A review by mallard_duck
Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

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.