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littlesmaug's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Is there anything truly better than a book that starts off with the content warnings? As someone who is trauma-informed (and struggles with PTSD), I personally would say that there is not anything better. Instead of coming up with my own list of content warnings, I will instead quote directly from the book:
This book contains instances of racism, homophobia (specifically biphobia and lesbophobia), Islamophobia, toxic friendship, gaslighting, and parental abandonment.
It’s all so neatly summed up right from the start of the story and without spoiling a single moment of it for you. But you’re able to say to yourself “okay these are things I can handle right now” or perhaps you can say “I can’t do this right now.” This is something I absolutely love and hope to see more of in books.
Not only is this book following the fake dating plot, it also has my favorite type of relationship: absolute ray of sunshine (Hani) and total grump (Ishu). I loved that they didn’t get along initially not because of these personality differences! As they become friends, we do see how well these personalities work together. Instead, they avoided friendship because they didn’t want to be pushed into a friendship as the only two brown girls in an all-white Catholic school.
I really loved how this book showed the variety of Bengali culture. There’s a very important moment when the two characters are being compared to one another. Hani goes into talking about how Ishu is not Muslim and how Ishu is Indian. Their families speak different languages, they believe in different things. I will be the first to admit that I don’t know much about Bengali culture. It’s why I want to be reading books by authors like Adiba Jaigirdar; why I want to be reading books that feature characters like Hani and Ishu. This is why I want books like these in classrooms. I want my students to be exposed to cultures they would otherwise be unfamiliar with.
Overall, I really enjoyed the story. I did strongly struggle with Hani’s friendships. The way her friends treated her made me very angry and it only got worse and worse as the story went on. I think I can handle outright bad friends but… the sneakiness of it is what really got to me.
This book does an amazing job with showing just how powerful microaggressions can be. It portrayed the casual racism that is often shown in education systems, politics, and everyday culture. It showed what it can be like to grate under the pressure of over-bearing parents, as well.
Full review here: https://littlesmaug.wordpress.com/2022/02/23/review-hani-and-ishus-guide-to-fake-dating-by-adiba-jaigirdar/
Full review here: https://littlesmaug.wordpress.com/2022/02/23/review-hani-and-ishus-guide-to-fake-dating-by-adiba-jaigirdar/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia and Gaslighting
Moderate: Racism, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, and Islamophobia
Minor: Xenophobia
emily_mh's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was SO GOOD. I loved how Hani and Ishu had conflict outside of their relationship with one another and therefore developed as characters on their own. It felt really healthy and gave the story so much depth. I was also obsessed over Ishu and Nik's sibling relationship. It made my heart warm and showed off the kind of loyalty I have for my own younger sister. I did dock a half star, just because I wanted the romance to feature a little more; the romance itself was so sweet and cute so there were no issues there at all. Such a thoroughly enjoyable read and I can't wait to get to more of Jaigirdar's works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cursing, Islamophobia, Biphobia, and Racism
Minor: Xenophobia, Alcohol, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Outing, Sexism, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Colonisation, and Homophobia
Toxic parents, generational trauma, famineforeverinastory's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was cute!
Rep: Bangladeshi-Irish Muslim bisexual female MC, Bangladeshi-Irish sapphic female MC, Bangladeshi and Bangladeshi-Irish side characters.
CWs: Racism, biphobia/bimisia, lesbophobia/lesbomisia, islamophobia, bullying, toxic friendship, xenophobia. Moderate: gaslighting, parental abandonment, alcohol consumption and peer pressure, cursing, outing, religious bigotry.
Rep: Bangladeshi-Irish Muslim bisexual female MC, Bangladeshi-Irish sapphic female MC, Bangladeshi and Bangladeshi-Irish side characters.
CWs: Racism, biphobia/bimisia, lesbophobia/lesbomisia, islamophobia, bullying, toxic friendship, xenophobia. Moderate: gaslighting, parental abandonment, alcohol consumption and peer pressure, cursing, outing, religious bigotry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Bullying, Racism, Biphobia, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Abandonment, Cursing, Outing, Alcohol, Gaslighting, and Religious bigotry
rainbo_oks_wreading's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Biphobia, and Xenophobia
robyn_fenix's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Islamophobia, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Abandonment, Cursing, and Outing
Minor: Eating disorder
toberomanced's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
This was so sweet! I’ve been seeking out books with bi representation and this one was excellent. I’m not usually into fake dating tropes, but this one went alright I think. A couple of things felt unsettled at the end but it was done in a realistic way that felt right for the real world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
eclectisms's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wonderful and cute and sweet 💖 It was really cool to see Bengali and Muslim culture so naturally throughout their lives in a way I've not seen before. I can't wait to see what comes next from Adiba Jaigirdar and look for more stories like this. ❤️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Homophobia, Biphobia, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia
Bad reaction from family: (Not homophobia)davegrohlsgf_'s review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
after reading a serious book, i had to read a lighthearted one, and this was perfect !! hani and ishu's own my heart omg <3 the only criticism i have is how mad hani's "friends" made me feel (especially aisling 😨)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Abandonment and Bullying
Minor: Cursing
mariaviola's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
“are crushes even the territory of the brain?”
a nice easy read! cute romance between diverse MCs. i think it had the perfect amount of funny moments where i was able to appreciate them all instead of it being cringe (thank god) and its serious moments here and there helped tie it all together. in terms of side characters—aisling and dee will drive you up a wall. but nik—NIK !!!! all i have to say is NIK! nik my beloved <3 if you too had the Perfect Older Sister™️, you will come to love nik <3 i got to learn a bit about new cultures as well which is always nice! and i have to acknowledge the content warning at the beginning of the book—props to the author! i don’t think i’ve ever seen that in a book before.
rep: bangladeshi-bengali bi muslim MC & indian-bengali sapphic MC
→ my rating ♡ 3.5/5 stars ←
a nice easy read! cute romance between diverse MCs. i think it had the perfect amount of funny moments where i was able to appreciate them all instead of it being cringe (thank god) and its serious moments here and there helped tie it all together. in terms of side characters—aisling and dee will drive you up a wall. but nik—NIK !!!! all i have to say is NIK! nik my beloved <3 if you too had the Perfect Older Sister™️, you will come to love nik <3 i got to learn a bit about new cultures as well which is always nice! and i have to acknowledge the content warning at the beginning of the book—props to the author! i don’t think i’ve ever seen that in a book before.
rep: bangladeshi-bengali bi muslim MC & indian-bengali sapphic MC
→ my rating ♡ 3.5/5 stars ←
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Xenophobia
lasafica_reads's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Racism, Toxic friendship, Islamophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Alcohol, Outing, and Cursing