Book Review: “Always Be My Bibi” by Priyanka Taslim

“Always Be My Bibi” by Priyanka Taslim (2025)

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance

Page Length: 368 pages (hardcover edition)

Synopsis:

Bibi Hossain was supposed to get her first kiss this summer.

Too bad her father finds out and grounds her for breaking his most arcane rule: No boys until your sister gets married.

Just when Bibi thinks she’ll be stuck helping him at their popular fried chicken chain until school reopens, her oh-so-perfect older sister Halima drops a bombshell: she’s marrying the heir of a princely estate turned tea garden in Bangladesh. Soon, Bibi is hopping on the next flight to Sylhet for Halima’s Big Fat Bengali Wedding, hoping Abbu might even rethink the dating ban while they’re there.

Unfortunately, the stuffy Rahmans are a nightmare—especially Sohel, the groom’s younger brother. The only thing they can agree on is that their siblings are not a good match. But as the two scheme to break their siblings up, Bibi finds it impossible to stay away from the infuriatingly handsome boy.

Could her own happily ever after be brewing even as she stirs up trouble for her sister’s engagement—or is there more steeping at the tea estate than Bibi knows?

Review:

Summer fun✔️
Enemies to Lovers✔️
Wedding Shenanigans✔️
A main protagonist with a huge personality✔️

If all of the things above pique your interest, then Always Be My Bibi is a book that you should add to your Summer TBR! This contemporary YA novel follows the main character Bibi, who has a larger than life personality which often gets her into tricky situations. Because of her latest incident she is forced to spend the summer Bangladesh with her family as her sister announces plans to get married. Wanting to get rid of her dating ban she teams up with Sohel, her sister’s fiancé’s brother in order to break them up and also to get back at their older siblings. But as the web of trickery gets complicated, she’s not so sure that “operation breakup” is such a good idea.

This novel was fast-paced, fun, and lighthearted with many rom-com vibes. It was an entertaining reading experience from beginning to end with the comedic bits and witty banter from the main characters. I’ll be honest and say that Bibi was grating at first, but once I got to know more about her and her family dynamic I understood her better. She grew on me a lot and I think the plot not only did a great job of her self-discovery journey (of choosing a path after high school), but also allowing her family to finally see Bibi for Bibi. She was often misjudged for being superficial when she actually has a big heart. The same goes for Sohel who has a grumpy exterior, but is really a softie who deeply cares for his family and their tea business.

I think the story showcases an important narrative about finding a balance between tradition and carving your own path. It’s a relatable theme to many and I think this along with exciting adventures Bibi goes on will make it an appealing story to the YA audience and beyond. The romance was a cute, slow burn narrative that had some nice swoon worthy elements. On top of that I appreciated Muslim representation in this story and learning more about the culture too.

Add this novel to your TBR for a nice summery reading experience!

Final Verdict: