Category: Book Review

Book vs. TV Show: The Summer I Turned Pretty

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I’m no expert on how decisions get made when it comes to turning books into movies. But, I’m enjoying writing about it. Amazon Prime has been pushing The Summer I Turned Pretty series hard. I refused to watch until I read (listened) to Book 1 and that Libby wait was a long one. I ultimately decided to wait because I thought the Prime series adaptation would be good for another comparison review.

To be honest I didn’t really love the book – and I’m a fan of Jenny Han. I’ve read all of the P.S. I Love You series (the last one made me cry) & thoroughly enjoyed the movie series as well. However, The Summer I Turned Pretty was giving me lazy beach read. I had no idea how this would translate to the silver screen. As I began to watch the series I noticed A LOT of differences and I realized that they had to add so much to make it more dramatic – there simply was no other way. 

The love triangle seemed childish in the books – but then again this is a young adult series. Unlike the critiques on my last pick on instagram (The Perfect Find) I found myself agreeing with the critiques for this adaption. There is no team Jeremiah or team Conrad. We basically are anti-Belly at this point (I hate being anti a female main character). 

I listened to the book while doing chores and driving. I typically listen to mystery thrillers and that may have contributed to why I found myself getting tired while listening and just lacking overall excitement. My attention was not exactly grabbed by the storyline. I don’t even know that it could be a called a slow-burn romance. It was a flickering of light here and there, barely there smoke signals. The most emotional aspect of course was learning of Susannah’s fate. The moment that I did get excited – Belly getting picked up in secret, came at the very end of the book. I didn’t know if I should be let down or just acknowledge the brilliant cliffhanger. 

Alternatively, the show is giving constant drama. At first I was confused by the debutante story line but it became a great tool for demonstrating the tension between all the different relationships such as between Belly and her mom, Belly and the girls on Cousin’s beach, and of course Susannah’s boys (Conrad and Jeremiah). I found myself more invested in the storyline as I wondered who would be Belly’s date to the debutante ball? How long would Belly actually be able to conceal her feelings or figure out her feelings enough to make a decision? I loved seeing the setting of Cousin’s Beach come alive. 


This is a rare instance in which I think the show adaptation is better than the book and added depth to the story. I’ve been so intrigued by the Prime tv story live that I’ve moved on to despite the fact that I’m once again on a lengthy waiting list for It’s Not Summer Without You (Book 2 of the Series). I usually hate not being able to binge a show and streaming sites not releasing all episodes at once. Admittedly, I have been waiting on baited breath for every new episode.

Book vs. Movie: The Perfect Find Review

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“Black Girls Read Too”  on Facebook might be the only reason I login to that website from time to time. The group page sparked my interest in The Perfect Find, book and movie adaption. Due to Tia Williams’ growing popularity and in anticipation for the Netflix movie, wait times for the book from my preferred sources (Libby, Hoopla, Library) were extremely long. So, ultimately I decided to watch the movie first. 

Before the first official trailer was even released, the complaints about casting were coming in. As a big Gabrielle Union fan I couldn’t quite understand all the hate. Then, the movie came out – more and more bad reviews were coming out. Book lovers always feel like something is rushed or missing etc. But the reviews I saw were overwhelmingly agreeing that the movie was all bad. 

Personally, I watched the movie without any bias. It was easy to do because I hadn’t read the book yet. Before I yelled into the abyss that not everything can be a mini-series people! I patiently waited for the novel to be available and get to me via inter library loan. After staying up until 4am to finish reading I must say I do understand why so many fans had something to say about the movie. However, I think I can now fairly assess the movie compared to the book. 

I found that the movie mostly kept true to what made the characters who they are. Obviously they updated some things for a more modern landscape, but it ultimately follows a fallen from grace beauty editor that has to beg for a job from her nemesis, who happens to be a CEO of a successful beauty media outlet. The respect for old-school Hollywood and Nina Mae McKinney is just as strong in the movie as it is in the book. The quirky one liners and the banter is stripped right from the book into the movie as well. My favorite scene in the movie ended up being true to the book – the dinner party scene had me both cracking up and feeling spicy while reading as well as watching it on screen. 

I saw one instagram comment critique that the cab scene happened too soon, I have to disagree. It happens in Chapter 8 of the book. That’s pretty soon. I wonder if people bothered to read the book again before the movie or if they were just making comments off of when they first read the book years ago – you can’t trust that opinion. 

And as I continued to read I realized it wasn’t so much that Gabrielle and Keith didn’t have chemistry, it was that Jenna & Eric had a deep lust and love that were coming alive from the pages of the book and you wanted to see it as deep on screen. I don’t know what two actors could accurately display that deepness of both emotions. Jenna & Eric needed each other, they were in each other’s bones. I believe Gabrielle & Keith had a lot of chemistry from the first party scene to the small touches they shared at photoshoots. 

