Reviews tagging 'Lesbophobia'

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

184 reviews

pagesandnights's review against another edition

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3.5

Loved learning more about Bangladeshi culture and custom through this sweet wlw romance, but did not love the overuse of the phrase „I don’t know what I/she thought she/I was going to say, but this/that was definitely not it“. There were also some weak conflicts (as well as many difficult ones) and unresolved or purposeless ones that I did not love. 

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marissasa's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

This book had a mix of cute, awkward teen girls fake dating romance and realistic coming of age while grappling with harsh truths about your loved ones. I was rooting for Hani and Ishu the whole way, both for them to realize their true feelings for each other and for them to succeed and grow in their individual stories. It was a joy to see the depiction of their Bengali, Indian, and Muslim cultures and their support and understanding of each other in them. I liked that each girl was fleshed out and dealt with realistic issues, as frustrating as they were at times. It was very relatable to see a long-time friendship turn toxic and to see immigrant parents with harsh expectations of their kids. I thought there was a lot of charm in the Irish culture in the book too, especially in the audiobook with the narrators' accents and the way they cursed so naturally. Even though I'm not at the target audience age for this book anymore, I enjoyed it thoroughly and know that it will be such an important one for young Bengali and Indian bisexual teens. 

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robin_nescu's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful informative reflective sad 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


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dhatislandbookworm's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

This was such a cute sapphic romance! 
 
Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, but oftentimes, the motivations of participating in a fake dating ploy can be quite ridiculous. However, in this instance, it made perfect sense since they both had something to ‘gain’! 
 
Hani and Ishu also plays into the grumpy x sunshine trope and the girls’ opposing personalties complimented each other well. 
 
The book also manages to perfectly balance the romance with the heavier topics such as prejudice, assimilation, abandonment, and the fear of failure. 
 
Unfortunately, the ending felt a bit rushed. The main antagonist didn’t face any repercussions for her abhorrent behavior and was essentially rewarded for it! 
 
We also didn’t get closure on certain plot points. This disappointed me because I felt that some of these points were very essential to the story. 
 
All in all, would still recommend if you’re looking for a delightful read. 

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xwritingstoriesx's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.5

This book was brilliant. I loved the ways in which the teenage characters were portrayed realistically. Most books never seem to get younger characters right but this author aced it. 
It was also really interesting reading from the perspective of Asian characters with references to culture, food and clothing that I hadn't encountered before. Even though it was so unfamiliar for me it felt really comforting to read. 
My favourite aspect overall is how the main conflict of this book wasn't the issue of being outed. Though being outed is a very real issue for many and is quite frightening for a lot of people in the lgbt community, I feel as though this kind of conflict has been played out enough in lgbt fiction, so I'm glad I didn't have to read it again. Last but not least, Hani and Ishu made such an adorable couple and I loved the ending they got together.

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maggies's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

3.0

I found this book surprisingly slow-paced, which is rare for YA. Ishu and Hani were charming, but there was something about all the side plots that really slowed it all down, and I sometimes got distracted and couldn't follow. I loved the intersection of Bengali and Irish cultures in this book, as well as the really impactful and unflinching display of microaggressions, both with regard to culture and sexuality.

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bookswithlauren's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad 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

3.75


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isabelvegga's review against another edition

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emotional 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

3.75


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janka05's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

4.5


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jadeandherbunny's review against another edition

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funny hopeful informative lighthearted tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I really liked this!
I loved that Hani and Ishu, in their own way, are so close to my personality.
I loved the sisterly dynamic between Nik and Ishu because of the maturity of Nik and Parent-pleaser Ishu. 
I kind of thought I would hate Nik in the first half but she is the best side character.
I
Hani is just the sweetest girl, I was/am kind of like her because of her not setting boundaries with her friends.
It is kind of slow-burn ?
I thought there wouldn't be any kiss because there wasn't any until the end of the 3rd act conflict. Not that it would have been catastrophic since it is YA

I learned a lot about Desi people and liked it wayyy more than when I read Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma.
I'm just a bit sad that Ishu couldn't come out to her parents. But it is pleasing to know that a lot of queer teenagers felt seen reading about it since it is a harsh reality.
It did not get a higher rating because we didn't really know any character outside of Nik and Aisling. (And don't tell there's Dee we only know she's a doormat)

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