Read This Book…

Two nameless Black teen girls have been best friends for most of their lives. Their relationship runs deep, and they count on each other for everything. It seems natural, almost inevitable when their friendship deepens into romance. But while one of them is deep, steady, and occasionally stormy like the ocean, the other burns hot and fierce as flames, and over the course of one unforgettable day, their relationship changes forever.

This is a novel in verse, told from the point of view of only one of the girls, and I was amazed by the beauty, clarity, and power of Woodfolk’s poetry. She has a gorgeous voice that flows naturally, and so many of her poems work on their own as well as functioning as chapters in this beautiful novel. She flawlessly weaves between the present day and glimpses of the past, building the girls’ relationship and their complicated, beautiful history together. And these girls are certainly not perfect. In a world where we expect queer people, and Black girls especially, to be role models or perfect in all they do, it was refreshing to read about messy relationships, bad choices, big mistakes, and attempts to do right by others, even if they don’t always hit the mark. The beauty in this book is in the central relationship, yes, but also in how the characters stumble and make mistakes and learn along the way. This is a moving novel in verse about what it means to be young and to try and figure out how to hold on to the people you love while also forging your path. Sometimes, you succeed. Sometimes you don’t. And in this book, Ashley Woodfolk reassures readers that it’s okay for relationships to fall apart, for things to end.

The TL;DR? Pick this book up for a moving exploration of a queer friendship and first romance burning out, and for reassurance that connection matters, even if it doesn’t always last.