadone addiction and abuses Neda and their children. Soraya doesn't know who she is or what she wants out of life other than nice clothes. She's less conservative than her mother, and is torn between the ideals of modern feminism and her religious beliefs. She decides to data her classmate so that she can get over the anxiety of having her first kiss, but she's attracted to him and he to her, and their relationship becomes more serious, until Soraya learns that he was using her as well--at least at the start of their relationship. Ultimately, Neda stands up for herself and her children. Her younger children learn that she disowned their oldest sister for becoming pregnant at 17 and sent her away so that her father wouldn't literally kill her. Her husband returns to Iran. The family meets the older sister and her family. Soraya and her white guy make up and get together again. But for this seemingly happy ending, Soraya and her family suffer from serious trauma caused by the misogyny of religion, and Soraya grapples intensely with her desire to be a feminist and a Muslim. What I really wanted to see in the ending was everyone in therapy. This is not a rom-com, readers; it is an indictment of believing in a religion that tells you are mostly worthless.

To me, this novel was a lot more family and religion first, romance second.
The romance wasn’t fully fleshed out, and I never fully connected with it.
The most interesting portion were the parts about her mother Neda and the struggles she faced with her family and her religious expectations.

What a delightful romance novel with a heartfelt and honest approach to some very serious issues. I felt myself pulling for the main character and couple the entire book. Sincerely appreciated the different narrators and the cultural and historical lessons woven into the story, and the real talk about life starting out as a professional/graduate. Love strong, smart women and this book has several.

this book follows 2 love stories. The first is Neda's as she falls in love with her future husband, Hossein, in Iran. The second story is their youngest daughter's as she graduates from college in the UK and takes on the dating world as a Muslim. #MuslimGuilt is a constant theme which I appreciated. It's something we all face on a regular enough basis, I feel, so to have a character walk the path was refreshing.
There are parts of Soraya's story that I couldn't relate to because, well, I'm in my 30s and she is in her early 20s. This is also the reason it took me a while to get into the story but the relationship between Neda and her definitely gave me a lot to think about.
Accepting our parents' flaws and our family member's choices are things Muslim culture has difficulty discussing, both of which @sarajafari discusses very well in this book

This was such a great rom-com. Reading it felt like I was reading a story about a friend, it was so relatable and well written. Love the dive into the awkwardness that comes with a lot of our 'firsts'. Would recommend!

I enjoyed this one! The author pretty deftly weaves some heavy themes into a novel that is primarily about family relationships, with a dash of romance. One of my favorite elements was the peek into UK university and post-grad culture in the present day.

Rounding up from 3.5 stars.

This is billed as a cute, diversity rom-com. It is NOT a rom-com. The Mismatch tells parallel stories of a mother and daughter and their struggles, mashed up with the elements of a rom-com. It's kind of jarring. On the one hand you have physical abuse, drug addiction, recreational drug use, and children chafing against Muslim strictures (chafing, but ultimately ignoring them), and on the other you have the rom-com premise of a girl dating a guy for "practice." As if you threw pieces of A Thousand Splendid Suns into a paper bag with just about any New Adult novel, shook it, and worked with whatever came out.

I'm not Muslim myself, but I felt the same indignation at times that I did watching Fiddler on the Roof. Religion is *important* to mom, but the kids just don't care. They've got the guilt of the religion but nothing beneficial, it seemed.

Anyhow, it was a compelling read, even if you expected the various turns of plot. I wouldn't expect the couple to make it, though, and I ended up feeling sorry for the father who, in trying to be supportive of his wife, got kind of a raw deal in moving to England.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

I really enjoyed this inter-racial romance between a white rugby player and Persian fashionista from a traditional family. As both do not fit in with the stereotypical depiction of their culture, the story is not only about falling in love, but also learning to find and accept yourself.

The book also includes flashbacks of the main character's, Soraya's, mother, lending a historical context to the novel. While the back read as a madcap romcom of first kisses, this book is much deeper than that. Both main characters face a lot of external and internal strife while making a connection with each other.

I found this book entertaining and very interesting. I loved the depiction of the main character, and I was very interested in how she both reflected and fought against her cultural and familial expectations. All in all, a good read.

