Representation in Romance: Why Young Black Girls Deserve to See Themselves in Love Stories

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Hey y'all, and welcome back to Culture Lit, the podcast where black

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women's love stories, healing journeys,

and cultural brilliance take center stage.

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I'm your host, Octavia Marie, and today

we're diving into something that's

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been weighing on my heart since the

holidays, black Ya Romance stories

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where black teens are the ones falling

in love, figuring out who they are

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and claiming their happy endings.

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Because representation isn't

optional, it's essential.

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Let me tell you how this episode

came to be Over the holidays.

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I was catching up with my

best friend of over 40 years.

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We were talking about her daughter, my

goddaughter, who's a reader just like me.

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Actually, she might be more

prolific than I am at this point.

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Her goal for 20 25, 70 books.

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Yes.

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You heard that right?

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70.

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She's in her romance era,

y'all, and I love that for her.

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Like always, she put books

on her Christmas list.

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I routinely send gift cards

so she can build her library.

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And this year I looked a little

closer at what she was reading.

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I recognized a lot of the authors.

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I'd heard of most of the titles,

some I'd even read myself.

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But as I scrolled through

that list, something hit me.

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None of the books featured characters

who looked like her, not one.

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Now, don't get me wrong, there's

nothing wrong with reading across lines.

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We should all read widely across

cultures, identities, and experiences.

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But when you're a young black girl and

every single romance you're consuming

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centers white characters, that's a gap.

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That's a message.

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And whether we mean to or not, it

tells our girls, you are not the

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one who gets swept off her feet.

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You're not the one who gets the grand

romantic gesture, you're not the

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heroine, and that's just not true.

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So I started thinking, what if I

could create a list of black YA

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romances that center us stories where

black girls are smart, quirky, and

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ambitious, shy, bold, asexual, nerdy,

where they get to be the full spectrum

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of who they are and fall in love.

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This episode is that list, and it's also

a love letter to every young black girl

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who hasn't yet seen herself as the main

character in a love story because you are.

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You always have been.

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When we talk about representation,

we're not just talking about seeing

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a brown face on a book cover.

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We're talking about young black girls

absorbing the message that they are

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worthy of love, that their stories,

their crushes, their heartbreaks,

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their awkward first dates and swoon

worthy moments are worth telling.

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Representation teaches young readers

that they don't have to shrink.

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Or code switch or

shapeshift to be lovable.

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It says Your blackness is

not an obstacle to romance.

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It's part of the beauty.

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And here's the thing,

we've come a long way.

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There are more black authors writing

ya romance now than ever before.

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But we still have work to do.

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Too.

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Many of these books aren't getting

the visibility they deserve.

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They're not being recommended by teachers.

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Librarians, they're not front

and center at the bookstore.

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So today I'm spotlighting.

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Seven.

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Seven, brilliant, heartfelt, funny,

swoon worthy black ya romances that

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deserve to be on every teen's shelf.

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And if you want even more, head

to the Culture Lip Bookshop

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at bookshop.org/shop/culture

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lip podcast where I've curated an

entire section of black YA romance.

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Let's get into it.

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Let's start with seven minutes.

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In Candy Land by Brian Watson

sophomore, Calvin Sch Melton

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has perfected his underground

candy selling hustle at school.

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He keeps his prices reasonable,

his inventory fresh and

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himself out of the drama.

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But when Sterling Glister, his

longtime crush, barges into the

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storage closet where he keeps

his stash, everything changes.

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Sterling's heartbroken.

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And Calvin, in a moment of vulnerability

and boldness becomes her impromptu

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therapist, word spreads fast and

suddenly Calvin's not just the

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candy guy, he's the feelings guy,

the son of two famous therapists.

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He leans into this role and

the money that comes with it.

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But here's the catch.

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Calvin's parents' perfect marriage.

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It's falling apart.

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He's supposed to fix them woo sterling,

and counsel half the school all

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while keeping his own ego in check.

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What I love about this book is how

it shows a young black boy navigating

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emotions, entrepreneurship, and identity.

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Calvin isn't a stereotype.

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He's smart, he's flawed, he's

figuring it out, and sterling.

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She's not just a love interest,

she's a fully realized person

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with her own struggles.

