OK, here me out: sometimes I think I like YA books better than books with characters my own age (almost-40). Jasmine, folks. Jasmine!

She represented what many young women struggle with--trying to find one's place in a world that doesn't take much stock in your opinions.

I loved how this book managed to touch on important historical events juxtaposed against a typical, teenage senior year experience. (That blasted college application process!) This book was fun and I absolutely have talked to no fewer than ten high schoolers about it since I finished it.

Must read!

Jasmine is ready to move on. She's eager to move away from Southern California and go to her dream school, NYU where she can major in journalism and write about the ever expanding music scene. Eager to get a leg up on her application, she said that she was Senior Class President-Elect before the election takes place. But, she's certain she can win and it won't be a problem. That is, until a real-life incident turns the election upside down. Jasmine's brother is outspoken while Jasmine shrinks and tries to downplay her heritage. This all snowballs and Jasmine is left making a number of difficult decisions.

Coming into this, I didn't know what to expect from the historical aspect especially. So, as this brought in the Iran Hostage Crisis I was fascinated to learn about it. I definitely ran to Google pretty early on to learn a little about it and am still eager to learn more about it. I think having something centered around this which people may not know about that was important and excellent choice as I think this will help educate a number of people.

While already discussing what teenagers go through and struggle with, the author really dives into what POC can face. For this specifically, what middle eastern descent people face in times of war when xenophobia is incredibly high. The author really brought to life how difficult it can be and the choices that they'll need to make to be able to get through the day.

The focus was on Jasmine and her struggles with her heritage and going to college, but there were some things going on in her home life that I would have loved a little bit more discussion about as I think that is another thing that a number of people could have related too.

Jasmine is a character who acts her age. She makes mistakes that I found foolish, she's messy, but she is also someone who feels she's really stuck between a rock and a hard place. She struggles on where she fits in. Between her social circle and cultural identity she's struggling on who she wants to be and how she wants to express herself. With everything she does and she goes through, I do believe that she could be a very relatable character for teens.

I loved the contrast between Jasmine and her brother, Ali. Jasmine was struggling, wanting to keep her cultural hidden more while Ali was proud. He wanted to talk about it, make sure everyone knew about it while advocating for what was going on. It was nice to see the difference in someone who is trying to advocate for their heritage while something struggling with it because of the ways that it might affect them. I think Ali was a great character to express that.

Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win was a wonderful debut. It's a story that will make you laugh while also reflecting on your own life and what you would do if you were in Jasmine's shoes.

A Heartfelt, powerful, coming of age book. It's one where it's almost hard to review, because you just have to read it yourself and see what it's like.

Rating : 4 out of 5
Blurbs : It’s 1979, and Jasmine Zumideh is ready to get the heck out of her stale, Southern California suburb and into her dream school, NYU, where she’ll major in journalism and cover New York City’s exploding music scene.

There’s just one teeny problem: Due to a deadline snafu, she maaaaaaybe said she was Senior Class President-Elect on her application—before the election takes place. But honestly, she’s running against Gerald Thomas, a rigid rule-follower whose platform includes reinstating a dress code—there’s no way she can lose. And she better not, or she’ll never get into NYU.

But then, a real-life international incident turns the election upside down. Iran suddenly dominates the nightly news, and her opponent seizes the opportunity to stir up anti-Iranian hysteria at school and turn the electorate against her. Her brother, Ali, is no help. He’s become an outspoken advocate for Iran just as she’s trying to downplay her heritage.

Now, as the white lie she told snowballs into an avalanche, Jasmine is stuck between claiming her heritage or hiding it, standing by her outspoken brother or turning her back on him, winning the election or abandoning her dreams for good.

Told with biting insight and fierce humor, Susan Azim Boyer's Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win is a fresh, unforgettable story of one Iranian-American young woman’s experience navigating her identity, friendship, family, her future, and a budding romance, all set against life-changing historical events with present-day relevance.