The movie gave romantic comedy and cheesy. I gather the audience was looking for a more desperate longing and dramatic type of movie. I agree that based on how deep the relationship was felt there could have been more time spent on that. As I read the book I felt a desire to have someone know me by heart and when I watched the book I felt a desire to just be excited about love again. I found The Perfect Find to be an engaging and entertaining love story in both formats. 

A difference that I personally felt when reading the story vs. watching it was more of a relatability to Jenna. There were aspects of her personality that I could identify with that weren’t necessarily present during the movie. It wasn’t just that she was having to get back to her career and prove herself – it was the doubt and wonder on whether that part of her career was what she wanted. Can the depth of all these complex emotions be explored in a movie? Not sure that was even the vibe for a Netflix romantic comedy movie that wasn’t even a full two hours (although, I would have enjoyed a full two hours with these characters and this story overall). 

Funnily enough, I found Darcy from the book worse than in the movie. At least Gina Torres’ portrayal of Darcy provided some comedy. The Darcy in the book was downright nasty. She was beyond cut throat and I couldn’t believe some of her actions towards her own son.  

I have complicated feelings about the ending. I felt like the movie definitely went into a more socially accepted narrative. I don’t want to give anything away but the major event at the end was the same but the response that Jenna had was different. I think I agree with how the book ended more – but I guess it could be argued that the right way to go about it was the way that the movie ended.  

I see the pros and cons of the movie adaptation. Overall, I just can’t hate this movie. Was the book more complex and passionate in some ways? Yes. But, say what you will, the movie still got me excited about love and I think it is the perfect Rom-com for a Saturday movie night in.  

Red Lip Theology | Book Review by Sam

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Red Lip Theology is a journey into how Candice Marie Benbow found a God she could believe in and be in relationship with. The book is part memoir, part tribute to her mother, part religious text. Ms. Benbow is a theologian with degrees from Tennessee State University, North Carolina Central University, and Duke Divinity School. Ms. Benbow clearly has not only the knowledge but the background to write on this topic, but what really makes the book come alive is her lived experiences that she can speak and teach through. This book is for every Black millenial girl who grew up in church or wants to believe in God, but hasn’t been able to reconcile their beliefs with their experiences in the world.

Review:

Candice Marie Benbow starts Red Lip Theology by providing the context for how she came up with this particular theology. She also gives us her life story and the definition (“Red Lip Theology is the space in which young, Black church women can sit with the parts of ourselves and be honest about all of them. Within these borders, there are boundless possibilities for who we can become and how we can life into our faith.”) she finally lands on after years of experience. Ms. Benbow is vulnerable right from the beginning of the text and details how the structure of her book was born out of her process of getting ready. Her daily routine of getting ready became a ritual that was part of her affirmations as well, it came at a time when she was depressed but her friends saw fit to let her know that she should get ready for the world despite what was going on in her life. Her best friend Sheleda made her promise to do so and told Benbow “it was time to get back to [herself]”.

The scene of the Black church being a place of contradictions seems all too familiar. It is where a lot of Southern Black girls were raised and nurtured, however it is also a place that can be filled with judgment and abuse. Finding God in that can be difficult. 

Her time in college and learning about Womanist Theology also mirrored my experience. I was learning about Feminism and womanism and questioning how all of these ideals could fit in with my faith. I actually wrote my senior thesis in college on Womanist Theology. In this book Benbow expands on Womanist Theology and creates something new for Black women millennials grappling with the world around them as well as the faith they grew up with and still hold dear. 

What I found profound about Benbow’s revelation is when she writes “if all of creation is holy, then Black girls and women are holy, too” and she details just how we remain holy even when we are in the depths of despair and even when we think that God is not there. Even in our hot mess, God is there. Benbow reminds us that we are doing the best that we can and where we fall short – God’s grace, God’s love covers us. 

Read this book if you’re a Black girl wondering how to piece together your faith with your life in today’s times. You will feel comforted and less alone by the end of the book. I truly believe it’s a must read for every Black woman and get ready to highlight!

 

People Person | Book Review by Felicia

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Ranking: 4 Stars, This book was quite a page turner. The drama! The Thrills! The Family! I did not expect anything that happened but I was happy to keep on reading. 

About: People Person is about the children of Cyril Pennington and how they grow and learn to deal with life with a deadbeat father. The majority of the story comes from Dimples pov. Dimple is the middle child who brings all the siblings back together when her life begins to unravel out of control. 

