Always a fan of YA reads and representation has been missing in this genre but it all seems to change. I've been able to read some Asian writers this year and Adiba's book here takes the cake for it!

It is so wonderful to read a book where the characters come from an underrepresented group. I loved learning about foods, clothing and even getting a little dialogue from Bangladesh. It was also interesting to learn a little about the Muslim religion.
But all of that was just the color for the story. The author did a great job developing the foundation of the story interesting. The two distinct personalities for Hani and Ishu meshed well for a relationship.. The supporting characters all brought out an emotional response in me whether it was anger, laughs or motherly love.
I will definitely will read more from this author.

Disclaimer: This novel explores themes of biphobia, xenophobia, and racism. Stay safe and know your limits, because books can hit home sometimes <3

I binge-read this book. It was SUCH A LIGHT READ!! In the sense that it was a fluffy rom-com, though it dealt with some not-light topics. This book contained *many* of my favorite tropes, including enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, grumpy+sunshine, and pretty much all the fun stuff ever. You may think "all the fun stuff ever" isn't specific enough, but if you read the book, you'll understand *exactly*what I mean!!

You know when queer people say that having queer characters in classic tropes makes them twenty thousand times better? Yeah, this is one of those cases. OH MY GOD??? THE REPRESENTATION IN THIS BOOK???? First of all, the bisexual rep was absolute perfection. Truly. Some of the scenes hit painfully close to home, but it feels so good to see them on the page. Both of the main characters are Bengalese, and from the reviews by other South Asian people that I've seen, that representation is also great! Hani (one of the two main characters) is also Muslim, while Ishu (the other main character) isn't. BUT (!!!) Ishita is respectful of Hani's religion and practice (at least for the vast majority of the time). SO WE HAVE QUEER BENGALESE GIRLS, ONE OF WHOM IS MUSLIM, THAT ARE DIFFERENT IN SO MANY WAYS, ALL IN ONE BOOK??? Yes, my friends. Yes. We. Do. AND the author is a queer, South Asian hijabi!!! And let me tell you, it is *great*. There are also small passages in Sylheti!

My favorite part of this book is the relationships the characters have with each other! We see supportive parents, the pressures that many teens have to deal with, toxic friendships, and a *very cute romance*. All these things create (at least in my opinion) a very relatable and authentic representation of the ✨teenage experience✨.

The plot was entertaining even if it wasn't a totally new concept (honestly, what is at this point?). But nothing has been sufficiently explored (or at all explored, if we're being honest) through a queer, Muslim, or Bengalese lens, so you don't feel it aside from the plot twists that I wasn't too surprised by (that might also be because I've read so many books). I also would've loved it if the time period during which Humaira and Ishita were falling for each other had been longer as it felt a bit rushed (I can't help it!! I love a slow-slow-slow burn).

THE WRITING WAS SO FUNNY. Jaigirdar's writing is hilarious and light, and very easily readable. I highlighted so many sentences that made me snort out loud or made me scream out of frustration. I am also partial to Ishu's chapters because I love her sense of humor.

In conclusion, I recommend this book to everyone (even those that, like me, don't read too much contemporary), and I KNOW you'll at least enjoy it and at most be absolutely obsessed with it till the end of the universe.

Humaira aka "Hani"--aka "Moira" to her friends--and Ishita "Ishu" could not be more opposite: Hani is popular and easy-going while Ishu is intensely studious to the point of intimidation/unfriendliness. However, they have some interaction as their families are friends as part of the Bengali community in Dublin. When Hani comes out to her friends as bi, they laugh her off, but then she blurts out that she's, absurdly, dating Ishu.

Ishu has always lived in her sister's shadow, but when Nikita says she's leaving school to get married, Ishu sees her chance to be better than her sister by being voted Head Girl. So when Hani, panicked, begs Ishu to go through with the plan, Ishu agrees as it may be a way to get her popular and, thus, the Head Girl votes she'll need. Their secret plan reveals complicated dynamics that may be more than both girls could have anticipated.

This book is written from Hani and Ishu's POV, switching off chapters. I absolutely loved this story...I could not put it down and finished it in less than a day...I thought this would be more of a middle-grade book because of the cover, but this is definitely YA with lots of profanity from Ishu.

Hani and Ishu are sympathetic characters and have the "opposites attract" chemistry going for them. I enjoyed reading about Muslim and Bengali families in Ireland and the pressures of trying to fit in. Hani stifles her Muslim identity and practices--prayer, not drinking alcohol, and a halal diet--from her friends so that she doesn't "make them uncomfortable" (her friends are trash). I love that Ishu gives Hani the confidence to be herself and not hide her identity. The friendship and romance that result from the fake dating is tenuous and delicate as they both begin to understand what it means to trust someone with your true self. This is a sweet book about coming out, being yourself, and learning to surround yourself with people who truly care for you. Abida Jaigirdar is now automatically on my "Want to Read" list!

