*I received this E-Arc from Bloomsbury YA & Net Galley. All reviews are my own.*
I've seen a few people talking about how good this book was, so I decided to pick it up. The book was okay, in all honesty. It's a story of a girl who falls in love at first sight with a boy but lies about herself to get closer to him. Of course, it all comes to a screeching halt when the truth rears its ugly head. You know, the typical troupe.
When Nala Robertson reluctantly agrees to attend an open mic night for her cousin-sister-friend Imani's birthday, she finds herself falling in instant love with Tye Brown, the MC. He's perfect, except . . . Tye is an activist and is spending the summer putting on events for the community when Nala would rather watch movies and try out the new seasonal flavors at the local creamery. To impress Tye, Nala tells a few tiny lies to have enough in common with him. As they spend more time together, sharing more of themselves, some of those lies get harder to keep up. As Nala falls deeper into keeping up her lies and into love, she'll learn all the ways love is hard and how self-love is revolutionary.
I decided to do this review a little differently. Usually, I would wait to read other people's critiques after submitting mine, but I'd like to counter them this time. I think most readers missed the point of the main character's personality. Where I've seen Nala labeled as judgmental and negative, I think the crew she hangs around isn't for her. Here you have Nala, a plus-size teenager that loves to look good for herself, loves to experiment with makeup and her hair, sings and dance unabashedly, and is all about having fun. She's surrounded by socially conscious, super-woke teenage activists whose life dedication is saving the world. The two don't mesh well together.
It's not like Nala isn't aware of the work they do; it seems like whenever she makes an innocent comment or does something like eating a hamburger, her actions are met with instant disapproval. Nala's aura was not meant to be a part of the We Are the World community. I'm kind of on her side when it comes to the woke black people in the world. It's cool, and I think it's important to try and change the world little by little, but there's also more to life … like having fun. I think that's Nala's mindset when stuck with this group.
I liked Nala's character because her development shows that some kids don't have it all together. She doesn't know all of what she wants to do with her life but knows what she's not into. Saving the world is not at the top of her list. She wants to enjoy her years with friends and family. Nala lives for now, not tomorrow. And that's okay.
There is one moment in the story where I felt Nala as relatable, and that's when she admitted that she's insecure about the guy she has a crush on. I've never seen anyone bare their soul like that, especially in the getting-to-know dating stage. It made her character real.
I do like how she was able to boss up and make changes on her own. She did what most women can't do on this Earth, and that is sit down and try to reevaluate what's right for her. Does she want to go to college? What makes her feel good? What does she appreciate about herself and in others?
Overall it is a pretty average story. I want to rate it 3.5, but my mama says if you're halfway there, you might as well go the whole mile. Or something like that.
Love is a Revolution debut February 2, 2021.