Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating is a contemporary young adult novel written by Adiba Jaigirdar and published in 2021. Set in Ireland, the story follows Humaira “Hani” Khan, a Bangladeshi Muslim teenager known at her school for being popular, sociable, and well-liked, and Ishita “Ishu” Dey, a studious, reserved, and unpopular student.
The central conflict arises when Hani comes out as bisexual to her closest friends, Aisling and Deirdre, who react with skepticism and question her identity, claiming she cannot be bisexual because she has only dated boys. Under the pressure of not feeling validated, Hani insists she is in a relationship with Ishita “Ishu” Dey, whom her friends despise. Ishu agrees to fake the relationship on one condition: that Hani help her gain popularity to increase her chances of being elected Head Girl, a key position for her academic future and her relationship with her parents. What begins as a strategic arrangement gradually transforms into a genuine bond, as both girls face social tensions, prejudice, jealousy, and cultural conflicts.
Hani’s bisexuality is explicit from the very beginning of the novel. She openly identifies as bisexual and had already come out to her parents before the main events of the story, maintaining a close relationship, especially with her mother. Her conflict does not stem from an internal struggle to understand her orientation, but from the way it is received and questioned by her social environment, particularly by her closest friends. Throughout the book, Hani faces various forms of biphobia: the invalidation of her identity because she has only dated boys, the insistence that she is “confused” or “still deciding,” and the demand for proof to confirm her bisexuality. The representation of her bisexuality has a profound impact both on the plot and on her personal growth, as her need to be believed and respected becomes the trigger for the fake dating agreement with Ishu.
Culturally, Hani represents a rare figure in young adult literature: a bisexual, Muslim, Bangladeshi teenager living in Ireland. Her story challenges multiple stereotypes, including the idea that bisexuality is incompatible with religion. As a character, she holds an important place in bisexual representation in media, not only because of the clarity with which her orientation is expressed, but also because of the intersection of culture, religion, and youth that shapes her experience. Her story expands the imagination of what it means to be bisexual in fiction, offering a narrative in which identity does not need to be justified in order to be legitimate.