Each of these books, released between 2022 and 2023, is an example of the revived Romance genre. We are getting some of the best books with plots and characters that make me excited for sequels. This has not happened in some time. Let’s go over why I believe it’s been March Madness in literature.
1. Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma is a new age twist on a classic plot that I found to be funny, flirty, and culturally stimulating. If you love informed characters telling the truth while delicately balancing family and societal nuances, this is for you. I loved how Kareena and Prem communicated in this book, it reminded me that settling is bottom barrel behavior. Overall I found this book to be steamy, different, and very well-written.
2. The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest is such a sweet book. If you want to smile while you read, pick this up. The plot is different in that it centers around Lily and Nick’s professions in the Book industry. It was eye-opening to learn about the process of books in their respective sectors while also reading a love story. The chapters are in third person featuring perspectives from both characters which I found fascinating and helped me visualize the story even better than I thought. A descriptive, thought-provoking, and feel good read.
3. By the Book by Jasmine Guillory took me some getting used to. I truly adored the first book I read from her. The plot is centered around Beauty and the Beast and when I tell you Beau is actually a beast to Izzy.. Like it was unexpected for me to dislike the male protagonist so much! However, this books saving grace was the rawness of again, the Book and Publishing industry. It lowkey exposes the truth about the Black experience in the predominantly White publishing houses. I was not privy to this but greatly appreciated this insight. Izzy and Beau’s untraditional love story was cool but the real star was the detail. I visualized every scene of this book and that was truly a treat.
Let me know if you would all like a review of these books respective sequels. I am so excited for what authors are bringing to our libraries and I have a feeling we will not be disappointed.
Happy Reading Friends and Happy Women’s History Month!
Love,
E
