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Mixed Feelings: A Graphic Novel
Through a mix of humor and heart, this charming middle grade graphic memoir explores evolving friendships, puberty mishaps, and finding a place to belong. Perfect for fans of Real Friends, The New Girl, and Pizza Face.Things are getting hairy!What could go wrong on the first day of sixth grade? You wake up with leg hair out of You have zero classes with your BFF and watch her run off with her new (annoying) You struggle to decide which school club to join because being mixed race makes you feel like you don't belong anywhere.D: All of the above. SERIOUSLY?!At first, Sara's got mixed feelings about middle school. But she finds comfort in TV -- whether she's watching it, performing her favorite scenes, or imagining her life is a show itself. So when she joins drama club, Sara discovers a community where she can be anything she wants -- including herself. Has Sara finally found a place to fit in? Or will she instead find herself buried under her growing leg hair and off-stage friendship drama?In Sara Amini's semi-autobiographical story, navigating life as a mixed-race girl has never been more hilarious or heartfelt, with family, friendship, and fuzz all at the forefront of this laugh-out-loud and painfully relatable middle-school memoir.
243 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
September 25, 2025
My birracial heart is singing. Would’ve adored this as a kid, but I am just as in love with it as an adult. Need Mixed Signals now!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
In this graphic novel, we meet Sara. She is a 6th grader who has just moved to a different neighborhood in Houston to be closer to her father's electronics repair shop, so she is not near her best friend Monica, although they will still attend the same school. Sara's mother is from Colombia, and her father is from Iran, so the family (which includes younger siblings Davud and Mimi) speaks both Spanish and Farsi. Monica has attended a dance camp over the summer and become close to Aneliese, who calls Sara "Chapstick" and isn't really Sara's favorite person. Sara's father wants her to get involved in school activities, and she takes a shine to drama club, where she wins the role of an elf in the production of Santa's Space Jamboree. She also has to attend Persian school to reinforce her language skills, but the other students are mean and don't consider her Persian enough. She wishes they were nicer, since she is dealing with increasingly hairy legs, arms, sideburns, and even a unibrow. Her mother says she can't shave, but she does. Dealing with itchy arms and the occasional cut is something another girl in her Persian class seems to understand, but no one else seems to. Sara loves acting so much that she and her mother wait all day for an audition for a local cooking show, only to be turned away when the auditions close at 4:00 by a woman who berates Sara's mother for not speaking English. Throughout the book, Sara deals with her mixed race identity, and there will be more of her story when the sequel, Mixed Signals, releases.
This was an interesting look at the life of a tween in 1999. There are not too many cultural references, so modern readers will feel right at home. It's a bit odd that Sara's hair seems to appear suddenly, ut the only other book that addresses this issue is Wientge's Karma Khullar's Mustache. The illustrations style is similar to Gale Galligan's or Michelle Mee Nutter's, which will make this popular with readers who can't get enough brightly colored graphic novels about tweens who are anxious about their own personal identity. I will probably purchase a copy.
In this graphic novel, we meet Sara. She is a 6th grader who has just moved to a different neighborhood in Houston to be closer to her father's electronics repair shop, so she is not near her best friend Monica, although they will still attend the same school. Sara's mother is from Colombia, and her father is from Iran, so the family (which includes younger siblings Davud and Mimi) speaks both Spanish and Farsi. Monica has attended a dance camp over the summer and become close to Aneliese, who calls Sara "Chapstick" and isn't really Sara's favorite person. Sara's father wants her to get involved in school activities, and she takes a shine to drama club, where she wins the role of an elf in the production of Santa's Space Jamboree. She also has to attend Persian school to reinforce her language skills, but the other students are mean and don't consider her Persian enough. She wishes they were nicer, since she is dealing with increasingly hairy legs, arms, sideburns, and even a unibrow. Her mother says she can't shave, but she does. Dealing with itchy arms and the occasional cut is something another girl in her Persian class seems to understand, but no one else seems to. Sara loves acting so much that she and her mother wait all day for an audition for a local cooking show, only to be turned away when the auditions close at 4:00 by a woman who berates Sara's mother for not speaking English. Throughout the book, Sara deals with her mixed race identity, and there will be more of her story when the sequel, Mixed Signals, releases.
