I've read a few of Adiba Jaigirdar's books, and by now it's safe to say I'm just not a fan of her writing. The plot development and motivations for their romance, app direction, and revenge plot just made no sense, and I could not immerse myself in the story. I like how unapologetically Bengali her stories are; the references in there make no attempt to justify or explain themselves to an unfamiliar audience. You either get it or you don't. Look it up or use context clues already. That being said, the scenes when they clashed with their conservative Muslim families, the misogyny from Zak or other characters did not feel organic, and only felt like they were there to check all the intersectional boxes of WOC in Ireland, in STEM, in a conservative Muslim family, which resulted in all the characters feeling really flat.

Two ex best friends discover that they are being cheated on by the same guy while also competing against each other at the big science competition, and decide to team up to not only win but to expose him (while possibly falling for each other). Meghna is tired of being compared to her ex best friend turned rival, Rani. Everyone except Meghna's boyfriend Zak seems to think that Rani is perfection. Rani is tired of feeling like she doesn't have any say in her own life, from how her mother wants her to look to how her parents want her to date the close family friend Zak... so when Rani and Meghna both discover that Zak has been playing them both while also dating a third girl, and all three of them are in the science competition, Meghna comes up with the plan to expose and beat Zak at the competition with Rani as her partner... yet working together means facing the old feelings of why their friendship fell apart in the first place and the romance brewing between Rani and Meghna right now. This book just didn't really work for me sadly, I adore academic rivals to lovers, I love sapphic stories...but this just felt like it was missing something. The entire relationship between Meghna and Rani just didn't feel all that well fleshed out and I didn't really believe their romance at all. I liked that they repaired their friendship but it just didn't feel like they were actually in love with one another. While this one was a miss for me, if you like academic rivals to lovers between best friends, I'd say give it a go maybe you'll have a better time than I did.

Release Date: November 12,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I've been in a ginormous reading slump lately so I really just couldn't get into this one. Nothing against the book, it just didn't have that spark that made me want to continue reading.

4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley, Fewiel and Friends, and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for this advanced copy! You can pick up Rani Choudhury Must Die on November 12, 2024.

This was such a cute and heartwarming YA sapphic romance! I loved the growth our two main characters, Rani and Meghna, experienced throughout the story, and I was thoroughly hooked on their revenge plotline for their shared cheating ex. The emphasis on them recovering their friendship and realizing there was something more behind it was so well done, and I'm glad they realized that Zak LITERALLY does not deserve the time of day (though I wouldn't have been disappointed by a bit more humiliation on his part).

It was really interesting to read a YA story set in another country besides the US. Just goes to show how I can expand my reading even further! But I loved the blend of Bangladeshi and Irish culture we witness throughout the story.

Definitely pick this one up for a rivals to friends to lovers sapphic story about two competitive STEM nerds!

We love to see STEM girlies, ex best-friends turned rivals, and cheaters who get what's coming to them. Rani Choudhury Must Die is a story that becomes impossible to put down. Not only does it deliver swoons and laughs, but also conversations about what a rivalry does to someone. When we feel like we are constantly never enough the pressure gets to us. Those feelings erode our relationships and we become insecure in our love. Both for Rani and Meghna they are both comparing themselves and being compared. And Jaigirdar examines rivalries and the impact in multiple ways.

I love getting into Adiba Jaigirdar novels and knowing what I'm going to get. There queer, Bengali representation, which sounds like a niche market on the surface, but is oh so delightful and encouraging to read.

The premise of two rivals finding out they're both dating the same guy and enacting a plot to get revenge. A tale as old as time, but with such a modern flair, how could I not find it utterly enjoyable?

The pace was timely, the story gripped me right from the beginning and it made it difficult to put down.

A little slow and underdeveloped in the beginning, but eventually it picked up a bit and I ended up really enjoying myself!

While reading this I thought that the title didn't fit this book at all and since Rani and Meghna teamed up together for a science project and were focused on getting revenge on Zak for his cheating.

This felt immature and superficial. Most of the competition felt unbelievable in that the girls' project had morality issues and was readily accepted by the science teacher in charge. The friendship between Rani and Meghna needed healing after family issues that were out of their control and I enjoyed how they learned to trust each other. But then, out of no where came the romantic feelings for each other. Without having knowledge of their relationship before the family fallout, I never felt the connection. Rani and Meghna weren't honest with each other until the end when they expressed their love for each other.

