An excellent YA debut that surpassed all expectations!

Synopsis: This story follows Jasmine Zumiedh, an Iranian-American student who runs for senior class president to increase her chances of getting into NYU. Torn between doing what she thinks is right versus what will get her the most votes, Jasmine starts to make one wrong decision after the next.

Thoughts: While this story takes place in 1979, I feel like Jasmine is the messy/ emotional teenage girl that all of us can relate to. She struggles with her identity, has typical teenage feelings of embarrassment, didn’t always make the smartest choices but through it all was determined to succeed. She reminds me a lot like Devi in Never Have I Ever, which is one of my favorite YA shows. Writing wise, the book was hard to put down and perfectly paced. I found a lot dialogue to be laugh out loud funny with many pop culture references. I will say that there were some moments that were a bit cringy, but all together this was such a heartfelt story that I will be recommending to many!

Read if you like:
-YA fiction
-High school setting
-Iranian-American rep
-Conflicted heroines
-Stories about identity struggles

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win is such a unique book, because I feel like I rarely see books set in the 1980s, even if it is in the realm of historical fiction for today’s teens. Heck, it’s still a struggle for people to see things set post-1950, a la Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books as “historical.” But this book highlights the dichotomy of being recent enough that the young audience can draw connections to it (especially in context of the broad social issues discussed), but also set long enough ago that there’s some objective distance.

And that’s very much what you get in seeing the story through Jasmine’s eyes. While she lived in a different era, she’s similar in her drive to do well in school, even if it means telling a teeny white lie (or putting the cart before the horse), as well as her love for the popular music of the day. She’s very much in her own head, and that can sometimes make her a bit hard to like, especially when there are bigger things going on in the world than one little class election, but ultimately, she has her heart in the right place and she does grow over the course of the book.

The racial tensions amid the Iran hostage crisis are deeply moving, and I appreciated seeing the ways it impacted Jasmine and her family, even in the more subtle ways they were treated and Othered. The way no one could get their surname right made me want to slap every single one of those people. And while Jasmine is more single-minded in her goal, to the point of distancing herself from her culture, Ali embraces it, advocating for Iranian culture and Iran itself.

This book perfectly walks the line between being an “issue” book and a “messy teen coming-of-age” book. If you’re interested in a book that is a bit of both, with the addition of a 1980s setting, I recommend checking this book out!

4.5 stars
this book had some heavy subject matter but it was still so fun and escapist to read.
jasmine is a chaotic main character, and seemingly makes the wrong decision at every turn (and in my personal belief, her opinions on music and attempts at sports metaphors are abysmal). but amidst her messiness, she’s sympathetic and so lovable. you want her to win.
i love the turn-of-the-decade, political crisis, cultural coming of age elements of this book. you see the main character being pulled in all directions by her environment and feel her struggle. i loved the friendships and family relationships, and the little romance!
the writing itself was snappy and vivid. i started this book almost two months ago but got caught up with life - and when i picked this up again, it pulled me out of my reading slump immediately and i couldn’t put the book back down. the world really sucks you in.
this book more than anything was fun to read and made me happy. i think it’ll be great for both teen/YA readers and adults. it’s so well-executed and so full of heart, and i can’t wait for it to be released

𝘑𝘢𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘡𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘩 𝘕𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘈 𝘞𝘪𝘯 is a story set in the 70s about an Iranian-American high schooler desperate to win her school's election campaign because she just lied on the application to her dream college. And while it should be an easy victory, taking in consideration the opposition, it's decidedly her worst nightmare. As Jasmine's plagued on her conquest by the nation's concern towards the Iranian-American feud, her parent's divorce and a developing romance, she learns to find strength to stand up for herself and her community.

- ~ -

The author did a great job steeping the story in the necessary political tension. And the cultural appropriation as well as appreciating the culture were well written aspects but for some reason my heart wasn't in the story.

It might've been the fact that I didn't connect with the 70s style or atleast the way it was presented in the story.
Or that Jasmine's friends' characters were extremely juvenile.
Or that Jasmine's initial personality also felt aloof and disinterested towards all but her college.
(Also I could swear the time's have changed for the better)

- ~ -

3.47 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘵. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 & 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

An all too real look at how diaspora students can be affected by global events in such a different way than everyone else. Especially for mixed students. The way that Jasmine had to deal with the hostage situation, even though it seemingly wouldn't affect her was painfully too real.

Also incredibly impressive was how this book read so contemporary (true to Wednesday Books) but was historical fiction. This book takes place in the 1970's but the prose doesn't feel dated at all. The only real time markers were moments where it mentions technology. This book is meant to be read today and it shows. A delightful read!

