Rani Choudhury Must Die

by Adiba Jaigirdar

In this sapphic dual POV Young Adult romance by Adiba Jaigirdar, Meghna and Rani (ex-best-friends-turned-rivals) realize they're dating the same guy, so they team up to beat and expose him at a big science competition!

Meghna Rahman is tired of constantly being compared to her infuriatingly perfect ex best friend now rival. Everyone, except, at least, her boyfriend Zak, seems to think that Rani Choudhury can do no wrong—even her own parents! It doesn’t help that Rani is always accepted into the Young Scientist Exhibition, while Meghna’s projects never make it. But this year, she finally has a chance at defeating Rani in something.

Rani Choudhury is tired of feeling like she doesn’t have much say in her life—not when it comes to how her mom wants her to look and act or how her parents encourage her to date incredibly charming close family friend Zak. She would much rather focus on her coding, especially once she places high enough at the Young Scientist Exhibition to go on to the European Young Scientist Exhibition

When Meghna and Rani figure out that Zak has been playing them both, they decide to do something no one would see coming: they team up. They’ll compete in the EYSE as partners, creating an app that exposes cheaters and a project that exposes Zak. But with years of silence and pressure between them, working together will prove difficult. Especially once each girl starts to realize that the feelings they had for the other may have been more than platonic...

Hey, no one ever said science was easy!

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, Young Adult, Queer, LGBT, Contemporary, Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published November 12, 2024

About the author

Adiba Jaigirdar was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and has been living in Dublin, Ireland from the age of ten. She has a BA in English and History, and an MA in Postcolonial Studies. She is a contributor for Bookriot. All of her writing is aided by tea, and a healthy dose of Janelle Monáe and Hayley Kiyoko. When not writing, she can be found ranting about the ills of colonialism, playing video games, and expanding her overflowing lipstick collection.

Reviews

[rachel x]

i would read jaigirdar's grocery list if she wrote it tbh

[Chloe]

cute premise
but shouldn't the title be "Zak (insert last name) must die"?
like how the movie the title was the name of the guy playing the girls?

[zara · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars

meghna is the epitome of an insecure girl who has issues and instead of reflecting on herself, she takes it out on one person even though they did nothing to warrant that hatred. good god it was so teeth-grinding having to be in her immature head having a one-sided beef with rani when she didn't do anything wrong. also zak did not get enough lashings for my liking. the only thing saving this book is the family and friends' dynamic and how their culture affects that

[Sasa · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars

look i love the concept of ex-best friends-to-enemies-to-lovers but meghna sucks and is so fucking mean to rani. everything she hates about rani are all out of rani's control. the biggest difference between this book and the original movie that inspired it, john tucker must die, is that the girls were actually kind to each other in the film. i wanted beth/kate to be made canon and not this self-victimizing, insecure, teenage meandering. being in meghna's head sucked and i've never rooted against a couple more, especially a sapphic one! zak, the boy who actually wronged her, deserved way worse and meghna not going after him with the same fervor was off-putting. i hope these high school sweethearts fizzle out because meghna needs therapy, not a relationship. i want a sequel where rani is the main character and she breaks up with meghna and tells her to get help. this was my 2024 most anticipated read and i'm so upset it flopped. rani deserves better and i deserve better!

---

us cover art: Jani Balakumar
uk cover art: artofjoohei

[Laura (crofteereader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt very surface level compared to Jaigirdar’s other books. I had a hard time buying into Rani’s and Meghna’s decisions and thought processes - and certainly can’t imagine a faculty advisor would allow that project to get past the proposal stage (for privacy violation concerns in particular). The book as a whole falls kind of into the same trap as the girls themselves: it’s so centered on the cheating and the mediocre boy that it leaves the all-important girls by the wayside.

Particularly when romantic feelings between Rani and Meghna come into play, it feels rather like it came out of nowhere, like there was no build up at all, like it had to be squeezed in before the book ended rather than happening rather more organically. Like, these girls don’t have an actual honest conversation from start to finish until their confession.

