A solid 3.5 stars. A dual timeline novel that shows that maybe, just maybe, mothers and daughters aren’t as different as they feel they are. You never know the struggles of those closest to you and how the decisions of the past impact the present. I’d say this is less of a rom-com and more of a fam-drom. All the characters have flaws and struggles and codependencies (some more than others), but each storyline ends on a positive (or at least, forward moving) note.

I thought The Mismatch was going to be a romantic comedy, showing how hard it would be for a Muslim woman and a boy toy rugby player to have a relationship. Instead we learned to not make assumptions about people, that secrets can tear families apart and addictions hurt everyone in the family. There were many intense moments in both Soroya and her mothers lives. I cannot imagine growing up in a strict Muslim household. And Magnus had his own secrets hiding behind his reputation. The ultimate lesson for everyone was learning to love yourself before you love others. Not the beach read I was expecting but I really loved it.

This book was so insightful and thought provoking and had me crying quite a lot if I am honest. I cannot put into words how much enjoyment I had reading this book and how addictive it was from the very beginning.

This is a nice story about an immigrant family trying to fit in the new society they moved to. Soraya, the youngest daughter, is fresh out of the university and yet she has never had a boyfriend, Nothing wrong with her, but rather with her overprotective family that doesn't even let her speak to boys. But then she meets Magnus, a boy from a completely different world from her, and yet that doesn't stop her for feeling something. They are so different yet so similar, a complete mismatch. But will she overcome her family values and find a way to be with him? You'll have to read to find out.

A thought provoking book, focusing on family, culture, religion, love, and self discovery. The Mismatch has everything in it to succeed. I was very impressed by the author and how she was able to get this story across. I really enjoyed her portrayal of the new generation of Muslims living in England vs the older generation back in Iran. I think it is important to notice how much growth has occurred. I ultimately really enjoyed the characters and the book in general.

very interesting look of what it’s like to adapt to life unlike what you’re culture expects. i think the dual pov is interesting because it shows you the different struggles of two people who are in the same family and are different but a lot of what makes them scared or angry or upset is very similar.

It feels so good to be completely lost in a book again! Soraya and Neda’s strong but broken storylines just hooked me right in. It’s a slower paced story, which I usually don’t love, but the author’s writing and the heart and emotion in this book are making it a page turner. This poignant story is everything and I’ve had such a hard time putting it down.

✔️First love
✔️Clashing of cultures
✔️Overcoming adversity
✔️Complicated family dynamics
✔️Self discovery & finding your voice

I think this is going to be one of my favorite books of 2021!

One of the best Rom-coms I've read in a while! Love a romance with substance to it. Check out my blog for the full review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ebook ARC copy in exchange for my review.

This was a cute rom-com type book, a little more YA than I expected, I think. Over all, the story was fine. I wasn't really excited with the author's writing or their descriptions. There were a few trigger warnings I wasn't expecting that turned me off, and there were some anti-Caucasian comments that didn't sit well with me. Everyone is entitled to their own feelings and reactions, and I don't care for any type of talking down or racism, so this kind of soured me, I think, for the overall book.

I would rate this maybe a 2.5 star, but will round up to 3 just to give it a fair shot.

This was a hard read in the best way. So many difficult topics were approached, but in a tender way. I thought this was lovely seeing the juxtaposition of Soraya and her mother's lives at similar ages. I thought the love story was sweet, but it definitely didn't dominate the book. It's a book about relationships and families, chosen and not so chosen. A lovely read.

This was a really good book. It is not, however, as the cover suggests, a romantic comedy or even a romance, although there are romantic elements and an HEA and there are some humorous moments. It was more of a family drama told from the dual POV of an Iranian mother in the 1970-90s and her British/Iranian daughter in the present time. I enjoyed the daughter's (Soraya) POV a little more because I was vested in her romance with Magnus (lots of twists and turns there!) and it was slightly less sad than the mother's (Neda) POV but both kept my interest consistently as the pacing was perfect and the writing style easily engageable. Content warnings include domestic abuse and drug addiction.

The titular mismatched are Soraya, a good Muslim girl, and her former classmate, Magnus, a rugby god. They both just finished university (it's the UK) and are figuring out adulting--without good adult role models in their lives. Both their dads are substance abusers. Soraya's mum, despite being the breadwinner (she has a PhD in something science), supports Soraya's abusive dad...to a devastating degree, as Soraya discovers late in the novel.

Although Magnus has problems, too, he's basically a perfect YA boyfriend with an undeserved reputation as a Lothario. He does enjoy taking naked photos and posting them on Instagram, and his rugby friends are assholes, so <i>perfect</i> is overstating it, but he's still way better than is likely for a handsome rugby god in his early 20s.

