Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating

Hardcover, 352 pages

English language

Published May 25, 2021 by Page Street Kids.

ISBN:: 9781645672579

(2 reviews)

Everyone likes Humaira "Hani" Khan—she’s easy going and one of the most popular girls at school. But when she comes out to her friends as bisexual, they invalidate her identity, saying she can’t be bi if she’s only dated guys. Panicked, Hani blurts out that she’s in a relationship…with a girl her friends absolutely hate—Ishita "Ishu" Dey. Ishu is the complete opposite of Hani. She’s an academic overachiever who hopes that becoming head girl will set her on the right track for college. But Ishita agrees to help Hani, if Hani will help her become more popular so that she stands a chance of being elected head girl.

Despite their mutually beneficial pact, they start developing real feelings for each other. But relationships are complicated, and some people will do anything to stop two Bengali girls from achieving happily ever after.

3 editions

Tsundoku reviewed Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

Cute and Adorable, but a serious book

4 stars

Content warning Biphobia, racism,

What I really like is that this book includes a content warning list at the beginning of the book.

You have these two Bengali girls, both queer, one of whom is Muslim. They agree to fake a relationship because one wants to be Head Girl at their school, and the other wants her shitty friends to believe she's queer.

And of course they develop REAL FEELINGS OH NO.

There's a B plot about one of the girl's sister being thrown out because of her choices, and it alludes to the fact the same may happen to the girl if she comes out.

I don't think it wrapped everything up neatly, but it wrapped enough up for me to be satisfied.

BreeHola

rated it

June 25, 2021