Review:  I came in expecting to read a low stake family fiction novel. Instead, this novel included a fast pace low key thriller element to it. The family dynamics from distant to close knit was terrific to read. We had the chance to read about each sibling and see a more in depth view on where they are coming from. I personally got a bit tired of Dimple, the main character, being taken advantage of over and over again. But, I am glad you get to see the rest of the siblings come in to defend or help her out. This book covers some intense topics  but it also has wholesome moments that don’t make it real issues overbearing. I highly suggest you pick this novel up and read it. 

Black Girl in Paris | Book Review by Sam

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Black Girl in Paris by Shay Youngblood is a coming of age novel. After reading about the author’s life this novel felt like perhaps a dramatized version of her life. The main character (Eden), like the author, is a writer, who moves to Paris to follow her creative dreams and like the author takes on odd jobs to make a living until she can hopefully make it big as a writer. We follow as Eden goes through the harsh realities of being in what’s supposed to be the Black creative mecca.

Review:

The backdrop of Black Girl in Paris by Shay Youngblood is Paris in the mid-1980s. When we are introduced to Eden, she seems like a naive but hopeful 20-something year old. She moves to Paris because all the great Black artists of the Harlem Renaissance that she looks up to moved there to thrive creatively. However, she moves to Paris with no money at all. A young Black Parisian girl takes her under her wing and she is saved momentarily.

From there Eden becomes a nanny and then engages in a few other questionable activities to make money. You can feel her desperation to live and eat and simply take care of herself through the pages. Eden meets several interesting characters throughout her time in Paris – and not all of them mean her well. She will not always navigate being introduced to these characters in the smartest way but she does always learn a lesson and shares it with us. You may read and want Eden to win as a fellow creative, you may want to see a dream realized. But internally you may also be screaming at her “Girl, does this make sense?” 

In true artist form you will read about Eden seemingly to fall in love multiple times for different reasons with men, women, and I would go so far as to say queer persons although the author does not specifically identify them as such. The author highlights love in several forms, the romantic sense as well as the community sense. The importance of having a home away from home – in a place, a person, a community is evident. It is often the life force that helps you keep going. In the variety of characters that we learn about you may find someone that is familiar to you – I know this was true for me as someone who lived abroad and lived in 3 different cities throughout my 20s.  

The author made stylistic choices to continue to bring to the forefront that this is Paris in the 80s and racism and terrorism is very much alive – no matter what the James Baldwins and the Josephine Bakers want you to believe about Paris, it is not perfect. In the end the harder Eden tries the more she seems to be set back, it is not until she finally lets go of all expectations that her dreams seem to come together. 

Read this story to get a healthy dose of what it means to be an artist with a mix of reality and romance.

 

A Song Below Water | Book Review by Felicia

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This book is all about Black Girl Magic. Two really close friends are living in a world that despises and discriminates against Sirens. As young black girls growing up one must discover a way to find her voice and the other needs to discover who is her authentic self. Along the way they must deal with the traumatic current events that tell black girls they do not matter.

Review:

A Song Below Water  Review: 

Ranking: 2 Stars for this one. It was rough to get through this book. I almost didn’t want to finish it at all. The concept of the book is wonderful. It involves the essence of Black girl magic mixed with social justice. But, the execution fell through. In the end, the book felt like it was doing too much. 

This was a short and impactful read. The best aspect of the book was the main characters’ love and support for each other. I love to see young Black girls who are unified and well connected. I was rooting for the main characters to discover their confidence and find a way to be their true selves. However, that is all the only thing I  loved about this book. There were too many elements to this book that made the writing and story go all over the place which caused me to not enjoy reading this novel. As a fantasy novel I felt very overwhelmed and confused by the magic system in this world. I am left with many questions but without any desire to discover the answers. I felt tired and over the concept of the book by the end. Unfortunately, I was not enthralled by the overall storyline or writing. 

Like Water for Chocolate | Book Review by Sam

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Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel is a Mexican magical realism novel that follows the life of Tita and her powers through cooking. Each chapter opens with a recipe and then we learn why the meal was so impactful in Tita’s story. Like Water for Chocolate is an intricately woven story of love, family, and betrayal.

Review:

This Mexican story details the life of Tita who is the youngest daughter of a traditional Mexican family. The way in which we are introduced to Tita should warn us that her story will be tragic. She comes into the world crying in the kitchen. This will be significant throughout the novel as we realize that Tita’s emotions are imparted into the meals she makes and Impacts the emotions of the other characters when they eat it. The characters become overcome with anger or lust.