Thoughts : Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. Intriguing plot and likable characters. If you like YA books in general, you'll like this book. Sadly, YA books don't work for me.

This was a very good book that examined multiculturalism, democracy, and navigating high school. I was impressed by all that the book touched on while exploring the turbulent times during the Iran hostage crisis. I did find the book to be geared toward the lower YA range as the main character was pretty juvenile.

Jasmine Zumieh dreams of becoming a journalist and of attending NYU to achieve this dream. In order to get into NYU she needs one more extracurricular or achievement to stand out. She decides to run for student class president to get the extra item she needs to stand out. On the eve of the election, the Iranian revolution begins and starts to skew the perspective of the students who would be voting in the election. This is a great coming of age novel that discusses what ethnicity means, how to be proud of your roots and how to determine which values you should uphold. I would highly recommend it.

Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win was such a fresh YA novel. A story about a young Iranian American trying to make her dreams come true while struggling with being true to herself and her culture and to the people she loves most. There are moments when I wanted to shake jasmine’s shoulders and yell “What are you doing?!” But that’s the teenage years in every generation. This book is truly near 5 stars for me but i unfortunately as a reader cringed a little too much with Jasmine’s choices towards the end of the book. The ending also had some rush pacing in my opinion. But again, I really did enjoy this book. I really adored the relationship between her and her aunt though and wish we got to see more of that.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

First off, I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was messy, but in a good way! It definitely kept me hooked. I never thought a high school election could reflect world politics, and the lengths that some characters were willing to go to were unexpected. Everything became a lot more complicated for Jasmine since Iran and the U.S. were having issues, causing her opponent to take on a very hateful approach with his campaign. She tried so hard to hide her Iranian identity to fit in and win the election. Winning was vital for her acceptance into NYU, her dream school. She longs to leave California and become a music journalist on the East Coast.

There were definitely times where I was frustrated because of the choices Jasmine was making, but it was also written in a way where you can see how difficult it was for her to be in those situations. We got to see how her parents’ relationship has affected her, how the political climate affected how her and her family, as well as other Iranians, were perceived, and how she struggled choosing between loyalty and personal interest. It showed a lot of the struggle of being mixed and learning how to be proud of your background. It was nice to see that her brother never forgot about his background, and I love how she also started to realize how important it was for her to be proud of her background as well.

Apart from election drama, there was also drama within her friend group, showing how hard it can be to stay in the same friendships as you get older and become different people. Jasmine also had a love interest who just seemed like the perfect guy — even she couldn’t handle how morally correct he was all the time. How things wrapped up with them seemed a little rushed, but they were cute. What I thought was interesting was how her friendship with her best friend, Bridget, was handled. After everything that went down, it’s nice to see that the way it all ends wasn’t completely rushed with them.

Flawed characters ultimately make for very interesting characters. As invested as I got in Jasmine’s story, I wasn’t sure how it would all end. Would she get a happy ending? I have to say that I like how the author chose to end the story, and you can see how much Jasmine developed throughout. She began to appreciate her culture more, as well as her aunt, who really was only trying to be there for her and Ali. Overall, I give it 4/5 stars!

I really struggled with reading this book. I wanted to cheer for the main character, who was in the first chapter very likable with a very clear vision of who she wanted to become. About 25% of the way through reading this book, I became disenchanted with Jasmine and the way that she decided to run her election campaign, particularly by ignoring her brother.

I was looking forward to reading this as I had not read any stories that took place during the Iranian Conflict, but the overall story fell very short for me. There were too many conflicts: her parents separating, the clashing cultures of her father's family and her school friends, not being able to tell right from wrong initially, and then letting the problem grow drastically out of hand.

loved it! i really enjoyed the setting of the book and how jasmine navigates throughout her journey. can't wait for more from boyer!

