This was a really great book that deals with someone really having to decide between their dreams or their heritage. I think this is such a great read for any YA fiction fan. In this story, we are transported to 1979. Jasmine's dream is to ditch her hometown and get into NYU. But she may have fibbed on her application to NYU. I mean senior class president sounds really good on any college application! One problem, she isn't class president...yet. Now she is thrown into her schools election race. Her opponent is this stiff and kind of jerky guy, Gerald. He makes quite a few horrible anti-Iranian remarks to try to get Jasmine to lose. I mean seriously what a horrible dude. Now Jasmine has to decide if she should do anything possible to win or stand up for her Iranian heritage.

What I enjoyed :
- Jasmine! She was very relatable. Even though I am not of Iranian ancestory, I do understand having to fully embrace your heritage. The decision is a hard one for anyone who is still figuring out who they are in terms of their heritage. I totally get that, and I did want to hug her and give her advice.
- the multicultural aspect was done so well. I really enjoyed seeing how Jasmine, and her brother handled the situations that arose.
- Even though this dealt with a very serious topic, there were still some funny moments.
- The light touch of romance!


I loved how fresh and real this book felt. I felt like it handled a lot of serious topics properly. I loved seeing Jasmine's growth to figuring out who she is. There is so much great elements to this book and I cannot recommend it enough! Perfect for any fan of YA fiction, historical fiction, and multicultural elements. 4 stars out of 5. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

OH MY GOSH! I think I just found my new favorite book. This was ABSOLUTLY amazing and I can’t wait to rave to everyone about this!

This is Jasmine’ story about becoming senior class president to avoid lying on her NYU resume all this while Iranian students are taking American hostages which becomes a big part of her school campaign.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure about the main character at first. She was obsessed with NYU and did not have any other personality traits. Plus, she was thinking more about herself than anything and let her friends down.

The purpose of the story was very interesting though. Torn between her dream school and her heritage, Jasmine tries to come to term with both, which turns out to be very difficult. I think that with a more relatable main character, the book could have been much better. Not that it wasn’t good, it just was not perfect.

It may be basic, but I loved the ending. I always love when there are happy moments after a hard time.

I would recommend it as it’s not everyday that a YA book set in the 70’s attacks hard subjects such as xenophobia and political difficulties.

Jasmine Zumideh is a great example of the best of YA fiction! Jasmine is an Iranian teen who loves one thing above all else: music. Yearning to be a real rock journalist, she’s planned it all out: finish the senior year, get into NYU, and then get the hell out of California. It’s a simple plan. But one little thing is in her way: Gerald Thomas. Her academic rival and competitor for the coveted spot in NYU’s acceptance pool. In a last-ditch effort to pad her application, Jasmine becomes the student body president-elect- well, kind of. All she has to do is beat Gerald and the spot is hers, but it soon becomes difficult when the Iranian hostage crisis breaks out and Gerald runs an anti-Iranian campaign, putting Jasmine and her family in danger. She will soon have to decide what’s more important: her aspirations or doing what’s right. Will she become the writer she’s always imagined being, or stand and fight for everything she’s dreamed of running from? Jasmine Zumideh is a fresh new Young Adult novel. Despite being set in the 70s, the narrative voice never loses its touch on modern teens. Tackling the standard teen conflicts in identity, aspirations, and family obligation, the novel takes a different approach, focusing through the lens of an Iranian-American teen growing up in the wake of a troublesome political event. This book is an entertaining and important read.

This was an engaging story and fun read as we follow Jasmine and her internal conflict of seemingly opposing identities. Well-intentioned characters that bad not-the-best choices and work their way through the arising conflicts always reel me in to see what happens next. You will laugh and tear up at this charming story

This book is a real winner! Jasmine is a perfectly imperfect high school senior in 1979. She is pursuing her dream of attending NYU to become a music journalist. She has claimed to be the class president, which she fully expects to be a reality until the 1979 Iranian hostage throws a wrench in her plans. Her political opponent seizes upon anti-Iranian sentiment and her younger brother becomes a vocal opponent of US foreign policy, making it impossible for Jasmine to continue downplaying her identity. The book explores timeless questions of identity and acceptance in a historical setting that perfectly brings these issues to the forefront. Plus, the late 70s references are fun, especially for someone who lived through that era. Although the topics in this novel are serious, the book is also laugh-out-loud funny and you really root for the main character despite, our perhaps because of, her questionable decision making and goofs.

