writehollydavis
Written on Oct 29, 2021
In this sparkling and romantic YA debut, a reserved Bangladeshi teenager has twenty-eight days to make the biggest decision of her life after agreeing to fake date her school’s resident bad boy.
How do you make one month last a lifetime?
Karina Ahmed has a plan. Keep her head down, get through high school without a fuss, and follow her parents’ rules—even if it means sacrificing her dreams. When her parents go abroad to Bangladesh for four weeks, Karina expects some peace and quiet. Instead, one simple lie unravels everything.
Karina is my girlfriend.
Tutoring the school’s resident bad boy was already crossing a line. Pretending to date him? Out of the question. But Ace Clyde does everything right—he brings her coffee in the mornings, impresses her friends without trying, and even promises to buy her a dozen books (a week) if she goes along with his fake-dating facade. Though Karina agrees, she can’t help but start counting down the days until her parents come back.
T-minus twenty-eight days until everything returns to normal—but what if Karina no longer wants it to?
- ISBN10 1335209972
- ISBN13 9781335209979
- Publish Date 4 May 2021
- Publish Status Forthcoming
- Imprint Inkyard Press
- Edition Original ed.
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 416
- Language English
Reviews
Sarah Poultney
Written on May 20, 2021
Karina and Ace have swooped into my heart and stolen it away, as well as made me crave cheesecake, which I had previously thought to be physically impossible.
Karina is one of the most beautifully written protagonists I have encountered in a long time. Her struggles with anxiety, her desire to make her parents proud, and the conflicting, and often painful emotions that desire comes with struck me at my very core.
Not only Karina, but Ace, Nandini, Cora, Samir, and even Xander were such welcome presences in this book. They were all so beautifully characterized that I myself am having a hard time putting it into words.
The romance is beautiful, it's heart-stopping, and most of all, it's believable, despite how unbelievably dreamy and seemingly unattainable Ace Clyde may be.
This book is a glowing bonfire rising into the sky, just like the astounding talent of Tashie Bhuiyan and the unwavering bravery of Karina Ahmed. It would be a complete understatement to say I'm looking forward to her next book.
On a more personal note, it's been such a long time since I found myself relating to a fictional character as much as I do to Karina. I come from a very different background, but I have struggled a great deal with the detriment that anxiety can be to one's overall health for years, and I think it's wonderful to have that shown here so other people who understand don't feel so invisible. I especially understand the familial pressure that can exacerbate those fears and anxieties to a fever pitch. It's important to know that there is always someone who will love you and support you no matter what, despite how impossible things may seem. The beautiful Dadu and Samir made me think of my wonderful grandfather and my obnoxious (but lovable) baby brother, to the point that I teared up about it a couple of times. This is just an emotional ramble at this point, but I will end it with this. I absolutely adore this book, and I am so excited for Tashie Bhuiyan's future.
alindstadtcorbeax
Written on May 15, 2021
THIS WAS SO GOOD OMG SO MANY TEARS RN
AND SUCH AMAZING ANXIETY REP.