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Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating: a review

Updated: Sep 3, 2021


 

QUICK STATS

 

  • Characters- ⭐⭐⭐⭐

  • Setting- ⭐⭐⭐

  • Writing style- ⭐⭐

  • Overall rating- ⭐⭐⭐



// Content warning: Gaslighting / Homophobia (specifically biphobia and lesbophobia) / Islamophobia / Parental abandonment / Racism / Toxic friendships //


Publisher- Page Street Kids

Age group- Young Adult

Genre(s)- Contemporary

Pub date- May 25th 2021





 

P R E M I S E

 

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.



 

M Y R E V I E W

 

This book lowkey reminded me of She Drives Me Crazy with the whole fake dating trope. But instead of jock meets cheerleader, this was overachiever meets overachiever because the standards set by brown parents are impossible to reach.


My favourite out of the two would be Ishu and not only because of her you-better-get-into-medical-school parents (unlike Ishu though I talked my way out of it) but also the unhealthy competition she had with her sister as a result of being compared to each other from grades to position on the school social ladder to everything in between. I also found her relatable on terms of hates everyone and everything and just wants to sleep. Hani is not to be forgotten; she was sweet and, sadly, very gullible.


Ireland has its own unique culture that sets it apart from the other countries and the Bengali community is also culturally rich and very diverse. Stripping both the country and community of its culture felt like a crime. No, it was a crime. I would have loved to read more about the different cultures and witness the characters embrace both as their own after undergoing some identity crisis or whatever.


The writing style is really similar to the author's other work, The Henna Wars (obviously) and the main critique I had for both books was that I found it very vague. It provided little information and was very short during the most empowering moments but somehow went on for pages during filler scenes. I don't know if this was done intentionally, but I certainly didn't like it.


 

R E P R E S E N T A T I O N

 

  • Bisexual Bangladeshi-Bengali Irish Muslim main character

  • Sapphic Indian-Bengali Irish main character

  • Indian side characters

  • Bangladeshi Bengali side characters


 

T R O P E S

 

  • Fake dating


 

S I M I L A R B O O K S

 

  • She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

  • Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan

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