I'll be honest, I don't know what I expected from this book. It was my first time reading a Desi centered contemporary novel. To say the least, it was not bad, but I was often confused at times with the book. Despite the fact that the Ebook format was horrible, which is not the author's fault, I felt that also added to why I did not understand what was happening at times.

However, I will say that is was a stressful, yet cute book. The dynamics with Hani's white friends really bothered me, especially with the way it ended up for them. I did appreciate the fact, though, that it was true to real life in the case of Aisling. When I say this, I mean the way she faced no repercussions for their actions while their counterparts who may be people of color, face the most consequences despite not being at fault.

Something I found weird, was Ishu saying she did not believe in God. It is to my knowledge, many Indians in fact are religious, mainly Hindu? I say this, being one, that it was strange that Ishu would question it, but it was not clear as to whether or not her house was devoted to a certain faith. Also, I did not expect that much cursing from this book and one character, Ishu, doing all of it.

Towards the end, we see Hani have a conversation with her mother. Upon reading it, I became slightly chocked up. It made me think of my own relationship with my mother, and how we, in someway, all may face the same things in life.

Thank you to NetGalley, Adiba Jaigirdar, and Page Street Publishing for an Ebook Arc of this book.

This book is so cute. It's all the sapphic, innocent fake dating you need in your life, with well written characters, Indian & Bangeli culture, and the "I hate everyone but you" trope but done well.

The romance in this book is written phenomenally. It's cute right from the start, from the moment they decide to try to strike a deal, all the way to the end. These are definitely characters you can see falling for each other, without it being a perfect and unrealistic mirror of each other. I love how the core part of their relationship is about being genuinely comfortable with and supportive of each other. They both have these people who they give power to and compartmentalize their own wants and identity for, and it's so nice seeing how they help each other deal with that and see what they deserve.

They're also incredibly cute together in general, and I love the friendship that they create even before actual romance comes into the mix. Their conversations are really funny, and make both of them even more likable. Their texts were one of my favorite parts of the entire book. And, in the few times miscommunication comes up- as it does in fake dating stories- it gets cleared up painlessly and fairly quickly, which is such a relief. Their relationship is so nice to watch without any of the stress that can come with these types of relationships.

However, the romantic one isn't the only important relationship in this book. I love Ishu's growing relationship with her sister. As two characters who were pitted against each other most of their lives, whether intentionally or not, it's fantastic to get see them figure out how to be sisters again, and the way her sister lends Ishu the support she needs. Jaigirdar is great at writing good sister relationships, but I feel like this one in particular really excels and brings a great layer to this story.

There are certain aspects I wish were pushed a little further instead of remaining more subtle, such as the growing romance itself which seems to jump over some milestones and go right from slight attraction to a crush, and Hani standing up for herself, which was dealt with well but I would have liked to see pushed further for catharsis, but all in all it's a great book.
I can definitely see myself revisiting it as a comfort read down the line, and will be recommending it a lot when it comes out!

This one has been a book I had been anticipating for a while, so when I got given an ARC I was so excited (thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a copy).

I expected this to be a ridiculously cute sapphic romance and it was, but it was also much more. In complete honesty, when I first picked it up it didn't engage me straight away and I had to keep forcing myself to pick it back up, which for me wasn't a good sign, and I so wanted to love it. But one day I just sat myself down with it and read it for a good chunk of time, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Hani and Ishu's guide to fake dating is a story about two young girls who need something, Hani needs a relationship to prove to her friends that she isn't just pretending to be bisexual, and Ishu needs to be head girl. The way to get this for both of them? To date of course. I am a sucker for the fake dating trope (Thanks Lara Jean and Bryson Keller), and so I lapped up every second of their fake relationship. And while it was cute, awkward, funny and all of those things that this trope brings, it also brought with it conversations on sexuality, religion, racism, family and spoke about them honestly. Each girl has complexities. Each girl has to find herself. I watched them grow and accept themselves in this book, and more than accept themselves but embrace themselves.

I also HATED Aisling and Dee. What toxic trash those two were.

It was a great experience reading in the voice of someone who isn't my own, as I have no idea what it would be like to navigate the world in their shoes.

Although I did thoroughly enjoy this book, and would recommend it to people who wanted a cute grumpy/happy slowburn romance, it wasn't a new favourite. I will definitely still keep an eye out for any further releases from this author though!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. I don't know why I started or even finished reading this book. It doesn't seem realistic to me that Bengali families will be so accepting of their children being bisexual, let alone Muslim families. The story is set in Ireland, and I'm not sure if immigrant Benaglis or Muslims in Ireland are so different from the U.S., or if the author just wants it to be this way. It seems in this book "not becoming a doctor" is a bigger faux-pas than any form of queerness. I thought it was a book about fake dating, but of course the girls wind up falling for each other. There are some nice themes about true friendship, making decisions based on one's own happiness, and family. However, due to the profanity and unrealistic representation of Muslims, I wouldn't recommend this book.

Always a fan of fake dating plots, I couldn't pass up this title. Hani and Ishu are the only Bengali girls at their Irish private school, but they couldn't be more different. When Hani's friends say she can't be bi because she's never dated a girl, she lies and says she's dating Ishu.
This is a perfect execution of the fake dating trope, but it's so much more. It shows the diversity within the Bengali community, addresses family tension, and the difficulty of leaving behind unsupportive friends.

Another absolute stunner from Adiba in this heart-warming, funny yet moving story that so many young people will be able to relate to!!

Hani and Ishu are such wonderful characters. I adored this book. It brought me back to high school and I fell in to these characters lives and fake relationship. It was also interesting to read about how they balanced their family culture with the society around them.