This was such a soft read and I am now ready to read everything Adiba Jaigirdar has to offer! Both Hani and Ishu captured my heart and I loved the way that they got to know each other and fall in love other the course of the book. I also always love dual POV books, especially when it comes to romance, I enjoy knowing what both parties are thinking and feeling. Both Hani and Ishu were such relatable and robust characters, I laughed with them, I cried with them, and I just wanted to give both of them big hugs.

I also really enjoyed Ishu and Nik's relationship and their navigation of how their relationships with their parents impacted how they treated each other. I loved watching them figure out how to challenge the struggles they have had in the past and become closer. Nik's support of Ishu was so heartwarming and definitely made me think of my own little sister and my love for her.

Adiba did such an incredible job highlighting Bengali culture and the community in Ireland, portraying both Hani and Ishu's different experiences with their families, cultures, and religions, while also examining their shared experiences in a predominantly white country. Adiba didn't shy away from portraying the realities of the racism and bigotry that Hani and Ishu face, and I appreciated that everything wasn't tied up neatly at the end of the book - there will be continuous challenges that Hani and Ishu will face, but they will face them together and with the love and support of the people who love them.

TWs: racism, biphobia, homophobia, Islamophobia, toxic friendship, gaslighting, bullying, underage drinking, parental abandonment/neglect

A really fun book by an author I've now utterly fallen in love with. The main characters were amazing and I loved following their journey from beginning to end

This was such a soft, lovely read. The author really sold the characters for me. It was a little slow in places, but I was so attached to the main characters that I didn’t mind. The dialogue felt so natural between the characters and I adored the way that they felt like authentic. I thought the themes were well explored, and they’re important topics to have in YA. This felt really grounded, like it could be happening in the world at this exact moment. I really loved how Adiba Jaigirdar incorporates cultural appropriation here, she does so intelligently and honestly.
Full review to come on my YouTube channel.

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating is the perfect book to pick up if you’re looking for an enjoyable read that you can fly through. It is a contemporary with the best of both worlds, with a romance that is fun and tropey as well as an exploration of familial relationships, racism, and biphobia. At the heart are Hani and Ishu, who you can’t help but root for as they figure out their places in the world, and with each other.

Hani and Ishu have opposite personalities—Hani is warm, friendly, and a little too willing to mold herself to fit what others want from her, while Ishu is a bit sharper, driven, and sometimes too harsh on herself and others. They both have strong individual arcs; I enjoyed watching Ishu learn how to weigh her parents’ expectations against her own desires and particularly loved how Hani learned not to please others at the expense of herself. I also liked the portrayal of how, despite them being complete opposites, they were lumped together just for being the only brown girls at school.

Of course, their romance was sweet and entertaining to read, like fake dating stories always are. I would recommend this less for its fake dating trope and more for its sunshine x grump trope, though, because I think the latter delivered slightly more for me. But even though romance is a very large part of the story, the familial relationships were what shined the most for me. Hani’s loving parents were heartwarming to read, especially in how supportive they were of her bisexuality. And though rocky at times, Ishu’s relationship with her sister was equally sweet, their reconciliation a reinforcement of the love that binds sisters together.

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating does an excellent job of balancing lighter, fluffier moments with heavier content, such as cultural assimilation/rejection and toxic friendship. Seeing the way Hani’s toxic friends treated Hani honestly made me a bit sick to my stomach to read at times, but Jaigirdar handled it with the utmost care and it was resolved satisfyingly by the end. And I appreciated how even though throughout the book Hani rejects her culture for the sake of others, she embraces and celebrates it by the end.

Jaigirdar’s writing style is so very engaging, enough that I could read most of the book in a single day. While I found it to be a bit bland and juvenile at times in The Henna Wars and it was still similar in this book (aimed towards the younger end of the YA audience), I liked it more in Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating—something about it felt slightly more mature to me. The humor was also more appealing to me personally!

My main issue with the book was its pacing, particularly with its romance. There wasn’t as much development as I wanted because it went a little quickly from the beginning of fake dating to the mutual pining, which meant less buildup scenes to make me really feel the depth of the angst. (And, if I’m being nitpicky, the whole premise of Ishu fake dating Hani to somehow gain popularity was a bit unbelievable to me.) The ending also had a very abrupt time-skip after the climax, which left me feeling like something was missing when I finished—not a satisfying way to end the book.

