Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating

I’m a bisexual white girl (as far as i know i could be a lesbian but who knows at this point), so i don’t know much about the racial representation, but from what i can tell it seemed very well executed. For the bisexual representation though, i’m not too sure. It kinda only touched on how Hani wanted to prove she liked girls, and not at all how she still likes boys (but i don’t even know if / like boys anymore), so her being so set that she’s bi and not a lesbian was a bit confusing to me. Also they never established what Ishu’s sexuality was, and i understand sometimes you don’t have a label, you just sorta vibe, but the beginning said lesbaphobia even tho Ishu said she’s not a lesbian. Just a few things I’m confused about. I totally enjoyed this book given i read it in two days, but one thing it was missing was the parts to make me squeal. Their first kiss didn’t come until extremely late in the book, and it didn’t really give me the feels. All the while this is a great book but could’ve been written better. I still recommend tho.

I just have to applaud the author for depicting the good and the bad of being a queer POC in secondary school. The plot was amazing and moved flawlessly throughout the book. The characters were also so well written that I couldn’t help but hate the two antagonists! haha. Loved the ending

“But I’m not supposed to feel like that around her. We’re just pretending, and maybe she’s too good at that and I just haven’t realized.”

rating: 4.5 stars

NEW COMFORT BOOK INCOMING!!! honestly, after reading henna wars, i knew i was going to love this book, and it definitely didn't fail me.

as a huge sucker for fake dating and an avid lover of to all the boys, i was so excited to read a sapphic, cute book with the trope, and this book provides it! the fake dating guide filled my covinsky-shaped hole and the way the two of them navigating their fake relationship was ADORABLE. their gradual progression into friendship also made reading them falling in love so much cuter. their relationship in general had me wanting to scream into a pillow and cry all at once, and i loved it so much.

beyond the romance aspect, i saw so much of myself in both ishu and hani, but especially ishu. her storyline of having to deal with parental-disappointment, the overachieving daughter, the need to be the 'perfect' child–it all hit very close to home with me, and i think i needed to hear a lot of the dialogue she experiences with nik. i also loved the general family dynamic you read about in this book and the way we get to see two different sides–it added a really cool dynamic that i enjoyed reading.

overall, this book was incredible (not shocked)! i finished it in a LITERAL DAY and i KNOW i'll be coming back to it constantly. once again adiba has written a comfort book that i'm going to hold very close to my heart.

tws: mentions of racism, homophobia (lesbophobia & biphobia), islamophobia, gaslighting, toxic relationships, & parental issues