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rabidkermit's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
when they go on a date.... and it's fake.... but then later... it's not... woah...
(fake dating usually isn't my cup of tea but ill read anything you write adiba jagirdar)
(fake dating usually isn't my cup of tea but ill read anything you write adiba jagirdar)
mareijo's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
corsetedfeminist'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
3.75
raine_rki's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
4.0
majaekre's review against another edition
3.5
Så gullig rakt igenom, allt gick jävligt hastigt om man säger så men fortfarande så wholesome. Blev extremt arg av Hanis kompisar och allt dom gjorde. Kändes bara så gulligt, lättsamt och oskyldigt.
laoise_obrien's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
4.0
Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating is a sapphic romance worthy of the praise it gets. It's cute, it’s got a lot of heart, and there’s a really important message about being yourself underscoring the whole thing.
What I liked most about this book was the way it presented the duality of the minority experience.
Hani has an extremely privileged home life. Her parents are abundantly supportive of her. She is so close to her parents she came out to them with absolutely no friction whatsoever - in fact she’s stunned by the revelation later that her parents did have some struggles initially. That’s how strong their relationship is: they shield her entirely from their personal hang ups because they are 1000% committed to ensuring she never questions their love for a second. I was beyond jealous at this show of devotion.
Outside of her home she perpetually walks on eggshells around her childhood friends, popular mean girl Ashleen and spineless enabler Deidre, whose bigotry is becoming increasingly more pronounced with each passing day.
Ishu has grown up in a strict, traditionalist household where her entire self worth has been measured against her perfect older sister. When Nik finally screws up - in a life changing way at that - Ishu is poised to take the top spot as apple of her parents' eye. Her family is painfully authoritarian as well as hierarchical.
Unlike Hani, outside of her household Ishu is remarkably self assured. She refuses to temper her personality or desires for anyone. Other people believe her to be standoffish - which admittedly she can be - however, she’s comfortable in her own skin and culture in a way Hani does not yet have the fortitude for.
Each is uniquely equipped to offer aid to the other in regards to their circumstances, thus laying a great foundation for each to not only grow as individuals, but form a special bond together as well. The romance is believable because their relationship progression mirrors their personal development. As the two get closer you can literally see them becoming better people for it. It makes the connection all the more authentic. Regardless of the relationship trajectory you know for a fact that what the two of them have shared will stick with them forever.
(If you’ve ever heard that song For Good in Wicked, it’s exactly like that.)
As someone who has been guilty of holding onto a friendship that has absolutely run its course before, I sympathized immensely with Hani’s struggle to let hers go. It’s difficult in average circumstances to recognize how harmful a close relationship has become. The racial dynamic at play on top of it can make it all the more stressful especially if you’re a people pleaser. One of the hardest parts of breaking out of this mentality is overcoming the fear of the loss. Humans will go to extreme lengths to avoid pain and unsurprisingly, grief is one of the most painful there is. Consciously pulling the trigger to purposely initiate this feeling takes an indefinable amount of strength.
I was frustrated beyond belief when Hani would capitulate to the whims of such obviously undeserving people. That being said, it was an exceedingly well written, thoughtful look at what that kind of toxic friendship looks like and how hard it is to disengage, despite the mounting warning signs, when you’re in the thick of it. The very premise of the book - virulent biphobia from Ashleen plus tacit support from Deidre - is built on a disrespect so egregious it should be enough for her to kick them to the curb. And that’s only the premise. I have no words for the cruelty these two go on to further inflict on Hani.
Ishu, having no friends nor being particularly inclined to gain any, had to fight stifling cultural expectations to find her own actual desires underneath. I am not Bengali, however, I am Black which has its own set of implicit rules to follow so to a point I understand exactly how suffocating it can be. You bear the weight of an entire complicated, somewhat if not entirely tragic history on your back - you are the culmination of years of sacrifice, indescribable misery, backbreaking work. Why shouldn’t you pay that back by trying to live by a higher standard even if it is outdated or not quite what you want? After all you wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for those before you.
