lenareadsstuff 's review for:

Hani And Ishu's Guide To Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

4.75

challenging hopeful inspiring 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

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I've now read all of Adiba Jaigirdar's books and (as expected) I absolutely loved this one too. I literally devoured it. It touched on so many interesting topics and most importantly, it does the fake dating trope right! The relationship between Hani and Ishu developed naturally, there was no miscommunication - they just had chemistry and that was so sweet. Both struggled with different issues that come alonge with growing up: Hani had to reassess childhood friendships and Ishu was confronted with the aftermath of her parent's high expectations.

Something that really stuck with me was Hani's father talking about his relationship to the Muslim community and how immigrating affected his faith. I think Jaigirdar handles these emotional beats in a very honest and authentic way (as far as I can judge). And that's consistent in all her works thus far. This might be my favorite book of her just yet (aside from A Million to One).