Member Reviews

This is a YA sapphic novel ft two Bengali leads, one bisexual and the other implied to be a lesbian: with a backdrop of STEM projects, academia and a fun revenge scheme.
Firstly, one must take note that this book is not very romance-heavy; it focuses more the girls' individual growth, as well as the science competition part. There are some heavy themes, including colorism, classism, racism and sexism in academia, parental neglect and emotional abuse etc. Also, while the title points to John Tucker Must Die, the stakes are quite different from most retellings of that film, because the protagonists are queer girls of color against a very bigoted institutional and social system. It's a messy, realistic look at brown diaspora girls in STEM.
I do have some criticisms for this book, which is quite unusual, given that Jaigirdar is one of my favorite authors and I rated all her other books 5⭐. I think this is the fourth time she repeats the exact same story formula: a project/competition, two rivals, misunderstanding, and then a sapphic love story. While it's okay to have a favorite trope, it just feels extremely repetitive to have the exact plot beats over four YA novels. I also think the main character, Meghna, is much more unlikeable and really mean spirited compared to Jaigirdar's usually compassionate depiction of young Bengali girls.
Further, the entire premise of students developing an app that violates an individual's consent, and having it actually approved (even praised) by educationists and authorized professionals is rather unbelievable and even silly, especially because the girls' original projects focused on much more substantial, contextually relevant, and important issues. My problem with John Tucker style stories continues to persist here: till the very final pages, the boy who jilted Meghna and Rani is an unwelcome presence amidst them, and the sapphic awakening, as well as the girls' own agency, is of secondary importance to a revenge plotline. And by the time it is questioned, I did not really care.

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This is a great book about girl empowerment, romantic relationships and family expectations.
I really loved how the teen characters all struggled with their parents expectations as well as their own drive to have what they wanted.
My favorite part was the competition. I loved how they grew an idea and developed it into something that went beyond what they started out wanting. The working together and friendship was really fun to watch.
The romantic relationship felt wrong to me. I really wish they hadn't gone down that road. I would have loved to see them be best friends for life. Those are some of the best relationships you can ever have.
Otherwise, it was an engaging read.
Enjoy!

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When Rani and Meghna discover that they've both been manipulated and cheated on by the same guy, they team up to get revenge: together, they'll design app to catch cheaters, and use it to beat the two-timer at an upcoming STEM competition AND expose his lies. Sure, Rani and Meghna are sworn enemies but they can put their differences aside for revenge. What they're not expecting? To fall for each other.

Adiba Jaigirdar is one of my all-time favorite YA books and while this wasn't my favorite of her books, it definitely did not disappoint! It's a swoon-worthy queer rivals-to-lovers story, and I feel like there is something so wonderful and subversive about two girls being wronged by a boy and then falling in love with each other instead.

The biggest reason this wasn't my favorite Jaigirdar book is because there were some elements of the app that Meghna & Rani design that seemed really problematic (speficially: violating people's privacy) that were never really addressed. I also think the title is really misleading, since Rani is one of the main characters-- this book is meant to be a nod to "John Tucker Must Die," so I think it would have made more sense to have the cheater's name (Zak) in the title.

Overall, a fun rivals-to-lovers sapphic YA romance that is perfect for fans of "Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Sophie Gonzales.

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I blurbed this book a while ago and forgot to write a review here! I really enjoyed this one. I love a messy protagonist who has to grow before the end of the book, so I was rooting for Meghna and Rani so hard! I sympathize with both of them, especially with teenage me sharing a lot of Meghna's insecurity and constantly mistaking gay feelings for one-sided rivalries lol.

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Cute! I didn't like this one as much as Jaigirdar's other books, but it's a fun read. I would highly recommend it to younger readers, but I will not be teaching it in my middle grade/young adult class. I will stick to Hani and Ishu, which is what I usually teach.

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Actual rating 3.5-4.0 stars.