*I was given a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Honestly, this was not my favorite. I didn't particularly relate to or really even like some of the characters. Almost all of the relationships were toxic in some way, and there wasn't really a ton of growth in them either. The "resolutions" to the problems weren't complete and I found them wanting. I really hate giving bad reviews, because I know how much goes into writing a book and this is someone's pride & joy. It just wasn't for me.

One the surface (literally the front cover!) Sara Jafari’s debut novel The Mismatch is a romance story between Soraya and Magnus. With different experiences and expectations, the two seem to be mismatched in nearly every conceivable way. It becomes clear quickly (chapter POV alternates between Soraya and her mother, Neda) that The Mismatch is more than a romance but is also a thoughtful story of many of life’s mismatches (expectations of family, practicing religion, and attitudes about sex to name a few) and the impact they have on the characters.

I enjoyed the romance arc between Soraya and Magnus, but I found myself engaging with the book more when it nudged me to think about each of the mismatches Soraya and Neda encountered and how they ultimately responded. Jafari created characters whose struggles to manage layers of expectations and realities were flawed, selfish, well-intentioned, heartbreaking, affirming, triumphant, and altogether human.

Ultimately, I am inclined to describe The Mismatch like a Matryoshka doll of a book - you can read and enjoy it on one level, or you can open it up further and find even more waiting for you.

I happily received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Soraya is the daughter of Iranian immigrants who moved to England as a young couple. They have had horrible marital problems since before Soraya was born, the youngest of four children. This story starts with her graduation, the day on which she interacts with Magnus, a fellow student, hot athlete, and playboy. Soraya has decided to use him to find out what it’s like to kiss a man. Her parents are rigid Muslims--they’ve already disowned one daughter for the sin of pregnancy outside marriage. Soraya’s father is a brutally violent addict. The home is a cathedral to misogyny. By becoming friends with Magnus, Soraya is literally risking death. But she does, because she’s curious. As she gets to know Magnus, she begins to see him not as the enemy, as she’s been taught, but as a vulnerable human being. Their friendship grows, but because she is so insecure and self-hating, the outcome is uncertain.

As the description says, this is a coming-of-age story, but the emphasis isn’t on the romance. It’s really about Soraya growing up in a dysfunctional household, being neurotic, and occasionally trying to emerge from that straightjacket. It’s also about her mother, who although an adult has her own coming-of-age arc to travel. Neda’s story is similar to Soraya’s. She is ruled by patriarchy, and then indoctrinates her daughters and fails to protect them. As a result, Soraya is a very disturbed girl. Although her difficult journey seemed realistic, it was quite bleak and frustrating to see her constantly sabotage herself.

Although the story begins and ends with chapters in Neda’s voice, the story seems to be more about Soraya. And the book description centers on Soraya, when in fact this is a story about her and her mother both trying to emerge from domination. I have mixed feelings about this novel. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to review it.

put this book on your TBR right now ! set for release on august 3, 2021.
not your typical romance novel at all. it’s also a beautiful story of family and religion. such a unique perspective, that I haven’t seen before in this genre. it pulled me in right from the start and I read it all in one go.
the alternating chapters from the mother and daughters perspective was so unanticipated but really added something in terms of perspective.

I really loved this book. The two perspectives being the mother and daughter as opposed to the two lovers both gave it a multigenerational look at what it means to be a feminist Muslim woman looking for love and also demonstrated the cost of keeping family secrets. Few romances explore the guilt that religious women feel when they start to get physical in their relationships before marriage but this book does a wonderful job of showing that dynamic in a modern romance.

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. I thought it was going to be a rom com. Instead, it was a wonderful novel with insights to Iranian culture, Muslim culture in Britain, and the joy and innocence that comes with first loves. Soraya and Magnus were an interesting couple that dealt with complex issues. I enjoyed this novel and think it is a wonderful novel for a book club discussion group.

