I LOVE Adiba Jaigirdar. However, I was frankly appalled by the details of the plot of Rani Choudhury Must Die, as well as the lack of commentary around those within the existing reviews here on NG.

While I loved the plot in a general sense, the two main characters create an app and, in its implementation, advocate for the violation of all conceit of privacy. Rani Choudhury sucks, sure, but he doesn't deserve systematic stalking by the main characters, constant violation of his privacy through the breaking into his phone, illicit downloading of an app he did not consent to have in his possession, or the consistent tracking of his activity through that app.

Regularly, I'll read books and see an act of bigotry that is not called out within the text -- an act of racism that isn't contextualized as *racist*, and is instead normalized. I will always, always knock a book stars for that sort of wonton behavior around subjects that are inherently more serious or impactful than the text made them seem.

In this case, I have to do that for Rani Choudhury Must Die. I expected, at some point, for the app to be flagged by the judges as illegal, if not expressly unethical. It didn't. No one commented on it. The foul ethics and illegal and frankly *abusive* behavior engaged in by the main characters is never called out or in -- it is actually rewarded and normalized with the text.

For that reason, I'm really disappointed to say that I can't give Rani Choudhury Must Die more than 1 star. It feels frankly dangerous to have an idea like this out in the YA sphere without contextualizing it in-text by calling it what it is: abusive, illegal, shitty behavior.