Hii everyone!! So I just finished reading Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating yesterday and it was AMAZING!! The characters were beautiful and the plot was *chefs kiss* So here’s a shorter review from me about the book.
Read this review to find out how I felt about the book and I should stop talking so we can get on with this review!!
Rating: 5/5★
Author: Adiba Jaigirdar
Genre: YA contemporary, romance
Tropes: fake dating
[TW: racism, homophobia (specifically biphobia and lesbophobia), Islamophobia, toxic friendship, gaslighting, and parental abandonment.]
Pros:
I genuinely don’t have words to describe how this book made me feel.
Hani and Ishu are both South-Asians living in Ireland. Ishu wanted to be head girl and Hani wanted to “prove” her bisexuality to her toxic friends. They come up with a plan to fake-date to help each other, what could go wrong?
The fake-dating trope is usually lighthearted and sometimes seems to be shown for a rather pointless reason, but this book was so thought provoking. Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating contained topics such as toxic friends, living in the shadows of a sibling, blatant racism in school and pressure because of family in such an amazing way that it filled me with awe.
Both the characters have amazing personalities. Ishu is headstrong, doesn’t really care about what others have to say about her, and studies way too hard. Hani on the other hand is fun, kind, and loved by all. As I read the book and saw some reviews, I realised people loved Ishu but didn’t really care for Hani. You can dislike a character (obviously) but the reason Hani was disliked didn’t feel right to me. Just because she couldn’t confront her toxic friends doesn’t mean she was unlovable or didn’t have a personality, everyone doesn’t know how to do that, or even wants to do that. Hani’s hesitancy to call out her “friends” was also an important plot point towards the end. In conclusion I loved both Hani and Ishu.
I loved the desi references in the book and how I understood them. I definitely recommend this book to everyone, it was truly an awesome read<3
Cons:
Nothing!! I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH<33 This is literally my new favourite book.
I hope you like this review and consider reading the book!!
Order Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating!!
Sending incoherent screams and prayers to get a Hani and Ishu in my life,
– Kashvi
I LOVED this book. I’m totally an Ishu. Wbu?
SAMEE its amazing. I think I’m an Ishu but an occasional Hani ✋