Can’t Get Enough. Kennedy Ryan. 2025. Forever. 448 pages. [Source: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.] This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an unbiased review, and I was dancing a whole jig at the “invite” to read it after missing the “read now”. I’d only been stalking the author and site for months. Since the beginning of the Skyland series, I’ve been saying “Kennedy Ryan is writing my soul”. From understanding the how/why with Yas, to reclaiming my identity with Sol, and now navigating the beauty of unexpected outcomes alongside Hen…every step of the way KR pushed resilience and reminders that there will be joy on the other side of these uncomfortable moments. So, imagine my shock when half way through the book and packs of tissues, I realized KR isn’t just writing my soul – she’s writing the soul of EVERY woman that is committed to growth, that’s evolving and stepping through some tough ish to become a better them. I knew I’d love Hen…she’s the friend we all admire and maybe even envy a little bit. I just didn’t realize how much I’d love Hendrix. Ever confident, this…

Church Girl. Naima Simone. 2024. Afterglow Books. 264 pages. [Source: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.] Admittedly, the cover of Church Girl drew me in, and the story held my interest. Aaliyah is a runaway bride who left her small Alabama hometown to get out from under the thumb of her bishop father. She convinces her cousin to take her back to Chicago, where she’s planning to reinvent herself without the overbearing pressure she’s always subject to. Von, however, is basically Aaliyah’s polar opposite. He’s a well-known tattoo artist with a booming business, but is in the midst of a contentious divorce battle with the mother of his young daughter. Their paths cross when Aaliyah interviews to be nanny to Von’s daughter, and they’re at odds almost from the start. Unsurprisingly, Aaliyah grew up very sheltered and has toed the line of expectation her entire life. She’s never been independent and Von immediately picks on her naivete and inexperience. She doesn’t exactly inspire confidence as a nanny, but when Von is forced to give her a chance, they’re both struggling with the antagonistic interactions. They very much fit into the grumpy/sunshine trope, and give…

Twenty-four Seconds from Now … Jason Reynolds. 2024. Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books. 253 pages. [Source: ARC provided by the publisher courtesy of Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.] How many times do Black boys get to be the center of a love story? I don’t mean a coming of age novel with hints of dating among the minutiae of teen life. I mean a story that is completely focused on the evolution of a romantic relationship and its growth over time into new depths and discoveries. With Twenty-four Seconds from Now, Jason Reynolds has created an ode to the complexities of love with all its myriad questions, feelings, and fears, and centers a character that is too often ignored when considering how teens understand and engage around romantic relationships. What immediately stood out to me about this book is that it’s a love story told in reverse. It actually starts with the main character, seventeen year old Neon, psyching himself up for his first time with his girlfriend Aria. From wondering why nobody warned him about the sensory overload he’d experience to questioning if he lotioned his legs, Neon allows the reader an glimpse into the inner world of a…

Share My Life: A Journey of Love, Faith, and Redemption. Kem, with David Ritz. 2023. Simon & Schuster. 272 pages. [Source: ARC provided by the publisher courtesy of Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.] Before reading Share My Life, I wouldn’t have called myself a die-hard Kem fan. I was certainly familiar with some of his larger hits, but I had little familiarity with his overall career or his persona as an artist.  That unfamiliarity allowed me to come into this book with no expectations or assumptions about Kem or his life experiences. Taking its title from one of Kem’s chart-topping hit singles, Share My Life is the story of Kem’s life.  Central to his retelling are themes of family, relationships, work, and faith. The timeline is robust, and actually begins significantly with his mother’s upbringing and the circumstances of his birth. The structure then follows chronologically, following as he moves from Tennessee to Detroit, his discovery of family secrets, and eventual spiral into substance abuse. Share My Life clocks in with 59 chapters, but Kem’s conversational style and thematic chapters make the book very engaging and difficult to put down. What I found especially appealing about this book…

Anxious. Luciana DeLuca. 2024. 32 pages. [Source: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.] A lot on the short side and not what I was expecting considering the usual style of children’s books. There wasn’t a story just a straight diagnosis … almost a checklist of anxiety symptoms presented with pretty pictures. Relatable but not something I’d want to give to a child.