I didn't realize this was the second book in a duology when I picked this up. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get into it and felt lost without reading the first book.

The second in a series where the first was a dnf for me, so in this Instance, I did not start as the first was not completed.

It was so refreshing to read something again from S. K. Ali! I'm so proud to read such books by Muslim authors and see them getting the hype they deserve. Jannah's journey was heartwarming to read again. I've read her growing up and getting much mature, taking control of her surroundings and feelings! Adam and Zayneb's entry was super cute. Can't wait to read more of their story.

A fantastic follow-up to Ali's _Saints and Misfits_. I enjoyed the characters in that book so much; it was good to catch up with them again in this sequel. I'll definitely be using this one as an option for the literature circles in my young-adult lit class in the fall.

this was such a sweet follow up to Saints and Misfits. I love, love SK Ali as an author and as a person and her writing is beautiful. The Muslim rep, as always, was phenomenal and Ali is 100% an autobuy author for me

Love is rarely easy, and never linear. Misfits in Love is a great summer-read about choices and expectations, which turn upside down. Bring it to the beach, kick back in a hammock, or curl up on the couch. If you read Ali's first book, Saints and Misfits, you'll be eager to know what tangled adventures Janna and her misfit heart get into.

S.K. Ali has such a gift for writing compelling, nuanced characters and arcs. I loved reading this companion novel, and know it will mean a lot to many teens!

Have you ever gone into a story with specific expectations and it’s actually different, but in the best possible way? I just had this experience with Misfit in Love by S.K. Ali, the sequel Saints and Misfits. I personally really loved the first book and thought that based off the ending, and the sequel’s synopsis, Misfit in Love was going to be a sweet, wholesome love story. Well, S.K. Ali managed to defy every expectation I had, besides the one that I would absolutely love this book.
This book continues the story of Janna Yusuf in the most impactful way. The book is set during Janna’s brother’s wedding, which made for a setting surprisingly rich in intrigue and drama. The wedding causes quite a few new and familiar characters alike to converge in one location, which was just automatically interesting to read. With new people entering Janna’s life, a love square of sorts is introduced that was actually well-done. Each love-interest is a fleshed out character that were all lovable, making it difficult to choose a team.
There are so many important parts of this book, but the way this book tackled racism in Muslim and Desi communities hit home the most. The dialogue in these parts were unfortunately relatable for me to read as a Pakistani-American Muslim, but I really appreciated how S.K. Ali presented these issues in our communities, and how to combat them. Everyone should read this book because it’s just amazing, but I think a lot of Muslims and Desis need to hear these ideas.
Something that I will always love about Ali’s books is the writing. It’s so fun and authentic and it’s one of the reasons she’s one of my favorite authors of all time. I connect to her characters so deeply, and I will always look forward to reading more of her writing.
This book, at its core, is about love, and expanding your capacity to experience, share, and accept it. The many ways Ali portrays love and showcases its wonder was brilliant. This book also shows that sometimes love can be painful and messy, but also beautiful and exciting. I would like to mention that while this book looks like a love story on the surface, I wouldn’t exactly call it that. If you’re expecting and only want a sweet rom-com, this isn’t exactly that. That isn’t to say there isn’t any romance, because there is. It just isn’t the focus of the story.
At the beginning of this book, I was curious about where the story was going. By the middle, I had a confused look on my face. When I finished reading, I donned a wide grin because I just felt so wholesome. Misfit in Love is a book that puts you through a wide range of emotions, from feeling Janna’s pain to experiencing her joy. It’s a book that has some very important things to say, a book that centers happiness and growth, and a book that I am infinitely grateful for.

This is the second book in the series and it was a good one. Ali does a great job of explaining things. I enjoyed the plot of the story about how teenage girls can be a little boy crazy but really you need to be ok with yourself because not relationship can make it better. The book dives into cultural and racial issues and does a great job! I enjoyed this book and I feel I am more understanding of a culture I haven't been exposed much to.

SK Ali never disappoints me. Was thrilled to be back with these characters and loved every minute of reading this sequel. Would highly recommend this series to anyone who likes The Henna Wars or Love From A to Z.

Misfit In Love is the second book in the Saints and Misfits series by S. K. Ali.
I haven't read book one of the series so i went into this without knowing about the characters or the previous storyline. But I still enjoyed it as it was easy for me to grasp personalities of the characters and the dynamic between family, friends and love interests.

Although this was a slow burn, it was also emotional and full of colour and vibrance. I'm unaware of the beginning of Janna's story but just from what I've read, there was so much growth. Even though her story has a significant romantic angle at play, in the end it was all about her and trying to understand her family dynamics, especially her relationship with her father. But what I admire the most about Janna is her ability to confront problematic behaviours and stand up for what's right. She has my vote.

Let's talk about the romantic angle for a bit. It definitely toys with your heart and the reason I decided to point this out specifically is because it reminded me of my late teen years so the complicated (yet very addictive) situation we get not only made me feel second hand embarrassment at times but also had me hoping Janna makes the right choices, and she did.

There were times that the swell of emotions got too much for me to handle, but overall this has left me feeling content. Perfect characters, perfect writing, a decent and believable plot that focuses on a lot of issues (subtly and head on) and a justifiable ending that wasn't cliché.
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Rated 8/10
Melina L.

Thank you to Netgalley, S.K. Ali, and the publisher for this ARC.

I was so excited to dive back into Janna's story in this sequel! If you're looking for a cute, teen romance, then this one is for you. I've liked Janna since reading "Saints and Misfits," mostly because she's a misfit and we don't always see characters like that in literature.

