CW: mentions of physical violence and on page physical violence, vomit, targeted violence, manipulation, discussions and demonstrations of racism (including systemic racism), white savior discussions/trope, visualized violence (violence thought about being inflicted on someone else, but not carried out), self-harm, intentional harm inflicted on another person

4.5! Listen...I can't relate to the people who didn't enjoy this. One, this book is written in a way that is supposed to keep you off kilter and uncomfortable. There are a lot of undercurrents in play here and so those uncomfortable feelings don't just come from one particular place. This put me into a similar mindset as When No One Was Watching towards the end of the story (which isn't a spoiler, but definitely a clue). I will say this, if you're not a Black reader and this book makes you feel some type of way, this may be a great time to do some soul searching and reflection on WHY you couldn't sit in that uncomfortable feeling and what caused them.

The focus of this story is Farrah, a young Black girl currently going through having her life being upended because of her parents financial troubles. She's been staying with her best friend Cherish, another young Black girl, though she was adopted by white parents. Farrah sees everything as a mental game. Nothing is every as it seems and everyone always has ulterior motives. Everyone except White Girl Spoiled, naïve Cherish. Farrah's determined to have a say in her future. Control. That's the key. She's in control of her life and everything around her and she won't accept anything less. Except, maybe Farrah isn't as in control as she'd like to think. And maybe, just maybe, someone knows how to play this game better than she does.

I've seen a few reviews that said that none of these characters were likable. That's absolutely true. I'm of the mindset though that I don't have to like the characters to like a book: another thing that makes me put this book in the same category of When No One Was Watching. Each character has their own flaws. None are better than they other, just different in the how and why. Farrah and Cherish are certainly at the center of this story, though maybe not for the reasons that you think.

Every new layer and element that was revealed only served to draw me in more until I was on the edge of my seat. Maybe I had such a great reaction to this because I listened to the audio, but I don't have a single regret.

CW: Sexual Content, Homophobia, Difficult parental relationships

Ablaze was just what the doctor ordered for February. A polyamorous romance starring three beautiful black people? Friends to lovers? Workplace Romance? Sexiness?! Check, check, check, CHECK!

Mari and Mason are no stranger to each others bodies or lives. They've been on again/off again friends with benefits for years. Mason has always known he's loved Mari, but she constantly pushing him away. It's her way of trying to keep from hurting him, but it always had the opposite effect. Still, they can't seem to keep away from each other. So when Mason asks Mari to accompany him to an investor's party as his date, she happily agrees.

Enter Daniel. Daniel is the son of said investor and from the moment he lays eyes on them, he's sucked into Mari and Mason's web. He's very clear in that he wants a polyam relationship, but the concept is new to both Mari and Mason (though technically they've been living that way for awhile). While Mason is hesitant because he doesn't want his heartbroken, Mari has different reasons for resisting getting into a relationship with these two men: she doesn't want to hurt them, but she's also terrified of what her friends and family may think of the arrangement. There's no denying their attraction to one another though and pretty soon this triad gets more than they originally bargained for.

Let me tell y'all my favorite thing about this book: The communication. Daniel's biggest thing is that there always needs to be communication between their triad, no matter how uncomfortable the topic may be. His past has shown him that when communication isn't at the forefront of a relationship, especially a polyamorous relationship and a relationship involving kink, things can go bad very quickly. His proclivity to communicate any and everything eventually find their way into Mari and Mason. Mason quickly realizes that this is one of the biggest things that has always been missing from his interactions with Mari. They've never taken the time to communicate what they both want, which has led to heartbreak and misunderstandings. Mari's scared of opening those communication channels, but Daniel and Mason both teach her that life is better when you can talk through even your biggest fears.

The three of them each brought something to the table in their relationship. I was pleasantly surprised to see that even though Mari and Mason were the ones with a prior relationship, Mason and Daniel were the two who really shined. All in all, I had a great time reading this and even though I wanted to smack Mari a few times, everything worked out for the best.

This book was beautifully written. The prose sucked me in and the story itself was tragic, but again beautiful. Audre and Mabel’s relationship had me ready to cry, but I loved being able to watch them connect and grow. 

The one thing I wished I’d known or liked to before reading was that cancer plays a big role in the book because it was a bit triggering for me, so that wasn’t fun. That’s a me thing though. But if leukemia/cancer is a painful point for you, it’s in this book heavy. Also homophobia, masturbation, prison/death row, death/dying.

Oh my goodness, the art, the concept, the stories. This was Black Girl Magic personified. I loved the emphasis on hair because as a Black woman, hair is such an important aspect of who I am. Each person involved had their own story to tell, but they all intertwined. This is definitely a group of friends that I would love to be a part of .It was also interesting to see what role hair played in each story. I hope we get more of this in the future.