If you love YA contemporaries, I think you will definitely enjoy what Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating has to offer! Jaigirdar really knows how to write a delightful combination of both serious issues and lighter content, and her books are simply so much fun to binge read. Pick this one up for the cute romance, stay for the sweet familial relationships and compelling character growth.

What a fun ride! This book uses the fake dating trope in a fresh way, as two teen girls try to navigate being queer and Bengali in their very white Irish community. The two protagonists' have far more in common than they think, and as their friendship and "relationship" grows, their motivations deepen through Jaigirdar's careful development. A winner for fans of romance, LGBTQIA+ representation, and descriptions of delicious food.

Adiba Jaigirdar's second book does it again! No one does sappy yet strong sapphic YA fiction with Bengali MCs better than her. This is weirdly specific but it's true. The first half of the book didn't make me feel anything. Our protagonists got into the fake dating relationship quite easily, which had me thinking, is it that easy? But the second half of the book was like a ride up a hill. While I was making predictions about what the ending would be like, I got totally thrown off. It had me feeling frustrated at Hani. Ever felt like going inside the book and shaking the protagonist to make them see where they are going wrong? This book will totally make you feel like that. My frustrations were so strong while reading the book that I was eye-rolling the entire time. And damn... that's exactly how you write a good book!

The book does not only deal with unaccepting parents and sibling rivalry, but also with biphobia. It's so real and very much exists in real life, and this book perfectly portrays that.

The Bengali representation was quite good I would say. But one of the protagonist is an Indian Bengali and the other is a Bangladeshi Bengali and so some of the things that the Indian Bengali MC, Ishu, said made me a bit confused because we don't talk in that certain way as her. Otherwise it was perfect.

Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating, by Adiba Jaigirdar, is a lovely addition to the fake dating canon. While fake dating stories often suffer from slightly flimsy reasoning behind the fake dating itself, Hani and Ishu's reasons are believable, if a little heart wrenching, much like the characters that inhabit their world -- believable, if a little hard to stomach at times. The story is a slow starter, but it picks up in the final third and had me turning pages wanting to know how it would all end up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street Kids for the ARC!

Actual rating: 3.5/5

Right from the first page, “Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating” had me hooked! The writing in this book is so great and felt fitting for the characters as well as the age group that the book is aimed at. It felt very natural and the flow was great. I quickly grew to love Humaira and Ishita (aka Hani and Ishu), but felt like their reason for hating each other was a bit weak. I get that it can be annoying to be forced to be together, but you can just… not do it and move on? I would have loved a deeper root to their hatred to really fuel the flames for their future romance. With that said, I liked their dynamic and it felt believable the whole way through.

The side characters, however, felt very flat and stereotypical, which somewhat works for the story, but also made it a little stale. Hani’s friends (Aisling and Dee) were very repetitive in their conversations and behavior, and not much growth happened. This can be a creative decision though I would have loved to see other sides of them instead of just mean girl #1 and #2.

I absolutely loved the display and usage of Asian culture in this book. As a westerner, my knowledge of Indian and Indian/Muslim culture is unfortunately very limited, so it’s great that books like this exist so that people like me can learn more. The way the food was described made my mouth water and just thinking about their clothes made me jealous - what I’m trying to say is that the attention to detail was on point and definitely on the of the book's strengths!

The issues that the book shines light upon are so great, and I love how Jaigridar went into depth making sure that every aspect of an issue was explored. For example how Hani’s friends don’t understand the term bisexual or how she through Ishu’s family, Jaigridar displays how ambition sometimes can come before blood. The author chose real-life issues and made them understandable for the reader, as well she tried to educate the reader on LGBT+, homophobia, racism, family issues, and more.

I really enjoyed reading this novel and cannot wait to see what Jaigridar publishes next! I recommend it!

I truly loved this queer opposites attract romance. The cover is awesome and the storyline deals with much more than the fake dating, which was strong in-and-of-itself. I appreciated the cultural, racial, and academic/parental pressure issues as well. I was disappointed by the lack of individuality between the POVs. Even though each protagonist had very unique personalities, it was often difficult to discern which voice was narrating. All in all a wonderful read.

Hani Khan seemingly has it all: popularity, great friends, and a supportive family. Ishu Dey has a very specific life plan for herself set in place by her very stringent overachieving mindset. Both girls couldn’t be more different, but they have one thing in common: they are the only Bengali girls at their school. Due to this commonality, they are often at the same community events that celebrate their culture, even though they aren’t friends. When they both have the idea to use one another to get what they want by pretending to date, they start to realize that maybe they are the missing piece the other needs to achieve their goals.