Based on the cover art and the title of this book, I was expecting it to be a very predictable but sweet romance novel. While I absolutely would have loved reading that, the narratives of family tensions and religious expectations made it all the more better. This book really made me think of "The Arsonist's City" by Hala Alyan which I also read recently, although I enjoyed that book much more. I would definitely recommend this book if you're seeking a novel about recognizing your family for who they are, flawed though they may be, and also finding yourself and understanding your own emotions better. Parts of this book especially resonated with me because I, too, am a recent college grad unable to find work in my dream industry, and I really felt like the author's writing was incredible in capturing real emotions.

This book was really interesting, because although it was good and I enjoyed it, it wasn't at all what I was expecting. It's marketed as a romance, but really it's a family drama with a romance as a subplot. In fact I felt the romance portions weren't as fleshed out, and the relationship didn't feel earned. I never really understood what drew Soraya and Magnus together or felt like they had much chemistry. Also, the entirety of part one was slow going, and I was starting to regret reading this, but parts two and three really picked up. I almost wish the entire book was just the family drama, as the romance seemed secondary and forced. I did enjoy how we got certain chapters from Neda's perspective, but their placement didn't always make sense. It wasn't even, and sometimes she'd have one chapter among many of Soraya's, and other times she'd have a few in a row. Overall I liked the family dynamic and the story, as it wasn't like anything I've read before, and I related to a lot of the elements of religious guilt and just generally feeling lost as you navigate the world after college. I just think it could have done with a bit more editing and cohesion. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3940319325

I really enjoyed the story of Soraya and Magnus. The glimpse into Iranian culture was very interesting. I definitely did not see some of the plot twists coming. It was heartbreaking to see the story of her mother unfold over the course of the book but I really liked how the ending tied things together and left you with hope.

The Mismatch is a lovely book that covers a lot of intense topics. It's told in third person past tense, dual POV between Soraya's perspective in 2014 and her mother's in 1970's Iran and 1980's England, and the romance is fade to black/closed door. I found it a bit difficult to get into, but once I passed 40% I didn't want to put it down, and I ultimately really enjoyed it. I think this book may suffer a bit for being marketed as a romance in a way that kind of doesn't clue readers in to how serious it's going to be in terms of Soraya's family. I normally would not pick up a romance book that I knew had flashbacks to a mother or grandmother's perspective--that's just not my thing, but in this case I'm glad I read this one. I definitely think it's more women's fiction/family drama with a romantic subplot, rather than the other way around.

Though the topics covered are heavy, I found them very relatable. Soraya is trying to forge her own life post-college but struggles a lot with confidence and direction, and she's dealing with religious guilt, particularly around her sexuality, even though she's a non-practicing Muslim and doesn't necessarily feel a strong connection to Islam. She's also dealing with family secrets--addiction, abuse, intense sexism and double standards, and has been taught that she should never talk about her family issues with other people. I found this to be the most compelling part because it's very universal for parents to teach their children that family problems should stay in the family and never be revealed to outsiders, and this book really drives home why that kind of family silence is harmful for everyone involved.

In regards to the romance, I felt that I never fully got to know Magnus--he's definitely a side character, and that makes him a bit of a mystery even to the end. I did feel that the romantic resolution was a little abrupt, and I'm not sure I really felt like everything was resolved. Magnus is a very human, realistic character who makes mistakes, but sometimes that comes off as him not caring enough about Soraya or understanding her. This makes some of the romantic elements a little unsatisfying. I felt like I wanted to love him, but it was hard to because I didn't know who he really was.

The style of prose was also different than what I'm used to, and I'm not sure how to describe it except that it felt like being told a story, rather than being immersed in one. I eventually adjusted to it and no longer minded, but readers who have strong preferences for certain styles might not like it.

All in all, this is a lovely piece of women's fiction that I would definitely recommend, especially to readers who like learning about cultural differences and new perspectives.

This is one of those books that has a cute back cover description but had so much emotion and depth within its pages. Does this story have a romance? Yes. Is this book only about a romance? No. A romance is a part of the story but I feel like 70-80% of the book is actually about family. It’s difficult for me to really determine if I loved or hated this book, and I think this is mainly because there are many parts I loved and many I hated.

This is a beautiful story of love, family, and finding yourself. It definitely falls more into the realm of self-discovery than rom-com for me.
The parallel story told between the mother and daughter journey, along with the growth shown on all sides, made for an intriguing look into how one can always have new beginnings.