Rani Choudhury Must Die is a contemporary YA wlw romance novel by Adiba Jaigirdar. It follows two young STEM students, Meghna Rahman and Rani Choudhury as they navigate the complexities of being Bangladeshi in Ireland, women in STEM, and just being teenagers. When these young women--once friends, now strangers--discover that their boyfriend has a been cheating on them with each other, they decide to take matters into their own hands. For, you know, science. What they don't expect are the side effects of their project--could they become friends again...or perhaps something more?

Jaigirdar is an Bangladeshi/Irish writer and teacher, so I'm curious how much of this book draws on personal experience. It was a lot of fun reading about the multicultural experience in Ireland, specifically, as well as the focus on Desi representation. Jaigirdar doesn't shy away from discussing tough but important topics, and she does so in a style very suited to a light YA novel: concise, bite-size, and in a way that doesn't detract from the novel. I also appreciated that she included discussion of the ethics element in STEM, rather than just STEM itself, as if the elements can be separated.

I will say, though, that for a book that could loosely be about girls ditching terrible men, it often fails the Bechdel test. While Rani and Meghna's joint project is meant to be a focus, I actually found their initial solo projects much more interesting--language learning and climate change flood prevention, respectively--and would have liked more definitive page time for why the girls stopped being friends in the past. While I do enjoy romance as a side plot, I do think it could have been brought forward more, but overall enjoyed the book and would enjoy reading more titles with similar themes.

Readers who enjoyed this title may also like: Heartstopper by Alice Osman, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Derry Girls (2018), and Wicked Little Letters (2023).

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Adiba writes my favourite lesbians/bisexuals. Every single time. She is an autoread for me and this was another example of why. Real characters.

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For starters, I think the title throws you off of the book, but it definitely makes me think of the movie John Tucker Must Die and then the whole premise is off of that, except add in teenage, STEM kids instead of cheerleaders and football players. Same, same, but different. It was cute for a YA. I was annoyed at Meghna for a majority of it but had to keep reminding myself this is a YA. I really enjoyed the women in STEM representation though and how that was written, I honestly felt that the end they fell in love was a reach and unneeded but it is what it is.

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Meghna embodies the struggles of an insecure person. Instead of taking a hard look at herself, she channels her frustrations onto one person, even though that person doesn't have anything to deserve it. It was incredibly frustrating to be inside her head while she had this one-sided grudge against Rani, who didn’t do any of that. The book's only redeeming quality is the dynamic between the family and friends and how their cultural background influences their relationships.

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Adiba Jaigirdar has a well-deserved reputation for creating charming sapphic YA stories featuring Bangladeshi girls, and "Rani Choudhury Must Die" is no exception. Meghna is tired of her parents always comparing her to "perfect" Rani, and of losing to her in the annual science fair. But after the girls discover they're being played by the same boy, Zach, Rani invites Meghna to team up in the European Young Scientist Exhibition. Their goal? Not only to beat Zach in the competition, but also to use their creation to expose him as a cheater. Just one problem: the more time they spend together, the more their feelings change from rivalry and grudging friendship to something more. Featuring unapologetically smart girls, loving references to Bangladeshi culture and foods, and the difficulties of going against tradition in order to be yourself, this latest book from @dibs_j will charm many YA readers.

(Note: I'd give this 4.5 stars - but since that's not an option...)

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Another fun, easy novel with just enough of a punch from one of the most interesting voices in Irish YA fiction.

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I was drawn in to this one immediately by the cover. Idk what it is about this one, but I love it so much! Two brown girls looking at each other in longing, and there’s books and a computer there? Ugh so cute. And the pages inside are just as cute. Trust me!

Ok so this starts off when two girls find out the dude they think they’re dating is also dating someone else. And the someone else is actually a certain someone they don’t like. This whole part of the plot was weird to me because even though they found this out, it seemed like neither one of them wanted to break up with the asshole. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out why. They both kept making excuses. And like I’m sorry, once I find out something like that, the very thought of them pisses me off. They were truly weirding me out.