The story is fine, predictable, frustrating. My favorite part is when the family secret comes out, and Soraya's family finally starts to heal.

Soraya, the daughter of Iranian immigrants to England, graduates from University having never been kissed. All her life she has been trying to figure out how to fit being a "good Muslim girl" into the world she inhabits. A chance encounter with Magnus at graduation leads her on a quest to finally be kissed. But the more time she spends with Magnus the more she wants and that makes her question even more. A story of trying to figure out where you fit in the world and what makes you happy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am so sad to say that this is just not the book for me. I had several issues with it and I don't want to go into all of it, so this will be brief. I think the biggest issue I had was that I went into this expecting a cute romance and instead it was less romance and mostly just a bunch of messed up people. In the beginning it felt like our main character was more of a young teen rather than a young adult. It felt very immature to my thinking. I just never really did connect with Soraya. I never really liked her character but I did appreciate that she did have some character development, but it just wasn't enough. I wanted to like her, I wanted to be cheering her on, but I just didn't like her. For most of the book I felt that she played the victim really well. She seemed to think everyone was against her. She set out to "use" a popular "player" for her own ends and for some reason that was okay but it is not okay for him. In my opinion it is wrong on all counts. I get that it is a coming-of-age story but I just never could get on board. I liked the story line of her mother, Neda, much more. Neda felt like the strong woman that we want to champion, yet, she also did not make great choices in life. Overall, this book was disturbing, it was sad and depressing and hard to read. If that was the intent, than the author did a great job.

Warnings for substance abuse, domestic violence, many stereotypes, racism, victim mentality, man hating, feminism, and more.

I really wanted to like this book, but I just had a hard time getting into the storyline. I just did not care much about the main characters. I would recommend this to my friend, this is something I think she would enjoy. I did finish it, and 3 stars is not a bad review. Sara Jafari is a skilled writer, I would read more by her, this just was not one I would reread down the road.

This was one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year. There is a lot going on in Soraya’s story of trying to find herself once she’s graduated college. Her family came from Iran right before the Iranian revolution and Soraya’s narrated chapters are interspersed with her mother’s story of being a traditional Muslim woman whose marriage was not a success but who stuck loyally with her husband despite his many character flaws while she builds a life as a respected scientific researcher in England raising their four children. I found both stories fascinating.

Soraya was dealing with her insecurities professionally and personally. She can’t believe that popular and hunky Magnus could really be interested in her. She’s too used to seeing herself as the Other in England. And despite living her life as ostensibly a modern Englishwoman, she is still coping with her Muslim upbringing when it comes to sex and a relationship with a White man.

I found this insight into an Iranian immigrant family fascinating. The story was complex and insightful. I didn’t want it to end.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

This is one of those bittersweet and heartbreaking books that have you laughing and crying every other chapter! Soraya is "dating" Magnus because she needs "kissing" lessons and he is rumored to be serial dating every woman in college. Because Soraya is Muslim, all contact with men is prohibited and even though she is drawn to him, she can't renounce her faith. But when we discover her family has kept secrets from her--especially ones she doesn't agree with, she must forge her own way in this world. Jafari addresses so many themes: coming-of-age, innocence, belief systems, family ties, sacrosanct beliefs, but above all-- the ability of women to decide for themselves who they must become to be happy and accept themselves outside of the rigid structures of family life that constricted their predecessors. I look forward to more from this author!

So very unexpected! If you’re coming in thinking this is a light and cute romcom, you’re gonna be disappointed. But, this had such depth and feeling, I promise you won’t be disappointed picking this as an anytime read. And, all things considered, a happy ending.

This book was a really nice read!! The relationships throughout the book were so solid and i truly loved all of the characters. I didn’t expect it be what it was, but I actually really loved it. It’s definitely more of a deep read than a romcom, and left me feeling so sad while I was reading, which I didn’t initially expect. I did maybe wish for more chemistry between the main couple, sometimes it just felt really dull. However, I think the fact that although this a romcom but it manages to have a whole different depth of meaning and lessons in it on top of that, will help set this apart from other books, and for that reason I would definitely recommend this book if you want a deeper romcom, that’s less fluffy and more meaningful.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc!!

As another middle eastern muslim living in a western country I really related to the main character. I definitely think that added to my enjoyment of this novel a lot. But the character dynamics made it so that I adored this book. The two main POVs of Soraya and Neda worked well together and provided a lot of insight about how it is living as a muslim in these kinds of countries. The romance was also a fun aspect of the story but I liked that this book wasn’t necessarily just a love story and that it spoke about Neda and Soraya’s hardships as well.