Monday’s Not Coming. Tiffany D. Jackson. 2018. Katherine Tegen Books. 432 pages. [Source: public library.] Friendships during your teen years can often feel like a lifeline when you’re navigating home, school, hormones, and the rest that comes with transitioning from a kid to a young adult. That is absolutely the reality for Claudia and Monday, best friends who are on the brink of 8th grade. Although their home lives are markedly different, the two are kindred spirits facing life together. That changes when Claudia returns to Washington, D.C. from her annual summer vacation to Georgia. Despite promises, Monday hasn’t written a single letter and doesn’t show up for school for months. No one notices, no one looks, and no one cares about Monday’s disappearance except Claudia. Early in the book, Claudia asks: “How can a whole person, a kid, disappear and no one say a word?” This is central to the plot of the book, which follows Claudia in her pursuit of the truth about where Monday’s been. With Monday’s Not Coming, Jackson has given a voice to stories that often go unheard. Missing black girls and women do not get the same media coverage as other demographics, though their…

I Think I Might Need You. Christina C. Jones. 2019. 135 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] The Love sisters are back, and this time Joia is front and center, literally and figuratively. She’s a social media influencer whose focus on a fit and nutritious lifestyle has garnered her a significant following of folks invested in her knowledge and life. That increases when she gets a bombshell on a livestream that throws her life into a tailspin. Joia is living her best life, unencumbered by things that don’t serve her well; that includes dating. She’s done with men who aren’t capable of giving her the respect she deserves, and is working on building her own empire. The last thing she needs is her ex, Teddy — as fine as he may be — popping up trying to get that old thing back after 8 years. So while he tries to assert himself back into her life, she’s trying to figure out how to adjust to her new normal and all the uncertainty that comes with it. The story itself is messy, which makes it all the more entertaining. Joia has to grapple with a major life change that she’ll live out publicly….

I Think I Might Love You. Christina C. Jones. 2019. 130 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] I haven’t enjoyed a book quite the way I enjoyed I think I Might Love You in a while. I mean put the Kindle down, guffaw, and wipe tears from my eyes laughing. This book is so fun and so real. I Think I Might Love You doesn’t start off like you’d think a romance would. Jaclyn, a bit tipsy, strolls into her sister’s apartment only wanting some good ice cream to ease the pain of finding out her boyfriend has a whole wife and family he’s been hiding. She finds the ice cream, but also finds a naked dude in the kitchen. She punches him and locks herself in the bedroom, only to wonder where the hell her sister is. She later finds out Kadan is actually a legitimate subletter … awkward. That’s just the first of many awkward and uncomfortable — if not completely hilarious — interactions between the two. Their “courtship” is anything but. I mean, she intended to use him as DoD* and saved him in her phone as “Dicky McStrangerballs.” (Shoutout to Mrs. Jones for that piece of literary excellence…

Living in the Middle. A. Robert Allen. 2019. 247 pages. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of author.] There’s no greater challenge than finding the balance between how you see yourself and how others see you. Living in the Middle effectively conveys the notion of identity being fluid and the impact of external forces. I found the opening chapter to be confusing and difficult to understand prior to the introduction of Jimmy, which made it challenging to get into the book. The historical accuracy of the book throughout is phenomenal, but was presented in a rudimentary manner which makes it better suited for those without extensive knowledge or familiarity with/on the Tulsa Race Riots. Overall, I appreciated this book more for its historical relevance then for its novel components – the romantic relationship between Mercy and Jimmy was irrelevant, as were the Grimes/Glax interactions. I often found the dialogues to be strained and unbelievable. Sadly, the parts I loved most were the parts that were the quickest to read, leaving me hungry for more. The build up to the actual insurgence, the day of, and the immediate aftermath could’ve easily been more than half of the book. Three stars for Living in…

No review, this time, sorry. Instead, I’m shining the spotlight on a book I am highly anticipating — The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love with Me by Keah Brown. It’s set for a late summer release, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. In full transparency, I didn’t know who Keah Brown was before 3 days ago, when I saw it featured in a catalog of upcoming releases. But I stopped at this cover. Why? Because it’s rare that I see a book representing Black women’s joy. There she is on the cover of her book exuding what looks like carefree bliss. Then, when I read the subtitle and saw it focused on a Black woman with a disability? I knew there would be no question that I’d be reading her book. Why? I am a Black woman with a disease that severely limits my mobility. It is apparent as soon as I walk into a room, so I move through the world as a Black, disabled woman. This perspective is rarely represented in media, and it is becoming a more salient aspect of my own identity as…