If you’re a sports lover who adores queer romance, you’ll love this new sapphic sports book arriving in Irish bookstores on March 19.
The Perfect Match, a queer enemies-to-lovers romance book by bestselling author Adiba Jaigirdar, is a Bend it Like Beckham sapphic renewal with British Bangladeshi representation.
The book centres on two characters, Dina and Maya, who used to be in a relationship but are now a pair of exes turned rivals in the middle of an angsty queer sports quarrel as they coach their old school’s football team.
While Dina has suffered years in corporate London, she is now working in her family’s struggling Bangladeshi restaurant back in her hometown and soon stumbles into a coaching position in a football team.
Maya has come back to their hometown. She could have had a brilliant career in football, but something went astray, and her only escape from the mundanity of her childhood bedroom is agreeing to coach her old secondary school’s team – something she is surprised she even agreed to.
Dina and Maya have been rivals for as long as anyone around them can remember, but will the very game that tore them apart bring them back together through the power of quirky side characters who push their uptight team managers together?
On March 6, the author shared a brief sneak peek of the book, setting high expectations for us book lovers. Additionally, this is also the author’s first adult romance book.
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While shedding light on representation and culture, this epic queer love story features a dual POV between the two main characters as they find each other again. The book’s setup focuses on starting over in your 20s, finding yourself, and believing in second chances.
Adiba Jaigirdar is a queer Bangladeshi author who has lived in Dublin, Ireland and since the age of 10 and has authored over a dozen books centred on inclusion, queerness, and finding identity.
Jaigirdar is known for her previous books, such as The Dos and Donuts of Love, a queer YA romance that follows a teenage girl in an Irish baking competition as she navigates the company of her ex-girlfriend and a potential new crush.
Book fans can’t wait to see what The Perfect Match brings with its ultimate sapphic sports romance!
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