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…

Promise Boys. Nick Brooks. 2023. Henry Holt & Co. 279 pages. [Source: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.] The beloved principal of Urban Promise Prep is dead from a single gunshot to the head. Three suspects — his own students — are in custody. While police work to find a motive for who would murder a man working to save so many at risk boys, the three students are seeing the futures they’ve worked for crumbling in front of them. Promise Boys follows J.B., Ramon, and Trey as they try to prove their innocence. To outsiders, they each appear to have a compelling motive to hurt Principal Moore, who seems to have a penchant for humiliating them under the guise of discipline. J.B. is described as quiet and smart, but with a size that intimidates and strength that hurts. Ramon is an aspiring entrepreneur whose affiliation with a local gang constantly asks him to choose between the life he wants and the reality he’s in. Trey has already been labelled a troublemaker, but the profile he brings to the school’s basketball team is hard to ignore. Almost immediately, the community erupts into a…

Chaos Theory. Nic Stone. 2023. Crown Books. 288 pages. [ARC provided courtesy of publisher via NetGalley for an unbiased review.] Nic Stone earned stars before I read the first line of the book. The transparency of her author’s note (I never read those, but read this one) and content warning was so endearing and a testament to who I imagine she is in her everyday life. Yes, she wants you to read her work but the reality of her acknowledging and ensuring you know this may be a mirror riddled with triggers was so-selfless. After swooning for a few moments, and taking the time to send a few “omg, I got it … you need to preorder this … the content warning was OMG,” messages I dove head first into Shelbi and Walter (can I call him that or will I get some random email that says “Andy to you”?). I always love Stone’s use of text messages in her books – it puts you fully in your YA mind and becomes a subtle reminder that in this day and age, that is the bulk of many peoples communication style. The characters were amazing, fully developed, with tons of Life…