I also definitely wanted more with the families - especially in the middle of the book. I think they were set up to be a much stronger influence on the story than they ended up being. Particularly Meghna’s

All that being said, the writing style makes it easy to read and become invested in our characters, but I think I just expected more

{Thank you FierceReads for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review}

[b · Rating 1 out of 5]

for a book abt science it rly had zero chemistry

[akacya ❦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

2024 reads: 337/250

content warnings: cheating, misogyny, racism, classism

meghna is tired of constantly having to compete with her ex-best-friend-now-rival, rani. when she finds out that, unbeknownst to her, she’s been competing against rani for her—rather, their—boyfriend’s attention, this is the last straw. instead of continuing this competition, the two decide to team up to take zak down. while planning their revenge, though, meghna and rani begin to realize that what they feel for each other might not only be platonic…

i’m a simple girl: i see that adiba jaigirdar has a new book coming out, and i read it ASAP. this one also drew me in due to the promise of vengeful girls in STEM, and this aspect did not disappoint. coding is something i don’t understand much myself, but i really enjoyed reading about meghna and rani making their own programs and then teaming up to make one together. i also loved their character growth. meghna and rani had their own internal and external struggles, and it was satisfying seeing these resolved a bit.

i would recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA romance books!

[Rusha · Rating 1 out of 5]

They went from making progress in climate change and language learning to making a spying app


Pls stoppp

[Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content warnings: sexism, misogyny, cheating/cheating partners, colourism, gaslighting.

Rep: Rani (MC) is cis, Bengali, and sapphic (no label used, but she is heavily lesbian coded), Meghna (MC) is cis, Bengali, and sapphic (no label used but she heavily bisexual coded). Side Black nonbinary character, side cis lesbian POC character. Everyone else is Bengali. And one white teacher (lol, we love).

Thank you to the eARC deities for letting me read this one.

Words are hard, so just have this: I enjoyed this a lot, and love when frenemies team up to get back at a cheating loser guy.

[Starr ❇✌❇ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from Edelweiss
TW: infidelity, colorism, sexism, gaslighting
3.3

I'm disappointed to say that this didn't really work for me. I'm a fan of Jaigirdar, and a fan of rivals-to-lovers, but this didn't have the chemistry of her debut or sophomore romances.

I did like Rani and Meghna, separately. I think their individual struggles were well used and well written, and they had distinct voices. I would have liked to spend more time in their heads, actually.
I also like a revenge story, and I'm glad this book never totally forgot that that's what it was.

However, I never bought into the romance, sadly. I thought the transition from rivals to friends was great, but then jumped immediately into "crush" in a way that was dissatisfying as well as not ringing true, taking their whole dynamic and history into account. They had some chemistry, but it didn't feel fully explored or leaned into, more than it did simply rushing to the foregone conclusion.

I also never bought into the actual revenge- the app seemed totally ridiculous to me, and they never sold me on why it was "important science". There were quite a few moments of people not taking their project seriously, but never a good reason to take it seriously.

Lastly, while I liked Rani and Meghna, I felt all the side characters were really flat, which made their whole world/setting feel very flat.

[sana ୨୧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

i’ll read anything adiba jaigirdar writes !

yeah, meghna was kinda insufferable and it disturbs me how the title doesn’t really make logical sense. but, look, i had fun. and i love a good reference to an iconic 2000s movie !

[ikram · Rating 3 out of 5]

my expectations were wayyyy too high for this one considering how much i adore the movie john tucker must die but it was still kinda fun!! just fell flat a wee bit

[Anniek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had so much fun with this! The writing was so engaging, I found it really hard to put down.

[lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this was underwhelming.
I didn’t like particularly anyone in this book but especially Zak ( for cheating ) but also Meghna for being absolutely unlikeable and childish.

Also the romance was underdeveloped and it felt like the author just wrote it into the last final pages and that was it. Like give me some development ?? I get that they have been in love since they were children but that felt like an excuse to me for a non existent development.

I really liked the other books of the author but this was a giant disappointment.

[elly · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5* / rani deserves so much better than meghna… hated her and her insecure meanness sm.

regardless of that, this was cute overall and had sm potential (as i am a john tucker must die LOVER) but getting through 90% with barely any romance for an (to me) abrupt ending leaving me with questions like… did they last? did they ever come out to their parents? wtf happened to zak? and so much more uhm!

[Farah · Rating 3 out of 5]

i love reading the perspective of an angry brown girl. meghna is someone i would never admit i was similar to as a teen but reading this now, i’m like oh we were the same—jealous, bitter, and craving external validation. rani’s pov was less unhinged to read aka boring. i also appreciated the nuance around dealing with south asian parents and classism. oh and this takes place in ireland 🇮🇪 and the mcs are bengali 🇧🇩

this was nothing like john tucker must die despite the title. a few plot points felt too convenient. ig i wasnt blown away by the story but i liked the characters and setting

[saachi (taylor's version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately this book felt very surface level for an Adiba Jaigirdar book. I literally devour anything she writes and don't get me wrong, I binged this book in the span of two days as well. Whilst it was a book that was quite easy to breeze through and that I enjoyed, I didn't get as much development as I wanted. Meghna and Rani's relationship developed far too quick, and I just didn't like the premise of the app that they come up with. I would've loved to see more of the family aspect of this book as I felt that the dynamic wasn't explored to its full potential. It was a fun read but it isn't a book that will stay with me.

