Shutting everyone out has been the way I don’t have to deal with my problems. But it’s not fair to you. You’re a good person. It’s not an easy thing to say, because there are so many people in this world who aren’t. I’m a better person for having known you.”

~ Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle

Day 8: JOMPBPC: Empowered Women Empower Women

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🩷

Incoming: Long Post

*Steps on soap box*

*Clears throat*

BEHOLD!

A collection of Black YA romance novels I need TV/Film adaptations for! Right! NEOOOOW!

Over the past few months, I’ve had the pleasure of reading a lot Black YA romance. And what makes me so excited about these books is that they didn’t just tell a good story, but also imparted strong messages about what it means to share a healthy love between family, between friends, and between lovers of course.

Today I want to talk about these books (sans too many spoilers, seriously go read them for yourself!) and the love lessons we can learn from them.

Lesson 1: A healthy love prioritizes trust and respects boundaries.

Joya Goffney has quickly become one of my favorite Black YA authors for several reasons. If there’s one thing she can do, it’s tell an entertaining, well-rounded story.

In Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, she explores themes of racial identity, class tensions within the Black community, and the feelings of shame, guilt, and pressure that come with trying to understand yourself as a Black teen in this world. In Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl, she explores themes of sexual agency and sex positivity, specifically within the context of southern Black Christianity, and how traditional framings of sex and virginity can leave girls in a vulnerable position, without the knowledge needed to assert themselves within romantic/sexual relationships.

Despite being centered around different topics, I found that both of these novels emphasized the importance of being able to trust in your partner. In Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, when a trust was broken between our leading couple, working to rebuild it through shared vulnerability was an essential apart of the reconciliation process. In romantic relationships, vulnerability is inevitable, but respect for your partner’s timing should come first.

In Confessions of An Alleged Good Girl, the most freeing and affirming romantic relationship was the one where physical limitations and bodily autonomy were acknowledged and respected, no debate. Being in a romantic relationship does not entail entitlement to your partner’s body and the story really drove that home.

These messages are important for people of any age to hear, but especially for young teens having their first experiences of romance. There can be so many instances where you simply go along with things, because you don’t know any better and you assume that its the way things are. Being able to trust your partner with innermost feelings/secrets and your body is a crucial part of healthy relationships.

Lesson 2: Romance is about effort.

Now that I’m thinking about it, it’s kind of insane the amount of similarities these two novels have while still being wholly unique. Both books include a radio show about love advice, a protagonist wounded by a past friendship betrayal, and wonderful supporting characters who make the story more coloful.

But probably the most satisfying way these novels resemble each other is how the romance is built between the protagonists. Despite rocky beginnings for both couples, connections are built through mutual effort to understand each other’s passions/interests and support one another in their endeavors. These novels probably have the cutest, most swoon-worthy first date moments and it’s entirely because we can see how each protagonist took the time to come up with a creative way to get to know their love interest while also connecting with their passions.

More and more, on social media in particular, it seems that people equate effort or “applying pressure” with doing the fanciest, most expensive activity right off the bat. But like with giving gifts, the best present isn’t always the most expensive one. Rather it’s the one that’s the most thoughtful. That shows you’re paying attention and that you remembered the small, silly, weird details that would otherwise be forgotten.

Lesson 3: Love is a choice worth making.

The last book in this collection is Zyla & Kai by Kristina Forest, who is also quickly becoming another favorite author of mine. What I love about this book is the way the author went about building the narrative leading up to the big reveal. The message was so clear: Things between Zyla & Kai have always been quite simple. It’s everyone and everything else that makes it complicated.

Throughout the story there are so many external forces creating obstacles for Zyla and Kai. Their families, their peers, their pasts, and their futures are all pulling them in opposite directions. Yet, despite these challenges, Zyla and Kai always choose each other and make an active decision to make it work. To try again one more time. Their love story illustrated the idea, that while love can be simple, it’s also a choice that you make everyday.

I hope this post sparks some interest in these books if you haven’t heard of them before. And if you have, what did you think of them? Do you have a favorite?

While some of these books would work well as movies, there are others that I would want as a limited series. All of the books novels, so the story begins and ends and probably shouldn’t be drawn out for multiple seasons, but there a few where I would want to spend a bit more time with the characters than a film would afford. What say you?