They took FOREVER to get together too. I wasn’t as into as I could have been because they were fighting for so long. And that one girl was ANNOYING. I said like 7 times while I was reading it, Girl leave them both alone lol She was so insecure and mean and it made me hate her. And its usually hard for me to outright hate a character, but not this time.

The two of them together was cute tho. But we don’t spend enough time with them at all. By then its the end. I went into this thinking it was a romance and a little disappointed because it was not. Just like she said it they were giving him that if they went through with doing the project the way they originally were going to, I thought it was really ironic that she said that because that’s what the whole book ended up being about.

But overall I did like the messaging that girls can do what ever they want and of course the women in STEM overall thing. But to have it be about this and still mostly about how this stupid boy almost ruined everything for them and then didn’t even treat them right was a bit counter productive. I’m glad she talked about some of the struggles they were going through tho.

This was disappointing, but still good. Idk how to explain that, really. I think I was expecting something else. I wanted them to find the dude, break up with him and then find each other immediately. But we didn’t even get a variation of this. I hope if nothing else this review will put you in a different mindset so you don’t go in thinking you’re getting one thing and get something else. And just a reminder to everyone, I am not an enemies to lovers girlie, so this very well may just not have been my jam. Idk, read it and let me know what you think.

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Adiba Jaigirdar is an amazing author. This book was well-paced, and I enjoyed the dual perspective between Rani and Meghna. I am excited to see what Jaigirdar writes in the future!

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This was such a fun book to read. As you can tell from the title, this is a “John Tucker Must Die”-inspired story where girls join forces to get back at their serial-cheating ex, but with a queer Bengali STEM-inist twist.

I love that these characters are using science to get back at their scummy ex-boyfriend, and I appreciate that the story really leans into their app development process—the research they have to gather, the technology they have to use, the kinds of coding they have to learn. It’s a really great celebration of young women in STEM.

Related to that, I think the story very thoughtfully explores the kinds of discrimination, sexism, and social barriers that women—especially women of color—face in those fields. And even though they don’t seem related on the surface, that beautifully compliments the thematic work the story is doing in exploring sexism in Bengali culture, especially the way that Bengali women are compared to each other and pitted against each other within their community’s inner circles. Not only does Meghna resent Rani because of the distance between their families and the way her family was ostracized after her father lost his job, but also because her family is always comparing her accomplishments to Rani’s accomplishments, as if there’s not space enough for both.

Overall, this is a fun sapphic second chance romance. There’s scheming and science-y shenanagins every which way you look. There’s humor, there’s heart, there’s a great coming-of-age story line running through that’s all about learning to uplift each other as opposed to outpace each other. I enjoyed it very much!

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All the joy and angst you expect from Adiba Jaigirdar is present here and I was so down for this story! I'd kill for a netflix adaptation....

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So far, for me, this type of rivals-to-lovers romance is the sweet spot of Adiba Jaigirdar’s books. The tension between the characters is perfect, the cultural themes are immersive and engaging, and the romance leaves me swooning. I loved The Henna Wars and Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating, and I will gladly put this one on the shelf right next to them.

The plot of Rani Choudhury Must Die starts off slowly and winds through a bit of setup before it really gets going. We learn about Meghna’s secret dating relationship and Rani’s relationship with the boy her parents expect her to marry… the same boy secretly dating Meghna. Yikes.

We also learn that Meghna and Rani have history. It’s unclear at first what happened and who, exactly, is to blame for the rift between the girls. It’s pretty clear that Meghna’s mental image of Rani differs from her real self, though, and I found myself intrigued by the difference.

It highlights the way that unresolved conflict can leave us with a specific, hurtful image of a person that doesn’t at all match who the person truly is. Yet, while we’re still nursing that hurt and anger, we can’t see that there is a difference. This delicate mining of nuance in relationships is one of my favorite components of Jaigirdar’s books. She does this so well, and her characters are so rich because of it.

