Genevieve

This book was so good. It was raw, emotional, heartbreaking, and honestly had me feeling everything. I’m already looking to see what Takerra Allen book I need to read next because she definitely gained a new fan.

The loss, the grief, the pain, and the beautiful love story all came together in a way that made me feel every single emotion. Takerra Allen did an incredible job putting you right alongside Amore, making you experience everything she was feeling.

I swear every character was memorable. Gabe, Tammy, Mudd, Hakeem, even Shelly had her moment.

This is one of those books that just feels real. It broke my heart, put it back together a little, and had me thinking about these characters long after I finished. Definitely recommend if you’re okay with an emotional read.

I enjoyed this, but I didn’t absolutely love it. The story definitely had my attention, and I liked where it was going, but it just wasn’t really my style. I loved the world-building and the action, but some scenes were just a little too much for my taste.

The world was interesting, and I’m curious to see where the series goes next. There were some really good moments, but there were also a few where I was just like, WTF?

I’m glad I read it, and I don’t regret picking it up. It wasn’t a favorite, but it was still a good read, and I’m interested enough to continue the series.

This was such a beautiful love story, with an ending that completely pissed me off. Easy 5 stars.

I picked this up after seeing so many people say it would make them cry and take them on an emotional roller coaster, and they weren’t wrong. I didn’t actually cry, but I felt every emotion while reading. I listened to the audiobook, and now I definitely need a physical copy for my library.

William and Layla were absolutely made for each other. Their connection was something special, and from the very beginning it felt like they were soulmates. But life had other plans, and circumstance after circumstance kept getting in the way.

This story follows them as they meet, reconnect, and navigate all the messy, real life moments in between. Everything about their story felt so real, and I couldn’t help but root for them from beginning to end.

I’m still mad about that ending. It was powerful, emotional, and fit the story, but I wanted something completely different, a happily ever after. I think that’s what made it feel so real. Not every love story gets the ending we hope for, and this one captured that beautifully.

Still, this is one of those books that stays with you long after you finish, and I’ll be thinking about William and Layla for a long time.

I love this series so much! I immersive read this one and It did take me a little while to get used to the male narrator’s voice. At times it felt a little over the top, but once I got into it, I was all in. This series keeps getting better with every book. The characters, the action, and all the twists had me wanting to know what was going to happen next. Every time I think I know where the story is going, Granger throws in something I didn’t see coming. If you’re already invested in this series, this is definitely one you don’t want to miss. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

This book was heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time. The first chapter opens with one sentence that immediately pulls you in, and from that moment I needed to know what happened.

I went into this book completely blind, and I’m so glad I did. This was my first book by Akwaeke Emezi, and it definitely won’t be my last.

We follow Vivek, his cousin Osita, and their family as they try to understand who Vivek really was before and after his death. I loved how the story slowly came together, with each chapter giving us another piece of Vivek. The reveal involving Vivek and Osita definitely caught me off guard, I didn’t see that ending coming!

This book made me feel so many emotions. My heart broke for Vivek, and I just wanted him to be seen and loved for who he was. By the end, I just sat there thinking about everything I had read.

This book was so good! It had me feeling every emotion possible. Even with the ghostly elements throughout the story, nothing felt over the top or out of place. It all blended so naturally into the lives of these characters and the community they call home, making the story feel incredibly real.

Nora stole my heart. She’s raising her three sons in the Hester Garden Projects after losing her husband to the prison system and her oldest son to gun violence. Watching her fight to protect her family while carrying so much grief was both heartbreaking and inspiring.

What really made this book stand out for me was the characters. They felt like real people, and I became invested in every one of them. I was rooting for them, hurting with them, and hoping things would work out even when it seemed impossible.

This story is about so much more than horror. It’s about family, loss, survival, and the lengths people will go to for the ones they love. For a debut novel, this was incredible. I’ll definitely be reading whatever this author writes next.

This was a really great read! It gave me similar vibes to Judge Stone and had me hooked from page one.

The story begins on election night, November 4, 2008, as President Barack Obama wins the election. Hollis Montrose, a former Chicago police officer who now works for Metra PD, is driving home from work when a traffic stop goes horribly wrong. He is shot ten times by four white police officers.

Beau Lee Cooper is a Texas lawyer who steps in to help Hollis after the shooting. Hollis survives the shooting, and is forced to fight for his freedom when the police officers involved create their own version of what happened.

I was engaged from start to finish. Following the case, seeing how everything played out, and watching Beau fight for justice kept me turning the pages. It was frustrating, made me angry, and eye opening all at the same time.

Highly recommending this one!