November Reads

November was a blast, I quit my toxic job and these books really helped me from falling into depression again. Before that job I had been unemployed since July and it was dark y'all. While we aren't fully out of that hole (summer, summer hurry up!) reading has been such a transformative way to heal from the misery I'd been feeling these past few years. Without further ado, November's novels:

Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle

Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey (Founder of The Nap Ministry)

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Odd One Out by Nic Stone

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Black Girls Must Be Magic by Jayne Allen

Love Radio was a delight. The characters were so cute and well thought out, and their personalities were fun to see interact together, making them a perfect match! While it's a red flag to me when someone is so persistently pesuing someone, I am willing to call it a Doppler/Dahmer (a himym reference ifkyk) situation and lean in. I'm glad I did because Prince ended up being worth the leap of faith. Talk about someone who genuinely wants to show up for YOU, in any capacity they can. So many people (read men) feel like if they have feelings for a girl, the only way they can have a successful relationship is if it's a romantic and sexual one. FAKE concepts like "the friend zone" are their way of telling us they can't love us in any other capacity, because it's not about us, it's about the claiming of us. Prince loves Danielle and he isn't caught up with those ideas and he sees Danielle for who she is, an amazing young woman who's on her journey and deserving of love. Danielle goes through a gutting experience that she deals with throughout the story, and as she's not initially open to romance, Prince doesn't see that as rejection or a "chase" or "tease". He truly hears her and is happy to meet her where she needs and shows up the way a true friend would, which Dani definitely needs at this point. I loved this story, and even though I saw it at Target, it breaks through the Target Tear, I definitely Loved this book!

Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey is a book I've been highly anticipating! I've been following @TheNapMinistry on twitter for months now, her message is simple. Rest is not something we have to earn, we rest because it is our right. Her work centralizes Black People who've had their rest robbed for centuries, reminding them that rest and dreaming are key to liberation. This message extends to non-Black people as an introduction on how to start breaking down our cultural brainwashing and recognize how our complacency upholds capitalism, white supremacy, and patriarchy. When we prioritize resting over the never-ending machine that is American capitalism, we become a wrench instead of a cog. This book, right next to How We Show Up, go right on my required reading for friends and community. This book will also be read again, every time I need a reminder!

The next book on my list was the first major book I read this year, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. While almost all of the books before this were around 6-9 hours, Addie LaRue comes in at 17 hours! It was very intimidating, and I initially was reading the book wrong, I was looking for the rising action to begin and was zooming through the first half thinking it was merely world-building. I was wrong, it was all a part of the journey that Addie herself was on, figuring things out as she went and learning so many important lessons along the way. Once I understood that I needed to be a part of the story with Addie, not a ghost viewing from above, the story took hold of me fiercely and I was completely hypnotized by this world. It was a thrill ride to the end, trying to figure out where it could possibly end, and what solutions could we possibly come to. Another read again to simply be in that world again, and of course, to prep for the hinted-at sequel!

Odd One Out was a book that was recommended by my bestie, this is the book where I started to go "maybe I just don't like male characters..." because there was absolutely nothing Coop could do that I didn't take issue with! The author really had me in the first half because I was ready to fight him for not getting over his crush on a LESBIAN! But bestie told me to give good faith, and I held out hope. Spoiler alert it does not end in a polyamorous ending, I'll rip that bandaid right off for ya cause no one did for me. But the ending was satisfying and I guess if it's vaguely personal, I can't be mad someone got a happy ending!

Black Cake was a haunting and beautiful journey. I've talked about it more here, so please go read that, or better yet, just read Black Cake. It's definitely in my top 10 of the year, it was pulling on the heartstrings, keeping me on the edge, and immensely satisfied by the end. It was a novel I could trust, whether it was a happy or sad ending, you could feel the care and love the writer put into this novel, and it was beautiful to experience this story and I hope it continues to gain lots of attention, it deserves all the flowers!

A Darker Shade of Magic! Wow what an amazing story! This is my best friend's favorite book by their favorite author, so it was LONG overdue that I read this book! By God it was fan-fucking-tastic! It was another Schwab immersive world I couldn't get enough of. I was thrilled that there was an entire trilogy to enjoy, and even more, so that a second trilogy is in the works. I will be talking more about V.E. Schwab as an artist because she is just phenomenal and I am looking forward to reading more of her works this upcoming year!

Black Girls Must Be Magic was somehow better than it's predecessor, how many sequels can say that? But it absolutely felt like catching up with an old friend and I was beyond thrilled for her in this chapter of her life. Healing from the loss of her grandma, Tabi continues to face work struggles and personal problems. But she's been working on rebuilding her support system so she has her besties to confide in and work through those things with, instead of doing it on her own. I am so proud of the growth she's made in this journey, and I can't wait for the third book to come out. I have a few more thoughts about this series here, so enjoy!

I did it, I got through november! Stay tuned, December shall be posted within the next 2 hours!

Yearly Book Count: 23/??

Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle

This was a sweet book. I loved the blossoming romance between Dani and Prince, but I also liked that the author focused on other things and people that the two loved. This was a love letter to music and literature, and I really enjoyed reading it.

Recommend this to: people who like YA contemporary, YA romance, enjoy references to Motown or black women authors.

