Did not finish. It seemed cute and I'm sure teens will love it, but unfortunately it was a little too ya for me. Cute premise and loved the diversity.

We follow Bibi, who is traveling to Bangladesh for her sister's wedding. They are all meeting her soon-to-be brother-in-law's family. Bibi quickly noticed that this wasn't going to be a good match. Her soon-to-be brother-in-law's brother, Sohel, agrees with her. They team up to try to break up their siblings' relationship. While they are working towards a common goal, she learns about the tea estate, learn their family dynamic, and learns about Sohel.

This is a great summer read. This was fun reading about Bibi going on her dates. We can't forget the banter between Bibi and Sohel...it was perfect. Before the trip to Bangladesh, Bibi knew what she wanted and knew who she was. This trip provided her with the opportunity for growth and solidifying her goals. I loved learning about Bangladesh.

I LOVED The Love Match by Priyanka so I knew I immediately wanted to pick it up! I think it offers a similar balance of drama, growth and love. There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen with this but the vibes were fun.

Thank you so much to Simon Teen for my ARC!

3.75/5⭐️

I loved this! To me this is Pride and Prejudice meets Never Have I Ever as well as Clueless meets Bangladeshi Bridgerton! Who wouldn't want to read that????

This was a 100% modern Pride and Prejudice retelling. It had the similar elements and plot points, but for me, that was a huge plus and a great surprise. First impressions aren't correct and people need to see more than quick prideful judgements. Traditional verses modern views are challenged and potential romantic partners aren't always what they seem.

The main character reminded me a lot of Devi from the TV show Never Have I Ever. She has a good heart, but she often acts before she thinks and as a result makes a lot of mistakes that unintentionally hurt those she loves. Her voice is also very modern and sarcastic and she has a lot of growing up to do. She does mature a lot during the story and learns to be less of Cher from Clueless diva. In the end, she learns to value the right things and treat people with more grace.

This story also reminds me a little bit of a YA Bridgerton. Part of this is the the fact that the setting is a beautiful, extravagant tea garden estate owned by a traditional (old fashioned), meddling family who judges if the new money family is good enough to join with theirs. Also, Because of the traditional values in the older families, dates are supposed to be chaperoned romantic partners kept at arms' length while courting.

All in all, this was a fun surprise of a book with a lot of fun and a lot of heart. I really enjoyed this one.

3.5 rounded up. I really enjoyed this coming-of-age story of Bibi and the journey she went on to discover herself and her culture. At first Bibi really got on my nerves with her absolute spoiled attitude and behavior. I realize that it was a huge part of the story, but it made the beginning a little hard to get through. There were also the multiple story plots, breaking up her sister's wedding, her grandmothers love story, and then Bibi's. Sometimes it felt like the story didn't know which way it was trying to go. I loved the cultural parts that were shown and the number of things that I learned. Overall, I felt like this was a heartfelt lightweight ya rom com that will resonate with a lot of people.

Forgive my language, but this was a cute ass book! lol For real tho, I thought this was so cute. She was a complete fish out of water and it was hilarious to watch her trying to do the things in the tea garden. I think I enjoyed this one more than her first one.

OK so the first thing that stood out was the main character. Bibi was a hot mess. I liked her, but she was terrible. Who does stuff like that to ruin someone’s wedding? Because like girlie, how old are you? She was childish as hell. There is some growth because then she starts getting her life together, but like REALLY? Why did it have to get there? I would hope this isn’t something someone her age would actually do. Because what in the world? lol But But there was some growth. She got her ish together at the end. I also liked the way she got humbled. She was so spoiled when she first started there, but she got her butt handed to her many times just from that and in other ways too lol

I wasn’t a fan of the dates tho. I think I would have preferred it if this was more about her trying to field things at the Tea House and trying to get customers there and then the thing for her grandmother. I just felt like there was too much going on and something could have been tabled. And I think the least interesting thing was the dates. Like we already knew who she was going to pick, so we could have just done without it lol I know this is just me, but it’s my real reaction. I’m currently reading another book kind of like this, so I think this is why, but idk.

The romance was ok. He annoyed me because there was NO CHARACTER growth whatsoever. He was the very same from beginning to end. And the way he handled that third act break up was terrible. I HATED him lol He hurt so many people in this book and at the end all he got was “Yes I forgive you.” WHAT? He didn’t grovel enough for me. And his brother even was like eh ok. Same with Bibi and her sister? Idk it just felt like there was no real accountability and I don’t like that. Plus, what’s the point of doing a romance if they’re only going to be together like 6 pages? I hate when we get romances and they spend the whole time fighting each other and forget that they like each other too.