It also can feel like you need to justify your existence by doing something ‘worthy’ - an arbitrary metric if there ever was one - of great praise to offset all the years where your people were not allowed such opportunities so easily, if at all. If you’re not a grand success then you’ve squandered a lifetime spent elevating you to your current advantageous position. A lot of this is touched on to varying degrees in Ishu’s arc.
Once again, I’m Black so I can only speak to my own experiences, which aren’t universal by any means anyways, so there are definitely differences to how this compulsion plays out in my culture compared to Bengali culture. Still there is a lot of overlap that made it easy for me to tap into Ishu’s headspace. It's not exclusive to minorities to feel this pressure to excel nor do all minorities fall victim to it in the first place so there’s room for a reader of any background to relate on some level.
The most awful yet realistic part is that in choosing to break the cycle Ishu has most likely severed her relationship to her parents permanently. While there is the possibility of change in the future nothing that is seen in this book gives any indication it will happen any time soon if ever. And even if they can reach an accord it’s likely the relationship will never be what it once was. It’s a very bittersweet victory.
My one major criticism would be that the political plot involving Hani’s father is underdeveloped. Her father is running for a role in the local government - do not ask me what it is, this book takes place in England, I do not know any of their government positions - and it would be a huge deal for him to win since he’s not a white man. It’s running underneath the rest of the story for a majority of the book which is fine as a kind of background set dressing. When it suddenly becomes relevant as part of the third act conflict it’s much too abrupt given its previous comparative irrelevance. It was apparently meant to be a parallel to Hani’s storyline, but the lack of attention undercut its significance. Instead it felt like it was a cheap way of partially absolving Hani for the big mistake she makes in regards to his campaign by making her father out to be a hypocrite out of nowhere.
I appreciated that this was a queer story where the closeted queer kid - Ishu - was never in any way pushed to come out. It was implicitly communicated how unsafe that would be for her and it never became a point of contention. I’m not completely against coming out stories where the person comes out in less than stellar situations as those stories have their place too. But, the execution is key. Promoting the idea that a person is living a lie or somehow a ‘bad’ queer person for not meeting some random standard of queerness by not being unabashedly out no matter the environment is dangerous, naive, and ignorant. I like that this story did not engage in that kind of harmful messaging.
I have not read many WLW stories nor have I seen many that center women of color receive nearly as much buzz as the ones featuring white characters in the predominant roles. For that alone I would say this book is special. There are definitely some bumps along the way, but I promise you it’s all worth it in the end. A happy ending is guaranteed.
What I liked most about this book was the way it presented the duality of the minority experience.
Hani has an extremely privileged home life. Her parents are abundantly supportive of her. She is so close to her parents she came out to them with absolutely no friction whatsoever - in fact she’s stunned by the revelation later that her parents did have some struggles initially. That’s how strong their relationship is: they shield her entirely from their personal hang ups because they are 1000% committed to ensuring she never questions their love for a second. I was beyond jealous at this show of devotion.
Outside of her home she perpetually walks on eggshells around her childhood friends, popular mean girl Ashleen and spineless enabler Deidre, whose bigotry is becoming increasingly more pronounced with each passing day.
Ishu has grown up in a strict, traditionalist household where her entire self worth has been measured against her perfect older sister. When Nik finally screws up - in a life changing way at that - Ishu is poised to take the top spot as apple of her parents' eye. Her family is painfully authoritarian as well as hierarchical.
Unlike Hani, outside of her household Ishu is remarkably self assured. She refuses to temper her personality or desires for anyone. Other people believe her to be standoffish - which admittedly she can be - however, she’s comfortable in her own skin and culture in a way Hani does not yet have the fortitude for.
Each is uniquely equipped to offer aid to the other in regards to their circumstances, thus laying a great foundation for each to not only grow as individuals, but form a special bond together as well. The romance is believable because their relationship progression mirrors their personal development. As the two get closer you can literally see them becoming better people for it. It makes the connection all the more authentic. Regardless of the relationship trajectory you know for a fact that what the two of them have shared will stick with them forever.
(If you’ve ever heard that song For Good in Wicked, it’s exactly like that.)
