Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle
The rundown: A true romantic, Prince Jones balances his popular love and relationship advice radio segment with being the main caretaker for his mom, who has multiple sclerosis, and his little brother. Dani Ford doesn’t have time for or any interest in love - because she’s got more important things on her mind, like acing senior year, figuring out her college application essay, and avoiding dealing with what happened at that party a while back. Sparks fly between the romantic DJ and the ambitious writer, but Dani isn’t looking to get derailed from her plans. Prince guarantees he’ll need only 3 dates to get Dani to fall in love.
The review: Based on the blurb, you might be tempted to think that this book veers into cheesy territory, but you’d be dead wrong (those 3 dates that Prince and Dani go on are actually really cool and delightfully thoughtful!). LaDelle instead gives us a big-hearted, honest coming-of-age story about two teens dealing with some Major Stuff, with a strong foundation of Black love and culture. Yes, this is a YA romance, and I loved Prince and Dani’s love story. But it explores the heavy, tough issues of each main character with a sensitive, loving hand - without bogging things down and making the book itself feel heavy. This is the kind of YA contemporary romance I want to read.
Goes well with: Joya Goffney’s books make for excellent read-alikes. Check out Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry and her latest Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl.
Grab a copy of Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle for your shelf!