Counting Down with You - by Tashie Bhuiyan (Paperback)

About the Book

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.

Book Synopsis

"A witty, romantic, deeply insightful debut." --Emma Lord, author of Tweet Cute

In this sparkling and romantic YA debut, a reserved Bangladeshi-American 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?

"I. Love. This. Book." --Mark Oshiro, award-winning author of Anger Is a Gift and Each of Us a Desert
"A must-have addition to any YA bookshelf." --Sabina Khan, author of Zara Hossain Is Here and The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali
"Hand to fans of Netflix hit Never Have I Ever." --Booklist

Review Quotes

"I'm completely heart-eyed over this book. With a voice that blends pitch-perfect humor and tremendous compassion, Counting Down With You is an ode to anyone who's dreamed of a path different from the one carved out for them. A lovely, romantic debut that shimmers with hope." --Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of Today Tonight Tomorrow

"A witty, romantic, deeply insightful debut that steals your heart from start to finish. Only read this in public if you're prepared to laugh out loud, blush, and occasionally cry in front of strangers." --Emma Lord, author of Tweet Cute

"I. Love. This. Book. I adore the emotional depth that Bhuiyan gives to Karina, and I am reminded of the power of contemporary fiction to both shine a light and uplift those of us who have been largely ignored." --Mark Oshiro, award-winning author of Anger Is a Gift and Each of Us a Desert

"Tashie Bhuiyan has done an excellent job of portraying the conflicts faced by many South Asian diaspora kids in this debut. Counting Down with You is a must-have addition to any YA bookshelf." --Sabina Khan, author of Zara Hossain Is Here and The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali

"A brisk and buoyant YA romance anchored by well-drawn family dynamics and anxiety issues. I loved it!" --Jenn Bennett, author of Alex, Approximately

"This 'love letter to young brown girls; explores a topic that can be taboo in desi culture: anxiety. Bhuiyan guides Karina through it with care... Hand to fans of Netflix hit Never Have I Ever." --Booklist

"With sarcastic, witty humor and a heartfelt exploration of familial relationships, Bhuiyan masterfully sucks you into Karina's world." --Buzzfeed, New Young Adult Books Out Spring 2021