The struggle to balance two cultures is highlighted by Jasmine, an Iranian-American student just trying to get into college during the Iran hostage crisis. The 70s vibe is strong in the story and it felt genuine., not pandering or commercialized. A lot of the characters and their actions are very frustrating and almost made me give up the book, but the writing was quick and expertly moved on before I got too annoyed with a character. A lot of teenage decisions are made, and a lot of self reflection, resulting in a pretty satisfying ending.

This book I so insanely special and This book is election meets teens of today even though it takes place in the 90s. Full review on my socials. Thanks again Wednesday books for the arc.

Susan Boyer's characters are believeable, the plot is enjoyable, and the humor makes the prose flow easily even when the topics and situations become a bit heavy.

Following Iranian-American Jasmine in 1979 as she strives to get accepted to NYU for journalism, follow her dream to write for Creem, and juggle with wanting to blend in rather than stand out because of her family and heritage, this work was enjoyable and worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this dARC in exchange for my honest review.

It's the first time in a long time that I felt the characters were relatable in their teen hood. I really enjoyed this read. It was relatively fast for me.

I love books about teenage girls figuring out their lives, and this one is great, including elements of politics and xenophobia and how one navigates both. This is a great addition to any library or collection.

Jasmine Zumideh is full of pop culture references to the 1970s, girl boss attitude, and Iranian American pride. The characters are very flawed but still likeable. Jasmine and her brother are two sides of the same Iranian American coin, and their friends have varying degrees of misguided patriotism and understanding. The title will appeal to teens especially because it tackles themes like friendship, betrayal, dysfunctional families, and identity.

Rating 4/5
Plot 4/5
Writing 4/5
Character Development 4/5

“Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win” by Susan Azim Boyer is a YA historical fiction and coming-of-age story. This book tells the story of Jasmine Zumideh, an Iranian-American teen, in 1979, who dreams of being accepted into NYU’s journalism program. Due to a hiccup with her application, she says that she’s Senior Class President before being elected. Nonetheless, she’s running against Gerald Thomas and is confident that she’ll win. However when a group of students in Iran takes American Embassy in Tehran and its people hostage, Jasmine’s goals for winning change course. Jasmine decides to not use her heritage during the election, however, her brother, Ali, is very vocal about the issue, and even Gerald tries to use the situation to gain sympathy votes. Jasmine is stuck between “claiming her heritage or hiding it, standing by her brother or turning her back, winning the election or abandoning her dreams for goods.”

I haven't read many coming-of-age stories like this one, but I enjoyed it! It was realistic and relatable. Definitely a great book for those interested in YA, historical fiction, and contemporary romance!

This was the first Iranian American historical fiction book I’ve read and I thought it was fantastic! It’s a young adult book but I found it educational and entertaining. I also LOVED the ending!

Thank you for this advanced copy!

TOP 5 REASONS TO READ JASMINE ZUMIDEH NEEDS A WIN

1. Relatable Characters
The characters in this book feel real, and sometimes this lacks in a lot of YA novels. I wasn’t there in 1979, so I only know historical facts, which is why I can’t tell if the ambiance in the late 70s really felt like they were described in the book, but it definitely sounded realistic.

2. If you like witty banter, you’ll be pleased to know that you’re in for a treat.

3. There’s a message hidden in this book: How much are we all willing to sacrifice to achieve our goal? We’re following Jasmine on her journey on discovering how much she is willing to sacrifice to meet her personal goal, and it isn’t always easy.

4. Quick read
You can easily read this in one sitting and because it is written in an engaging writing style it’s definitely manageable.

5. Iranian culture and personal growth of our MC
Unfortunately, I don’t know much about Iranian culture, which is why I found it interesting to learn more about the culture, especially during the setting of the story. I also found it quite interesting to read how Jasmine managed to come to terms with her heritage. You see her grow through the book, and it isn’t always easy to read because the MC struggles. The author managed to portray her growth perfectly.

What a fun-filled read from beginning to end! It was the absolute perfect balance of witty + in your feels. The author did an amazing job of expressing what it’s truly like to be a high school student while also addressing very important issues + topics. Oh the nostalgia this book brought me…