Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating

This book ENRAGED me (in good ways mostly because damn if the prejudice isn’t real) however I also couldn’t fully click with the main characters. I did connect with the way Ishu and her sister navigated their sisterhood because my sister and I also have a complex relationship that’s growing and so that was so very relatable but a lot of it disconnected for me. Cute read tho.

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xoodlebooks's review against another edition

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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

4.25

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leticampg's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

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decklededgess's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

trigger warnings: emotionally abusive parents, homophobia/biphobia/lesbophobia, toxic friendships, racist and islamophobic microaggressions

I think this book was fun because I amused myself by reading in a really bad Irish accent. They're sweet books but I don't know what it is about both of Adiba's books that just...felt off. They're so sweet and innocent and cute but I was just wary the entire time reading this. It's probably just a personal thing. Everyone I trust loves these books, likely the hype just got to me. They're cute and quick reads for all you YA loving sapphics.

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marisacarpico's review against another edition

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emotional informative relaxing 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? Yes

4.0

Really enjoyable. Really strong character work and plotting.

The most impressive part for me was that this didn’t have the cliche falling action I expected. Rather, choices that would be throwaway moments in other books have real consequences here and I really enjoyed that.

Appreciate the way Jaigirdar doesn’t feel the need to wrap everything up here or isn’t afraid to deal with difficult, real world obstacles. Sometimes things don’t work out for everyone or right doesn’t always win and it’s nice to see a YA romance grapple with that in a sincere way.

My only suggestion here is to maybe read the ebook over a hard copy if you don’t have a ton of familiarity with either Bangladeshi or Irish culture. There were some things I had to pause to look up, but minor inconvenience aside, I deeply appreciate how rich and textured the characters’ world feels because it’s so embedded in their cultures.

I don’t read series, but I’ll consider picking up the sequel when it hits shelves.

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lainiereads's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

AHHH what a good book! This is such a cute story with very lovable characters( and some extremely hateable ones). Both Hani and Ishu were adorable, and many of the side characters were also great- Ishu's sister Nik was specifically great and probably my favorite character in the whole book. Some of the other characters though, they were AWFUL. I was genuinely enraged by the behavior of Hani's "friends" throughout the whole book, and I honestly found myself annoyed with Hani for not confronting them sooner (I understand her reasoning for that though, I am just an easily angered person). Jaigirdar did a wonderful job with making you feel certain ways towards each of the characters she created. I had a strong opinion on the majority of people that Hani or Ishu interacted with.
The character development throughout the story was AMAZING. It was great seeing Hani and Ishu realize what issues they were personally struggling with, and then find ways to overcome these issues. Also, the development of their relationships with others, specifically Ishu and her sister Nik, was great. Their relationship at the end of the book was just perfect and I really loved seeing them become close.
This was such a quick and cute book, and the adorableness of Hani and Ishu's relationship is enough to make this a comfort read. Definitely recommend!!

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rorikae's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective tense 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

4.5

'Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating' by Adiba Jaigirdar is a cute story of two Bengali girls who start to fake date only to find that they are starting to fall for each other for real.
Humaira 'Hani' Khan is popular at her all girl's school but her friends invalidate her identity when she comes out to them as bisexual. In an attempt to prove to them that she really is bisexual, she tells them that she is dating Ishita 'Ishu' Dey, an overachieving girl in their class. When Humaira admits to Ishita what she has done, Ishita agrees to pretend to date Hani if Hani will help her become more popular so she can become Head Girl. But as they spend more time together, each girl starts to have real feelings for the other, which complicate their plan.
This is such a wonderful queer YA romance. The use of alternating perspectives worked really well because it not only gives the reader insight into the two main characters but also how they see each other. When misunderstandings and assumptions naturally occur, these perspectives do a great job of making the reader understand what each character is thinking. Jaigirdar's writing and characterization meant that I instantly cared for these characters and was rooting for them. On top of dealing with bi-erasure, Jaigirdar also explores the racism that Hani and Ishu face in Ireland as two Bengali girls. This story is the perfect balance of cute queer romance and investigating deeper issues that the characters face in their lives. The audiobook was wonderful and I can't wait to delve into Jaigirdar's backlist.

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platoniciris's review against another edition

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lighthearted reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

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