I am truly enjoying that LGBTQIA books are focusing less on the coming out experience and more on just being who they are and living life. I feel like this is an important shift in literature to kind of take a stand and say that your coming out journey is not all that you are; your sexual identity is not the be-all/end-all that people see. Even though the characters struggled with that aspect a bit in regards to family and friends not necessarily knowing everything, it wasn’t the focal point of the story. I loved learning about all of the aspects of Bengali culture and the Muslim religion. That was easily the strongest part of this story, but I would be remiss to ignore the fact that my enjoyment of the story kind of ended with those two aspects. I feel like the ending was a bit rushed and I didn’t really get much of a resolution for some of the main conflicts that Hani and Ishu had with friends and family. My other big issue is that I couldn’t differentiate between Hani and Ishu’s perspectives. Having dual POVs that are not clearly voiced and stylized to set them apart is one of my biggest pet peeves when reading and takes me right out of the experience having to focus in on determining whose perspective I am reading from. With all of that in mind, if you enjoy the show on Netflix, Never Have I Ever, you will probably get some enjoyment out of this book as well. I really look forward to reading more from this author in the future, especially if it will also focus on the same culture and religion; maybe even a sequel so I can receive the resolutions that I was lacking from this ending?

Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating is one of the best young adult contemporaries I've ever read. It has all my favoruite things: fake dating, great representation, and the cutest love story.

Our two protagonists are such wonderful, three-dimensional, characters. Hani is a social, people pleaser, whereas Ishu is intense, and a bit of a perfectionist. This novel switches between their POVs, giving Hani and Ishu distinct and individual voices, as well as giving readers a look into each of their lives, families, and thoughts.

The love story between Hani and Ishu develops so naturally, and you have no choice but to fall in love with the two of them together. This book has the cutest rom-com feeling that I absolutely adored.

I loved the representation in this book. Adiba Jaigirdar's way of writing in representation is exactly how I would love every single book to; everything feels so natural, rather than forced and taught to the reader. Whether it be through the descriptions of the clothing, food, family, and so many other elements, readers get a chance to learn about and really experience Bengali culture. This book also features Muslim representation; I loved seeing Hani's relationship with her religion. I really feel like I learned a lot while reading!

Some of the other topics in this book, such as family bonds, the importance of community, toxic friendships, and the pressures of fitting in, are all written so well and help readers feel completely attached to each character and their lives.

I cannot reccomend this enough, and I strongly urge you to add this to your TBR!

5 stars. One of the best and most wholesome books I've ever read, full of great bengali and bisexual rep.

This book was like many other adolescent romance books; it was cute but nothing memorable. I enjoyed my reading experience and feel it's a wonderful book to share with students who may be struggling with their sexual identity.

Trigger Warnings: Emotional Manipulation, Peer Pressure, Racism

I was first introduced to Adiba Jaigirdar on bookstagram when I first heard about The Henna Wars (Read My Review) - a sapphic romance that literally took my breath away. I am not kidding, it was actually a breath of fresh air for someone who adored the YA genre, but was fast becoming disenchanted with the same old characters being reused over and over again.

Adiba Jaigirdar’s books are the response to those typically white washed experiences that a desi girl, who while enjoying them as a spectator, could never relate to the characters themselves.

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating is a brown girl’s answer to that. Hani and Ishu are the only two Bangladeshi’s in their Irish school and they couldn’t be more extreme opposites if they tried.

Hani, an out bisexual, is one of the sweetest persons around. She always has a smile on her face, is genuinely helpful to anyone who asks and is quite friendly as well.
Ishu, on the other hand, is a focused, could be considered rude, sarcastic and almost unfriendly girl at her school.

When Hani finds out that her friends have trouble accepting her bi-sexuality; she, in desperation, says that she is dating Ishu.
Ishu, on the other hand, needs to be well liked to become the head girl, so she can show her parents that she is serious about her future.

Fake dating trope along with an almost enemies to lovers trope in a brown girl sapphic romance will have you absolutely giddy while reading this book.

It’s not all roses though, the trigger warnings are genuine - emotional manipulation, peer pressure, your own confidence in your identity as well the struggles that a brown girl goes through as an immigrant!

I certainly enjoyed The Henna Wars far more than this, true but Hani and Ishu find their own place in my soul when I read their book!

The book was a fascinating dive into the lives of two Bengali girls living in Ireland, and dealing with the struggles of their society, familial and peer pressure, all while trying to understand their own needs and desires. The two of them begin to fake-date, each to achieve their own social advantage - whether to become popular enough to be the Head Girl, or to prove their sexuality to their Irish friends. Regardless, the two develop very real feelings for each other and are forced to confront their own ambitions, and whether their friends and family truly have their best interests at heart.
The book is a warm, feel-good novel that has surprising twists and turns in terms of how things go awry. I deeply related to the novel (despite not being Bengali or living in Ireland) because the struggles the girls have with their sexuality, with their family, and with their dreams are struggles that I've related to.

