Where’s the Fun in Forever. Ashley. 2023. 98 page. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] A vacation fling always makes for a fun, and hopefully enticing, story. In Where’s the Fun in Forever, Moira and Chance find themselves vacationing on a beautiful Hawaiian island and connect through a series of extremely unfortunate events. While they’re away from home hoping to escape the drudgery of their daily lives, they also can’t seem to stay out of each other’s paths. Both decide to take a chance (no pun intended) to open themselves up to new adventures and experiences, and the result is a passionate fling neither expects to extend to the mainland. Of course things are rarely that simple, so the core of this story is about what brought the two to Hawaii in the first place and later questions what’s next for the pair. Much of the focus is on Moira — her backstory, her relationships, and her changing needs. This isn’t to say that Chance was completely ignored, but he wasn’t given the same depth of backstory or character development she was. At times, it felt that Chance was more of a driver for Moira’s growth and it wasn’t always reciprocated in his…

The House of Eve. Sadeqa Johnson. 2023. Simon & Schuster. 384 pages. [Source: Public library.] In her latest release, Sadeqa Johnson skillfully weaves together the lives of two women, seemingly worlds apart, whose paths eventually cross, leaving both forever changed. The resulting story is one that explores the lengths one will go to for acceptance and the pursuit of their happiness. It’s 1949. In Philadelphia, 15-year-old Ruby fights nonstop obstacles to obtain a prestigious scholarship that she knows are her only path out of poverty. In Washington, D.C., Eleanor is a focused undergraduate at Howard University who’s determined to make the most of her opportunity in a city far from home. Both find themselves in tempted by relationships that threaten to derail the carefully laid plans they’ve created for themselves. Ruby finds herself getting close to a neighborhood Jewish boy whose family isn’t as open-minded toward her as he is. Eleanor faces a similar situation, with a med student who comes from the “right” family with the “right” background, something she doesn’t share. For both, the book explores how they navigate their environments in their attempts to create stability and a sense of belong for themselves. Johnson has a way…

You Are Ketchup: And Other Fly Music Industry Tales. Kokayi. 2022. Backbeat Books. 212 pages. [Source: Public library.] As a longtime DMV* resident and fan of countless musicians originating here, I’m not a stranger to seeing Kokayi’s name, well, everywhere. I wasn’t, however, familiar with the full scope of his career, and when the opportunity came to read his new release, You Are Ketchup, I jumped at the chance.  Y.A.K. is part memoir-part advice manual for up-and-coming musicians/artists, but is filled with career, life, and love lessons for anyone who picks it up.  Using the metaphor of ketchup as a commodity, Kokayi sets artists up for critical thought and planning about their talent, marketability, aspirations, and expectations — nearly every aspect of their career .  He’s not preachy or even “one size fits all,” in his approach, and he doesn’t hold any cards.  The game is the game, and the way he presents his own experiences allows for direct advice to help artists move through their career with intentionality so they can actually enjoy one with longevity and viability. Kokayi is a brilliant storyteller and deftly balances painful memories and honest truths with just enough humor to take the edge…

The Two Lives of Sara. Catherine Adel West. 2022. Park Row. 320 pages. [Source: Public Library.] The Two Lives of Sara opens with the titular character musing about her new life. Having fled Chicago only months prior, she’s still adjusting to life in Memphis, not only as a newcomer in the community but as a new mother as well. Her son, Lebanon, is a responsibility she’ll take, but bringing herself to connect with and love him is a task almost too much to bear because of what he represents to her. As she gets her bearings, she joins a tight-knit group of residents who make their home in The Scarlet Poplar, a boarding house run by Mama Sugar. To say Sara has trauma is an understatement. She is reminded constantly of her abusive life in Chicago, and is still grieving the loss of relationships with her loved ones. Much of this book felt like watching Sara try to settle into her new community and while simultaneously fighting against the feeling of trust and safety among people who came to care deeply for her and Lebanon. She spends a lot of time and energy resisting relationships and the possibility of building…

We Over Me: The Counterintuitive Approach to Getting Everything You Want from Your Relationship. Devale & Khadeen Ellis. 2023. Rodale Books. 288 pages.  [Source: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.] To many in the IG/podcast/Youtube streets, Devale and Khadeen Ellis aren’t new faces; their popularity as a millennial couple has grown over the years as they’ve let the general public in on their lives as influencers/entertainers and parents to “four whole boys.” I’ve certainly followed their growth over the years, and was pleasantly surprised by the announcement the couple had written a book. We Over Me is a further look behind the curtain of the couple’s relationship while also presenting the approach they’ve grown into that has allowed them to stay together more than two decades.   We Over Me chronicles the trajectory of Devale and Khadeen’s relationship while incorporating insights from the lessons they learned along the way.  Each chapter covers a particular time in their relationship and a challenge they overcame, with alternating perspectives from Devale and Khadeen explaining their thoughts at the time as well as their reflections having seen the other side of the issue. Interspersed are “hot takes” from…