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book has so much heart and so much growth. It’s about learning your identity and loving it, despite the challenges you face because of it. Jasmine is such a fantastic character. She’s complex in the best (and to her chagrin worst) ways. I really enjoyed this!

I think Susan did such a great job of walking through what it was like for an Iranian in the US during a conflict between the countries. Jasmine struggles with wanting to identify as Iranian, something I’ve struggled with as I’ve gotten older when identifying my Indigenous side. Watching Jasmine’s growth and understanding throughout the book was wonderful and powerful. This is a fantastic book about owning who you are, even when it’s hard. Absolutely fantastic!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: November 1, 2022

Student government elections never bring out the best in people. Iranian-American Jasmine has her eyes set on attending NYU for journalism school so she can write for a music magazine. She stretches the truth on her application setting off a desperate circus of events to ensure she’s elected class president. Set in the late 70’s, real world events (Iranian hostage crisis) weave into this mature YA high school drama.

This was a different type of book but it left me confused at times. Sometimes the characters are mature and discussing real world events, but the other half has this group making questionable decisions that are frustratingly immature. I know this is set in the 70s so it read a bit like a cult classic movie from the 80s and I’m not sure if this will speak to a YA audience today. It reads as if a millennial tried to write about kids these days without being in touch with them—the storyline about her hiding her heritage and the dated clique-naming and stereotyping seems the opposite of what most kids would do these days. I would not recommend this to anyone under the age of 16 because of language and themes throughout.

Jasmine is an unlikeable character, who comes to her senses too late in the book (aside from changing who she is to fit in and having pretentious music opinions, she also gives up on her dreams at the drop of a hat).

A beautiful and topical story about our modern political climate incorporated into a fun and relatable high school story. Highly recommend to YA readers look for something a bit more layered.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the eARC!

This was the perfect book to read at a slow pace and not forget anything I read this at night just 2 or 3 chapters at a time. Not sure if 1979 is historial fiction but it's listed as such.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loved the 80's. Its so fast paced with a ton 80's reference's I mean Knott's Berry Farm is even mentioned and so so much more like tower records need I say more.


My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This amazing book has its book birthday on November 1, so I had to get this review out there. This was one I grabbed on @NetGalley with no prior knowledge. It just looked good. I am so very glad I did.
It is 1979, and Jasmine is a high-school senior dreaming of rock journalism stardom. Hanging in the back of the bus with Chrissie Hynde rock journalism stardom. In order to cement her early application to NYU, she maybe fudged the fact that she's already won the student council election. Oh, in case I didn't mention it, it's 1979, and Jasmine is Irani-American, and stuff is about to get messy.
No surprise that I adored this. I was a high school newspaper editor and I lived in Florida for a year in 1980, as the hostage crisis was ending.
This is a super-rich, intersectional novel with a kick ass main character, very strong supporting cast (her very political brother, who just won't sit down and be quiet is particularly well-drawn) and a situation that will resonate with a lot of kids. What do you do when who you are becomes the news story? 5 stars from me.
This is funny and familiar and necessary for high school libraries! It also needs a Playlist, @susanazimboyer #NetGalley #JasmineZumidehNeedsAWin #Bookstagram #AvivaAndFriendsRecos

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 3.5/5 stars.

I really enjoyed this being placed during the Iranian Revolution and how it demonstrated a LOT of elements of counterculture during ther 70s while still representing the reality of Jasmine being Iranian-American. The plot of school elections and the hostage situation was also well done, but I really just got annoyed with the characters throughout the novel. I know that's partially how Jasmine is written as she makes wrong choice after wrong choice and is self-centered, but I don't think it served the plot that well.

Overall, I enjoyed it, but I did feel like I was reading it to finish it toward the end.

A historical, young adult, coming of age fiction novel about a teenager who's parents (Iranian immigrant father and American mother) are about to get a divorce, and who feels like she doesn't fit in as either identity she's been labelled with. The one thing she wants is to get into her dream school (NYU) and ends up making some bad decisions which she then needs to fix. I love messy, imperfect characters like Jasmine because although they can seem annoying or bad through the book, it also makes them look that much more real, like an actual human being instead of a 2D character on the pages of a book.

I was really excited to try this book out! Sadly, I just couldn't get into it. The first chapter completely threw me off, went into some specifics way too quickly. It definitely didn't really set the scene well at all. Because of this, it gave the character a voice that felt way too young for a character that is supposed to be mature and almost 18. I went a bit further before I had to stop because I realized it just wasn't for me at all.
I do hope my store purchases this title, because it could be the perfect book for someone else! Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of rushed introductions so it failed on that aspect and gave me a bad taste from the beginning, which is hard to get rid of.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful YA book! The subject matter is unfortunately very topical - despite almost 50 years between then and now. The characters are distinct and messy and real. The tone is perfect for that elusive YA that appeals to readers of all ages.