The setting of this was amazing tho. Taslim does a fantastic job of giving the image of what the Tea Garden and the house grounds might look like. I do wish we saw more of Bangladesh, but it was still good for what it was. Other than that one date, I don’t think there was much time for them to even try anything or go anywhere. And I know I’m saying that as someone who “travels via her books,” so a teen probably won’t care about that. Especially if they travel a lot, but I thought it was good to mention.

This was cute, but I do wish some things were different. It will still end up on one of my end of year lists I’m sure. And this cover? OMG I love it so much. I can’t like, I picked this up because of the cover. I don’t think I even read the synopsis. Don’t ever let them tell you the cover isn’t that serious. And the title as hella cute. I have to admit, everything about this should have been a 5 star for me. And it wasn’t far off at all.

Thank you to Simon Teen for the advance reader copy. These opinions are my own.

This was delightful. Bibi is the spoiled daughter who is being made to work for the summer after getting into trouble. But then the whole family goes to Bangladesh for the summer for her sister's wedding. I really appreciated the discussion of wealth and the many ways it was addressed through the story. And I found the histories shared about Bangladesh absolutely fascinating. On top of that, there's such a fun romance and great family drama with a bit of a star-crossed lover feel for more than one relationship.

4.25 stars

Thank you so much to Simon Teen for an arc of this title! 3.5 Stars

Always Be My Bibi first caught my attention via the title (an interesting play on "Always Be My Baby" by Mariah Carey). It follows teenage Bibi who is stuck working with her family chicken business after getting grounded. When her sister decides to get married, she has to make the trip to Bangladesh for the celebration. There she finds friendship, love, and community. This book is full of beautiful Bangladeshi cultural practices and rituals. It's also a coming of age story about a young girl attempting to find a balance between tradition and carving her own path. Though there were moments where I found it difficult to keep up with all of the various elements, Taslim did a great job developing Bibi as a character. There were moments where my heart both broke and rejoiced for her. Overall, this was a solid read and I'm looking forward to checking out more from Taslim in the future. If you're interested in hearing more of my thoughts about this one, be sure to check out my reading vlog where this title was included: https://youtu.be/aIuV134VnsQ

This book was a delight.

YA books about Bangladeshi characters make me so happy and it makes me even happier that ALWAYS BE MY BIBI was even SET in Bangladesh! Throw in a motherland destination wedding (because there’s ALWAYS a wedding in our culture), a mission to break up their siblings' looming wedding and feuding future in-laws, this Bangladeshi romantic romp in the tea gardens of Sylhet was so fun. I don’t ask much of my YA literature other than a cute and meaningful storyline, good imagery and character development (what is a coming of age story without a coming of age?) and Priyanka Taslim delivered on all fronts. The love that she has for her Sylheti roots and New Jersey based Bangladeshi American community is so palpable. I’ve never been to Sylhet, but the tea gardens have been on my travel bucket list for practically my whole life - you can bet that when I visit, I’ll be bringing a copy of this book with me for a photoshoot.

Thank you Simon Teen for the e-arc! Always eagerly awaiting Priyanka's next title.

Thank you so much Simon Teen for the complimentary copy of this book!

This book is out now!

"When I'm with you, I want to try to be brave, too, because I..I like you. I like you a lot."

I thought this book was a cute YA romance! This was slated as a Clueless meets Jenna Evans Welch (whom I never read) but I have seen Clueless and I really didn't get that vibe. Perhaps because Bibi is a privilege teen in the sense that her family is wealthy thanks to her father's chicken franchise. The way she acted though didn't seem too far off on how I feel like teenagers act. She just wore expensive clothes while doing it. I thought her relationship with her family also seemed pretty realistic. Now I am not Desi but from media, the parents have high expectations of their children and especially those who own businesses it's expected that the children take over it. We didn't see this so much with Bibi but with Sohel and Sunny's parents, we did.