We follow 16-year-old Hanu, who is living in a mental institution called The Flush with other children who suffer from dysphoria. Dreaming is forbidden by the Ancient Ones, they are aliens worshipped as gods who claim they saved humanity from destroying Earth. After having a dream that sends him on a mission to recover the Genesis Key, Hanu and several other children escape and uncover some disturbing things happening behind the scenes.

The plot was interesting, and I was invested in finding out what was going on. My biggest issue was the pacing. This was a slowwww burn for me. The chapters were long, and at times it felt a little repetitive, which made the story drag more than I wanted it to. I also never really understood what the Genesis Key actually did or why everyone was so focused on getting it. Since it was such a major part of the story, I found myself wanting a little more explanation and clarity there.

I enjoyed it and thought the story was creative, but the pacing and the confusion around the Genesis Key kept it from being a bigger hit for me.

This book genuinely had my emotions all over the place! Between the betrayal, the magic system, the amazing world building, and all the action, this was a great sequel to The Poppy War. There were a few slower moments, but I still really enjoyed the story overall. The ending has me ready to jump straight into the next book because I need to know what happens next!

And Nezha pissed me off! I was really rooting for his punk ass too. 🤣

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, so my expectations were pretty high, and I really enjoyed it!

This is a slow burn, second chance romance that follows Dani and Micah. After the death of their mentor, Tanya, they’re brought back together to complete a scavenger hunt that she planned before she passed away. Dani is forced to spend time with the man who broke her heart, while Micah has to face the woman he never stopped loving.

I really enjoyed watching their relationship grow throughout the story. The romance was sweet, and I found myself rooting for them to find their way back to each other.

My only complaint is that I wanted more backstory. I wish we had gotten to see more of what happened between Dani and Micah before the breakup because I never fully got that second chance romance feeling. I also would have liked a little more explanation about why Tanya wanted them to complete the scavenger hunt together in the first place.

I still had a good time with this one. It was sweet, it was cute, with characters I enjoyed following, and I’m glad I finally got to read it.

There’s only one sin in Hollywood by Rasheed newsome is a first read by this author and also one of my pride month picks for June.

What I enjoyed most about this book was learning about a part of Hollywood history that isn’t often talked about. I really appreciated the historical parts and how he explored the realities of being Black and gay during that time, especially what they had to hide and sacrifice just to make it in Hollywood.

The story moved a little slower than I wanted, and I didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I had hoped. I also expected more mystery and investigation of Xavier’s death, but it was an okay read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first time reading a book by Kristina Forest, and it won’t be my last.

This was such a cute, and romantic summer love story. We follow Noelle, who works at a bookstore and has a side job as a bridesmaid for hire while trying to save money to go back to school.

Jeremiah, who comes from a wealthy business family, tells his mom he has a girlfriend, the only problem is he doesn’t. He hires Noelle to be his girlfriend for a weekend, but what was only supposed to be a weekend turns into something much more, and I loved watching their relationship grow.

The slow burn was done so well. The chemistry between Noelle and Jeremiah felt natural, the family connections added so many heartwarming moments to the story, and their bond felt very real.

This book was warm, sweet, romantic, and just made me happy while reading it. It’s the kind of book you pick up when you want something comfy and easy to get lost in.

I’ll definitely be reading more from Kristina Forest.

Daniel Black is a genius. Isaac’s Song is the sequel to Don’t Cry for Me, and I’m so glad I read them back to back.

Getting to hear Isaac’s side of the story and see his perspective on his relationship with both his father and mother was such an experience. If you’ve read Don’t Cry for Me, you know how emotional that story is, and this one adds so much more meaning to everything that happened.

Isaac is grieving the loss of his father while trying to figure out how to heal, forgive, and move forward. He starts to realize that he and his father are more alike than he ever wanted to admit, while also confronting the things his father never taught him.

What I loved most was how beautifully these two books connect. I definitely recommend reading Don’t Cry for Me first because it makes Isaac’s journey come full circle, but this book still stands on its own. You can feel the pain, the healing, the growth, and ultimately the acceptance throughout the entire story.

I immersed read this one and listened to the audiobook, and JD Jackson did an amazing job. His narration made an already emotional story even more powerful.

This book made me feel so many emotions, and I’m really glad Daniel Black gave Isaac the chance to tell his side of the story.

I’m kind of sad to say this was my first time reading anything by Daniel Black, but it definitely won’t be my last.

This was such a beautifully written and emotional story. The entire book is basically a letter from a dying father, Jacob, to his son Isaac, and his son is gay, something Jacob struggled to accept. And this whole book is him finally being real about why he couldn’t love his son the way he should have.

