An unforgettable story of first love

The Mismatch

'Original, thought-provoking and gripping. I was hooked from the beginning and could not put it down' LIBBY PAGE 
 
'The Mismatch transported me back to that feeling of first love and first heartbreak. Enlightening, poignant and romantic' SOPHIE COUSENS, author of This Time Next Year 
 
'I absolutely devoured it . . . Soraya and Neda's stories were so gorgeously told' BETH REEKLES, author of The Kissing Booth 
 
'A powerful love and life story of past and present Iranian experiences in the UK. Beautiful writing and complex, fascinating characters' HELLY ACTON, author of The Shelf 
_____________________ 
 
Soraya knows she could never fall for someone like Magnus. He's her complete opposite in every way. 
 
Popular and confident, Magnus seems to have his life figured out, while Soraya has got to twenty-one and has somehow never been kissed. 
 
Soraya's mother Neda also knows what it's like to feel mismatched. She left Iran with her husband in the wake of revolution, and the aftershocks of that decision are still being felt decades later. 
 
When Soraya sets her sights on Magnus for her first kiss, the last thing she expects to find is first love. 
 
But sometimes the person you least expect might turn out to be the perfect fit . . . 
 
With unforgettable characters at its heart, THE MISMATCH is a pitch-perfect coming-of-age story and a fresh take on how what you think you want isn't always what brings you happiness. 
_______________________ 
 
'An entertaining, heart-warming coming-of-age tale' CULTUREFLY 
 
'Refreshing and engaging . . . a compelling new voice in contemporary fiction' LAUREN HO, author of Last Tang Standing 
 
'Wonderful vibrant characters. [I] absolutely loved it!' KIRSTY CAPES, author of Careless 
 
'A compelling read . . . the family dynamics are so brilliantly charted' ZEBA TALKHANI, author of My Past is a Foreign Country 
 
'Heartbreaking and compelling' HALEH AGAR, author of Out of Touch

I loved [The Mismatch] - original, thought-provoking and gripping. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't put it down.

The Mismatch transported me back to that feeling of first love and first heartbreak. Enlightening, poignant and romantic - I loved it

Sophie Cousens, author of This Time Next Year

Enlightening, profound and deeply moving . . . a powerful love and life story of past and present Iranian experiences in the UK, and about finding a place in the world. Beautiful writing and complex, fascinating characters

Contemporary, bold and fresh and captures [the] weirdness of not knowing what you want

A refreshing and engaging coming-of-age story centring a complex, relatable British-Iranian woman straddling two worlds and her search for identity, sense of self, and love, juxtaposed against her mother's own experiences navigating the societal expectations and familial pressures placed on young women in 1970s Iran. Sara Jafari is a compelling new voice in contemporary fiction.

Heartbreaking and compelling

I absolutely devoured [it] . . . Soraya and Neda's stories were so gorgeously told

Beth Reekles, author of The Kissing Booth

Utterly gorgeous! A smart, modern romance . . . I adored it

A compelling read . . . the family dynamics are so brilliantly charted

Zeba Talkhani, author of My Past is a Foreign Country

Wonderful vibrant characters and [a] wickedly dry sense of humour. Absolutely loved it

An entertaining, heart-warming coming-of-age tale about first love, clashing cultures and finding your place in the world

Half romance, half tender coming-of-age alternating between Soraya's story and her mother Neda's marriage in the aftermath of Iran's Islamic Revolution, Jafari's novel probes into the nature of repressed desire, and the ways in which cultural context moulds sexuality in unspoken ways

An entertaining, heartening coming-of-age tale about first love, clashing cultures and finding your place in the world. The Mismatch is also an exploration of identity, expectations and children suffering from the faults of their parents. Jafari balances these varying elements of her novel with a deft hand, ensuring readers feel a whole spectrum of emotions whether they're following Soraya's journey or Neda's. Soraya is a wonderfully written character; she's torn between the strict rules and rigid beliefs she's been brought up by, but she's also a typical young woman living in contemporary Britain. Relevant, enlightening and refreshing in its portrayal of complex family dynamics, Sara Jafari's debut is a rewarding read that packs a lot into its pages

Soraya knows she could never fall for someone like Magnus. He's her complete opposite in every way. 
 
Popular and confident, Magnus seems to have his life figured out, while Soraya has got to twenty-one and has somehow never been kissed. 
 
Soraya's mother Neda also knows what it's like to feel mismatched. She left Iran with her husband in the wake of revolution, and the aftershocks of that decision are still being felt decades later. 
 
When Soraya sets her sights on Magnus for her first kiss, the last thing she expects to find is first love. 
 
But sometimes the person you least expect might turn out to be the perfect fit . . . 
 
With unforgettable characters at its heart, THE MISMATCH is a pitch-perfect coming-of-age story and a fresh take on how what you think you want isn't always what brings you happiness.

Sara Jafari

An unforgettable second-chance love story

When Shirin bumps into Kian at a house party in Brixton, she is taken aback by the feelings that resurface. 
 
They last saw one another ten years ago as sixteen-year-olds at school in Hull. And the weight of everything left unsaid since then still hangs between them. 
 
But now they're back in each other's lives, it's harder to run from the past. 
 
There's nothing worse than losing the person you trust with your deepest secrets. 
 
Can it be different second time around? 
 
People Change is a moving and thought-provoking exploration of two people overcoming the past, re-finding each other and discovering their place in the world. 
__________________________________ 
 
Praise for People Change: 
 
'People Change is simply brilliant - unflinching, and completely captivating' Beth Reekles 
 
'This book expresses so many different types of love, and the affirmation we find in the deep truths of ourselves. It's so beautiful' Tice Cin 
 
'Two brilliant characters navigating their twenties... Deftly touches on race and mental health' Taylor Dior Rumble 
 
'This powerful book evokes perfectly the agony of young love while also exploring darker themes' People's Friend 
 
'A wonderful, moving read - Sara Jafari has such a perceptive eye and the most brilliant way of rendering the unspoken things between two people' Emma Hughes 
 
'A gorgeous novel that explores the complexities of the life. Deft, funny, and thoughtful on friendship, family, work, race, and dating' Kirsty Capes 
 
'People Change is a brilliant book that will leave you with a longing for seizing the day and shrugging off the cobwebs of stagnancy. . .' Bad Form 
 
'Funny and well observed' Country and Townhouse 
 
'A thoughtful, moving tale' Woman's Own

Sara Jafari

People Change

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