When I read The Henna Wars and saw the amount of love, compassion, and accountability Adiba Jaigirdar puts into her writing, I knew I had to read her subsequent novel, Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating. While her debut novel was delightful and a fast-read, Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating is required reading. This novel is very much a story which celebrates diversity and culture, while also advocates for the characters (and therefore the readers) to stand up for themselves in difficult situations.

As a white reviewer, I cannot speak to the quality of the representation in this novel, but can point to the fact that Adiba Jaigirdar is an Own Voices author who uses her own experiences as a LGBT Muslim South Asian to help her write her stories. As far as queer representation is concerned, I appreciated that Hani's family was accepting when her friends were not. I also appreciated how the book discussed and addressed biphobia in the story. These characters are grappling with serious issues like peer pressure, biphobia, and family conflicts, but they act in ways which are reasonable to the situation and their age. These characters are teenagers, where simply talking out their issues pose their own challenges. I loved watching these characters learn to grow and stand up for themselves. There was a moment when I was reading where I reflected on my own challenges with my LGBT identity, family, and friendships, and thought that this book would have been perfect for a younger version of me. There is a part of Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating where every reader can find something to relate to and love.

Words cannot express how much anyone should pick up this book and read it if they are a fan of YA. This is one of the best Young Adult/Teen novels I've read this year, representation aside. The fact that this book is so diverse is "icing on the cake". Please make sure to pick up a hard copy of this book at your local bookstore--I know I will be doing so.

This book is an absolute delight. I read Jaigirdar's debut and have to say I love her sophomore effort even more. Set in Ireland, the two central characters, Hani and Ishu, are so well drawn. Each has her own distinctive voice, issues to deal with, and family drama. They are so wonderful together, a couple that complements each other. I also loved Nik, Ishu's older sister, who is a fierce advocate for her sister. I loved this book and highly recommend it.

Decent romcom with added Bengali content. What might add to readers' interest is that one (Hani) is Muslim while the other (Ishu) is not - adding to the diversity of the characters. Beyond that, it's fairly predictable and standard.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

God, how does Adiba Jaigirdar write the cutest and most achingly deep sapphic romances? HANI AND ISHU'S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING promises you a fluffy romance with a fake-dating tropes, but goes deeper into the concepts of chosen family, biphobia, and marginalization as smoothly as a knife going into room temperature butter. This is one of my new favorite books now, and I cannot wait for the day I can hold a copy in my hands.

I picked this book up hoping for a fluffy f/f fake dating and while it was that, it was also much more. This was such an emotional read. It didn't start out as such but gradually it got hold of my heart and started squeezing so hard that I was sobbing by the end. The Muslim representation is amazing here. No other piece of media has ever made me feel seen as much as Adiba Jaigirdar's book have. I love the sense of community and culture in her books.

I cannot describe how wonderful the characterization in this book is. It amazes me how much connected I always feel to this author's characters. They always feel so realistic. They are flawed and lifelike. I am unable to articulate how seen Hani's relationship with her religion made me feel. How I cried over her friends treatment of her during the party scene. And I connected with Ishu to the point that every offence to Ishu felt personal to me.

What frustrated me to the point of tears was this. <spoiler> Aisling, an underachieving student accused Ishu, the top student of cheating off of her and the teachers believed the underachiever. This whole thing made no sense to me. Plus Aisling faced zero consequences for her numerous evil actions throughout the book.</spoiler>

The romance was lowkey grump x sunshine. The slowburn was amazing and Hani and Ishu were adorable together for the most part.. But the romance kinda lost me when <spoiler>Hani didn't choose Ishu over her friends even though she knew they were at fault. Her homophobic, Islamophobic, racist friends treated her horribly and in return she bended over backwards for them, again and again. It was infuriating. I know she finally stood up to Aisling but it felt too little, too late to me. Maybe I am judging Hani too harshly but I waited the whole book for her to confront Aisling and Dee but when it finally happened it felt underwhelming to me. Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth deals with toxic friendship better IMO. </spoiler>

The sibling relationship here was my most favourite thing. Nik was the only person who was truly in Ishu's corner and supported her against Aisling's false allegations. Ishu deserved much better then her unsupportive parents, her racist school and even Hani's 'I'm so confused' attitude.

