Do you like updated retellings of classical stories? Are you a Jane Austen fan? Do you like all sorts of relationship drama and a lovely LGBTQIA+ cast of characters, if any of the above are true you should pick up Mismatched.
Hope everyone is doing well. I wanted to share my thoughts on a graphic novel called Mismatched. It is a retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma. I finished this at the end of last month but am just now getting around to reviewing it. I can definitely see the mirrors between the plot of Emma and the plot of Mismatched. I think Mismatched is a very good modern retelling especially for the medium.
Synopsis
Evan is a teen social media star on this book’s Insta equivalent. He is somewhat of a meddler and tries to control the lives of those around him. Much like Emma in the original book he is taken with his own abilities and his ability to be a matchmaker. But he soon learns that things are out of his control.
Evan Horowitz seems to have it all, beauty brains, and a questionable flair for matchmaking. He’s an influencer with a focus on make up and who loves playing matchmaker for for his friends or other hapless people around him
But soon he has taken things too far, he ends up with a web of drama that ends up being out of his control. Can Evan put his friends ahead of his misguided ambition, or will he lose his friends and his own chance at romance.
Review
I haven’t read the original Emma in an age. So I won’t be reviewing whether or not the book is a good retelling beyond the basic elements. However the book itself is well written and well paced. It’s nice to see a happy gay story where the issue of sexuality isn’t the focus.
These teens don’t have drama because they are LGBTQ+ they have drama because of wonderful miscommunications and nosy meddling. I liked who Evan ended up with at the end, and thought he really grew as a character. I’d give it four stars, a very good book and I loved the art, but not a favorite.
Amazon: Mismatched
About the Author
Anne Camlin is a writer of fiction and graphic novels. Originally from Long Island, they live in Connecticut with a small battalion of schnauzers.
Isadora Zeferino is a freelance illustrator and comic artist who likes to dabble in a little bit of everything creative. She’s been featured on TASCHEN’s The Illustrator: 100 Best from Around the World, and in Brazil, she is responsible for the covers of titles, including Howl’s Moving Castle; Matilda; The Princess Diaries; and Red, White & Royal Blue. She invites you to find her on Instagram @imzeferino.
Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay
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