Triggers: sexual assault

BOOKS READ IN JUNE 2022

Short Take: Love Radio

If you wander back to the Teen section of our store, you’ll see my recommendation cards fluttering from many of the spines. I’m game for nearly every genre except psychological thrillers (sorry, scaredy-cat over here). I’ve never read a book set in Detroit and my knowledge of hip-hop music is slim to none, so when I picked up Love Radio I was curious, and then delighted to be given a window into that world. Being billed as “Hitch meets The Sun is also a Star,” this debut novel from Ebony LaDelle is perfection.

Teenagers Prince Jones and Dani Ford are both seniors, both Detroit natives, and both dealing with their own baggage. Prince, the son of a single mother with MS, has taken on the role of man of the house by caring for his mom and his younger brother while also building a reputation as a DJ with all the relationship answers. Dani is struggling with her college essay in the aftermath of a betrayal that has left her avoiding her friends and unable to write. When the two meet Prince is immediately taken with her, the effect of having pined from afar for years, but Dani has her guard up. She eventually agrees to three dates. Three dates for Prince to persuade her the two of them have a chance at love.

This book is filled with so much joy and so much heart, even while dealing with emotionally hard things. Healthy and unhealthy relationship patterns of all persuasions, familial, friend and romantic, are exposed with nuance and empathy. Prince calls his male friends out on how to treat the women in their lives with respect. Dani’s friends call her out for the way she’s withdrawn from them. Prince takes Dani on dates that support and encourage her after she’s confided in him about her writer’s block, though not the reason behind it. As Dani and Prince get closer they share the music and books that matter to them, confide their dreams for the future, and let the messy truths of their families be known. Love Radio doesn’t take the route of the usual YA rom-com but I thought LaDelle honored reality and her characters in the way the plot unfolded. Definitely one of my favorite reads this year so far!

— Lori

read my full review of love radio by ebony ladelle here.

Hitch meets The Sun Is Also a Star in this witty and romantic teen novel about a self-professed teen love doctor with a popular radio segment who believes he can get a girl who hates all things romance to fall in love with him in only three dates.

Prince Jones is the guy with all the answers—or so it seems. After all, at seventeen, he has his own segment on Detroit’s popular hip-hop show, Love Radio, where he dishes out advice to the brokenhearted.

Prince has always dreamed of becoming a DJ and falling in love. But being the main caretaker for his mother, who has multiple sclerosis, and his little brother means his dreams will stay just that and the only romances in his life are the ones he hears about from his listeners.

Until he meets Dani Ford.

Dani isn’t checking for anybody. She’s focused on her plan: ace senior year, score a scholarship, and move to New York City to become a famous author. But her college essay keeps tripping her up and acknowledging what’s blocking her means dealing with what happened at that party a few months ago.

And that’s one thing Dani can’t do.

When the romantic DJ meets the ambitious writer, sparks fly. Prince is smitten, but Dani’s not looking to get derailed. She gives Prince just three dates to convince her that he’s worth falling for.

Three dates for the love expert to take his own advice, and just maybe change two lives forever.

my review:

When I first read the summary of this book, I immediately added it to my TBR list because of the comps. I just found it very intriguing and was so excited to read it! Love Radio was a sweet story about opening yourself up to love.

Prince Jones is a certified love expert—that is, he has a popular segment on Detroit’s hip-hop show and people often seek out his romance advice. He’s been crushing on Dani Ford since middle school, and when they meet again, they don’t leave a good impression. Dani has closed herself off from all of her friends after an incident last year; she’s definitely not looking for love. Instead, she just wants to keep her head down until she can escape to NYU. However, she can’t resist when Prince convinces her to go on three dates with him and gradually they fall in love.

The romance was really cute! Prince tries his best to convince Dani that he’s worth falling for, including genuinely trying to get to know her with the help of her parents. They both open up to each other about stuff they don’t usually tell other people. It was nice to see how they become another person in the other’s support group. Dani is healing from a previous sexual assault, and I liked seeing how Prince understands when she needs to take a step back from them.

read my full review here.

Yeah I think you’re in the right place, Al.

Title: Love Radio | Author: Ebony LaDelle | Publisher: Simon & Schuster (2022)

He spent 10 hours on the list explaining why each one is trash.

Day 11: JOMPBPC: Book Dedication

Angel: This little b1tch is a traitor!

Sir Pentious:

I drew this over a year ago but I guess now is the time to post it.

Currently Reading: Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle

This one seems cute so far, although it has hit me with a lot of characters in the first few chapters.

Maleficent/Alastor

Comic inspired by that one scene from Maleficent…. Bc that is definitely how I HC the meeting would have been between baby Charlie and Alastor lol

! textless version !