Jacob is finally opening up and being honest about why he couldn’t love his son the way he deserved, and it’s not easy to read. It really gets into how Black men are raised to be tough, not soft, not emotional, being providers, and carrying all of that generational pressure.

What really stood out to me is how Daniel Black shows that a lot of parents are really just parenting the way they were parented. That doesn’t excuse the pain, but you see where it comes from, even when it hurts.

This book felt raw. Like I was sitting in the room with him while he was writing this letter, witnessing something personal that wasn’t meant for anyone else.

We don’t get a lot of stories where a parent is this vulnerable, where they admit they were wrong and actually apologize. That alone made this feel powerful and real.

However, He never even got the chance to say any of this face to face. He never reached out, never had that conversation with his son, and that frustrated me. Because at the end of the day, he chose not to. He had time, and instead he made excuses and I hated that.

I think I’m reading Isaac’s Song next because I really want to read the story from the son’s perspective.

I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did.

This was my first time reading anything by Mia Corland, and I’m honestly impressed. The story follows six different POVs, each character is pulled into the same dangerous mission, but for very different reasons.

They’re all connected by one goal, but the tension comes from the fact that nobody fully trusts each other and honestly, as a reader, I didn’t either, not one single person!

Everybody had something to hide. These are very untrustworthy characters, and I was side eyeing all of them at some point.

The pacing was so good, short, fast chapters that made it impossible to put down. Definitely a story full of secrets, and twists that keep you guessing.

This was such a beautifully written and heartbreaking story, and honestly, it’s probably going to be one of my top 5 reads of the year.

This is a dual POV story following Huong (Guava) and her grandmother as they try to survive through war, loss, and everything that comes with living through some of the most difficult periods in Vietnam’s history.

What really stood out to me was how this book shows the impact of generational trauma and the strength it takes for a family to keep going when it feels like the odds are stacked against them. I’ve never read a book that explored the experiences of the Vietnamese people during and after the war in such a personal and emotional way.

This book made me sad, angry, and emotional, but I learned so much from it. It’s one of those stories that stays with you long after you finish it.

A heartbreaking but necessary read.

I actually found this book while searching for books with Haitian representation for Haitian Heritage Month. I went in completely blind, which honestly made the experience even better. All I really knew going in was that it had ties to the Black Panther Movement in the 60s and 70s, and honestly, that alone sold me.

The story follows Nettie as she leaves Haiti for America, hoping to build a better life for herself. Once in America, she becomes involved with the Black Panther Movement first in Oakland, California and then in Chicago, Illinois, where she slowly transforms into a revolutionary, which made her journey even more interesting to follow.

What I really liked about this book was how it mixed historical fiction, romance, and suspense without feeling all over the place. Once things started picking up, I was all in and had a hard time putting it down. The beginning was a little slow for me at first, but after that it turned into a page turner.

I also really appreciated how the book tied in real historical moments and tensions because it made everything feel more honest and believable. And the writing itself was just beautiful. You can tell Fabienne Josaphat put so much care into telling this story.

This was my first read by Edwidge Danticat and I’m impressed.

“The dew breaker” basically means torturer in Haitian Creole, and the story centers around a man who was once part of the Tonton Macoute, the brutal militia responsible for killing and abusing thousands of people in Haiti during the François and Jean-Claude Duvalier regime between 1957–1986.

The story is told through multiple POVs, with each chapter following different characters dealing with trauma, survival, immigration, and the lasting effects of what happened in Haiti.

What I liked most was how every story eventually connected back to the dew breaker somehow, even though there were a few chapters where I didn’t really understand the connection at first or why they mattered. At times, the writing was so vivid that you could truly feel how dark, brutal, and haunting that period in Haiti was.

This wasn’t a favorite read for me, but I still think it was a really good and important one. The ending especially was heartbreaking and honestly one of the strongest parts of the book for me. Can’t wait to read more from her.

This book was so good, like, so good it actually had me conflicted by the end.

This was a dark fantasy that covered everything I needed out of a book this month. It does have a few slower moments, but for a debut novel, I was genuinely impressed.

We follow Wen, a village girl who’s desperate to help her family and community as they struggle through famine and death. She makes the ultimate sacrifice and offers herself to the royal family as a concubine in hopes of bringing food and stability back home. She starts off naive and kind hearted, but watching her transformation, Man! she turns into somebody you do not wanna mess with.

Then we’ve got Prince Terran and his brother Maro, both fighting for the throne. The tension between them, made me want to know more. Watching their power struggle unfold and the layers of their rivalry kept me turning the pages.

I’m trying not to spoil anything, but this definitely gave me Game of Thrones vibes. Check your triggers cause there are some.