All in all, while this book is by no means perfect, I would 100% recommend it. If only for the myriad of emotions it instilled in me. It took me from smiling to crying to feeling so angry I could punch a wall. And it was all thanks to the author's exceptional writing.

Despite being twice their age, I want to be Hani and Ishu's new best friend!

The cuteness of this was off the scales and not only did I REALLY enjoy the whole fake dating thing (because who doesn't??) I also loved learning about their families, community and cultures. Looking up words I didn't know the meaning of and learning lots of new things was just as exciting as following the ups and downs of Hani and Ishu's blossoming relationship.

The only thing keeping me from dishing out 5 stars is that I would have liked to know what happened to certain characters and how/if things were resolved. Maybe an epilogue would have helped my need for closure or even better...a SEQUEL!

Thank you Netgalley and Page Street Publishing for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Y’all this was so good I cannot stop smiling.
My boyfriend had read the henna wars and loved it so when I saw this was on netgalley I jumped for the chance to request it and I’m so glad I did because it was so cute! The characters were so sweet I was rooting for them every step of the way, and the undercurrent plot line of standing up for yourself and what you believe in, and being proud of who you are as a person really hit home, indefinitely teared up.
Overall, I can’t recommend this enough, it was utterly charming!

Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating is a super cute and heartwarming contemporary romance that I will definitely being rereading many times over. Reading this book feels like a warm hug and I'm so excited for other people to read this! I also highly appreciate the inclusion of content warnings at the beginning of the book.

The two main characters, Hani and Ishu, hold a very special place in my heart and they are so incredibly fleshed out. Hani and Ishu perfectly exemplify the difficulties in going to a predominantly white school and it was very interesting to explore their different reactions to that. Hani, being a people-pleaser, makes herself smaller and hides parts of her identity in order to fit in and make friends, even to her own detriment. Ishu, on the other hand, is more academically focused and is very headstrong and unapologetic, however, she struggles with her parent's approval and expectations. Adiba Jaigirdar conveys this in a very nuanced and empathetic way. Although Hani's actions aren't healthy, the narrative treats her with sympathy and does not overtly punish her for doing. Alternatively, Ishu is my favourite type of character: someone that acts tough and aloof but is actually a softy inside. Seeing Ishu interact with Hani was so cute and their relationship was so sweet and wholesome. Their whole dynamic was so endearing to read and I could honestly read a million more scenes of them just hanging out and being cute together.

Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating has completely taken over my heart as my favourite contemporary romance. I am so excited for other people to read this book and I can't wait to see what Adiba Jaigirdar writes next!

Jaigirdar weaves a gorgeous romantic tale that centers on family, friendships, and love that springs up even when you aren't trying. Like Henna Wars, it's unputdownable. Highly recommend it!

This book is delightful! It touches many subjects without becoming confusing or feeling like too much; in it you’ll find family relationships, sibling rivalry and support, toxic relationships, and class. I loved the author’s previous work so much and yet I think this book managed to surpass the debut. Highly recommended!

I absolutely loved getting to know Hani and Ishu. From reluctant acquaintances to fake dating to friends to...

It was a delight to see them navigate dating, being out, and expectations from parents and friends.

What an adorable and fresh new book to add to the South Asian LGBTQ+ YA romance category. Okay, it's not a large category, but Adiba Jaigirdar weaves all of the elements of the different themes in those categories into HANI AND ISHU'S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING beautifully. The framing of the erasure of Hani's sexuality as the trigger point for the fake relationship is so real and raw for anyone who has had that experience, and the casual racism and microaggressions throughout the book feel so real. It very much captures the element of "other" that many LGBTQ+ and South Asian teenagers go through while they're in high school and trying to figure out their place. I love this more than Henna Wars....and that's saying something, considering the Henna Wars was on my list of top books of 2020!