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This book is funny, heartfelt, and real.

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If you're looking for a romance that's

also about growth and family and learning,

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to be honest with yourself, this is it.

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Next up, Reggie and Delilah's,

year of Falling by Elise Bryant.

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Delilah keeps her messy, gooey

insides hidden behind a wall

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of shrugs and yeah, whatevers.

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She sings in her friend's punk

band as a favor, even though she'd

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rather hide at the merch table.

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Reggie is a dungeon master

and self-declared blurred.

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He spends his free time leading d and

de Quest and writing game critiques

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under a pseudonym, keeping it all under

wraps from his disapproving family.

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These two meet on New Year's Eve, then

again on Valentine's Day, then St.

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Patrick's Day.

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It's like the universe

keeps pushing them together.

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Delilah wishes she were more like

Reggie, open about who she is,

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even if it's not cool, but Reggie's

confidence, it's all affront.

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He's role-playing.

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Someone brave enough to be

with a girl like Delilah.

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As their holiday meetings continue,

they start falling for each other.

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But what happens when they realize

they've each fallen for a version of

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the other that doesn't really exist?

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This book explores identity, authenticity,

and what it means to show up as

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yourself even when you're scared.

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Delilah and Reggie are nerdy,

awkward, and beautifully black.

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Their love story isn't perfect, but it's

honest, and that's what makes it so good.

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Now let's talk about Love

Radio by Ebony Liddell.

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Prince Jones has all the

answers or so it seems.

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At 17, he has his own segment on Detroit's

popular hip hop show Love radio, where he

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dishes out advice to the broken hearted

Prince, dreams of becoming a DJ and

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falling in love, but as the main caretaker

for his mother who has multiple sclerosis.

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And his little brother,

his dream stayed just that.

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The only romances in his life

are the ones he hears about from

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listeners until he meets Danny Ford.

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Danny isn't checking for anybody.

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She's focused a senior year, score a

scholarship, move to New York, become a

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famous author, but her college essay keeps

tripping her up and acknowledging what's

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blocking her means dealing with what

happened at that party a few months ago.

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And that's one thing Danny can't do

when the romantic DJ meets the ambitious

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writer, sparks Fly, princess Smitten.

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Danny's not looking to get derailed.

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She gives him three dates to

convince her he's worth it.

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This book Tackles Caregiving,

trauma Ambition and Young

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Black Love with so much Grace.

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Prince and Danny are both carrying weight,

but they're also kids trying to figure

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out who they are and what they want.

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Their chemistry is everything.

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And the way Liddell writes, Detroit

chef's kiss Talia Bert's, highly

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suspicious and unfairly cute.

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We meet Bradley Graham, who is pretty

much perfect star football player,

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manages his OCD well comes out on top

in all his classes, except the ones he

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shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.

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Celine Bangor is

conspiracy theory obsessed.

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Her social media followers eat up her

takes on everything from UFOs to holiday

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over consumption, but she's still not

cool enough for the popular kids table,

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which is why Brad abandoned her years ago.

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At least that's how

Celine sees it these days.

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There's nothing between them, but

petty insults and academic rivalry.

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So when Celine signs up for a

survival course in the woods and

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finds Brad right beside her awkward.

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Forced to work as a team.

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They trudge through mud,

dirt, and their messy past.

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And as this adventure brings them

closer, they start remembering

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the good parts of their history.

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This book is hilarious,

tender, and so much fun.

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Celine and Brad are both nerdy in

different ways and watching them navigate

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old wounds while rediscovering each other.

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Pure joy plus.

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The mental health rep is beautiful.

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Brad's OCD isn't a plot device.

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It's part of who he is, and Celine

never treats it as a problem to fix.

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Christina Forst is one of my favorite

romance authors, so of course one of her

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ya romances shows up on this list now.

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That I found you by Christina

Forrest introduces us to 18-year-old.

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Evie Jones is poised to be Hollywood's

next big star, following in the

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footsteps of her uber famous grandma.

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That is until a close friend's betrayal

leads to her being blacklisted.

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Evie knows just the

thing to save her career.

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A public appearance with America's

most beloved actress, her grandma

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Gigi, also known as Evelyn Conaway.

