Misfit in Love (Saints and Misfits)
In this fun and fresh sequel to Saints and Misfits, Janna hopes her brother’s wedding will be the perfect start to her own summer of love, but attractive new arrivals have her more confused than ever.
Janna Yusuf is so excited for the weekend: her brother Muhammad’s getting married, and she’s reuniting with her mom, whom she’s missed the whole summer.
And Nuah’s arriving for the weekend too. Sweet, constant Nuah. The last time she saw him, Janna wasn’t ready to reciprocate his feelings for her. But things are different now. She’s finished high school, ready for college…and ready for Nuah. It’s time for Janna’s (carefully planned) summer of love to begin—starting right at the wedding.
But it wouldn’t be a wedding if everything went according to plan. Muhammad’s party choices aren’t in line with his fiancée’s taste at all, Janna’s dad is acting strange, and her mom is spending more time with an old friend (and maybe love interest?) than Janna. And Nuah’s treating her differently.
Just when things couldn’t get more complicated, two newcomers—the dreamy Haytham and brooding Layth—have Janna more confused than ever about what her misfit heart really wants. Janna’s summer of love is turning out to be super crowded and painfully unpredictable.
Janna Yusuf is so excited for the weekend: her brother Muhammad’s getting married, and she’s reuniting with her mom, whom she’s missed the whole summer.
And Nuah’s arriving for the weekend too. Sweet, constant Nuah. The last time she saw him, Janna wasn’t ready to reciprocate his feelings for her. But things are different now. She’s finished high school, ready for college…and ready for Nuah. It’s time for Janna’s (carefully planned) summer of love to begin—starting right at the wedding.
But it wouldn’t be a wedding if everything went according to plan. Muhammad’s party choices aren’t in line with his fiancée’s taste at all, Janna’s dad is acting strange, and her mom is spending more time with an old friend (and maybe love interest?) than Janna. And Nuah’s treating her differently.
Just when things couldn’t get more complicated, two newcomers—the dreamy Haytham and brooding Layth—have Janna more confused than ever about what her misfit heart really wants. Janna’s summer of love is turning out to be super crowded and painfully unpredictable.
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Community Reviews
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop
Misfit in Love follows Janna Yusuf as she deals with love, religious and cultural prejudice, and racism.
Amazing Story
I love a good story that educates and brings diversity to literature.
Misfit in Love follows Janna Yusuf as she embarks on the last summer before college. Her brother is getting married, and her best friend, whom she likes, told her she felt the same way. So she is ready for love in the sun.
Unfortunately, nothing goes according to plan.
It is such a realistic contemporary romance for your adult readers. There is nothing fantastical or out of touch with this novel which is incredible for a romance. Sometimes romances paint this perfect picture, but real life is not like that. It is why I tend to stay away from romance novels because it is unrealistic.
Misfit in Love is so grounded, following Janna as she tries to navigate her feelings not just for herself but also for her dad and mother. It is complicated but so full-filling and relatable.
Educational
Ali also uses her writing to bring to life real-world issues such as racism and racial prejudices.
Janna is Islamic, but her father and mother have different backgrounds. One is Indian, and the other is Arab. They are also divorced. Janna has a good relationship with both of her parents, even her stepmother. Buy Nuah, the boy she likes, is a Black Muslim which her father disapproves of.
It was such a compelling moment to see the writing take this turn and explore racism through Janna’s father. She, of course, tells him this and then challenges his perception, pointing out that he is exhibiting the same behavior as his previous in-laws.
Ali points out that failing to recognize religious prejudice and racism or justifying it by own beliefs is a big problem. So many micro-aggressive often go under the radar that many people do not realize how they contribute to the problem.
Janna herself has an encounter with her future sister-in-law’s aunt. The latter criticizes her for wearing a sari instead of more traditional Pakistani clothing, accusing her of choosing one culture.
It is a thoughtful read and an important one that gives readers an honest look at Islamic and Muslim cultures.
Final Thoughts
Misfit in Love is a fantastic novel. It is realistic, relatable, compassionate, and educational.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
Misfit in Love follows Janna Yusuf as she deals with love, religious and cultural prejudice, and racism.
Amazing Story
I love a good story that educates and brings diversity to literature.