This was an interesting look at the life of a tween in 1999. There are not too many cultural references, so modern readers will feel right at home. It's a bit odd that Sara's hair seems to appear suddenly, ut the only other book that addresses this issue is Wientge's Karma Khullar's Mustache. The illustrations style is similar to Gale Galligan's or Michelle Mee Nutter's, which will make this popular with readers who can't get enough brightly colored graphic novels about tweens who are anxious about their own personal identity. I will probably purchase a copy.
April 28, 2026
This one’s set in 1999 (based on the author at twelve years old), but it isn’t overly steeped in the time period, so if you have a child adverse to “historical” this will likely read contemporary enough for them to enjoy it. Feeling like you don’t fit in is timeless subject matter anyway.
I’m always a fan of family scenes, I didn’t get quite as much of those here as I would have liked since this first one in the series is more focused on Sara in school settings than at home, still, there are a couple moments between she and her mom that were nicely done, and touches a little on the immigrant experience.
As in many middle-grade novels, Sara’s friendship is going through some growing pains here, I really liked how that was handled, how it isn’t about chasing popularity or someone being a villain, it’s more nuanced than that like these things often are in real life.
I thought this did a good job of showing Sara’s discomfort and hurt when not being embraced for either her Colombian (on her mom’s side) or her Iranian roots (on her dad’s side) while at the same time giving the reader and Sara plenty to feel positive about as you see her pursue something she’s passionate about and eventually stand up for herself. One other thing to love here is that it tackles the issue of body hair, not something I’ve seen many middle-grades get into when it is such a relatable issue for the intended audience of this story.
I’m always a fan of family scenes, I didn’t get quite as much of those here as I would have liked since this first one in the series is more focused on Sara in school settings than at home, still, there are a couple moments between she and her mom that were nicely done, and touches a little on the immigrant experience.
As in many middle-grade novels, Sara’s friendship is going through some growing pains here, I really liked how that was handled, how it isn’t about chasing popularity or someone being a villain, it’s more nuanced than that like these things often are in real life.
I thought this did a good job of showing Sara’s discomfort and hurt when not being embraced for either her Colombian (on her mom’s side) or her Iranian roots (on her dad’s side) while at the same time giving the reader and Sara plenty to feel positive about as you see her pursue something she’s passionate about and eventually stand up for herself. One other thing to love here is that it tackles the issue of body hair, not something I’ve seen many middle-grades get into when it is such a relatable issue for the intended audience of this story.
April 28, 2026
Love, love, love! I absolutely loved this book! I don't think I could write enough to truly show my adoration and appreciation for this graphic novel. I laughed, I loved, I cried, I cringed, and I'd do it all over again!
Beyonce, MASH game, Alief, Houston, and so many 90s and early 2000s memorable tidbits scattered throughout the book make it incredibly nostalgic. It brought me back to my time growing up in Alief. I deeply connected with Sara, as I am also a half Iranian who grew up in the same area. Which is crazy to think we grew up around the same time in the same area!
Great to see the melting pot of Alief showcased so spectacularly with all the different characters.
The illustrations are wonderful. Even my little kiddos felt the emotions envoked by the characters' drawings. You feel as the characters feel with how perfectly every emotion is portrayed.
The search for oneself's identity is never-ending, as we are constantly changing. It's especially difficult when you're young and just want to feel like everyone else. It's tough when you're an in-between, not quite feeling like you belong in either space. I feel this so much throughout the book! Such a serious subject addressed in a unique way.
Definitely recommend to everyone to take a read!
Beyonce, MASH game, Alief, Houston, and so many 90s and early 2000s memorable tidbits scattered throughout the book make it incredibly nostalgic. It brought me back to my time growing up in Alief. I deeply connected with Sara, as I am also a half Iranian who grew up in the same area. Which is crazy to think we grew up around the same time in the same area!
Great to see the melting pot of Alief showcased so spectacularly with all the different characters.
The illustrations are wonderful. Even my little kiddos felt the emotions envoked by the characters' drawings. You feel as the characters feel with how perfectly every emotion is portrayed.
The search for oneself's identity is never-ending, as we are constantly changing. It's especially difficult when you're young and just want to feel like everyone else. It's tough when you're an in-between, not quite feeling like you belong in either space. I feel this so much throughout the book! Such a serious subject addressed in a unique way.
Definitely recommend to everyone to take a read!