Adiba Jaigirdar’s 2020 debut novel The Henna Wars followed two queer teenage girls from culturally diverse backgrounds falling in love against a competitive school backdrop and examined deeper themes like homophobia, racism, and cultural appropriation. Jaigirdar’s new release, Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating, is also about two queer teenage girls from culturally diverse backgrounds, also features a school competition in the form of Head Girl elections and also examines social issues. Formulaic? Quite the opposite!

Some authors pivot after writing their first book and jump to something completely different like writing for a different age group or in a different genre. This author has written another sapphic YA novel which could’ve easily been a retread of her debut (and honestly, there aren’t enough books in this niche, so you wouldn’t get many complaints!), but instead she impresses by taking a similar sounding premise and spinning it off into an entirely new direction. The conflict between Nishat and Flavia was based on the latter appropriating henna from the former’s culture to get ahead in the school business competition. However Hani and Ishu’s book is focused on two Bengali girls so rather than a culture clash, we have a fascinating look at the dynamic between a pair of brown girls with similar roots, although one is Indian-Bengali and the other is a Bangladeshi-Bengali Muslim.

Basically they have speak different dialects and have different faiths, and while they understand each other like none of their classmates can, they also respond in completely different ways to attending a predominantly white Irish school. Hani is eager to fit in and goes by the name ‘Maira’ as this is easier for her white friends to say (ie. is less ethnic-sounding) while Ishu is fiercely standoffish and focuses solely on her grades rather than ingratiating herself to her peers. But while the girls have little to do with each other at school, their shared Bengali background means that they interact at Bengali events and so Ishu’s name is the first that pops out when Hani spontaneously contrives a fake dating plan to persuade her friends to accept her bisexuality. Initially when Hani approaches Ishu to talk her into going along with this, the latter rejects her without a second thought, but later gives in after thinking about how being seen to date one of the popular girls could benefit her campaign to become Head Girl.

Of course while this begins as a mutually beneficial arrangement, the fake dating trope demands that real emotions become engaged sooner or later, and watching the slow-burn romance unfold between Hani and Ishu is an absolute pleasure. Their personalities are polar opposites and the friction between them is amusing to read as the unstoppable force that is cheerful, happy-go-lucky Hani butts up against the immovable object that is prickly, antisocial Ishu. This is showcased in the alternating first person POV chapters that flesh out our heroines; Ishu’s sure to be the favourite with her snarky, cynical inner monologue!

The beauty of having two BIPOC girls as leads is that it means that it’s easier to head off any reader’s inclination towards stereotyping because rather than one depiction of a minority that people from largely white cities may not have encountered in real life, we’re presented with two different Bengali family dynamics. Hani is lucky enough to have two parents who are fully supportive of her bisexuality, defying the stereotype of rigidly conservative Muslims, but Ishu isn’t out to her parents as she’s worried about their reaction. She’s also intensely studious, living up to the brainy foreign student stereotype, whereas Hani is more laid-back about school and not driven to overachieve in the same way. And Ishu’s sister, Nik, is a significant secondary character who spent years being the favoured golden child but falls from grace by deferring university against her parent’s wishes; her arc is so relatable in a world where excellent grades are prized above all, but provide little foundation to building a happy, fulfilling life as an adult. She represents a different path again and the evolving sibling dynamic between Ishu and Nik is one of the book’s main highlights!

While the fake dating trope is usually a light and fluffy rom-com convention, the need for its deployment here is a symptom of one of the heavier issues brought up: toxic relationships. The reader’s enjoyment will largely depend on how much tolerance they have for the absolutely appalling way Hani’s so-called best friends treat her and whether her eventual discovery of the courage to walk away from a relationship that’s causing her harm is rewarding enough to overcome the sheer frustration and helpless rage caused by their behaviour throughout the book. This is an important arc that is treated with care and nuance, and it’s one that will resonate with many young women, but it may be upsetting or even triggering to read about.

Overall, the combination of the enemies-to-lovers and fake dating trope is pulled off brilliantly with a sapphic spin, so fans of these tropes who enjoy reading about queer and/or racially diverse girls will feel like all their Christmases have come at once! For everyone else, if you enjoy even one of these elements, you must try out this sweet, endearing and sneakily nuanced book to let it work its magic. Then to settle in for the long wait for Adiba Jaigirdar’s next sapphic masterpiece!