SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE is the Black tortured-souls love story with New York vibes that we all never knew we needed lol. This novel is an excellent portrayal of the constant journey that is mental health, as well as how Black people are allowed to be super messy and still deserving of love and personhood. We have the right to be imperfect and loved in our imperfections. I loved the characters, the story construction, and the dual-timeline. Audre, Eva’s daughter, is awesome, and I want a daughter like her lmao.

I’ll be honest: I wasn’t really feeling Naema in the beginning of this book. Sis and I were not vibing at all, but I grew to appreciate not just Naema but what Bethany C. Morrow was trying to do.

A CHORUS RISES explains the multifaceted nature of Black girlhood and the double-edge sword of “I don’t see you as Black” comments. I loved Naema’s characterization and growth, but I also appreciated how she’s not a likable character. Even though I found myself wanting to scream at her, she grew on me by the middle of the book, and even if she hadn’t, Morrow does an excellent job demonstrating that you don’t have to or need to find Black girls “likable” or “relatable” to respect, value, and protect our humanity and our right to be supremely flawed.

Naema is definitely smart and not easily outwitted. There’s themes of survival as a Black girl in predominantly white settings and the importance of knowing one’s history. I especially enjoyed Naema and Courtney’s bond, and I’m excited (and hope) to see more in this universe that Bethany C. Morrow has created.

A hilarious Middle Grade fantasy packed with Ghanian culture and folklore, Kwame Crashes the Underworld is an action-packed story that still boasts great character development and an expert exploration of grief and depression in pre-teens. Framer does an excellent job exploring the complexities of mourning, especially the young mourning the elderly, and how unprocessed grief can manifest negatively in other ways. Kwame Crashes the Underworld also investigates the 2nd/3rd-generation immigrant expericence for a pre-teen who feels displaced from ancestral culture and what it means to truly ~be~ from a place.

Brimming with hilarity and a protagonist with a distinct voice, confidence, and sense of humor, Payal Mehta’s Romance Revenge Plot is a feel-good YA contemporary that deals with 2nd-generation immigrant identity, micro-aggressions, and the importance of cherishing the relationships with those that understand you rather than trying to fix toxic bonds or ones that don’t serve you in order to prove a point. Payal is a complex, stubborn, and intelligent main character, and all the side characters are fleshed out and realized in a way that makes this story feel almost like a teen romcom movie. I do wish we’d gotten a bit more interaction between Payal and her two besties, as their scenes together were fun, heartwarming, and hilarious.

The back and forth between present-day and memories is unclear and makes for a confusing reading experience. The pacing is uneven.