Well, that was fast!

Misfit in Love

By S.K. Ali

Publisher : Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (May 25, 2021)

Language : English

Hardcover : 320 pages

ISBN-10 : 1534442758

ISBN-13 : 978-1534442757

Reading age : 14 years and up

Grade level : 9 - 12

Publisher’s Blurb:

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.

 
My Thoughts:
I recently reviewed the first book, Saints and Misfits, here: http://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2021/03/realistic-ownvoices-for-elementary-and.html . At the time, I said I couldn’t wait to read the sequel.
 
You can just imagine how excited I was to see that it was available for review—and then to get an ARC of it!
 
This book begins about two years after the previous one. Janna has graduated from high school and is preparing for college. She’s had therapy and has mostly healed from being assaulted. This time, we cover only a few days, the preparation and execution of Muhammed and Sarah’s wedding. Honestly, some of these days feel like way too much happens for them to be single days.
 
Janna is finally ready to accept Nuah’s interest, even as she meets a couple of other boys who are quite interesting! I don’t want to spoil things for you, but this definitely does not go the way I thought it would. Not that that’s a bad thing!
 
We get to see more of Janna’s relationship with her parents. For the positive, she realizes that her mother is ready for a new relationship, and comes to terms with that. For the negative, she realizes that her father is rather racist. It’s in how Janna deals with these things that she—and we—grow.
 
As with the first book, Ali does a wonderful job of introducing us to Muslim culture as…just a way people live. As with any religion, people are more and less devout, and more and less good as examples of their faith.
 
Janna is still a delightfully complicated character. She is filled with self-doubt, jumps to conclusions, has trouble trusting, and loves fiercely.
 
After two books, I have fallen in love with so many of the characters, and I really, really, hope there will be another book in the series. Ali leaves us at a place where there certainly could be. So please, everyone, buy this book so the publisher will go forward with another!
 
Who might like this book:
As before, those who like to learn about other cultures, those who like coming of age, those who like stories about family and complex relationships.
 
Possible objectionable material:
Racism, though not with any outrageous behavior or outright slurs. The characters are devout Muslims, so boys and girls are never alone together, although a couple of boys appear shirtless once or twice. Periods are mentioned, as is a possible extramarital affair, and a fatal car accident that kills a child.
 
I received this book for free from the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.