I thought Bibi and Sohel's relationship was fun to read on page! I like to see how their relationship grew from this awkward first meeting to being in love (which as 16-17 year olds I'll use love loosely). Sohel is very wise beyond his years. He knows that his family is hard to deal with. It ended up putting a strain on his relationship not only with his parents but with his brother Sunny and with Bibi. I also think Bibi's expectation of Sohel to stand up for their relationship was a little premature as they only had known each other for a short time and she was expecting so much from him (granted he put that seed into her brain that this was a forever thing and teenagers are impressionable).

"All I do is make things harder for everyone around me with my schemes and antics. My family loves me because they have to, but that must be the reason everyone else walks away."

Boy did this book make me want to travel to Bangladesh!! Granted Bibi was in a very fancy resort which my budget would not allow me to afford but hey that's the fun of books. The way that Taslim described the resort just made it all sound so beautiful! I was not familiar with all the traditions that those who are Desi. I also liked how the author explored the marriage expectation amongst Desis. The idea of figuring out who your partner will be at 16 just seems so mind boggling but culturally this is acceptable. And I like how Bibi was like "uhhh I don't want to marry anyone. I just want to go on a date with a boy. I just want my first kiss." I had to laugh how there is literally a binder full of eligible teens for her to pick through.

Whew the Rahmans made me want to scream. They were difficult for absolutely no reason! I thought they could have been a little nicer and welcoming to Bibi's family. They travelled all this way to support their daughter Halima's engagement and upcoming marriage with their son Sunny. I just felt so bad for Hossain family.

I thought the storyline trying to find Bibi's grandmother's first love was not necessarily needed but I guess the author needed a way to put Bibi and Sohel together.

Overall I thought this book was cute but it did take me awhile to get through as it just wasn't something I actively was feeling a pull towards. Perhaps it was because I am not the demographic for this book?

3.5

This was a fun book. I have never read a book that takes place in bangledesh so it was really fun having it set there. I liked seeing more about the culture there both good and bad. It was really interesting. I enjoyed the romance aspect of the story as well. I was rooting for Bibi and Sohel from the moment they met. I loved their dynamic. One little detail I liked was seeing them comment back and forth in Bibi's book of boys. That was cute and funny. Overall a great book with a beautiful setting and a pairing with a good dynamic.

content warning: classism

This was a quick and easy read, making it a nice palate cleanser. Because of the level of drama in this book, I think it would be great for fans of desi dramas and Uzma Jalaluddin. It was predictable and reminded me a lot of It All Comes Back to You (you'll see why). The romance was really cute, but I still don't know how I feel about (view spoiler). I also wasn't a big fan of the Muslim rep in this book since the only actual Muslim was the main character's older sister and even then her decisions were very questionable (she was in a "halal" relationship without her parents knowledge, the man she married was implied to not be practicing, etc,). It was very obvious that the author/characters lacked basic knowledge of Islam, and honestly, it was disappointing, especially considering that this was published by Salaam Reads, a publishing company that's supposed to focus on stories about Muslims. Yes, cultural Muslims like the main character exist, but from what I've seen, they're not the majority of Muslims in the US, so why are their stories prioritized over those of practicing Muslims? Are we not writing enough books? Is it islamophobia or a general repulsion towards religion? What's going on? Anyway, when I put aside those feelings, I kind of enjoyed reading about these characters. The main character was kind of a brat, and the constant brand mentions were annoying, but it wasn't too intolerable. It was kind of nice seeing the main character grow, and I liked the commentary on social class and gender roles in Bangladesh, even if I wish they went more into depth. That's all there is to say about this book. There's not much that's worth talking about with this book, to be honest.

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5

BOOK REVIEW: airport edition
While this book wasn't my current day cup of tea think this would be the perfect book for a younger version of myself. Clueless with an Indian flair! I loved seeing the impact of culture throughout the story and the young girl humor sprinkled throughout. If you find yourself looking for something light hearted and fun with a splash of nostalgia this is the book for you!

I am pleasantly surprised with how much FUN I had with this book! I dove in without context and was greeted with a fun Emma-esque character, plenty of cultural context, and excellent commentary on colonial legacies that continue to haunt South Asia and it's diaspora.

Habiba is our protagonist and reminiscent of Austenian tradition, we aren't supposed to "like" her as much as we are supposed to cringe at her choices and endear ourselves to her attempts at repair. I appreciated her no-BS attitude, in complete juxtaposition to her elder sister's character, and also the many ways in which she challenges her cultural upbringing. I actually loved that the majority of this story takes place in Bangladesh because we're offered a very fish-out-of-water perspective for Bibi and how she navigates her time there.