Thank you, Wednesday Books, for allowing me to read this story early.

I loved that this book is set in the late seventies, and despite that, the themes handled in Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win are still so relatable.

Jasmine is a likable and flawed character, just like we all are because, let’s face it, we all have our flaws and can be messy at times, right? Especially a teen on the cusp of adulthood. I loved Jasmine's journey to get into her dream school and rooted for her so much!

Susan Azim Boyer’s writing is engaging, and the pacing perfect, and I can’t wait to read another book by this author!

Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win by Susan Azim Boyer is a fresh young adult novel that follows Jasmine's campaign for Senior Class President as she races to win the seat in an effort to get accepted into her dream school, NYU. This novel is quick, witty, and engaging as you connect with the storyline while also exploring Jasmine's identity as an Iranian-American in 1979 given the current events of the moment. It talks through themes including relationship conflicts, complex identities, and just how much you're willing to sacrifice to achieve your goals.

I originally was interested in this book because I've worked in politics and was pretty engaged with that starting in high school. I used to be engaged in politics in high school including student-led campaigning, so this book was immediately something I knew I wanted to hear more about. From there, I was able to connect with the characters and find myself fully immersed in Eisenhower High's student life. For fans of Netflix's The Politician, this is a great choice to get you into reading. I also really enjoyed the timing of this novel and that the author intentionally positioned this in 1979 versus opting for a contemporary storyline. It was a really accessible way to learn about historical moments through the eyes of students without feeling too disconnected from present-day interests. At times, it definitely feels like it's a young adult novel, but that was to be expected and that's what it's marketed as anyhow. It does use a lot of dialogue to move the story forward, but it wasn't distractingly reliant on back-and-forth conversations to progress. My one main area of critique is it would've been nice to have a bit more background/context and worldbuilding set-up in the early pages to help better connect with Jasmine earlier on, but the author ultimately makes up for this as you keep reading. I also think because I have a background in politics, some of the lines about "you have to do x to win" or "y is going to be a critical voting bloc" felt a little too cheesy and non-essential for actual campaign strategy, but that's just me getting into the weeds. Overall, it's an enjoyable, quick read, and it's worth picking up!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a super cute and quick read. There are many devastating moments and many serious issues that are tackled in this story. The main character battles with doing what is right and doing what she feels she needs to to achieve her dreams. I read it in an afternoon, it’s a great palette cleanser if you’re reading lots of larger, intense volumes.

Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win is witty and unique, fitting a contemporary-style young adult plot into a decade out of reach to today's teens. Its most important feature is the way it interweaves information about the 1979 Iranian Revolution, an important event that in my experience is not discussed much in American schooling. It provides a window into the effects of microaggressions and what they mean for a young person's identity development and expression. And, the novel does all of this through the voice of a young woman who knows what she wants even as she juggles who she is.

Overall, this book is a masterclass in writing across times with a diverse character base. My only complaint is that the secondhand embarrassment is at times too much to bear; as much as I love Jasmine and rooted for her success, it was sometimes very difficult to like her. Though this may be the mark of a well-written teenage character, it is difficult to read past some of her choices--especially regarding her relationship with her brother and best friend(s). I also was not thrilled with the ending. Without giving too much away, it feels like Jasmine settles at the end; she seems to have more choice in her college decision than she thinks, but it seems to me that she settles for one rather than basing her choice on fit and excitement.

This book was honestly such a great read! It was also relatable. Jasmine Zumideh is a senior in high school trying to get into NYU, in order to do that she had to lie that she was senior class president. She was determined to win the election so she wouldn't get caught lying in her application. 

Jasmine was trying to fit in, she didn't like telling people she was half Iranian due to racism that she could face. She also was very determined to achieve her goals, to study in NYU. it has realistic characters especially Jasmine, she isn't the perfect main character that you always see, she makes bad choices in life like a normal teenager.

Welp, I wrote it, so of course I love it! I'm very excited for readers to discover it here and hope the reviews are favorable!!

