Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Friday I’m in Love

Author: Camryn Garrett

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Black Pansexual MC, Black characters, Black bisexual vegetarian character, FF romance

Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, romance, LGBT, FF romance, coming out

Publication Date: January 10, 2023

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Age Relevance: 14+ (cursing, religion, teen pregnancy, sexual content, HP mention, religious trauma, romance, cultural appropriation, racism, underage alcohol consumption, death, homophobia, bullying, white saviorism, forcing out)

Explanation of Above: There is slight cursing in the book. There are multiple mentions and a scene showing the Christian religion and there is some implied religious trauma discussed and mentioned. There is romance and slight mentions of sexual content in the form of teen pregnancy (mentioned) and a couple of jokes kids make. There is one HP mention, however it is in the context that the author is transphobic and there is an alternative book suggestion given. There are mentions and scenes of cultural appropriation, racism, and white saviorism. There are brief showings of underage alcohol consumption. Death is mentioned. There are scenes and mentions of homophobia and threats of being outted. There is some bullying shown as well.

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Pages: 288

Synopsis: Mahalia Harris wants.

She wants a big Sweet Sixteen like her best friend Naomi.
She wants the super cute new girl Siobhan to like her back.
She wants a break from worrying--about money, snide remarks from white classmates, pitying looks from church ladies . . . all of it.

Then inspiration strikes: It's too late for a Sweet Sixteen, but what if she had a Coming Out Party? A singing, dancing, rainbow-cake-eating celebration of queerness on her own terms.

The idea lights a fire in her, and soon Mahalia is scrimping and saving, taking on extra hours at her afterschool job, trying on dresses, and awkwardly flirting with Siobhan, all in preparation for the Coming Out of her dreams. But it's not long before she's buried in a mountain of bills, unfinished schoolwork, and enough drama to make her English Lit teacher blush. With all the responsibility on her shoulders, will Mahalia's party be over before it's even begun?

A novel about finding yourself, falling in love, and celebrating what makes you you.

Review: I loved this book so much! I was immediately enthralled by the writing and the story flowed so well. The book dealt with a lot of heavy topics and also poverty, but did so in a very delicate but firm manner that I think a lot of teens would appreciate seeing and reading about. The book did well with the character development and world building. I loved the plot and I rooted for the character the whole time I was reading. The book also did well with the HP mention and I loved the alternative suggestion of Percy Jackson.

The only issue I had with the book is that I felt like the romance was a bit too fast and there were some fast paced moments that I thought could have been slowed down and better explained.

Verdict: It was great! I love it! Highly recommend!