This one, though, we see Janna growing up even more and starting to come to terms with all the newness and oddness in her life. Nuah, her crush, is acting weird and there's a new, hot guy she's wondering about, too.

At times it feels like a cute ROM com but it tackles deep issues like racism. So, overall, it's a good sequel for sure.

Misfit in Love takes place around two years after Saints and Misfits; Janna has just graduated high school and is gearing up for her older brother Muhammad's summer wedding. She's been eagerly awaiting this wedding weekend, when she'll finally get to spend time with her mom, and reunite with her crush, Nuah. ⁣
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But of course, things aren't going according to plan. Janna's mom is spending a lot of time with an old friend (who might be a new flame), Janna is butting heads with her dad, and Nuah's acting differently towards Janna. And things get even more complicated when Janna meets two new wedding guests: cute Haytham and broody Layth. Will Janna survive the weekend and get her happily ever after?⁣
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Janna is such a lovable character and it was so nice to reconnect with her and see where her journey has gone! I really appreciate how thoughtfully S.K. Ali tackles big topics like complicated family dynamics, cross-cultural relationships, and racism. Just like Saints and Misfits, Misfit in Love has Muslim rep: our protagonist, Janna, is a half-Egyptian, half-Indian Muslim girl, and many of the other characters are Muslim folks of all different ethnic backgrounds.⁣
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Misfit in Love is a perfect summery read that's all about embracing change and asking difficult questions. If you loved Janna in Saints and Misfits, you'll definitely want to pick up Misfit in Love. You could read this one as a standalone, but I think you'll enjoy it more if you've read Saints and Misfits! We also get some appearances of characters from some of S.K. Ali's other work.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have no words to describe how much I loved this book. I knew it would be amazing from the beginning, but I didn't realize how amazing it would be. Everyone should drop what they're doing and go read Saints and Misfits and this book.

This was another great YA novel from S.K. Ali, providing a rich cast of characters for readers to enjoy. Fans of the author's Love from A to Z will be happy to see a cameo from the beloved couple featured in that novel, as well. So much love for this one!

I read Misfit in Love right after finishing Saints and Misfits. It was nice to return to the same characters and have them all celebrate Muhammad and Sarah's wedding. I related a lot to Janna's excitement in finally being about to see Nuah. It reminded me of the joys of having a crush and getting to see them again. While this book is a fun read, the book also touches on important issues of anti-blackness, self-love, and issues with British literature.

I did feel like there wasn't an overall strong plot, which is fine, but I personally got a little bored at times while reading the book.

I was so excited to return to the world of “Saints and Misfits,” but it was so much better once I realized that characters from “Love From A to Z” also make appearances in “Misfit in Love.” Ali has a wonderful way of being able to write about relevant and meaningful issues layered in fun and engaging storylines.

Ever since SK Ali announced that one of my all-time favourite books will have a sequel, I've been waiting in anticipation for its release. Imagine the delight I felt upon seeing that I was approved for an ARC on NetGalley! Immediately, I downloaded it onto my Kindle and started devouring the story.

Misfit in Love is a direct continuation from its predecessor, Saints & Misfits. It tells the story of a Muslim girl named Janna who is still trying to find her way around after suffering in silence from sexual assault. In MiL, Janna is involved in the wedding preparations for her brother and friend's soon-to-happen Nikah ceremony. While trying to juggle her duties, she comes across some friendly faces as well as new ones whom she never expects to be involved with.

I really liked the premise of the story as there's always something exciting happening during wedding preparations and Janna was definitely not spared from this. She learns to deal with heartbreak and simultaneously, the very definition of love. SK Ali also did a great job in bringing in real-life issues into the story such as racism and accepting one another for our differences. The characters were also lovely and it was also really nice to see familiar faces appear, who were the main characters in the author's other series!

However while the point stands well on its own, this also made the book feel slightly more packed than it should have been. As it is only around 300 pages long, there was not really much room for in depth characterisation or plot explanation. For instance, we were introduced to two new male characters who are marketed as love interests for Janna. Adding in Nuah to the mix, there are 3 love interests in total. Personally, I felt that this was a bit too many as there were also other characters that had page time and thus, this sacrifices the opportunity to develop the characters better individually. Nuah has been a prominent character in the previous book and also in Janna's life. However, I felt that his story was very much sidelined in here and I did not really understand the purpose of his character. This was one of my biggest gripes when reading this book and had to lower the rating because of my higher expectations for a highly-anticipated sequel.

In addition to that, I also did not enjoy the romance as much as I wanted to. There were just too many things happening that I did not have the time to pause and appreciate the love triangle (?) square (?). I'm also not exactly sure if I like the person Janna goes for in the end because as mentioned, there was not much character development. Therefore, the characters fell flat for me. It felt like they were fighting to have page time in the 300 pages and were taking turns to appear. Perhaps if the book had been longer, more development could have been explored.

In conclusion, Misfit in Love had a good idea going but the execution could have gone better. While I really enjoyed the wedding preparation scenes and the explanation of the different customs, I think I expected more from the characters that mostly carried the book. I think the cover is very beautiful though and caught my eye very easily with its vibrant colours. I'll still read the author's future projects and am excited for the sequel to Love from A to Z!

Misfit in Love by S.K Ali is a good Young Adult read. The story is interesting and fast-paced enough to keep my often distracted mind's attention. While this book is listed as a sequel, I have not read the first and still found this one enjoyable. Loveable characters and an interesting plot make for a good read!

You definitely want to read book one before jumping into this book. This was a fun and time appropriate book perfect for YA readers