The commentary on colonial legacies of tea farms and exploitation of Indigenous Bangla labor, classism and colorism in South Asian cultures, distribution of wealth, historical trauma from Partition and the Bangladesh Liberation War, inter-generational dynamics, and many other nuanced topics was not only refreshing but also incredibly accessibly-written (especially for folks who may not have background knowledge on the history of Bangladesh!).

While the romances in this book played a key role in the plot and character development for Bibi, I also enjoyed that that her dating adventures were also lighthearted while simultaneously didactic. Bibi and Sohel's chemistry is fun from start to finish and I think their pairing complimented the story as a whole.

I'd recommend Always Be My Bibi to fans of frustratingly endearing FMCs, those who enjoy a Black Sheep protagonist, and stories that explore cultural heritage from multi-faceted perspectives.

Bibi's sister announces a surprise engagement that leads to the whole family traveling to Bangladesh for the wedding. But Bibi and her future brother-in-law's younger brother Sohel team up to stop the wedding.

There's a lot I liked about this book. I loved way food and culture were described and how tradition came up against love. Sohel was a fun love interest. And I enjoyed the writing, which was fun and engaging throughout.

For a book that hinges on sabotaging the engagement, the two really didn't do much on that front. I much preferred the subplot involving Bibi's Thathu. Bibi was a bit too spoiled and self centered, but she stands up for love in a solid way.

If you enjoy YA romance with snarky characters, you'll have fun with this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

This book follows Bibi as she is banned from interacting with boys during the summer. Soon after, her sister tells her family that she is getting married to her college love, Sunny. They fly over to Bangladesh for the event. On her trip, Bibi collaborates with Sunny's younger brother, Sohel, to stop the wedding. I love the descriptions of the settings and food. It felt like I was in there experiencing everything with Bibi. I enjoyed the exploration of the different families and their beliefs. There is one scene that I wish Bibi were present for. This book should be picked up for a movie or even a mini-series. I would love to see this book adapted for the screen. However, I did not enjoy the third act and how easily it was resolved. I will continue to read from this author!

Adored this YA rom-com! A lovely mix of humor and swooniness, with some heartfelt moments and family bonding thrown into the mix. Enjoyed the reverse parent trap storyline (or in this case, reverse sibling trap where Bibi and Sohel work together to break up their siblings engagement.) Great setting in Bangladesh with traditions and cultural expectations layered on.

The romance was very cute, and I grinned like a fool during Bibi's shenanigans.

If I had to describe it, I would say it's the Bangladesh version of Crazy Rich Asians and Bridesmaids for teens.

unfortunately not for me. i may be experiencing a slight YA burnout so i could see myself returning to it another time

A sassy Bengali teen. A tea garden. A not quite enemies, but also not quite friends to lovers. The Big Book of Biodata used as a way for our main characters to have sarcastic conversations. South Asian family squabbling. Honestly, what’s not to like about Always Be My Bibi?

While Always Be My Bibi is billed as a ya romance, I think it’s really a book about relationships. Between daughters and parents. Between grandkids and grandparents. Between soon to be newlyweds and in-laws. And between siblings (real and found). The use of all the various parts of a Bengali wedding is the perfect way to highlight the nuances of all these relationships, how different they are to each other, but also how intertwined and connected they all are.

Seeing the entire story unfold through Bibi’s eyes helps us see the various relationships in interesting—though not always complete—ways. Sohel is a wonderfully sarcastic foil to Bibi’s stubborn belief that she’s always right. As the central characters in the middle of many of the book’s adventures, together, they create a really dynamic story.

My favorite relationship/aspect of the book was the side story with Bibi and her Thathu. Honestly, I’d love a whole detective-y short story or novella of the lead up to the conclusion of that plot point or even a follow-up short story to follow Thathu’s story after the book ends.

My second favorite aspect was watching Bibi go from being quite materialistic and not understanding her privilege to having a much better grasp of just how much hard work goes into creating and maintaining a dream.

Together, Always Be My Bibi is wonderful sophomore book from Priyanka Taslim that I highly recommend. (And readers of The Love Match will especially love the little easter egg referencing that book.)

This was a cute YA love story. I loved to see the cultural diversity, but the fmc was a bit over the top. I don't know if this is really how things are in Bangladesh, but yikes.

Thanks for the read!