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#12Booksof2024 May

Honorable mentions:
Xiania 1 by Lotta Elstad
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

This is one of those books where everything the narrator says and does sounds like real life, not a false word. It‘s a light hearted story tackling race, not easy to pull off. Layla and Andy fall in love and while she‘s light-skinned black and he‘s white, friends and family have their own thoughts and prejudices. Really liked where it started and where the characters ended up.

Layla and Andy meet at a party and fall instantly in love. Now they‘re engaged and planning their weeding. Layla is mixed-race but she can pass as white; Black, Jamaican mother and a white dad. Andy is white

One day, Layla‘s best friend, Sera, sends her a link to a documentary. Andy‘s ancestors had slaves in Jamaica and were compensated when slavery was abolished. Was her family slaves under his since that already has the same last name?

Wonderful debut! The story centers around Layla, who is engaged to Andy. Something unique about them is that they both have the same last name. Layla‘s BFF, Sera, watches a documentary which suggests that Andy‘s family enslaved Layla‘s.

This story is very unique and it brought up a roller-coaster of emotions.

If going into a deep-dive about family histories while dealing with the consequences in the present day is your thing, read this!

5⭐️

This book… 💔

The premise of this book is so interesting that I stopped listening to the audiobook and continued on Kindle so I wouldn‘t miss any details.

Whew— what an impressive debut novel! I couldn‘t put this one down! What starts as a meet-cute that Layla & Andy share a last name, takes a more complex turn in their relationship. As their wedding approaches, Layla‘s best friend pulls away & she sends a provocative documentary to her detailing more on how UK slave owners were compensated at the end of slavery, this starts more introspection & investigation into Layla‘s heritage & relationships.