Reviews

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

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profoundpondering's review against another edition

4.0

I LOOOVED Ishu and Hani’s dynamic so much but omg i wanted to throw up punch a hole in the wall whenever #that two fuckass “friends” appear GRAGHHH WORST PEOPLE EVER

cookie_lover's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring lighthearted sad 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

5.0

Content Warnings

biryani_potatoes's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad 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

5.0

thecatpotatoe's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

4.25

bookishval's review against another edition

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emotional 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? No

4.0

This was a cute read. Hani and Ishu are to Bangali girls who didn't associate with each other at first because they didn't want people to pigeonhole them, but as Ishu seems to be the only person Hani can think of when her "friends" invalidate her bisexuality, they make a deal that would benefit them both. Thus the fake dating comes into the picture.

I was really excited to read this, Hani and Ishu's Guide has been on my radar for months and I finally bought it a few days ago. How could I not, have you seen the adorable cover? When I saw it in person I thought to myself, even if I don't like this, this cover is the cutest thing ever and will look great in my shelves.

Let's start with the good things first.

The Bengali and Muslim representation: This year more than any other I've set my mind to read more diversely, to use my love for romance books as an opportunity to get to know other cultures and religions and I really loved how both of them played an important role in this book. From the food they eat, to their routines and even the conflicts in the story, both Hani and Ishu's heritage and culture are always there. As a Mexican girl who rarely sees herself in the romance books she's read her whole life, I imagine how wholesome it is for Desi queer teens out there to read this type of representation. Such and adorable puppy love!
Ishu and Nik's relationship: You win me over if you have a beautiful (if complicated) relationship between siblings in your YA novel, and this book was no exception. We only know how difficult Ishu and Nik's relationship was when they used to live together. It was always a competition between them because of their parents' standards, so they never got to experience true sisterhood growing up. But after spending a few years apart Nik comes back with news that make their parents turn their backs on her, and it also seems to bring her and Ishu together. I loved their scenes together. I was afraid at first that Ishu was right and Nik was going to betray her, but it was so refreshing to see it didn't happen. Being in collage taught Nik just how toxic and damaging her parents' expectations were to her mental health and decided to be there for Ishu once she found out Ishu is gay. I felt warm in my heart whenever Nik went to Ishu's rescue, how she kept supporting her.
Hani and Ishu's dynamic: THEY WERE ADORABLE!! The awkwardness at first, the little blushes and shyness when they had to pretend to date. They're so cute together. I expected more banter to be honest, but I liked how their opposite personalities were shown in their interactions. Especially how Ishu did stuff for Hani that weren't a big deal for her, but for Hani, who has spent her life hiding an important part of herself from her white friends to not be seen as "too much", they were special. I "awww" several times during this book.

Now to the stuff I didn't like

I would've like it more if I got to spend more time getting to know Ishu and Hani separately before the story started moving. The reason is Hani. It's said in the synopsis and repeatedly mentioned in the book how she's so popular, everyone loves her and if Ishu associates with her, the others for sure would vote for her to be the Head Girl. But I don't think Hani's popularity and overall extroverted personality was showcasted enough before she and Ishu made a deal.
I knew going in that there would be shitty friends in the story. Hani having to pretend to date a girl because her friends don't think she can be bisexual if she's only dated guys was proof enough of it. But omg I could not stand Aisling and Dee. They were so awful! And I know Hani's been their friend since they were kids, and Hani not seeing how horrible they were to her was realistic. But the fact that they were never truly punished for what they did to both Hani and Ishu frustrated me to the end. It also made me realize that I'm too impatient and I get worked up too easily for me to be reading YA books with toxic friendships as an important part of the plot. Maybe I should avoid them for now on.
Even though I mentioned before that I loved Hani and Ishu's dynamic, I did expect to see their romance develop more. Hani takes too long to realize her friends are shitty and manipulative and it causes Ishu to feel alone, like Hani will never stand by her side or won't believe her side of the story. There were too many moments in the story where Aisling and Dee did something so incredibly rude and manipulative and I thought to myself, this is it, this will be the last straw for Hani. And it wasn't! I would've enjoy it more if there were more scenes of Hani supporting Ishu and standing by her side when her friends wanted to make her life miserable. It would've also show how strong their love and care for each other was.

This was an overall solid 4 stars for me. I finished this book pretty quickly and the aspects I liked about it win over the stuff I disliked. I do plan of reading more of Adiba Jaigirdar in the future.

Content Warnings

mallard_duck's review against another edition

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3.0

for what it set out to be – which is a relatively lighthearted romance book about two teenagers falling in love - hani and ishu’s guide to fake dating definitely delivered. I waffled between giving it 3 or 4 stars – to me, it falls somewhere between those ratings. a solid 3.5, maybe? frankly, this is one of those books I bought on a whim and only then reflected that I'm probably about 15 years too old to be the target audience. I have a feeling that, had I read it back when I was in high school, I would have given it the full 5 stars.

this is one of those light romance novels you read when you want something cozy and uplifting that won't make you think too much, even if it touches upon quite a few important topics. sort of a ‘summer beach read’ category, if you may.

now, I’m not a particularly romantic person – from a personal standpoint, ‘love at first sight’ and similar plots don’t really make sense to me. while hani and ishu didn’t fall for each other immediately (after all, we’re talking about the grumpy & sunshine trope with fake dating as the main plot device), it still felt somewhat rushed to me. not even because of how long it took timewise – I suppose two(ish) weeks is a normal time to develop a crush when you’re a teenager – but because there wasn’t much actual progression to it: one moment they don’t particularly like each other, and the next they’re both thinking “wow, I actually want to date this person”. the way the story was structured, I found myself missing the ‘why’ of it.

that aside, this book is an extremely cutesy read. I’ve no other word to describe it. although adiba jaigirdar touches upon some difficult topics – both protagonists’ identities (as bengali, as muslim, as lesbian, as bisexual…) are something that others them from the rest of the people around them – it’s done in such a way that it doesn’t feel overwhelming or (too) depressing. it’s there as undeniable context: something that is an intrinsic part of both hani and ishu and which naturally affects their experiences – but literary analysis of the casual discrimination that queer bengali girls face in modern ireland isn’t the goal here. if it felt like some things were left hanging, or not explored enough, I think that’s why. after all, this is supposed to be a heartwarming love story with a happy ending!

I liked the healthy family dynamics between hani and her parents; I liked that we were shown that ishu and nik’s relationship could be mended, even if their parents’ expectations hadn’t fostered a loving sisterly relationship between them while both of them still lived at home. while I can’t speak to the accuracy of bengali and muslim representation in the book, I appreciate it nonetheless. it also made me google things several times to learn more about hani and ishu’s cultures, which is another plus! I love that this book unapologetically doesn’t contain footnotes with translations or explanations – people for whom this book was written already know these things, and the rest of us can (and should) educate ourselves in our time. the casual biphobia was (sadly) spot on. I'm glad that hani ended up ditching her so called friends when, completely unsurprisingly, it turned out that their inability to accept her sexuality was only the tip of the iceberg of the things they didn't accept about her.

all in all, I don’t regret picking up this book, and I think it’s a solid choice for younger audiences who want some queer, non-white rep in their love stories.