May 9, 2026
Semi autobiographic, the graphic novel follows Sara, a middle schoolers who is being pushed and pulled in different directions and told that she's not one thing or another ENOUGH to be considered it from her dad's Persian side or her mom's Colombian side. Her household speaks English, Farsi, and Spanish so it's common for her to be overwhelmed by the input and output and ends up being some of the most funny/not funny moments of the graphic novel where she messes up a word or is 'interrogated' about her background from what she looks like to what she sounds like to how she acts but she's found some comfort in acting which is a good outlet when she's going through some friendship drama including a girl who seems to be driving a wedge between Sara and her former best friend.
The story is strong from the chapter numbers being in all three languages, to the expressive characters including Sara's reactions to always having "mixed feelings", and trying to survive middle school as an eleven year old. This was endearing and wonderful and more of a 4.5 but not quite a 5 because there were a few transitions that were abrupt like I thought I missed a few pages every now and then. Such a heartfelt story!
The story is strong from the chapter numbers being in all three languages, to the expressive characters including Sara's reactions to always having "mixed feelings", and trying to survive middle school as an eleven year old. This was endearing and wonderful and more of a 4.5 but not quite a 5 because there were a few transitions that were abrupt like I thought I missed a few pages every now and then. Such a heartfelt story!
September 15, 2025
A new MG graphic novel memoir by @itssaraamini @shadiaminart
🎭
Sara is starting middle school and on her first day she wakes up to hairy legs and arms! Her parents won’t let her shave so she’s stuck wearing pants in the Texas heat. Sara is mixed race with her mom from Columbia and her dad from Iran. This makes Sara feel like she doesn’t truly belong anywhere. Add in her best friend making a new friend this summer and Sara feels more alone then ever, but new friends in classes and a love for theater have her surviving sixth grade.
🎬
I’m obsessed. This was such a fantastic graphic novel from start to finish. I loved the multiple languages in each chapter, how authentic it felt, especially as someone who was in her teens in the last ‘90s as well, and every issue Sara had was so relatable. Themes such as as religious exploration, puberty, changing friendships, mixed families, and crushes can all be found here. I can’t wait for Mixed Signals! Fans of Pizza Face and The New Girl will love this one too. This title releases April 7 from @graphixbooks
CW: bullying, racism, microaggressions, divorce
🎭
Sara is starting middle school and on her first day she wakes up to hairy legs and arms! Her parents won’t let her shave so she’s stuck wearing pants in the Texas heat. Sara is mixed race with her mom from Columbia and her dad from Iran. This makes Sara feel like she doesn’t truly belong anywhere. Add in her best friend making a new friend this summer and Sara feels more alone then ever, but new friends in classes and a love for theater have her surviving sixth grade.
🎬
I’m obsessed. This was such a fantastic graphic novel from start to finish. I loved the multiple languages in each chapter, how authentic it felt, especially as someone who was in her teens in the last ‘90s as well, and every issue Sara had was so relatable. Themes such as as religious exploration, puberty, changing friendships, mixed families, and crushes can all be found here. I can’t wait for Mixed Signals! Fans of Pizza Face and The New Girl will love this one too. This title releases April 7 from @graphixbooks
CW: bullying, racism, microaggressions, divorce
April 14, 2026
Mixed Feelings: A Graphic Novel is a funny, heartfelt, and incredibly relatable coming of age story that perfectly captures the ups and downs of middle school life. Sara Amini brings honesty and humor together in a way that makes the story both entertaining and meaningful.
What makes this book stand out is how authentically it explores identity and belonging, especially through the lens of being mixed race. Sara’s struggles with friendships, self confidence, and finding her place feel real and deeply relatable, particularly for younger readers going through similar experiences.
The balance of humor and vulnerability is one of the book’s strongest elements. From awkward moments to emotional realizations, the story never feels forced, it flows naturally, making it easy to connect with and enjoy. The addition of drama club as a space for self expression adds a hopeful and empowering layer to the narrative.
A warm, honest, and engaging read that will resonate with anyone who remembers what it felt like to grow up and try to find where they belong.
What makes this book stand out is how authentically it explores identity and belonging, especially through the lens of being mixed race. Sara’s struggles with friendships, self confidence, and finding her place feel real and deeply relatable, particularly for younger readers going through similar experiences.
The balance of humor and vulnerability is one of the book’s strongest elements. From awkward moments to emotional realizations, the story never feels forced, it flows naturally, making it easy to connect with and enjoy. The addition of drama club as a space for self expression adds a hopeful and empowering layer to the narrative.
A warm, honest, and engaging read that will resonate with anyone who remembers what it felt like to grow up and try to find where they belong.
