My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

My Review:

I received an eARC from the publisher via TBR and Beyond Tours in exchange for an honest review and place on this blog tour – thanks!

Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win includes everything you’d expect from a book where high school election is the main plot point. There was drama, betrayal, secrets, love interests– the whole shebang. Admittedly, I am on the fence most of the time when it comes to high school election books, mostly because I never encountered them in high school and all of the drama involved just seems so over the top and very American. However, this idea of Americanness becomes a point of contention throughout the novel, becoming something that stands apart from other books in this sub-genre.

Azim Boyer sets this novel at the end of the seventies, at a point in history where tensions between the US and Iran are high. My American or Iranian history is nearly non existent, so I didn’t have much context going in, but the narrative does a good job at filling in the blanks for readers without that knowledge. With Jasmine’s little white lie in her NYU application, a lot of pressure falls on her shoulders to decide who she wants to be amidst this conflict: where favouring one side of her identity over the other could result in external and internal consequences. This struggle translates well onto the page, and though sometimes you want to shake Jasmine a bit, she remains a redeemable MC and one who you are rooting for the entire way through.

The writing was definitely my favourite part of reading this book. This may be a debut novel, but it reads with such an established and unique voice. I, for one, cannot wait to read more from Azim Boyer in the future. Jasmine’s voice was easy to fall into and by the halfway point in this novel, I could not put it down.

Within that, I also appreciated the focus on family, as I think that is the place where we can see Jasmine’s character development shine through the most. She spends the first half of the novel trying to deny her Iranian side, going by Jasmine Katie on the ballot and downplaying her relationship to her brother. When all the drama begins to pile up, it is her family who Jasmine finds comfort in, Her relationship with her Aunt was one of my favourites in the book, and it had me tearing up toward the end.

I think the main criticisms I have in this book have more to do with the handling of the aforementioned high school drama. I think that while the family side of her conflict was written well, the school side of Jasmine could have used the same level of exploration. Her campaign ends up hurting a lot of people, and I think perhaps she got away from that a bit too scot free. I also thin that there could have been a bit more to develop that this story was happening in the seventies besides from the social context. Sure, there isn’t any texting or internet, but there really isn’t any true indicators of the time frame besides Jasmine’s taste in music and the landline.

All in all, Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win was a really enjoyable book. Azim Boyer has a very easy and enjoyable to read writing style. I haven’t read a lot of books in this vein for comparisons, but I think that fans of The [Un]Popular Vote will enjoy this one. It’s perhaps not as fleshed out on the election side of things, but it does contain similar themes from a twenty-first century perspective.

Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win released November 1st, 2022

This book was high stakes, incredibly loud in the best way possible, and something I think everyone should read.

Let’s just talk about the character development in this book! Fantastic. I loved the plot and just characters in general. What a great journey!

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

📼 Book Review 📼

#jasminezumidehneedsawin
#susanazimboyer @susanazimboyer
#ya
#NetGalley published 11/1/22
#wednesdaybooks
#stmartinspress

📼📼📼📼📼/5

This book is written in first person by a 17 year old who is a senior in high school. And it sounded like it. I have rarely experienced this as I have boys. For a short bit, I was wondering if I was going to drop the book. But then the story started to pick up.

Without giving anything away, this book was basically about integrity. It would honestly not be a bad book to have your teens read. Will Jasmine learn her lesson? Will any of the other kids?

So let me explain my substitutes for stars in the ratings. This book takes place in the 1980s. Several times she has wanted VHS tapes. I was actually looking for a cassette tape emoji but couldn't find one.

It not only takes place in the '80s, it also has a major historical event being discussed in it. The topic was handled very well.

#teenbook #iran #hostages
#bookstagram #bookreview #bookrecommendation

I really liked the setting for this. I liked that Jasmine is just a regular teenager worried about regular teenage things like college when the Iranian hostage crisis happens. Jasmine has to balance her and her family's thoughts on the crisis while attempting to win a class election. Even though many of her decisions were frustrating to me as a reader, her response to the situation felt realistic, as she doesn't want to deny her Iranian heritage but she also wants to earn votes.

I've never read a book about the Iranian hostage crisis and especially not one from a YA perspective, so I really appreciated how much I learned from this book.

I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, I loved the book's historical context and enjoyed Jasmine's journey to embracing her identity. But I struggled with the messiness that is Jasmine. She lets her lies spiral out of control and even though she knew the right thing to do she still goes against it and causes further pain to her friends and family. I do think that the ending was a bit too fast and would have benefitted from more time.

