💖 Pub Day Book Review 💖 They Fall In Love At The End By: Haili Blassingame Thank you to @hailiwroteabook for allowing me to host her debut book tour and many thanks to @scribnerbooks for the gifted copy! It’s been a pleasure featuring your book alongside the debuts of other marginalized authors, and I hope that more people read this! I think it’s safe to say that I’m joining so many others who have read this and can’t stop thinking about it. This debut represents everything I LOVE about literary fiction, specifically, literary romance. This is a character driven story told amidst the very real chaos of present day DC. T*ump is president and the world is on fire as Cat, our protagonist, navigates the demands of her MFA program, the complicated dynamics at home, and the MESS of her romantic relationships with Jay, her boyfriend, his best friend, Tristan, and his girlfriend, Nia. I was often reminded of how we are expected to move through the world despite the incredibly chaotic nature of what we experience on a daily basis. At times, that reality is in our faces, then it’s in our peripheral view as we find other distractions, but it’s always present—inescapable in its harshness and the many ways in which it permeates the fabric of our lives. Coupled with the ways in which society demands we conform to its norms and ideals, this one calls for serious introspection and makes the case for choosing yourself, your truth, over that of others—without guilt. Without doubt. Without regrets. This is easily on the same level as a Sally Rooney or Lily King novel, but I can also say with full confidence, that this one is deserving of taking up its own space. As someone who is working on their own manuscripts, I can only hope to write with the same unapologetic voice Blassingame uses. A new favorite 💕 Make sure to catch @booklovebykay for tomorrow’s tour stop and go purchase this one today!
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✨ Book Review ✨ The Poet Empress By: Shen Tao @storygoose ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Happy Wednesday, Booksta! May is almost over and before it ends, I wanted to show some appreciation to @aardvarkbookclub for sending me this book! This was part of a gifted curated box and they knocked it out of the park. I absolutely loved this story and can’t believe it’s a debut! Head over to my Bindery for my full review and to add your reactions! LINK 🔗 IN BIO! Book review, Debut reads, AAPI Month reads, The Poet Empress, Shen Tao, Diverse reads, Dark fantasy
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✨ book recommendation ✨ Double Happiness - out tomorrow! By: Heather Eng Today’s recommendation is one that not only comes out tomorrow, but one that you also have time to read in time for AAPI Month! Thank you so much to @tinyrepbooks and @heatherengwrites for sending this gifted copy and allowing me to do this book tour for her. It’s been so fun and I’m so excited to share your book with others! Double Happiness is Heather Eng’s debut and one for those of us who sometimes seek older characters in a romance novel. I liked this one because it is: ✨ Character driven ✨ Calls for introspection ✨ Provides an opportunity for more depth and reflection In all honesty, like Mei, I’m also at a crossroads professionally, trying to reconcile with the ways that my work environment can contribute to high stress, working wise as hard to get nowhere, and the invisible ceiling that oftentimes exists for women and people of color. In that aspect, this is one of the ways that Eng’s work stands out because Mei’s primary desires don’t revolve around a man, rather, they involve her seeking and demanding what she deserves and is worth professionally. What ends up working well in the end is that we see Mei understand what she wants out of life professionally and romantically, but we also see how Mei realizes the importance of balance. You should pick this one up if you want a more layered contemporary romance that deals with the complications of a taxic work environment, realizing your partner might not be the right person for you, and knowing the importance of choosing yourself. book recommendation, contemporary romance, AAPI month, debut reads, Double Happiness, Heather Eng, diverse reads, BIPOC authors
☕️ coffee and currently reading ☕️ happy weekend 🙂 I’m looking forward to slowing down today and taking the day to settle into reading. At the top of my list? Where The Wildflowers Grow by Terah Shelton Harris. You all know now I feel about One Summer in Savannah, and I’ve been looking forward to this one for so long. Luckily, it’s also the @blackandboundbookclub pick for April too AND I just found out she will be at Park Road Books this coming Friday! I hope you’re able to spend the day reading or doing something you love 💕 💬 qotd: What are your weekend plans or what are you currently reading? Currently Reading • Coffee • Slow Saturdays • Black Books • Black Authors • Terah Shelton Harris • Where The Wildflowers Grow
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