As someone who has been guilty of holding onto a friendship that has absolutely run its course before, I sympathized immensely with Hani’s struggle to let hers go. It’s difficult in average circumstances to recognize how harmful a close relationship has become. The racial dynamic at play on top of it can make it all the more stressful especially if you’re a people pleaser. One of the hardest parts of breaking out of this mentality is overcoming the fear of the loss. Humans will go to extreme lengths to avoid pain and unsurprisingly, grief is one of the most painful there is. Consciously pulling the trigger to purposely initiate this feeling takes an indefinable amount of strength.
I was frustrated beyond belief when Hani would capitulate to the whims of such obviously undeserving people. That being said, it was an exceedingly well written, thoughtful look at what that kind of toxic friendship looks like and how hard it is to disengage, despite the mounting warning signs, when you’re in the thick of it. The very premise of the book - virulent biphobia from Ashleen plus tacit support from Deidre - is built on a disrespect so egregious it should be enough for her to kick them to the curb. And that’s only the premise. I have no words for the cruelty these two go on to further inflict on Hani.
Ishu, having no friends nor being particularly inclined to gain any, had to fight stifling cultural expectations to find her own actual desires underneath. I am not Bengali, however, I am Black which has its own set of implicit rules to follow so to a point I understand exactly how suffocating it can be. You bear the weight of an entire complicated, somewhat if not entirely tragic history on your back - you are the culmination of years of sacrifice, indescribable misery, backbreaking work. Why shouldn’t you pay that back by trying to live by a higher standard even if it is outdated or not quite what you want? After all you wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for those before you.
It also can feel like you need to justify your existence by doing something ‘worthy’ - an arbitrary metric if there ever was one - of great praise to offset all the years where your people were not allowed such opportunities so easily, if at all. If you’re not a grand success then you’ve squandered a lifetime spent elevating you to your current advantageous position. A lot of this is touched on to varying degrees in Ishu’s arc.
Once again, I’m Black so I can only speak to my own experiences, which aren’t universal by any means anyways, so there are definitely differences to how this compulsion plays out in my culture compared to Bengali culture. Still there is a lot of overlap that made it easy for me to tap into Ishu’s headspace. It's not exclusive to minorities to feel this pressure to excel nor do all minorities fall victim to it in the first place so there’s room for a reader of any background to relate on some level.
The most awful yet realistic part is that in choosing to break the cycle Ishu has most likely severed her relationship to her parents permanently. While there is the possibility of change in the future nothing that is seen in this book gives any indication it will happen any time soon if ever. And even if they can reach an accord it’s likely the relationship will never be what it once was. It’s a very bittersweet victory.
My one major criticism would be that the political plot involving Hani’s father is underdeveloped. Her father is running for a role in the local government - do not ask me what it is, this book takes place in England, I do not know any of their government positions - and it would be a huge deal for him to win since he’s not a white man. It’s running underneath the rest of the story for a majority of the book which is fine as a kind of background set dressing. When it suddenly becomes relevant as part of the third act conflict it’s much too abrupt given its previous comparative irrelevance. It was apparently meant to be a parallel to Hani’s storyline, but the lack of attention undercut its significance. Instead it felt like it was a cheap way of partially absolving Hani for the big mistake she makes in regards to his campaign by making her father out to be a hypocrite out of nowhere.
I appreciated that this was a queer story where the closeted queer kid - Ishu - was never in any way pushed to come out. It was implicitly communicated how unsafe that would be for her and it never became a point of contention. I’m not completely against coming out stories where the person comes out in less than stellar situations as those stories have their place too. But, the execution is key. Promoting the idea that a person is living a lie or somehow a ‘bad’ queer person for not meeting some random standard of queerness by not being unabashedly out no matter the environment is dangerous, naive, and ignorant. I like that this story did not engage in that kind of harmful messaging.
I have not read many WLW stories nor have I seen many that center women of color receive nearly as much buzz as the ones featuring white characters in the predominant roles. For that alone I would say this book is special. There are definitely some bumps along the way, but I promise you it’s all worth it in the end. A happy ending is guaranteed.
shoham's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5