This book is both hilarious and creative. I enjoyed Jasmine despite her tendencies toward terrible decisions. I enjoyed all the characters in this one. They are all fledged out well and you even end up loving the unlikeable ones. Great story and plot as well.

I know I'm very much in the minority here, but there was nothing about this book I enjoyed. The summary sounded great, but the book itself left me wanting so much more.

I thought this was a really cute book, but I also felt like it just wasn’t for me. YA is hit or miss for me. I felt like this one was too young for me, the main character was very immature, in my opinion. I did really like the premise of the book and I think It was very well written. I think it was an important read and I did like learning more about the Iran Hostage Crisis. I think this was well done in the book and was very realistic. I know so many others loved this book, I recommend checking their reviews out as well!!

I freaking loved Jasmine Zumideh and now I want to read everything this author writes for forever. Susan Azim Boyer is a gift to YA. I would give this book to every teenager I know - it needs to be read!

I got an ARC of this book.

30% in and I am bored. I don't care about the election at all. Every time the plot starts to get interesting, it is back to the MC explaining her friends. Jasmine doesn't really seem to have a personality most of the time.

DNF and sad about it.

The main reason I loved Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win is Jasmine. Hands down. She's a main character who I absolutely empathized with throughout the book. As someone who grew up in a very small minority - like a under ten Asian students in my high school - I felt the ways in which she laughs off the jokes, makes herself feel small, all in order to fit in. It gave me serious flashbacks. How you can either speak out about something you don't even know how you feel about yet, or also sit in silence with that feeling in your stomach.

All the ways it's up to each of us to figure out how we toe the line. When we decide it's important to speak out. Even more so, what makes Jasmine even more relatable is the ways her lies, omissions, catch up to her. Because while we're in the moment, we always think we will have time to fix it, that we can avoid that disaster. Throughout Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win, Jasmine has to figure out what her success is worth to her. The foundation of this story is her character development. If she will make her platform about how much she is 'just like them' while forgetting the struggles of her family or even the lack of nuance.

The year is 1979 and high school senior Jasmine Zumideh has her heart set on attending journalism school at NYU but she doesn’t place in the contest that she thought would make her a shoo-in so she needs to find something fast. Her rival and nemesis, Gerald Thomas says that he’s running for senior class president and she figures, why not?, and decides that she too will run for senior class president to get that coveted extra-curricular. Unfortunately, she applies early decision to NYU, stating that she was already senior class president so now she just needs to make sure that it happens in Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win by Susan Azim Boyer.

Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win just works on so many levels that I found it extremely hard to put down and very easy to pick up. Jasmine is Iranian and in 1979 people who couldn’t find Iran on a map suddenly could after Iranian students take American hostages. Patriotic furor overtook the US with the Beach Boys’ Barbara Ann suddenly becoming “Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Bomb Iran.” Jasmine finds herself caught between wanting to be identified as American and yet wanting to speak the truth, as her brother Ali does, about what Russia, the UK, and America have done in Iran.

Unfortunately, Jasmine, although conflicted, frequently makes the wrong decisions because she is so focused on winning. There’s one great big snowball effect that rolls that’s cringy, and though you want Jasmine to win because you like her1, you also know she needs to admit and atone for all of her selfish decisions.

Besides Jasmine’s run for senior president, there’s also a subplot of her parents’ separation, her best friend, Bridget’s relationship with a guy that Jasmine can’t stand (for good reason), lots of music mentions because Jasmine dreams of being a music journalist, and a boy, Mike, who seems perfect and just may well be.

I found it difficult to believe that this is Susan Azim Boyer’s debut novel because everything about it from the writing to the conflicts to the history was just so good and thoughtful. It’s not often that general YA novels discuss real history as opposed to what governments provide.

And talk about just so good, Jasmine’s aunt cooks what sounds like delicious meals for them while Jasmine’s father is away for work; I will be looking for a vegetarian gormeh sabzi recipe as well as trying to recreate a breakfast of flatbread, feta, walnuts and honey (omg!).

An excellent debut novel from Boyer and I look forward to reading more from her.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

1Yes, I liked Jasmine. I thought she made one bad decision that got away from her and then she just kept making them. I think she was a confused teenager who was lacking guidance because her parents weren’t there for her, her aunt/caretaker was beyond upset about her own mother who lived outside of Teheran in Iran and the possibility that she might lose her green card, and Jasmine’s own friends were having their own crises.

