The Mismatch

Sharpeipup

The Mismatch | Sara Jafari

I think we can all agree!

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kimmypete1

The Mismatch | Sara Jafari

bailed

DNF @ 20%, I feel very misled by the blurb. The mismatch is serious in nature and not for me. I suggest checking out some reviews before picking it based on the blurb, plenty of people have enjoyed and loved The Mismatch. #BookSpin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks I'm way over serious novels using covers/blurbs/titles to look like romcoms! Why are they doing this?? It's such a disservice to the book because sometimes it's a book I would have actually enjoyed IF I was in the mood for it, but since I was in the mood for something fluffy, now I'm going to negatively review the book! It's happened to several times - a while back I read this book & was SO CONFUSED because it was SUPER DEPRESSING!

Your Perfect Year

kimmypete1 @TheAromaofBooks YES. THIS. I might have liked this book under different circumstances, but because it appears light and fun and then gave me chapters narrated by her mom in 1970‘s Tehran I ended up not even bothering to finish. I don‘t understand why they think this helps books. No one wants to be bamboozled by a blurb. Be honest! 3y

TheAromaofBooks Exactly! Everything in the blurb for Your Perfect Year was technically true, but while the blurb made it sound lighthearted & fun, the significant other of one of the characters commits suicide towards the beginning of the book, meaning that one half of the story is dealing with survivor's guilt & other really deep emotions. It wasn't a bad story at all, but when you're expecting sass & sizzle, an entire book that's actually about working ⬇ 3y

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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) through grief & other difficult emotions is NOT going to work! While that was the most dramatic one, I've definitely had several other books in the last year or so that did something similar - it feels very bait & switch-y. Are they trying to trick romcom readers into enjoying more serious novels?? I just can't figure out why any publisher/editor/author thinks this is a good plan! 3y

kimmypete1 @TheAromaofBooks I wish I had insight as well! If I‘m in the mood for romance, light, fluff, whatever I‘m just going to be irritated when I get a book that‘s not that (cartoon book covers I‘m looking at you!). You‘re not going to win readers over that way. 3y

kimmypete1 @TheAromaofBooks though funny story of my own fault, read a book last month that I thought was going to be about witches, but it was just a romance. I read the blurb so long ago that I got it confused with another book!🤣🤣🤣 3y

TheAromaofBooks I've definitely done that, too, like I get multiple books at the library and start to read one when I get home, get confused, realize it's not the book that matches the blurb I remember 😂 3y

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robinb

The Mismatch | Sara Jafari

pick

I‘ll give this a pick…with some reservations. The story is told in alternating voices/time periods/locations, from revolutionary Iran to modern-day London. Neda, a devout Muslim marries Hossein (against her father‘s better judgment), and they end up moving to London where she gets her PhD while raising three children and basically nursemaiding her depressed and drug addicted husband for 30 years. Soraya is her 21 yo daughter who has just 🔻

robinb graduated college in London and is struggling to find a job/career that makes her happy. Due to her strict upbringing she has never been kissed and picks Magnus, the college rugby heartthrob, to gain experience. There‘s the usual building romance (which was frustrating for me and full of angst) along with heartbreaking betrayals. 🔻 3y

robinb But the overlying theme is the push-and-pull of Soraya‘s trying to be a good, moral Muslim as she has been taught by her culture to strive for while also longing to experience a freer life as a young adult in London. I enjoyed the second half of the story more than the first, but I had issues with all of the main characters and did not feel very connected to any of them. 🔻 (edited) 3y

robinb I felt there was a good bit of whining going on and that some hurtful issues (past and present) were resolved and summed up too neatly/quickly at the end. So for me, not quite what I had hoped for, but I‘m sure others will enjoy more. 3/5⭐️ TW: domestic abuse/violence, emotional abuse, drug abuse/addiction. This is not a rom-com as the cover might suggest. (edited) 3y

TheAromaofBooks I'm quite aggravated with this trend to give serious novels romcom covers/titles/synopses. There have been several times where I've read a book I would've actually liked if I hadn't been expecting the exact opposite when I read it! False advertising doesn't do the book any good: I've definitely ended up giving lower ratings to these books because I wasn't in the mood for a novel when I chose it (no matter how good); I was in the mood for a romcom! 3y

robinb @TheAromaofBooks I feel totally the same way! While this one did have some romance there were definitely some heavy topics explored, and I felt a bit unprepared for them. My takeaway (and the best part of the story IMO) was the conflicting emotions that were explored between two different cultural norms. While the romance was part of playing that up, to me it was more of a sideline than the family drama. 3y

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Alfoster

The Mismatch | Sara Jafari

pick

This is a very bittersweet novel about a family from Iran and the daughters who are attempting to fit in with American culture. Being Muslim dictates so many “rules” for women and not for men. I laughed, I cried, but overall it‘s a book about family, culture, innocence and loss, traditions, and becoming who you need to be to ultimately accept yourself!

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Sounds great 3y

Alfoster @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Let me know what you think!👏 3y

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Preciouz29

The Mismatch | Sara Jafari

pick

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.

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