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that_glitter_chick_'s review
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a lovely coming of age story. The main charictor is learning to accept her Iranian heritage while also trying to win the school election to solidify her place at NYU. This is a nice fast pased easy read with a diverse group of charictors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Kidnapping
Minor: Deportation
patricktreads's review against another edition
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Overall, I really enjoyed this read, but it wasn't my favorite book from this publisher nor was it in my tops for political themed books as I read four centered around various types of elections. It was however, a quick and easy title.
I read a lot of Wednesday books, so going into this, I had a bit higher expectations going into it. I don't want to say it was bad, because it wasn't, and it also had some very interesting representations in minority communities, this one dealing with Jasmine's Iranian background and an international incident in Iran that unfortunately causes problems for their high school presidential campaign.
I feel like had I not just read (un)popular Vote I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
I read a lot of Wednesday books, so going into this, I had a bit higher expectations going into it. I don't want to say it was bad, because it wasn't, and it also had some very interesting representations in minority communities, this one dealing with Jasmine's Iranian background and an international incident in Iran that unfortunately causes problems for their high school presidential campaign.
I feel like had I not just read (un)popular Vote I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
alylentz's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I enjoyed this so much! I really appreciated Jasmine's struggle to stay true to herself, her family, and friends with politics and her high school election in the foreground and romance taking a backseat. I really loved all of these characters and the sense of humor throughout. I would recommend to readers looking for an out of the box historical fiction pick with a strong narrative voice and vivid characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Hate crime
utopiastateofmind's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The main reason I loved Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win is Jasmine. Hands down. She's a main character who I absolutely empathized with throughout the book. As someone who grew up in a very small minority - like a under ten Asian students in my high school - I felt the ways in which she laughs off the jokes, makes herself feel small, all in order to fit in. It gave me serious flashbacks. How you can either speak out about something you don't even know how you feel about yet, or also sit in silence with that feeling in your stomach.
All the ways it's up to each of us to figure out how we toe the line. When we decide it's important to speak out. Even more so, what makes Jasmine even more relatable is the ways her lies, omissions, catch up to her. Because while we're in the moment, we always think we will have time to fix it, that we can avoid that disaster. Throughout Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win, Jasmine has to figure out what her success is worth to her. The foundation of this story is her character development. If she will make her platform about how much she is 'just like them' while forgetting the struggles of her family or even the lack of nuance.
The main reason I loved Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win is Jasmine. Hands down. She's a main character who I absolutely empathized with throughout the book. As someone who grew up in a very small minority - like a under ten Asian students in my high school - I felt the ways in which she laughs off the jokes, makes herself feel small, all in order to fit in. It gave me serious flashbacks. How you can either speak out about something you don't even know how you feel about yet, or also sit in silence with that feeling in your stomach.
All the ways it's up to each of us to figure out how we toe the line. When we decide it's important to speak out. Even more so, what makes Jasmine even more relatable is the ways her lies, omissions, catch up to her. Because while we're in the moment, we always think we will have time to fix it, that we can avoid that disaster. Throughout Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win, Jasmine has to figure out what her success is worth to her. The foundation of this story is her character development. If she will make her platform about how much she is 'just like them' while forgetting the struggles of her family or even the lack of nuance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Islamophobia
bookstwokathryn's review
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Antisemitism, and Islamophobia
Minor: Gaslighting
cathy_acasefullofbooks's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Jasmine Zumideh is one of the most unlikable characters I've ever read. She was a terrible friend, a terrible sister, a terrible niece... There was SO MUCH ROOM for character growth - lots of baby steps along the way. Instead, we got to see her get worse and worse until the very end when she did a complete 180. Too little, far too late, Jasmine.
I was really fascinated by the political situation that laid a background for the book (the Iranian Hostage Crisis), and I wish we'd been able to see Jasmine grapple more with her feelings about being Iranian American. Instead we got to see her abandon her identit, both in public and in her own mind, and read endless whining about how unlucky she was that this happened right as she decided to campaign for student body president. 🙄
I was really fascinated by the political situation that laid a background for the book (the Iranian Hostage Crisis), and I wish we'd been able to see Jasmine grapple more with her feelings about being Iranian American. Instead we got to see her abandon her identit, both in public and in her own mind, and read endless whining about how unlucky she was that this happened right as she decided to campaign for student body president. 🙄
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Racism, Xenophobia, and War
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol
kikiareyoureading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
noellelovesbooks's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings: Racism, racial slurs, xenophobia, bullying, hate crimes, body shaming, fatphobia, and toxic relationships. Mention of antisemitism, infidelity, the threat of deportation, and war.