I couldn’t get enough of this book, as someone who grew up in the 80s it felt so good going back to an almost familiar childhood. This is such a fast-paced read, I almost read it in one sitting if I hadn’t needed to work next morning I would have ! Jasmine is such a fantastic character, by that I mean I love that she’s not perfect , but has flaws and foibles. I think an important thing with this is probing time and again sadly how little changes , shady politics, intolerance and racism in times of hardships, bad foreign policies (western world not just US). I know over time we’ve made so much progress, but this alstroemeria highlights how it’s never as much as is needed. I really enjoyed this and recommend it to not only fans of YA, but anyone with humanity in them

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For full transparency, I DNF’d this at about 12% in because it just wasn’t drawing me in like I’d hoped. The writing felt choppy, and the main character, Jasmine, didn’t seem to have much depth. I really wanted to like this one because it has a great storyline, but it just isn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win
by Susan Azim Boyer
Pub Date: 01 Nov 2022

This book was such a fun flashback to the 80's while also retaining the darker realities of the times. Jasmine is an Iranian American in a time where her identity is questioned during the hostage situation. Her character felt so authentic! It is hard enough to balance a life of a teenager in normal circumstances, but throw in politics, race, an identity crisis...mixed with normal teenage angst, and that is way too much for anyone. You can see how Jasmine gets herself into certain predicaments. It was easy to root for her even when she was making wrong choices. And there were a few characters that you absolutely did not root for!

The romance was sweet, and Mike (I adored him!) was such a strong character 'who was confident in who he was and what he believed. Jasmine was lucky to have him on her side.

The character growth felt real, and the relationships (the good and toxic ones) seemed to come full circle. My only real complaint is I felt the parental aspect was lacking a solid resolution. Jasmine's mom (and dad for that matter) was only briefly on page and even though her mom was coming back, that storyline didn't feel finished. There were some things hinted at about her father and another woman, but I didn't feel there was true closure.

Other than that, this book was unique and so enjoyable to read!

This book is fresh and funny, one of the most original historical novels I've ever read. The setting and time period come alive vibrantly, so readers feel as if they are there. I didn't grow up then, but the book was still reminiscent in many ways of my own high school experience. I found Jasmine to be such an authentically messy and genuine character and laughed constantly at her antics. Even when she's making a mess of things, you can't help but to root for her. I think many BIPOC can relate to her identity crisis of trying to balance her heritage with her Americanness without losing or diluting herself. The wonderful cast of Persian and other characters around her provided perfect foils for her journey. In our current climate, I think JASMINE ZUMIDEH NEEDS A WIN is a much needed and humanizing portrayal of a flawed but loveable teenage Persian girl. This book could be a perfect vehicle for students to discuss political elections and America's fraught history with Iran, particularly when Iran is on the brink of another revolution led by brave young women.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an ARC of this book. Jasmine is determined to find a way to get into NYU. This book is great for music lovers as there are references to groups and singers sprinkled throughout. A fun and entertaining read.

I’m going to start off by saying I loved the story idea of this book. The description sounded great and I was excited to read it.

While the core story was good, the writing just wasn’t that strong and I personally struggled with reading this one. I thought Jasmine’s character and journey was relatable to young adult readers, and even adults, but I think this story could have been written in the present and adjusted a little to make it better.

I understood what the author was trying to do setting this in 1979, but I don’t think the writing was strong enough to REALLY put us in that time period and capture that era. There were hints, songs, some language, clothing references, politics, but sometimes I felt like there were just things randomly thrown in to remind people this was taking place in the late 70’s.

I just don’t always feel like the author dug deep enough into character’s feelings and actions, relationships with other characters and family, and sometimes everything felt very on the surface and just out of reach, if that makes sense?

Also I felt Jasmine throwing away her NYU acceptance at the end was a bit drastic. Like would NYU really have researched to see if she actually won the class president election? 😂 Couldn’t she have just been like hey this didn’t work out I won but turned it down, but I started this other club instead? I feel like something could have been worked out since she ALREADY got accepted.

Finally, I felt like ending was really rushed. The buildup was LONG, then the blowup and resolution all happened so fast in the last 10%. Like Jasmine got a LOT of forgiveness real quick and for what she’d done? Iiiiii dunno 😂.

Overall, the heart of this story was good, and I’d recommend it for that.