And the ending, the last few chapters had me stressed, and wanting more. It definitely did not go the way I thought it would.

Just read it, y’all seriously a good one!

I was privileged to receive an ARC of Mazywood by Tananarive Due from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for the opportunity to read this early!

This is a dual POV story where we follow Mazelle Washington, a young actress trying to navigate life in the 1920s, and then her grandson Johnny and his family fifty years later when they return to her secluded cabin retreat. Once they arrive, long buried secrets slowly start coming to light, all while something terrifying creeps around outside.

The way this book had me stressed for this family at every turn was driving me crazy. I was so invested and constantly worried something bad was about to happen. Every time they stepped outside or something strange happened I was immediately like “absolutely not.”

I loved the blend of historical fiction and paranormal horror. It reminded me of The Reformatory with the way it mixes history with supernatural elements, but Mazywood leans even more into the paranormal side. The setting, the mystery surrounding Mazelle, and the creepy sense of danger all worked so well together.

If you love family secrets, creepy woods, and horror mixed with historical fiction, definitely add this one to your September release list. This was such a suspenseful read for me.

Since it’s Haitian Heritage Month, I wanted to pick up more books by Haitian authors and An Untamed State came highly recommended by someone in my book club. And wow, this book had me from the very first line: “Once upon a time in a far off land, I was kidnapped.” After that, I could not put this book down.

The story is set in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which is my family’s hometown, and Roxane Gay does not sugarcoat anything. This book is brutal, emotional, and honestly hard to read at times. It deals with poverty, corruption, kidnapping, torture, rape, and the mental trauma that follows, so please check your triggers before going into this one.

We follow Mireille, her husband Michael, and their son Christophe while visiting her wealthy family in Haiti for the summer. After Mireille gets kidnapped, the book follows both her time in captivity and the aftermath of everything she goes through.

What made this a 5 star read for me was how real and emotional it felt. I felt so connected to Mireille and everything she was dealing with. The writing completely pulled me in and even during the hard parts, I couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know what happened next.

This is definitely not a light read, but it’s one that’s going to stick with me for a long time.

I really enjoy Ibi Zoboi’s writing. Having now read three of her books, I haven’t rated any lower than 4 stars, and this one was no different.

She does an amazing job bringing the Caribbean folklore of the soucouyant to life. I listened to the audiobook, and it was such a quick read. The book is written in verse, which I honestly didn’t realize until the author’s note at the end, but I really enjoyed the writing style and how easy it was to get through.

We follow two girls, Marisol and Genevieve (which made me so happy because that’s my name), as they navigate life and identity in very different ways.

Marisol, a teenage immigrant living with her mother, knows about her magic and understands the history behind who and what she is.

Genevieve, who is mixed, born in Brooklyn and lives with her father and stepmother, isn’t aware of her magic. Instead, she’s focused on living with a skin condition that she believes has no cure.

This book touches on themes of colorism, racism, immigration, identity, and family, all while blending in folklore and magic in a really interesting way.

My first Stephen King read and I get the hype around 11/22/63.

This book gave me Back to the Future vibes, the whole time. I went in thinking it was mainly about the Kennedy assassination, but it ended up being so much more than that. We get sci-fi, historical fiction, mystery, and even romance all blended together in a way that somehow really works.

This book is LONG (audio was over 30 hr) and the middle definitely dragged a little for me, but even during the slow parts, I still needed to know what was going to happen next. That’s what kept me interested the whole time.

I really enjoyed this one. Not a perfect read because of the pacing in the middle, but still a great first Stephen King read for me.

I haven’t read Pride and Prejudice yet, but this remix by Ibi Zoboi was beautifully done.

We follow Zuri, who’s all about her Brooklyn roots and her family, and then Darius and his wealthy family move in across the street acting real standoffish at first. They definitely start off a little tense, but watching their relationship slowly grow was so good.

Everything about this story just worked for me, the characters felt real, the sense of community was so strong, and the romance was done in such a soft, meaningful way. You could really feel the tension and growth between them.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo, and she did an amazing job bringing the story to life. Her voice added so much emotion and realness.

This book started off really strong and had my full attention. We follow a mother, Santie, and her daughter Ady during slavery and their journey through everything that came with that time. Once Ady gets separated from her mother and ends up at the Mockingjay Inn, I thought the story was about to dive deeper into the secret society, the spying missions, and all the historical drama.

We do get some of that, but not until the last few chapters. Most of the story focuses more on Ady’s friendships and romantic relationships. Nothing wrong with that, but I was hoping for more of the historical side.

I liked it and the beginning really pulled me in, but it didn’t fully give what I expected.