Wow wow wow. First of all, I love this book. Let’s just get that out the way now. Go buy it or put it on hold at your library or strongly hint at a family member to buy it for you. Seriously. LAST SUMMER ON STATE STREET gives heart and reality to the idea of gentrification by pulling back the veil on what it really is: displacement of those who live in emotional and literal peril and poverty on a daily basis. There’s themes of Black girlhood interwoven with the complexities of being Black and poor; and I loved the moments Wolfe gives us of Fe Fe and her friends just being little girls trying to enjoy their summer. 

I loved the stylistic choice of the narrator telling us her story with a measure of hindsight, and it’s always fascinating reading a story where we know, in a larger sense, how it ends. It lends to a sense of foreboding but also allows us to fully focus on the characters and their relationships. We know abstractly where they are headed, but not necessarily how they end up there, and Wolfe does an INCREDIBLE job shepherding us on Fe Fe’s journey. I look forward to more work by this author.

This is perfect for fans of Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams; Everywhere You Don’t Belong by Gabriel Bump; Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley; and Lot by Bryan Washington.

Loved the social media aspect of this and found it both funny and introspective, especially in regards to how self-love is an ever evolving concept for most of us. SET ON YOU does an excellent job showing how self-love and self-acceptance and growth is not a linear journey. I also appreciated how Crystal’s personal journey had to blossom before she could truly invest in her relationship with Scott and how Scott, in turn, understood and respected that. Great book for fans of The Brown Sisters series by Talia Hibbert; Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai; and Savvy Sheldon Feels Good As Hell by Taj McCoy!

Whew, what can I say about this one? There’s nothing necessarily shocking about NIGHTCRAWLING and that’s what, I think, makes it tragic. It doesn’t explicitly state “this is horrible” and it’s in this lack of acknowledgement and in the acceptance Kiara has of her circumstances that made parts of this book make me want to weep for Black girls everywhere. This not a book you can zoom through; it makes you take your time with it.  The writing is beautiful and deceptively intricate, and there’s whole gut-wrenching lines and paragraphs that sneak up on you. Leila Mottley is truly an author to look out for, and I’m looking forward to reading more of her work.

SAVVY SHELDON FEELS GOOD AS HELL by Taj McCoy: After being dumped by her utterly garbage longtime boyfriend because he wants to “upgrade,” Savvy Sheldon begins to take a hard look at her life and what actually makes her feel happy and questions does it align with what she’s always thought she wanted from life. She starts a simultaneous full-life renovation, where she begins to have feelings for her contractor who she also unintentionally insulted, feels the mounting pressure of her job, and begins examining her relationship with her body, all with an awesome squad of friends and the goal of reclaiming her happiness.

Vaishnavi Patel’s KAIKEYI is a hard to put down mythological fantasy featuring beautiful, illustrious writing and an intense sense of foreboding and tension that the author wields masterfully. Following a bold and flawed protagonist, Kaikeyi uses an intriguing magic system that explores the ways in which human nature unfolds and the intrinsic manipulative nature we all have the potential to tap into. I’ll definitely read more by this author.

This was a cool start to a new trilogy! The debut and opener of The Sandsea Trilogy, THE STARDUST THIEF features lots of twists and turns. I enjoyed the swift pacing, which was supported by short chapter lengths and multiple POVs — the plot is kept moving and kept me engaged. I would recommend to someone just starting out in adult fantasy but is scared of where to start; it’s not a dense book but it’s still a lush and rich world and it jumps right into the action. Plus, it has the feel of a fairytale.