Wonder. Christina C. Jones. 2019. Warm Hues Creative. 283 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] I’ve grown to look forward to the new book that comes on the heels of any Christina C. Jones announcement that she’s trying something out of her comfort zone. From experience, I know that book will test boundaries, explore new ideas, and make me check my assumptions about my own worldview. Wonder is no different. It is a post-apocalyptic reimagining of a classic fairy tale that felt so right that it stands on its own. Wonder focuses on Aly, a 25 year old living more than a century after modern-day climate change has reared its ugly head, leaving Earth a collapsed shell of itself. A talented hair stylist who works in the privileged Apex, Aly lives in the less affluent Mids. Her ability to straddle both worlds is based on a keen ability to navigate relationships, social class, and the dangerous streets of her home. With only her grandmother and sister, Nadiah, in her life, Aly lives her life nose to the grindstone, until her sister goes missing. The rest of the book follows Aly as she ventures outside her city limits to find out who took her sister and determine how to get her back. In…

Ready. Bria Felicien. 2017. 192 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited]. Nothing makes for an interesting love story quite like the friend zone. In this story, Jade is a college senior, and a star on her college’s soccer team. It seems fitting that her closest guy friend is a star basketball player at the rival college across town. Their friendship is one based on mutual support and understanding of the significance of athletics in their lives. And also came out of her blocking him when he tried to shoot his shot with her two years prior. The challenge, though, comes with Jade’s failed relationship with a guy Bryce knew would let her down. Now that they’re both on the market, they can’t help but wonder if the feelings they’ve tried tamping down over time could actually amount of something meaningful. There are, of course, some wrenches. Bryce is a big deal on his campus, which comes with a lot of eager female fans that make Jade wary of taking him seriously as a partner. Something that jumped out at me most about this book was how the author was able to hone in on some developmental issues facing college students. Jade in…

A Princess in Theory. Alyssa Cole. 2018. Avon Books. 373 pages. [Source: Public Library.] A Princess in Theory is a book I couldn’t ignore. I saw frequently in passing, but not at times when I was adding to my TBR pile. Finally, seeing it on the Goodreads lists for best romance book of 2018 made me stop and check it out. Surely, there was some hype I was missing. I thought this was a cute story, but it didn’t draw me in. In fact, it took me 3 separate checkouts over 4 months to finish. I was pretty shocked by this, because the reason I was interested in reading it was due to how much fanfare I’d seen about it. I was disappointed that I was immediately sucked into the story. That being said, A Princess in Theory, is an enjoyable, if not predictable fairy tale. I mean, it has to be, if I went through the trouble of checking it out thrice. I was entertained by the somewhat awkward courtship between Naledi and Thabiso, and genuinely was interested in seeing how their story could be resolved. Naledi is a hard working graduate student whose nuisance du jour is the never-ending emails she gets on behalf of…

Everything to Me. AC Taylor. 2017. 177 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] Haze and Dominic have an oddly intimate friendship. Dominic’s an R&B star who immediately claims Haze as his friend when he visits her ice cream shop while on vacation in Hawaii. For her part, Haze has run to Hawaii in an attempt to heal from her mother’s recent death. Despite them both being from Dallas, it’s only half a world away that they connect, but they fall into a friendship that’s actually valued by both of them. They have an open enough friendship that both acknowledge wanting more. On the other hand, both are realistic enough to know that Haze is not well-suited for the high scrutiny and aggressive pace of Dominic’s lifestyle.  The author was able to capture their obvious affection for each other, but perhaps a bit too well. I often felt it was unrealistic that the visit in this book was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. But sometimes you just reach a tipping point. An added complication is that Haze’s best friend, Avery, is behind a popular celebrity gossip blog and podcast.  Naturally, Haze feels pressure to insulate her friend from Avery’s scrutiny…

Wins & Losses. Alexandra Warren. 2018. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] For her twentieth release, Alexandra Warren outdid herself. Wins & Losses is a page-turner that I couldn’t put down and gets my strong recommendation.  With this release, she demonstrated that she’s capable of more than just telling a story, but is able to make a compelling critique of current events in an authentic and insightful way. The book starts with Carmen at her father’s funeral, reeling from his yet-unsolved murder.  Charles Wellington was an integral and well-loved member of their community so his death doesn’t make sense to anyone.  In the wake of his death, Carmen has to figure out how to support her 17-year-old brother Jordan who is captain of the basketball team and in the midst of his final year of high school when she lives hours away with her fiance Will.  Luckily, Jordan’s basketball couch, a former rival, Nasir, is staunchly in his corner and willing to be a pillar of support for them both while they figure out their new normal. Warren prefaced this book by sharing that it isn’t anything like what she’s written previously, and she’s spot on.  One of the most prevalent themes in this book…