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…

Brooklyn. Tracy Brown. 2024. Griffin. 324 pages. [Source: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]  So thankful to have been chosen to give a review of this book. I’ve been a fan of Tracy Brown and knowing this was her last piece of work made it extra special. Very “Coldest Winter Ever” – esque, I both loved and loathed Brooklyn. Life dealt her a bad time but she has a special knack for turning a bad hand into the worst possible scenario. The book had moments of intense momentum and other times it felt like it dragged – something I find consistent with Tracy Brown’s works. Thankfully, she endears you so strongly to the characters that you ride the wave with no objections. 5 stars.

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…

Madam X. Niobia Bryant. 2023. Dafina. 320 pages. [ARC provided courtesy of publisher via NetGalley for an unbiased review.] Loved it! Have we read about Desdemona before?? I feel like I haven’t…if I’m right and this is a new character – I need some “flash book” books. The character was endearing and seemed to have enough history for a series on her past to be built. I love the self discovery and romance plot, mixed in with the mystery of who told. Felt like the reveal came out of nowhere, but overall, I enjoyed. 4 stars.