This isn’t a romance, not really. There’s a love story, but the romantic love doesn’t feel like the central theme in the book. Instead, it’s about that time after college when the world is both impossibly wide and too small, about a family where things are broken but no one talks about them. About a mother and a daughter.

I found myself wanting even more of the non-romance. I wanted more about Neda’s life. I wanted more glimpses into Parvin (who late in the book seemed to have traits ascribed to her that we hadn’t ever seen). I wanted more Oliver.

What I like about the book: there’s no grand panacea. Love doesn’t cure all. There’s still family shit and post-grad brokeness and who knows if you and your loved one will change in complementary ways. But it’s the little small steps — of action, of openness, of reconciliation— that give it a sense of hope.

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

The Mismatch by Sara Jafari is not usually the type of book I read. I’m a romance reader. I love books about love and falling in love. The Mismatch does have romance but that’s not the core of the book. This book theme is love though. Familial love. Self love. And yes romantic love. It’s a beautiful story that follows Soraya and Neda and their quest to love and marriage and the in between. These two women lives are shaped by life and circumstance. I enjoyed this novel very much. The story was moving and I loved seeing it unfold. While reading I went through a roller coaster of emotions, I laughed, I cried, I screamed at the characters and I loved it all. Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for gifting me this book for an honest review.

Disclaimer: I got this book in exchange for an honest review!

Soraya and Magnus are polar opposites. There were a few cliche lines such as "He was a popular rugby player, and she was a quiet nobody" but if that doesn't bother you then this book is perfect for you. I personally thought it was okay-it gave me the escapism that I needed and it allowed me to destress after a long day. If you're looking for something fun and lighthearted then this is perfect!

Wow. This was not at all what I was expecting but in the best possible way. I expected a cute romance, opposites attract and dealing with growing up and cultural differences. This book was a story about family, about secrets, how holding feelings in can destroy you and the people around you and about the similarities that can appear over generations even under different circumstances. I am so glad I read this book.