This novel is full of romance, drama, food, and magic. As the youngest daughter, we learn that it will be Tita’s responsibility to take care of her mother. That means that Tita will not be permitted to marry until her mother dies. This is the first major problem as it becomes evident that Tita has already fallen in love with Pedro. Let me just say that Pedro is a menace. When he cannot marry Tita he marries her sister, Rosaura, under the guise that at least he will be able to stay close to Tita. How heartbreaking. One sister has to watch her love be with someone else and the other sister has to live with knowing she will never be loved fully by her husband. 

As the chef of the family, Tita is tasked with making food for the wedding, including the cake. The strong emotions that Tita has and her cooking skills are interwoven throughout the story. Esquivel has given Tita a great gift, but ultimately it is used to influence everyone’s emotions but it does not ever lead to where I would like. I would have loved for Tita to realize she is too good for the world on the ranch (specifically Pedro and her Mama Elena) and move on from them. 

Not all of the characters were likable, but you know a story is intriguing when you haven’t necessarily fallen in love with the characters, yet you just have to know what happens – so you continue reading. There are moments that give us a peek into what freedom or love could be like. In the end we get not a perfect story but what I would call a human story on what it would be like if we gave into our every desire or emotion. 

Overall the novel was magnificently engaging. Sometimes, I don’t enjoy magical realism because I’d just like the author to choose to have a fantasy story or not. However, this story kept me captivated from beginning to end and I finished it within two days. Tita’s story is tragic (to me), but absolutely worth the read.  

 

Wings of Ebony | Book Review by Felicia

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Rue discovers that she has powers and gets separated from her younger sister. On her sister’s birthday Rue returns home no longer caring about following magic rules. Rue ends up having to save her sister and community and now people are after her to stop her from exposing the truth about magic.

Review:

Wings of Ebony by J.  Elle is filled with action, magic, and drama.  Rue is a young girl on a mission to save her sister and her community. After a year of learning about magic and following the rules Rue has had enough. She is ready to return to her true home and be with the people that matter the most to her. This book had a few unclear parts and in the end I felt that the readers needed more information. I didn’t feel any real closure or a good setup for a second book. I will read the second book because I am a fan of fantasy novels but I am not completely locked into this new world yet. 

You Should See Me in a Crown | Book Review by Sam

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You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson is a young lesbian girl’s coming of age story. The main character Liz Lighty is in her senior year and waiting to see if she will be selected for a scholarship in her dream orchestra program at her dream school. She ultimately decides to enter her school’s prom court contest to try to earn the title of queen and the scholarship that comes along with it.

Review:

In You Should See Me in a Crown we have another example of Black excellence and the pressure that can come along with it. Liz Lighty excels both in the academic arena and the music space. She doesn’t get the orchestra scholarship that she has been looking forward to for all of her high school career. It was the scholarship that was meant to help her get to the same college as her late mother. Her next opportunity to get the scholarship money is to enter her school’s contest to become prom queen. This is completely out of character for her but, her friends and family step up to help her along the way. 

Liz entering the contest shakes up the dynamic in her small Indiana town. Poor black girls aren’t supposed to win prom queen. They aren’t supposed to have the audacity to believe they can disrupt the town’s traditions in this way. But, Liz doesn’t care – her focus is achieving her dreams of honoring her mother’s legacy and going to the same college as her. We learn that there is more that makes Liz other than her race and socioeconomic status. She also likes girls. She begins to date and fall for the love interest Amanda (bka Mack).

Liz’s journey towards accepting herself and  finding her tribe/where she belongs is an inspiring story. Even though this was a Young Adult novel, I found that I learned more about myself and found some confidence as I read. I was rooting for Liz start to finish. I just want all Black girls to win. 

This has been one of my favorite reads of the podcast. It was a beautifully written story of family, friendship, and first love. She faced several academic and personal challenges, realizing in the end  she doesn’t have to face them alone. Everyone should pick this book up, it was a delight to read. 

Seven Days in June | Book Review by Felicia

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About:

Seven Days in June is an adult romance novel that highlights the history of a short teenage love that is destined to reignite.  The characters in this novel deal with intense issues but they find a way to push through on their own and even better together. 

I want to start off by giving a trigger warning this book contains topics such as trauma, sexual assault, and self harm. 

Review:

The novel starts off in an unique and unexpected way that immediately draws a reader into the story. A story about Eva, a successful erotica writer who is trying to make a pivot in her writing career. As a Black woman writer who has forged a career in a genre that isn’t typically deemed respectable Eva tends to doubt her own worth and credibility. Then there is Shane, a critically acclaimed writer who doesn’t write anymore but chooses to mentor children. Even though they have been a part for many years Eva and Shane have always been in conversation with each other. Tia Williams excellently demonstrates the intricacies in a second chance romance. I honestly couldn’t stop reading and when it was over I wanted more of Eva and Shane’s story.  I highly suggest reading this book and rereading it.