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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this book a lot (and stayed up until 3am to finish it!). Just like I wrote in my review of Jaigirdar's [b:The Henna Wars|44286258|The Henna Wars|Adiba Jaigirdar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573648325l/44286258._SY75_.jpg|68803092], it's very cute. And just like that book, "it's rather slight in the sense that the action is very contained." In fact, this book shares a lot of themes with The Henna Wars - racism, queer identity, social isolation at school, the relationships between sisters (Nishat and Priti in the Henna Wars, Ishu and Nik here). But this book explores them in a different way, and that makes this book not just another really pleasant version of the Henna Wars. Of course, this book still is very pleasant and wholesome, I don't mean to imply that it is not, just that it explores the same themes but in different ways. Nishat and Priti start with a great relationship in the Henna Wars, whereas in Hani and Ishu, Ishu has (at least in her mind) a more antagonistic relationship with her sister, for example. Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating also explores the pressures our peers, our parents, and our communities can place on us (both through Ishu and Hani's father, actually, which was a cool touch).
I am not really a fan of the fake dating trope overall, but I think it's done pretty well here. And the two of them falling for each other felt very true and believable. I kind of liked the set up better than the resolution though, to be perfectly honest. I felt the ending seemed a bit rushed compared to the more leisurely beginning. I think I also just wanted to see more of Hani and Ishu dating! Cuz Jaigirdar does a really good job of writing their scenes together.
I am not really a fan of the fake dating trope overall, but I think it's done pretty well here. And the two of them falling for each other felt very true and believable. I kind of liked the set up better than the resolution though, to be perfectly honest. I felt the ending seemed a bit rushed compared to the more leisurely beginning. I think I also just wanted to see more of Hani and Ishu dating! Cuz Jaigirdar does a really good job of writing their scenes together.
Kinda lost momentum in the second half. Not sure if it's be ause I became annoyed with some of the side characters or what but my motivation definitely tanked at the mid-point. I may return to it at some point in the future.
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:
Complicated
Avant toute chose : Hani et Ishu ont tout mon coeur. Je les ai adoré !
J’ai beaucoup apprécié ce roman malgré quelques longueurs sur la fin. Plus qu’une (fausse) romance, ce livre nous plonge au cœur de sujets sensibles et/ou véridiques comme la pression parentale, l’homophobie ou encore l’Islamophobie. J’ai été très touchée par ces moments de vie et j’ai beaucoup appris à travers cet ouvrage.
C’est un livre clairement sous-côté qui mérite qu’on parle davantage de lui !
J’ai beaucoup apprécié ce roman malgré quelques longueurs sur la fin. Plus qu’une (fausse) romance, ce livre nous plonge au cœur de sujets sensibles et/ou véridiques comme la pression parentale, l’homophobie ou encore l’Islamophobie. J’ai été très touchée par ces moments de vie et j’ai beaucoup appris à travers cet ouvrage.
C’est un livre clairement sous-côté qui mérite qu’on parle davantage de lui !
This book is so breathtakingly beautiful and heartwarming. I loved each and every moment of this non-friends to lovers and fake dating romance. It's such a wonderful book and I felt it all.
hopeful
medium-paced
soo cute the plot developed naturally n i rly liked the conclusion too for once!!! : ) this was my first read in centuries
I always feel like whenever I have to return a book to the library and then re-check it out, the gap waiting in between messes with my reading flow and I don't remember enough from the first part. Anyways, this book didn't really do anything for me. I thought Hani's friends Aisling and Dee were very generically mean and severely underdeveloped. I didn't quite understand where their horrendous behavior came from, and it would have been nice to see them grow. Hani and Ishu's romance seemed to go from 0 to 60 pretty fast as far as feelings go lol, but I guess they were kind of cute. Idk. I crave more fluff from a fake dating trope story. I also feel like I knew exactly where Hani and Ishu's character arcs were going, so that was kind of uninteresting, because there wasn't a particuarly compelling, unique, or fresh take on the girl-trying-to-get-approval-but-learns-to-accept-herself arc. I thought it was nice taking a peek into the culture/experience of being Desi/Muslim in Ireland though. That's something I've never been exposed to or thought about.
This book has revived my hope in YA contemporary romance