<i> eARC provided by NetGalley </i>

After lying (or, "accelerating the truth") about being senior class president on her NYU application, Jasmine Zumideh is more than determined to win the election IRL. She thinks it will be a breeze... but then, the Iran Hostage Crisis throws a wrench in all her plans. Suddenly, Jasmine is seen as the "I-rain-ian" candidate, particularly when her younger brother starts speaking out against US foreign policy. Jasmine finds herself embroiled in a toxic race against Gerald, her hyper-patriotic, xenophobic classmate who uses Jasmine's "foreign"-ness to campaign against her at every turn.

Jasmine is a sharp-witted protagonist who makes some excruciatingly poor decisions over the course of this novel. Basically, she's a realistic and engaging teenage character. Her struggles, big and small, will resonate with teen readers everywhere, and I found her feelings of "embarrassment" to be particularly poignant and timely. Racialized kids in America have, time and time again, been held collectively responsible for "their" (note the aggressively passive-aggressive quotation marks) countries' actions, and it's a really difficult thing to navigate at any age. JASMINE ZUMIDEH NEEDS A WIN portrays that experience in an honest, heartbreaking, and often funny (yes, laugh-out-loud funny) way. I highly recommend picking up a copy.

This was such a charming and engaging read. I love imperfect, well-intentioned characters who make bad choices and then have to get themselves out of the mess they create, and Jasmine Zumideh perfectly fit the bill. One small, understandable misstep leads to another and another, while she wrestles with deeply relatable questions about her identity and how to reconcile her heritage with the relentless, often deeply brutal messaging of the world. Azim Boyer balances out the hard politics with lots of humour, and while she uses the student election to parallel a lot of shady US politics of the era, she also gives us a believable and easy-to-root-for heroine who grapples with crushes, strained friendships, college applications, family bickering, part-time jobs, and which shoes to wear to the school dance. I loved the ways the Big Issues were braided with the small stresses, because that's the way life works, and I definitely felt the rising tension as the student election neared and Jasmine dug herself deeper into a hole no could pull her out of. With a well-rounded supporting cast and a big heart, this one's definitely "a winner."

AHHH this was so cute and good?? as a mixed girl myself i really related to jasmie, and even though she wasn't always the most likable main character, she was awesome. the plot was so fun, and the writing kept me hooked. highly recommend!

As a mixed girl who has eaten frosting right from the container as a result of an emotional spiral many times, I fell in love with Jasmine Zumideh. I flew through this book in one day. It was fast-paced, and driven by such a clear voice. Jasmine is the picture of every messy young girl trying to balance belonging and self-truth. I loved her genuine connection with her friends, and Mike is the best high school love interest one could imagine for themselves. Reading this book, I was overjoyed that there was, as she calls it, “half’n’half” representation. I had never read a YA book before this that allowed such exploration of the complicated contradictions that lie in mixed heritage. Though the story takes place in the 70s, the sentiments about identity rang true for me in 2022.

Deeply reminiscent of the enormity of everything at 18, Jasmine leads you through this story with an earnest mindset, and room to grow. She is complex, caring, and sometimes self-indulgent, and you root for her the entire time. She is the heroine a young Emma would’ve really loved and seen herself in. Reading this now at 21, this book inspired me to give myself and others a little bit more grace. Susan Azim Boyer’s writing was sincere and beautiful. I hope to read more from her in the future, and hope to meet more characters as bold and brave as Jasmine Zumideh.

This is an inspiring story that follows Jasmine Zumideh - an ambitious Iranian American student. It’s smart, funny, and charming, and perfectly describes high school and hoping for a better future.

This book takes place during the Iran Hostage Crisis and includes a lot of relevant themes. I’ve never read a YA book that was set during this period before and I was really impressed by this one. I enjoyed seeing Jasmine grow throughout and how she changed.

I also really enjoyed the details that went into making it feel like the 70’s. Jasmine dreams of becoming a rock journalist, which reminded me a lot of Almost Famous, and I loved her commentary throughout on music. Her ambition with this reminded me a lot of high school and that feeling that you can do anything in the future.

Jasmine may have made some bad decisions, but she’s definitely a character that we all can root for. It was a really inspiring story and I enjoyed seeing her start to love both of her cultures. Overall, I highly recommend this one.