[Raaven💖 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded. I did not like Meghna at all in the beginning. I didn’t understand her dislike in Rani. Literally nobody did. and Zak just…got away with everything. Like they just decided it was all good now and he can go be a cheater some more and nobody cares. The romance wasn’t as believable. It seemed very random. Rani also seemed too good and Meghna too bitter. It felt a little one sided. And 90% to even get to any romance is criminal. I did really like the friends and Meghna’s older brother. He had some solid advice that anyone could relate to.

[Alice Gill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Teen lesbian romance? Women in stem? Set in Ireland!? Litch what could be better, that was scrumptious. I might venture to say that I thought her previous books were better, but I don't even care, Adiba Jaigirdar is a queen!

I'm sorry, what was I on, this is a lesbian romance focusing around a man. Nah dog. Silly.

[jessicaaaaaa]

NOVEMBER HURRY UP.

[Gabbie Pop]

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

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my third book by the author and I’ve enjoyed each one. She writes YA novels featuring Bengali minorities living in Ireland. Not only do they face racism for their culture and religion they also face schisms within their own culture too. This is a loosely based retelling of John Tucker Must Die. Meghna and Rani used to be best friends. They are both smart and STEM oriented in their schools. Rani’s family has more wealth and social connections. She is also always the winner or best when it comes to science competitions.

Meghna has also been secretly dating Zak. He is popular, smart and sporty. When all three are in a competition to get into a Young Scientist Exhibition Meghna realizes Zak is also dating Rani. Theirs is more an understanding between families but has been known for more than a year. Rani and Meghna decide to pool their talents to see if they can beat and expose Zak at the international competition.

This is a fun story. I love the Indian food descriptions. The girls not only face parents who have traditional rules but battle sexism in STEM where white males are often the judges. It felt realistic how they rediscovered their friendship. I like the recognition of f/f feelings leading to a few kisses, but that isn’t the focus of the story. For middle schoolers and up. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the digital copy and I am leaving an honest review.

[Sacha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Updated 11/11/24 upon a second reading (technically a second reading/first listen):

4 stars

This is another hit from Adiba Jaigirdar!

Meghna and Rani share dual POVs in this charming best friends-turned rivals turned-...you know the trope! Both of these young women are smart, curious about and engaged in the world around them, and definitely reflect that they are whole people, despite a peculiar mutual obsession with one particular dude: Zak. What's extra gratifying is that the interest in Zak actually brings both protagonists together; he's much more of a vehicle than a character who has much meaning on his own (and ya, especially in YA, I'm living for this narrative).

While this is definitely a YA romance, there's so much more to these characters and this novel in general than just this romantic plot line. I expect age-appropriate readers will really appreciate the explorations of friendships, romantic relationships, and evolving understandings of identity.

I'll be recommending this one to students and to readers of all ages looking for a solid YA romance with substance.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. Also, special thanks to Macmillan Audio for the alc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. Terrible title that doesn’t make much sense, but a fun read.

[The Resistance Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5⭐️ I have been wanting to read from this author for a while! Very happy I was able to be approved for this audiobook! This a was a premise and executed the way I thought it would! No spice which is a plus! But that’s also the culture! The writing was on point and medium paced! The boy is of course the a**hole! So good!

[sage · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love ALL her books but this might just be my favourite !!!

[Evangeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange of an honest review

What a wonderful read! I loved Meghna and Rani as characters and thought they were absolutely fabulous. This felt like such a cosy read and I very much needed it. The film John Tucker Must Die is one of my staple childhood films so when I heard about this book I was hooked! This felt like a romcom in the best of ways and now I want to go back and watch all of the 90s/early 2000s ones that I enjoyed.

I thought the pacing was fabulous and once I started I found it very difficult to put down. I've enjoyed both of the other Adiba Jaigirdar books that I've read and I can pretty much say that she's now an auto-buy author for me. I will definitely be recommending this.

Also the cover art is so adorable!

[Ekene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew based on the title and the inspiration for this book it was gonna be good.

I’m so happy to be right happy 😃😄😁

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Rojda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars... I felt the Y in Young Adult 89% of the time reading this 🙈