We need more books like this and more characters like Jasmine Zumideh. She's ambitious and driven, while also being selfish, thoughtless and cowardly. She has flaws and those flaws really mess things up for her. It's amazing to see how she comes back to herself and the truth of who she is.

Jasmine's tone of voice was everything I wanted. It's clearly very grounded in her young age but every now and then, it hints at a weariness that comes from constantly defending her heritage. She wasn't overly whiny like some YA characters end up being but neither did she sound too old.

I think everyone should read this book and I'll be recommending it to all my friends!

4.5 stars <3
woww, i kept wanting to finish this book in one day, but i had to space it out since i was busy. this book was genuinely sooo good. i loved reading so much about persian culture, the time setting, and the situation with the hostages and how it affected the characters. while jasmine was unlikeable at times, it was really easy to picture myself being in her place and relate to how she was feeling. it made sense why she did a lot of the things she did. i also wholeheartedly loved the ending. i can’t wait to read more from this author in the future,, because this has been my favorite ARC i’ve read so far <3
thank you to netgalley/wednesday books for the ARC !!

dnf at around 6%. not the book, it's me! i'm busy with school and haven't had time to properly read the book, and i don't think that i'll have motivation to read this arc, so i've decided to put it down

Oh how I loved this book! The year is 1979 and all Jasmine Zumideh wants is to get accepted to NYU and leave California far behind her. What she isn't prepared for is a senior class president election full of stress and scandal, and for the Iranian hostage crisis to happen, plunging her plans into chaos as she fights to make her dreams happen and also not get ostracized by her classmates as an Iranian-American. In the midst of all this, she's dealing with her parents marriage falling apart, her brother Ali who won't stop talking about Iranian politics, a fracturing friend group, and her Iranian aunt who is staying with the family who won't stop talking asking Jasmine why she doesn't speak Farsi.
Jasmine Zumideh is a deeply wonderful and relatable protagonist, and this story is full of all the messiness of a teenage girl trying to do her best and failing miserably at times. It's also the story of a girl grappling with her identity, of trying to reconcile two cleaved halves of herself as the child of an Iranian father and an Irish-American mother, especially in the midst of a wider geopolitical crisis that suddenly turns a massive target onto her Iranian heritage. I found this book so lovely to read, full of heart and the angst of being a senior in high school but also mixed in with a far bigger conversation around historical issues. It's humorous, thoughtful, nuanced and complete with a really meaningful character arc for Jasmine. (Also I loved Mike, her delightful Jewish army brat crush and a voice of morality and journalistic integrity through the book. And her brother Ali, who responds to the events of the book in very different ways than his sister and has such a wonderful and punk edge to him.)
I wish more YA was like this. It was so wonderful.

I highly recommend.

**Many thanks to Wednesday Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book REALLY got me! As an Iranian American, I loved all of the pops of Persian food and culture that Jasmine had at home.

It was so interesting to me to read about the experience of Iranians in America during the hostage crisis. I have always known about the circumstances of the crisis and seeing it from the point of view of a teenager was super intriguing.

I enjoyed the minor romantic subplot and I'm happy that Jasmine seemed to grow and mature throughout the story (even if most of the growth happened in the last like 40 pages).

I will be recommending this book very widely for a long time!

Thanks to Wednesday Books for the ARC.
I loved this book. The tone captured Jasmine as a teenager in 1979 perfectly. The way the author captured her voice, made it easy for me to empathize with everything she was trying to balance all at once. Trying to get into NYU is hard, and Jasmine will do whatever it takes, even if that means running for class president. But during this time, the Iranian hostage crisis happened, which made her have so many conflicting emotions about being Iranian American, especially when her opponent is very anti-Iran. The conflict led to so many relatable decisions. I feel like the author captured teenagers so well in this book. These young adults have so much hinging on their senior year and the decisions made to help them get ahead can also hurt them, which, again, the author captured this dilemma so well. I was just so impressed with the finesse of this story, and I hope it resonates with readers of all ages.

I was torn on this one. I really liked that this was a story with a different time setting and discussed an event that I was not familiar with but gave it a teenage perspective. That felt fresh and made me invested in the story. Things start to go south for the book when the MC, Jasmine, finds herself making poor decisions and continuing to do so. Of course people slip up but it feels like this goes on for far too long and by the time the story resolves it still doesn’t feel like enough has been done to rectify the situation. Although it was a great idea and I learned quite a bit from the story I really wish we saw a resolution sooner in the story. I wish we saw more of a focus on Jasmine living with her choices and that outcome. It was still a solid read but the slowed pace took away from the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.