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The only problem.

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Gigi's been a recluse for almost 20 years.

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Days before Evie plans to present

her grandma with an honorary award.

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Gigi disappears with time running out.

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Evie enlists the help of the last

person to see Gigi Milo Williams.

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A cute musician.

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She isn't sure she can

trust as they conduct a wild

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manhunt across New York City.

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Romance and adventure abound while

Evie makes surprising discoveries

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about her grandma and herself.

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This book is a Love Letter to Black

Hollywood Legacy Family Secrets

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and Finding Yourself in the Chaos.

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Evie and Milo's chemistry is electric

and the way Forrest weaves in themes

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of fame, identity, and what we inherit

from the women who came before us.

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Stunning.

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And let's talk about love by Claire.

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Can Alice had her whole summer planned?

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All you can eat Buffets, tv,

marathons with her best friends and

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working at the library to pay rent.

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The only thing missing her girlfriend

who ended things when Alice came out

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as asexual, Alice is done with dating.

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Forking her, done, but then

she meets Takumi and she

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can't stop thinking about him.

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Suddenly she's dealing

with romcom grade fields.

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She did not ask for uncertainty.

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Butterflies Swoons.

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When Kumi becomes her knight with a

shiny library employee badge, Alice

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has to decide if she's willing to risk

their friendship for a love that might

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not be reciprocated or understood.

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This book is groundbreaking

ace representation.

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Alice is black, asexual, and figuring out

what love and attraction mean for her.

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She's not broken.

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She's not incomplete.

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She's whole and she's allowed

to want romance on her terms.

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If you know a teen questioning their

own identity or just wanna read a sweet,

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thoughtful love story, this is it.

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And finally, Audrey and Bash are

just friends by Tia Williams.

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If you caught my top 10 reads of 2025

episode, you already know I love this one.

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Audrey is junior class

president, debate team captain.

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Unofficial student therapist.

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She's desperately in need of a good time.

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And then we have Bash.

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He's the mysterious new senior.

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Everybody's crush king

of having a good time.

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It's the last day of school at

Brooklyn's Elite Cheshire Prep

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and Audrey's life is a mess.

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Her dad canceled her annual Malibu

summer visit, so now she's stuck

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in a tiny apartment with her mom.

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Stepdad and 1-year-old sister,

also known as the goblin baby.

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Under these conditions, she'll never

finish her self-help book The Key to

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Winning Over Stanford's Admissions.

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Enter Bash.

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Audrey hires him as her fun consultant

to help her complete the experience.

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Challenge Five Wild Dares designed

to give her juicy book material.

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He's not boyfriend material,

she's not looking for one.

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They're just friends.

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Except the chemistry is undeniable.

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This book is smart,

soulful, and swoon worthy.

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Audrey and Bash are both type A in

different ways and watching them

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navigate boundaries, ambition,

and that aching, what are we?

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Tension, perfection.

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Plus, there's a beautiful

connection to seven days in June.

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Audrey is the daughter of

one of the main characters.

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It's a gorgeous coming of age story

about friendship, family, and first love.

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There you have it, seven Brilliant

black YA romances, that center us

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stories where black teens are falling

in love, figuring out who they are and

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claiming their space unapologetically.

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If you are a parent, an auntie, a

godparent, a teacher, share these books

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with the young people in your life.

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Let them see themselves as the heroine.

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Let them know their love stories matter.

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And if you want even more recommendations,

head to the Culture Lit Bookshop

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at bookshop.org/shop/culture

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Lit podcast.

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I've curated an entire section of Black

YA Romance and every purchase supports

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independent bookstores and black authors.

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Representation isn't just a nice to have.

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It's everything.

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It's the difference between a young black

girl thinking she's the side character

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and knowing she's the main event.

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So let's make sure the next generation

sees themselves loved on the page.

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Thank you for tuning into

this episode of Culture Lit.

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If this resonated with you, share it

with someone who needs to hear it.

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Leave a review.

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Tell a friend, and if you're

on Instagram or Threads, come

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find me at becoming Octavia.

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I want to hear which book

you're adding to your list.

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Until next time, keep reading, keep

glowing and keep loving like you're the

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heroine of your own story because you are.