April 16, 2026
I really liked this one. There are lots of good coming of age middle grade books out now and I think this one is a gem. The parents are awesome (yeah!) and this one has good family dynamics. Addressing all kinds of middle school feelings and ideas about belonging as well as the Sara's feelings about her biracial family and her own identity. I like books that give kids and grownups a spring board to talk about bigger issues - this is one of them.
Looking forward to the author's next book - Mixed Signals!
Looking forward to the author's next book - Mixed Signals!
May 6, 2026
Set in 1999, Sara is about to start middle school after not being together for the summer. They find that they have no classes together, but even worse, friend Monica is now close to Analiese. Sara is Colombian/Iranian, speaks 3 languages, and does not feel like she fits in anywhere except with Monica, who is now always with Analiese. Sara joins the drama club and finds that she just loves to act. Other problems include getting several unwanted nicknames from other kids, realizing that she has unwanted hair, and not having friends in the Farsi class her dad makes her attend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2026
This book made me cry...in a GOOD WAY!
Being mixed I instantly connected with a lot of what Sara was going through, and it brought me to tears. I'm so happy my niece and nephew get to grow up with the mixed kid representation in books that I never had as a kid. This book is truly special.
I highly, highly recommend this book and I'm looking forward to reading Mixed Signals in the near future.
Being mixed I instantly connected with a lot of what Sara was going through, and it brought me to tears. I'm so happy my niece and nephew get to grow up with the mixed kid representation in books that I never had as a kid. This book is truly special.
I highly, highly recommend this book and I'm looking forward to reading Mixed Signals in the near future.
May 7, 2026
This is great -- all the middle school feels, with specific mixed race and bff problems. Love that Sara speaks both Spanish and Farsi. Love that both she and her bff have new friends, and the issue is juggling that. Love that drama is such an empowering space for her. Lots about shaving unwanted hair, being othered, and uncomfortable nicknames. But also lots about loving family and processing feelings and finding your way back to friendship.
May 13, 2026
Oh this is a MUST READ. Mixed Feelings is a fantastic graphic novel about navigating friendships and finding a sense of belonging in middle school. Those early teen years are hard enough, but Sara deals with some really unkind peers who don’t understand the concept of her being mixed race. Paired with lots of other normal middle school experiences (body hair?! Crushes? Drama club?), this book was an absolute delight to read. Can’t wait for the sequel!!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Oh this was absolutely adorable. Set right before the y2k, a mixed race preteen experiences the growing pains of being Colombian and Persian. With her family living in Texas, Sara faces middle school with a heart filled with confidence until she realizes her best friend Monica, won’t be sharing classes with her forcing them to form new friend groups.
April 23, 2026
So proud of my dear friend Sara Amini for getting this novel out to publication! I remember when she first started writing it way back in 2016. This was such a lovely and fun read, and such a sweet book for middle grade readers. I also learned a lot more about what acting means to Sara, and I hope kids reading this book appreciate the art as much as I did!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
I thought that it had relatable aspects of what its like going into middle school, especially as a person who is mixed. I thought that the ending, however, felt a bit too tied up quickly for a book that had a lot of issues to bring up.
May 9, 2026
Really great graphic novel about growing up and trying to learn where you belong. Loved the mixed race background and the double language inclusion. It’s very fun, funny and relatable. Great for middle schoolers.
October 29, 2025
An engaging graphic novel about feeling trapped between two identities perfect for fans of books like Two Tribes.
Review of advance copy
Read for review; will post when published!
Review of advance copy
Kia ora his book was So good I got it from the library and would love to read more from this author. I love it but I’m kinda mad that I have to wait for the second book but I can’t wait to read it
May 6, 2026
A decent graphic novel about a mixed race girl trying to find her place in the world.
May 9, 2026
Eh it was fine
May 10, 2026
Identity, friendships and prejudice in the Middle School Years with a Spanish and Farsi Glossary to boot.
May 15, 2026
Fantastic graphic novel. Lots of things for kids to relate to. Id like to add this one to my class library for sure.
May 15, 2026
As a hairy girl since elementary, i felt her pain.
May 17, 2026
Absolutely perfect
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
A middle grade graphic novel from the point of view of a mixed race 6th grade girl is refreshing - and needed - for so many of our readers. I loved the themes of theater & drama, embracing the unique traits & foods of a family or culture, and the idea of belonging and feeling like you’ve found your people.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews