Spoiler-Free Review: Misfit in Love Blog Tour (Author: S.K. Ali)
Welcome, everyone!
I am thrilled to be a part of the Misfit in Love Blog Tour hosted by Turn the Pages Tours. Check out my post and make sure to pre-order the book and add it on Goodreads!
Title: Misfit in Love
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.
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Review and Favorite Quotes:
Misfit in Love by S.K. Ali was an adorable read and a cute sequel to Saints and Misfits. It was beautiful to learn about different South Asian traditions throughout both books in this series. I especially loved learning about the traditions that commonly take place in nikah celebrations (Muslim marriage ceremonies). I will not discuss the accuracy of the South Asian and Muslim representation in this book but I recommend you read Own Voices reviews for these thoughts.
One of the things that most struck me about this book was just how interesting and immersive it was. After reading Saints and Misfits, it was easy to fall back into this world and catch up with Janna, Muhammad, Nuah, and the other characters. Revisiting the characters in this story felt a bit like meeting a friend after spending some time apart. I love the character development in this installment in the series which I definitely appreciated even if I didn't always understand Janna's love interests' motivations and actions. I loved the interactions between Janna and her mother and brother but I found myself sometimes feeling a bit impatient with her father's unwillingness to let go of antiquated, irrelevant cultural values. My frustration was Janna's father was mostly just a personal thing as it was portrayed pretty realistically, as it unfortunately usually takes a long time for profound cultural changes to occur.
Ali managed to keep the story light-hearted whilst still tackling difficult and complicated emotions and themes. For instance, many of the coming-of-age aspects included in both books in this series are very relatable, especially as Janna starts to face that her life will change greatly after her brother's wedding. I think all siblings understand the bittersweet feelings that come when major life changes happen that will forever affect your relationship(s). The brother-sister bond in this book was so comforting to read about and I loved seeing just how close the pair were, it just intensified the mixed emotions and internal conflict in Janna and really makes readers feel closely connected to her.
Finally, I appreciated how Ali isn't afraid to confront stereotyping, prejudice, and bias. I love how Janna is able to start shifting her view on people outside of her father's influence and starts working towards being anti-racist. I think this was important to highlight as it is not only White people but often other POC people who can also contribute to the ideologies and systems that oppress Black people. It is definitely a conversation that needs to be had and I was glad to see Ali getting the conversation going in her book. There was definitely a lot of food for thought throughout this story in the best way but it still managed to be a fun, fictional read.
Overall, this book and series have themes that everyone can relate to and I highly recommend that you check it out, it's definitely worth the read!
Rating: 4/5 stars
Favorite Quotes:
1. "I stare at my pineapple bear and almost tear up thinking of much Nuah gets me. And lets me be my awkward self. And still likes me."
2. "I like everything to stay in my head. The world up there feels better."
3. "And then, when everything had come to light, she'd called me every day. Even if it was for like a minute to say salaam. I love her, and I'm going to do this thing all the way for her."
4. "When he turns those eyes warm, he looks so different. Like I could actually spend time with him."
5. "It seems people show their prejudiced hand when family lines get crossed. I hate it. It sucks. And I'm never going to stop fighting it."
6. "I'm so proud to do this little thing for my brother."
7. "Is that why he always checks on me? And looks out for me? Because he knows what it feels like too -- even though he doesn't show it? But do I do that back for him?"
Tour Schedule
June 5th
Turn the Page Tours – Welcome Post
The Aiya Times – Review & Book Playlist
Lyrical Reads – Review, Mood Board & Book Playlist
June 6th
Belle’s Archive – Spotlight
Amani’s Reviews – Review, Favorite Quotes, Book Playlist & Mood Board
Coastal Readers – Dream Celebrity Cast & Mood Board
June 7th
Lost in a Bookstore – Review & Favorite Quotes
Kayla’s Book Nook – Review
The Clever Reader – Spotlight
June 8th
In Vogue with Books – Review, Book Playlist, Dream Celebrity Cast & Favorite Quotes
Kait Plus Books – Spotlight
Sheaf and Ink – Review
June 9th
Book Lover’s Book Reviews – Review
Emelie’s Books – Review, Favorite Quotes & Mood Board
Brinn’s Books – Review & Favorite Quotes
June 10th
Books Tea Healthy Me – Spotlight
The Reading Wordsmith – Review & Favorite Quotes
Sincerely, Manasa – Review, Favorite Quotes & Mood Board
June 11th
Literary Delirium – Review
Whimsical Blessings – Author Interview
Lily’s Cozy Blog – Review & Favorite Quotes
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