I don’t even remember how I found this book or author but I do remember I downloaded it on a whim because it seemed dramatic and the reviews had me intrigued, but even so I procrastinated on reading it because I had others higher in my queue. Damn am I glad I finally got to it, and mad at myself for not getting to it sooner. This book was everything I love about romance books, especially Black romance books. It was great story, great drama, great supporting characters, great conflict, great humor and great spice. Like literally one of the love scenes is hands down in my Top 5.
It’s a hilariously meta joke in the book that Rome is such a book boyfriend but oowee he was in the best way lol. The love, patience and support her pours into Janelle is goals on so many levels, and he put it down so good on ole girl she was having internal conversations with her ovaries lmao. They were both down atrocious for each other and I loved every second of it.
Now her sister and mother…to not spoil anything Ima just say I’m glad this author didn’t let them off the hook fr, even when Janelle was. The supporting characters weren’t purposefully dense or blind to what was glaringly obvious to further victimize and isolate our girl Janelle like some authors tend to do, and Ms. Natasha Bishop let Janelle get her lick back, respectfully. And she properly showed how cutting toxic relationships out of your life can be a difficult journey, and it’s not a single “gotcha” moment in the last 10 pages, nor is it something you brush off to “forgive and forget” without proper atonement just to have a nice bow at the end. Being the bigger person doesn’t mean taking the hits and turning the other cheek, it’s gracefully standing your ground and firmly putting boundaries in place for your well-being.
What I love most about this book is that the cast is well rounded to be believable and realistic, even with all the drama. One thing that disappoints me in a lot of books is when the main characters relationships are so limited because the author is trying to not have a lot of people around, like only giving each character one friend each or no extended family, but that’s just not realistic, even less so in most Black communities, because we’re just that: a community. This book gave a colorful group of friends, each with their own personalities, that contributed to the flow and enjoyment of the story and trusted us as readers to follow them all, and not just to pique your interest for potential sequels (which it still did), but to genuinely round out the lives and relationships of Janelle and Rome. And I loved the dialogue, both spoken and texted, because it flowed naturally and felt like actual conversations and vernacular I actually use in real life with my own friends and family. I found myself barking with laughter multiple times and I don’t think I’ve ever highlighted so many lines before. I loved that some of the characters happened to be HBCU alum, being one myself, and I loved that all of this existed while having them all be successful in different ways and interested in using it to help their communities without having to put too much or disingenuous focus on it. It just was. Which is exactly how those of us with that mindset and surrounding ourself with the alike via our relationships and organizations are. I’ve also noticed in some other romance stories featuring Black characters that they’re sometimes written a little too “color-blind”, especially when dealing with Black characters of wealth and it grates sometimes because it doesn’t have to be that way.
This was just a joy to read and can’t wait to catch up on Natasha’s other works.
Only for the Week
4.7 | 10,091 ratings
Price: 15.3
Last update: 01-12-2025
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Top reviews from the United States
Olivia JusteenA new favorite for me, a swoon for Janelle and Rome, and a win for Black friendships and relationships!
Chantaya K. Janelle & Rome are it!
amarachireadsStunning vacation romance
LadyLoveReadsLove Love Love
Gracie C. McKeeverNew-to-me author didn't disappoint. Loved this book!
Tara Briggs