Mismatched: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Emma

Gr 10 Up–Evan Horowitz is a 17-year-old high school student in Queens, NY. He spends his free time being a social media influencer and matchmaking for his friends. He’s also known for recruiting anyone nearby for a makeover or style session. When transfer student Natalia shows up at school, Evan takes her under his wing and helps her navigate her love life. She joins the Gay Straight Alliance club, where drama prevails as Evan and his peers meddle in one another’s business. Evan’s neighbor and close friend Davi is constantly giving him advice about his daily mischief. Evan bickers with him, though, and shrugs off his unwanted input. As couples form, break up, and explore their identities, Evan soon realizes that he hasn’t paid enough attention to his own goals. He starts to see that the one relationship he wishes to be romantic may have been in front of him all along. A modern-day Regency comedy, this graphic novel is a lighthearted glimpse of a friend group in a diverse New York high school. The artwork is colorful and fun, and the characters are quirky with youthful naïveté. A wide range of gender identities are represented, but rarely explored. Although the characters and storyline could have been more deeply developed, the action is easy to follow and flows nicely.