I received an ARC of this book, ahead of release, through the St Martin's Press influencer program. All thoughts are my own.
All Jasmine wants is to fulfill her journalistic dreams by attending NYU after graduation...but in order to do that, she needs something that will help her application stand out. When she realizes one of her classmates will be using the upcoming class President election to fluff his college resume Jasmine realizes what a win it could be if she won that election instead.
Not realizing the early admission application is due ahead of the election...and really needing that win to earn her spot at NYU she might have written, on her application, that she in fact won the election. Determined to not be a liar she's desperate to make that win a reality...no matter what it takes or what it costs.
Just as Jasmine thinks that winning is in the bag, I mean her opponent wants to enforce a dress code...protests in Iran start flooding the media and newspapers. As Jasmine's brother become a vocal advocate for the Iranian people Jasmine becomes embarrassed by that side of her heritage and desperately tries to hide that side of her.
The little white lie on her college application starts having all kinds of consequences as she's desperate to make that win a reality. Everything keeps spinning out of control and Jasmine is feeling less and less herself and more like someone she never thought she could be.
This story had me wanting to shake Jasmine and hug her as she struggled with her own identity in the face of everything going on in and around her life. A true coming-of-age story about what you do and who you can become in the face of adversity.
I received an ARC of this book, ahead of release, through the St Martin's Press influencer program. All thoughts are my own.
All Jasmine wants is to fulfill her journalistic dreams by attending NYU after graduation...but in order to do that, she needs something that will help her application stand out. When she realizes one of her classmates will be using the upcoming class President election to fluff his college resume Jasmine realizes what a win it could be if she won that election instead.
Not realizing the early admission application is due ahead of the election...and really needing that win to earn her spot at NYU she might have written, on her application, that she in fact won the election. Determined to not be a liar she's desperate to make that win a reality...no matter what it takes or what it costs.
Just as Jasmine thinks that winning is in the bag, I mean her opponent wants to enforce a dress code...protests in Iran start flooding the media and newspapers. As Jasmine's brother become a vocal advocate for the Iranian people Jasmine becomes embarrassed by that side of her heritage and desperately tries to hide that side of her.
The little white lie on her college application starts having all kinds of consequences as she's desperate to make that win a reality. Everything keeps spinning out of control and Jasmine is feeling less and less herself and more like someone she never thought she could be.
This story had me wanting to shake Jasmine and hug her as she struggled with her own identity in the face of everything going on in and around her life. A true coming-of-age story about what you do and who you can become in the face of adversity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Racism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Infidelity, Antisemitism, War, and Deportation
leahjanespeare's review
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
This is a solid debut. Jasmine gets herself into some tricky situations, and learns how to embrace her Iranian roots during a time in the US when its relationship and media coverage of the Middle East in general were particularly bad. It’s very much a Bildungsroman story since by the end she’s reflected on how she acted throughout the story (very bad friend, dirty campaigning, and not true to herself) and learns from her mistakes. If she hadn’t told a small white lie this would have been a very different story. While this story takes place in 1979, much of the politics can of course be equated to today’s atmosphere; especially regarding white Americans’ rampant xenophobia and ignorance, tendency to latch on to what the media says, and general misconceptions about different cultures and other countries’ political situations.
I got a little caught up in how stupid that lie was, and how she continually made glaringly bad decisions to cover up and snowball that lie, but I think this is a case of ‘she’s literally a teenager’ so a fault of mine, as an adult reader, rather than anything against the writing/characterization itself. If you’re a teenager, you’ll probably look at her actions as logical at the time.
I got a little caught up in how stupid that lie was, and how she continually made glaringly bad decisions to cover up and snowball that lie, but I think this is a case of ‘she’s literally a teenager’ so a fault of mine, as an adult reader, rather than anything against the writing/characterization itself. If you’re a teenager, you’ll probably look at her actions as logical at the time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
imstephtacular's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Hate crime, and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing, Fatphobia, Genocide, Misogyny, Sexism, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and Deportation