Misfit in Love follows Janna Yusuf as she embarks on the last summer before college. Her brother is getting married, and her best friend, whom she likes, told her she felt the same way. So she is ready for love in the sun.
Unfortunately, nothing goes according to plan.
It is such a realistic contemporary romance for your adult readers. There is nothing fantastical or out of touch with this novel which is incredible for a romance. Sometimes romances paint this perfect picture, but real life is not like that. It is why I tend to stay away from romance novels because it is unrealistic.
Misfit in Love is so grounded, following Janna as she tries to navigate her feelings not just for herself but also for her dad and mother. It is complicated but so full-filling and relatable.
Educational
Ali also uses her writing to bring to life real-world issues such as racism and racial prejudices.
Janna is Islamic, but her father and mother have different backgrounds. One is Indian, and the other is Arab. They are also divorced. Janna has a good relationship with both of her parents, even her stepmother. Buy Nuah, the boy she likes, is a Black Muslim which her father disapproves of.
It was such a compelling moment to see the writing take this turn and explore racism through Janna’s father. She, of course, tells him this and then challenges his perception, pointing out that he is exhibiting the same behavior as his previous in-laws.
Ali points out that failing to recognize religious prejudice and racism or justifying it by own beliefs is a big problem. So many micro-aggressive often go under the radar that many people do not realize how they contribute to the problem.
Janna herself has an encounter with her future sister-in-law’s aunt. The latter criticizes her for wearing a sari instead of more traditional Pakistani clothing, accusing her of choosing one culture.
It is a thoughtful read and an important one that gives readers an honest look at Islamic and Muslim cultures.
Final Thoughts
Misfit in Love is a fantastic novel. It is realistic, relatable, compassionate, and educational.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
I recently read Saints and Misfits in preparation for this blog tour and I'm so glad I did! I've had it on my TBR for a long time and it was so much fun getting to read both of them back to back. I will admit that I enjoyed Misfits in Love more than Saints and Misfits but overall they were both great reads!
The day of Janna's brothers wedding is fast approaching and she's finally reuniting with all her favorite people. She's been at her dad's for the past month and is anxious to get back to spending time with her mom. She's also looking forward to reconnecting with Nuah, the boy confessed his feelings for her but at the time she was not ready to make that move. Will it be too late?
Not only do we get one love interest in this one but we get three!! Which one will Janna chose? I liked getting to meet new people and seeing more of Janna's family. I thought the different dynamic between her mother's family vs. her father's family added a good perspective to the story. This book definitely addressed the issues of race and that it can happen in any culture. Racism does not discriminate and I thought the way Janna navigated through these parts of the story were well done.
This was a lot lighter of a storyline that book one was and I think that's why I enjoyed it more. It felt more developed and Janna had come a long way since we saw her in Saints and Misfits. She's still unsure of her future and the addition of this love triangle helps put some things in perspective for her. Her love life isn't the only one we get to explore in this one and I liked that Janna is faced with some changes within her family as well.
I definitely recommend this one if you're looking for a fun YA contemporary set around wedding planning! It was fun to revisit old friends and make new ones.
The day of Janna's brothers wedding is fast approaching and she's finally reuniting with all her favorite people. She's been at her dad's for the past month and is anxious to get back to spending time with her mom. She's also looking forward to reconnecting with Nuah, the boy confessed his feelings for her but at the time she was not ready to make that move. Will it be too late?
Not only do we get one love interest in this one but we get three!! Which one will Janna chose? I liked getting to meet new people and seeing more of Janna's family. I thought the different dynamic between her mother's family vs. her father's family added a good perspective to the story. This book definitely addressed the issues of race and that it can happen in any culture. Racism does not discriminate and I thought the way Janna navigated through these parts of the story were well done.
This was a lot lighter of a storyline that book one was and I think that's why I enjoyed it more. It felt more developed and Janna had come a long way since we saw her in Saints and Misfits. She's still unsure of her future and the addition of this love triangle helps put some things in perspective for her. Her love life isn't the only one we get to explore in this one and I liked that Janna is faced with some changes within her family as well.
I definitely recommend this one if you're looking for a fun YA contemporary set around wedding planning! It was fun to revisit old friends and make new ones.
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