There were some very interesting aspects of this book. The characters were unique. As several of only a handful of Bengladeshi teens in Ireland, it was interesting to learn about the family lives of Meghna, Rani, and Zak. Some of the plot points were also unique. I enjoyed following the trails and tribulations of the characters as they entered various science contests and learned about their projects. The relationships between the characters were uneven. Some relationships were more fleshed out while others were more shallow and surface level. One of the main science projects described in detail in the book seemed far-fetched in that it did not seem likely that this idea would have really been accepted in a competition, since gathering some of the data for it was a bit morally and ethically questionable.

5 out of 5 stars

Rep: Bangladeshi-Irish Muslim MCs, SCs, and former LI; queer (implied bi) MC, queer (implied lesbian) MC, non-binary Nigerian SC, lesbian Filipina SC

Content warnings: Cheating, colorism, internalized racism, sexism, body-shaming, emotionally abusive parents, gaslighting, victim-blaming, invasions of privacy, microaggressions, debt/poverty/classism. Mentions of genocide and the climate crisis as they apply to various STEM fields.

Adiba Jaigirdar is officially cemented not only as an auto-buy author for me, but as one of *the* best sapphic romcom writers of all time. She is simply incapable of writing a bad book!! Her protagonists are charming, complex, and funny, while her villains induce genuine fury. She gives us the most wholesome sibling relationships and melt-worthy, believable romances.

At first I was frustrated with Meghna's seemingly-petty hatred for Rani since it's one-sided. But then I remembered that she's only 17, and that I acted like that as a teenager myself. We can't and shouldn't expect high schoolers to have the same level of maturity as adults with fully-developed brains!

On top of having fantastic character development, "Rani Choudhury Must Die" joins all of Jaigirdar's other novels in being an absolute master-class in telling intersectional stories. The unique oppressions Rani and Meghna face as Muslim women of color in STEM is central to the plot, but it also delves into prejudices within their own community. I've read books where authors make excuses for harmful beliefs because of tradition, and I've read others where authors generalize about all members of their community being terrible. But Jaigirdar seems to walk this line with ease. She doesn't shy away from talking about aspects of Bengali-Irish culture that can cause pain, but she also celebrates her culture. I really appreciated one particular discussion about how Western people have preconceived notions about non-Western practices that they deem "backwards," even when they don't actually hurt anyone.

In short: I love reading about women in STEM! I love when women talk about their passions! Adiba Jaigirdar, please never stop writing!

**HUGE thank you to Feiwel & Friends for granting me an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Thank you so much to Colored Pages Book Tours for having me as one of the hosts for this INCREDIBLE book’s tour, and thank you to Feiwel & Friends for providing this eARC!

This book is EVERYTHING I want in a YA contemporary story! The rivalry, supportive friends, drama (relationship and familial) and above all else - a SUPER SWEET sapphic love story!!

This book had me from being furious with Zak, to feeling all warm and fuzzy with Meghna and Rani finding their way back to each other!

I cannot recommend this beautiful book enough, so do yourself a MASSIVE favour and pick it up once it is released!!!🫶

This felt very surface level compared to Jaigirdar’s other books. I had a hard time buying into Rani’s and Meghna’s decisions and thought processes - and certainly can’t imagine a faculty advisor would allow that project to get past the proposal stage (for privacy violation concerns in particular). The book as a whole falls kind of into the same trap as the girls themselves: it’s so centered on the cheating and the mediocre boy that it leaves the all-important girls by the wayside.

Particularly when romantic feelings between Rani and Meghna come into play, it feels rather like it came out of nowhere, like there was no build up at all, like it had to be squeezed in before the book ended rather than happening rather more organically. Like, these girls don’t have an actual honest conversation from start to finish until their confession.

I also definitely wanted more with the families - especially in the middle of the book. I think they were set up to be a much stronger influence on the story than they ended up being. Particularly Meghna’s

All that being said, the writing style makes it easy to read and become invested in our characters, but I think I just expected more

This one was a much more mature vibe than Jaigirdar’s other books that I’ve read, and I loved this. I think it hit the nail on the head for this age range of characters, and they both felt unique in their troubles and motivations.

And their love came like a soft storm, brewing over so many years only to be like a safe haven in the end for the other. And there was no coming out trauma or drama, it was all just warm and gentle and quiet.