This was a very sweet, immersively-written YA novel, with well-developed characters throughout. My only issue isn't really an issue at all--this book wasn't a completely chill, cozy read--I just wanted something more purely rom-com than what it is. Primarily, one of the main character's toxic white friends (who is biphobic AND Islamophobic, among other things) made the book more dramatic and realistic and less escapist than I was looking for. This is a me issue, not at all the book's.

I loved this book so much. Just as much as Henna Wars.
I immediately messaged the store buyer & requested we buy it and I'll handsell it at the store.
I love the two leads. I feel like Hani would have seen how aweful her "friends" are earlier on, but that's okay.
Thank you.

Sweet romance with two Bengali-Irish girls who aren't even friends, though they know each other from the Bengali community. They agree to fake that they are dating in order to each accomplish different goals. Not surprisingly they begin to have real feelings for each other but don't believe that the other one does. Sweet and fun. For grades 8 & up.

I LOVE THIS STORY !
It’s, with no hésitation, one of my favorite this year !
First, I loved The Henna Wars by Abiba Jaigirdar, and I was impatient to discover her new story. For me this story is better. The writing is even more smoother and easy to read even if english isn’t your native language, like me.
Then, I fell in love with Ishu and Hani. I love them so much ! Both are differents but make me feel close to them. For Ishu, it was how she want to makes her parents proud of her who talk to me so much. And the words of her sister, Nik, about the fact to make her own choices, for her and not for her parents, it’s something I would like to heard some years ago. Before to have troubles because of that.
For Hani, even I dislike her friends, I understand her so much too. It’s not always easy to run away a toxic relationship, even more when this relation is one of the most important things in our life. I cry for her when I read how Aisling was horrible about her bisexuality. It was so hard to read it as a queer woman. And, I really like to discover how she lives her religion, how it’s important for her.

This novel is so good and I really can’t wait to buy the book, I already preordered it but I was so impatient to have the possibility to talk about this book with my friends and my costumers

*Big thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this eArc!*

AHHHHH THIS WAS SO CUTE. I literally loved every second of this book, it was a pleasure to read.

If you want a fast paced, fake dating little contemporary read to keep you company – this is the one. It was so well written and honest – it made me laugh while also having engaging and important conversations about culture, religion, sexuality and relationships (both familial and friendships). Our two main characters were so loveable and you can’t help but root for them individually and as a couple. At some points they were a complete disaster but I loved them so it’s fine.

I read this so quickly, it was un-put-downable. It did a great job of portraying characters as not just being their cultural/religious/sexuality stereotypes but as their own person. I feel like this book is going to help so many young readers. It’s the kind of romance I wish I had been exposed to growing up – Hani and Ishu were just so lovely.

I can’t even articulate how happy this one made me, and how well it dealt with several key topics throughout. A book I’ll recommend forever and ever.

My only criticism and main reason it wasn’t a full five star is that some of the descriptions were repetitive and I would’ve liked a slower build up at the start of the book. A tiny annoyance but I couldn’t read the words ‘coconut shampoo’ any more I am sorry.

Also shoutout to the fact that this book had content warnings at the start. I love seeing that!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this, when I got the e-arc though from Netgalley I actually screamed because as soon as I saw this on Goodreads I wanted to read it, so to get the opportunity to read it before its official release, it was like all my birthdays at once! Queer girls and a slow burn? What more can a person ask for really? It was written so well, I fell in love with both girls a little bit but Ishu has a special place in my heart because her foul mouth and sarcastic humour along with her social awkwardness….She was just brilliant. Though it was a slow burn it didn’t feel like it was dragging on at all, I liked how we got POV’s from both girls, and I was invested in both their stories singularly and together. It really was a page turner, I was never one for re-reading books but I can’t imagine that I wouldn’t read this again, maybe once I have the physical copy in my hands! The Biphobia had me raging constantly at how anyone could think that you can not know your preference without experiencing relationships with both genders, I mean what even…How do people think like that? It blows my mind. Along with the racism that both girls experience at school with friends and teachers which was just as upsetting to me, it was just a book full of emotions for sure.

I would recommend it to everyone!

Hani and Ishu's Guide To Fake Dating is an adorable and fun YA contemporary-romance. Full of witty characters and an intriguing story line, this book is sure to be a favourite for fans of Adiba's debut novel, The Henna Wars. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the story, and as with her first novel, Adiba creates such nuanced and interesting characters that are sure to steal your heart. This book is full of Hani and Ishu struggling with friendships, fake dating and navigating their true path in life.

4.5 stars

I loved Jaigirdar's debut, so I was thrilled to get this arc (and bump it to the top of my TBR list; spreadsheet be darned)! Hani, Ishu, and Jaigirdar do NOT disappoint!

The novel is told from the joint perspectives of the titular characters: Hani, a popular young woman who has some terrible taste in friends and Ishu, who prefers books to friends. Through an unusual set of circumstances, the pair end up fake dating. While each has a specific goal in mind that she hopes she'll achieve through this misrepresentation, as discerning readers may guess, their goals and expectations change dramatically over the course of their time together.

While the romance is sweet and a definite winning feature of the novel, there is so much more happening here. Jaigirdar again provides a useful list of trigger warnings at the start of the book, so readers should pay attention to those. There are pervasive issues surrounding racism, Islamophobia, biphobia, and more, and these circumstances are both explicit and nuanced in various scenes. My favorite part of this book is the messaging about being true to oneself. I especially appreciate how there are disparate identities involved and multiple life stages. In a book of great moments, this aspect accounts for all of the standouts.

Prepare to want to punch some privileged kids, but also, know that you'll fall in love with Hani and Ishu and forget all about the aforementioned foes. I'll be recommending this one to students and buddies for the long haul. Some solid rep in this YA romance -

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.