The Perfect Match
The new must-read enemies-to-lovers and angsty sports romcom for fans of Bend it like Beckham
Published on 19. March 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-1-3987-2773-1 (ISBN)
Description
'Sweet and fun the whole way through!' Nisha Sharma, author of Dating Dr. Dil
'Pacy and pitch-perfect!' Lizzie Huxley-Jones, author of Make You Mine This Christmas
All is fair in love and rivalry...
Dina is done. She's burn out after years in corporate London and now is working in her family's struggling Bangladeshi restaurant. The last thing she expects is to be roped into coaching a football team of disadvantaged amateur players - or to say yes.
Maya is back. She could have had a brilliant career, but it all went...well wrong. Now she's back home, back in her childhood bedroom. Her only escape is agreeing to coach her old secondary school's team.
It doesn't take long for them to bump into each other again and for as long as anyone can remember, Dina and Maya were rivals. But will the very game that tore them apart bring them back together?
An enemies-to-lovers and angsty queer Bend it like Beckham meets Cross the Line jampacked with quirky side characters who cannot help but intervene to push their uptight managers together.
Praise for The Perfect Match:
'Fans of Jaigirdar's debut sapphic adult romance will stamp and cheer like Dina and Maya's #1 fan' Lillie Vale, USA Today bestselling author of Wrapped with a Beau and The Shaadi Set-Up
'This sapphic sports romance should be on everyone's radar! I truly couldn't put it down' Anam Iqbal, author of The Exes
'Pacy and pitch-perfect!' Lizzie Huxley-Jones, author of Make You Mine This Christmas
All is fair in love and rivalry...
Dina is done. She's burn out after years in corporate London and now is working in her family's struggling Bangladeshi restaurant. The last thing she expects is to be roped into coaching a football team of disadvantaged amateur players - or to say yes.
Maya is back. She could have had a brilliant career, but it all went...well wrong. Now she's back home, back in her childhood bedroom. Her only escape is agreeing to coach her old secondary school's team.
It doesn't take long for them to bump into each other again and for as long as anyone can remember, Dina and Maya were rivals. But will the very game that tore them apart bring them back together?
An enemies-to-lovers and angsty queer Bend it like Beckham meets Cross the Line jampacked with quirky side characters who cannot help but intervene to push their uptight managers together.
Praise for The Perfect Match:
'Fans of Jaigirdar's debut sapphic adult romance will stamp and cheer like Dina and Maya's #1 fan' Lillie Vale, USA Today bestselling author of Wrapped with a Beau and The Shaadi Set-Up
'This sapphic sports romance should be on everyone's radar! I truly couldn't put it down' Anam Iqbal, author of The Exes
Reviews / Votes
Adiba's debut sapphic rom com is the perfect match for every reader looking for a great sports romance. Sweet and fun the whole way through! * Nisha Sharma, author of Dating Dr. Dil * 'A heartwarming sports romance starring two heroines at a crossroads, dreams deferred and dreams chased . . . and the cost of both. Fans of Jaigirdar's debut sapphic adult romance will stamp and cheer like Dina and Maya's #1 fan as they reunite over their love for football and for each other. The Perfect Match is an uplifting reminder that even if you're playing defense with your heart and you don't always score, love is always worth the risk' * Lillie Vale, USA Today bestselling author of Wrapped with a Beau and The Shaadi Set-Up * The Perfect Match is a captivating second chance romance that will have readers hooked. The romantic tension between Dina and Maya leaps right off the page, and their chemistry and shared history will have you turning the pages as fast as you can. Their love story is beautiful, tender and rich with compelling emotion. Jaigirdar expertly weaves a story about having the courage to chase your passion, the beauty of familial bonds, and a love that's meant to be. This sapphic sports romance should be on everyone's radar! I truly couldn't put it down * Anam Iqbal, author of The Exes * I absolutely adored The Perfect Match! It's such a sparkling, plucky novel. I'm a huge sucker for exes to enemies to lovers stories, and Adiba is the Queen of friction and feelings!! I loved Maya and Dina and their inability to escape their pasts and each other. Pacy and pitch-perfect! * Lizzie Huxley-Jones, author of Make You Mine This Christmas *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 2438 mm
Width: 711 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
220 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3987-2773-1 (9781398727731)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Adiba Jaigirdar
The Perfect Match
The new must-read enemies-to-lovers and angsty sports romcom for fans of Bend it like Beckham
E-Book
03/2026
Orion
€6.49
Available for download
Person
Adiba Jaigirdar is the critically-acclaimed and bestselling author of The Henna Wars and Hani & Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating. A Bangladeshi/Irish writer and teacher, she has an MA in Postcolonial Studies from the University of Kent, England and a BA in English and History from UCD, Ireland. All of her writing is aided by tea, and a healthy dose of Janelle Monae and Hayley Kiyoko. When not writing, she is probably ranting about the ills of colonialism, playing video games, or expanding her overflowing lipstick collection. She can be found on Twitter and on Instagram