I think the hardest part of this book was the coding and just the hand waving going on with it, but that’s not a writer’s specialty so it makes sense to hand wave it. I would’ve also loved more of a dive into the ethics of the app, but that’s also not the focus of the book.

Meghna was a fierce character in EVERY scene. She was incredibly strong-willed and sometimes bull-headed, but I loved her. And Rani, suffering while being on a pedestal? I felt so hard for her, I loved her story and her family dynamics, even during the tough times.

I’d actually love some kind of college/university short story for these two, just seeing what projects they’re working on and how their relationship has grown.

I love Adiba Jaigirdar. I've read all of her books, so I was very excited for this one. Of course, she did not disappoint. I couldn't put this down.

This solidifies it: Adiba Jairgirdar, I will forever pick up what you put out!

RANI CHOUDHURY MUST DIE gives us dual perspectives of two STEM girlies and best friends turned rivals as they are living life, preparing presentations for the Young Scientist Exhibition, OH- and dating the same boy. I loved the direction that Jaigirdar took with this story, making it empowering and uplifting rather than each of the girls using the other to make herself feel better. This emphasis on friendship above anything (including romance subplots) is something that I love to see, especially in a YA novel.

Jaigirdar does an incredible job (per usual) of incorporating important themes and discourse surrounding topics such as sexism, colorism, gaslighting, and cheating partners. I also love that every time I read a book by Adiba Jaigirdar I learn something new about Bengali culture (and crave yummy food).

While Meghna and Rani were distinct fleshed out characters with their own stories and flaws, Zak is more of an instrument put in place to bring them together instead of his own character which I truly was not mad about. The way he treated our girls was all I needed to know. Boy BYE! The side characters were sweet, and I enjoyed being able to see Meghna's world mix with Rani's and vice versa after being separated for so long. The cast offers diversity across ethnicity (primarily Bengali), sexual orientation, and gender identity.

If you're going into this ~SOLELY~ for the romance, you may be disappointed. The romance was very ~very~ slow burn and definitely a subplot rather than the center of attention. You're rooting for them as individuals, friends, and science partners before you think about them being anything more. That being said, when their inner dialogues about each other begin to shift, it'll definitely have you smiling at the pages.

There were a few plot points that felt underdeveloped, and at times the pacing was slower than you would expect it to be, but overall this didn't have a huge effect on my time spent with this book. I will still 100% be recommending this book to anyone who loves YA coming of age stories or romance books that are heavy on the substance rather than the romance itself.

4.5 stars for another wonderful novel from Adiba Jaigirdar!

Very cute and fun. Adiba Jaigirdar has a talent for making sapphic novels that feel like a genuine safe space. I would highly recommend any of their titles for those who need something quick to read, or need something comforting!

This book was a 3.75 for me and overall a delightful read! I think the pacing was quite slow until the end, and didn't feel to rushed. I loved the reading the turning of tides between Meghna and Rani. They both had distinct voices in their chapters and didn't blend together at all. I really enjoyed how this book was resolved! It felt so appropriate, and the girls gained a lot of self-respect.

Rani Choudhury i LOVE you!!! this was such a fun read and is another hit from the wonderful Adiba Jaigirdar! i love how Jaigirdar always has unapologetically smart female protagonists. Rani and Meghna switch narrations, which i especially liked because i felt like i got to know both of them. i will say, i liked Rani a LOT more than Meghna. Rani was a really interesting and well developed character; Meghna was as well but i found her less likable and harder to connect to. overall tho, i really liked this book! i read it in one day while taking the train home from school, and it really scratched the YA easy to read romcom itch in my brain. would totally recommend this book if you too are in need of a book to get you out of a reading slump (and give you some academic motivation)

This was such a fun, lighthearted book to read!! I loved this. It’s fast paced and the characters are charming.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan /Feiwel & Friends for this advanced copy of Rani Choudhury Must Die. This is a great inclusive novel that can be relatable for lots of students, The two point of view writing style really worked with this novel. The two main characters worked very well together to overcome the drama of being cheated on by the same person, going from friends to enemies and back to friends again as well as their partnership in the science competition. The love story is also really well done. Both main characters had to overcome great obstacles, Rani with her relationship with her parents and Meghna her feelings of being ostracized by her community. In the end it was a great story!