The romance between Rani and Meghna is a very slow burn. I loved that, too. It honors the history between the two girls and the complexity of the circumstances that brought them together. I think it would have been hard to tell a compelling story in which they immediately hook up after discovering they’ve been dating the same boy. This really worked and lets readers hope for and root for the romance as it begins to blossom.

All in all, I had a great time reading this book. Fans of slow-burn romance, rivals to lovers, and/or STEM girls definitely do not want to miss this one.

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3.5 rounded up!!

This book was fun, catty, and surprisingly heartwarming. The story follows Rani and Meghna, who are former best friends turned bitter rivals. However, when they find out they are both being cheated on by the same slimey boy, Zak, they relucatancly agree to work together to bring him down. However, as they plot to embarrass Zak and win the science competition they begin to realize what’s burning between them might not be a rivalry, and it might even be more than friendship. Will Rani and Meghna realize their strength together before time runs out, or will Zak’s lying and golden boy charm prove to be too much for this twosome to expose? All the scheming revenge and more in, Rani Choudhury Must Die.

Adiba Jaigirdar is one of my favorite authors of all time and so when I saw this I knew I was going to love it. And although it didn’t turn out to be my favorite I am obviously still a big fan. The characters were the best part of this book, I absolutely adored Rani and empathized with Meghna. Meghna is a complex MC, which is even more impressive given this is a YA book. The plot was fun and whimsical but I had a hard time taking it seriously at parts, which took away from the overall experience. However, the revenge aspect was such a good time and I really wanted Zak to get what he deserved. Not to mention showcasing girls in STEM, which gave complexity to the stories as their Bangladeshi identities intersected with everything else. I think a lot of different people will be able to see parts of themselves represented in the characters because of that.

All in all this science-packed revenge story is a fun read. From the enemies to lovers subplot to the app coding frenzy you will not want to put it down, Not to mention wanting to download the app immediately to test it out. If you like revenge stories and light hearted rivalry then you are in the right place. Happy reading!

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I love this stunning book cover at first, you can pretty much get to know it a lot by just looking at it. The story revolves around the rivalry between Rani and Meghna. Both Rani & Meghna's voice is very distinct and clear throughout the novel and I found myself really enjoying both their narration. It was, of course, a bit juvenile, but that was something I had expected going into the story. The narration worked very well as the simplicity of it made it all the more beautiful. The friendship, family crisis, rivalry between two friends, everything explained well. I love some supporting characters as well. The author did excellent work in characterization.

The idea of a young girl discovering that she likes other girls had me sold pretty much from the start, but the execution of this was brilliant as well. The storyline pace is very good and it never felt rushed or the things were always happening at just the right moment. The book never felt like it dragged at all as it went super smooth.

Also I absolutely fell in love with both Rani & Meghna right from page one. Their courage, determination, all of it was just so inspiring to me that I couldn’t help but love them. I really enjoyed getting to know them better and their backstory.

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Adiba Jaigirdar became an instant read author for me after I read Hani and Ishu! Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book!

I truly loved *almost* every single thing about this book. The hardest part for me to get through was the beginning, I constantly found myself screaming at Meghna when she would be upset and blaming Rani for everything. Like seriously, my good sis would be minding her business and Meghna would be like “she’s after me!” Other than that, I truly loved every aspect of this book. The science was definitely my favorite part since it was my favorite subject in school!

Needless to say, I’m ready for the next Jaigirdar read already!

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I really liked the subplots of science/tech competitions and the frank representation on the misogyny and difficulties women face in tech. The Bangladeshi representation and the nuanced discussions of the culture were amazing, and relatably written!

However, I found the extreme focus on cheating a little too raw (since it's one of my main triggers) - I was aware that the cheating would be the starting point for the MCs to start interacting, but I did not expect a majority of the book to focus on that -- so if this is a trigger for you, keep this in mind!

TWs - cheating, colorism, colorism that is brushed off as acceptable by the older generation, misogyny and sexism particularly in the context of science/tech

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

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