Black Love Matters — Books, Beauty, & Buys

By: Jessica P. Pryde & Various Authors
Pages: 288
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley Books

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this book.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): An incisive, intersectional essay anthology that celebrates and examines romance and romantic media through the lens of Black readers, writers, and cultural commentators, edited by Book Riot columnist and librarian Jessica Pryde.

Romantic love has been one of the most essential elements of storytelling for centuries. But for Black people in the United States and across the diaspora, it hasn't often been easy to find Black romance joyfully showcased in entertainment media. In this collection, revered authors and sparkling newcomers, librarians and academicians, and avid readers and reviewers consider the mirrors and windows into Black love as it is depicted in the novels, television shows, and films that have shaped their own stories. Whether personal reflection or cultural commentary, these essays delve into Black love now and in the past, including topics from the history of Black romance to social justice and the Black community to the meaning of desire and desirability.

Exploring the multifaceted ways love is seen--and the ways it isn't--this diverse array of Black voices collectively shines a light on the power of crafting happy endings for Black lovers.

Jessica Pryde is joined by Carole V. Bell, Sarah Hannah Gomez, Jasmine Guillory, Da'Shaun Harrison, Margo Hendricks, Adriana Herrera, Piper Huguley, Kosoko Jackson, Nicole M. Jackson, Beverly Jenkins, Christina C. Jones, Julie Moody-Freeman, and Allie Parker in this collection.

First Impressions

When I received the offer to review this book I was so excited. I love being educated on black representation in books and it seemed similar to Well-Read Black Girl which I loved. It’s not quite as pretty of a cover, in my opinion, but the title hooked me in immediately.

What I thought

Well, immediately after finishing this book I bought it so, that should give you a pretty good idea what I thought of this book.

Jessica P. Pryde, the Editor and a contributor of this book, mentioned in the introduction that she had read Well-Read Black Girl and found there to be a lack of representation of romance novels. As a result, she wanted to put together a similar collection of essays, but focus on the representation of black and POC in romance novels.

If you’ve read just about any of this blog, you know that I enjoy romance novels, mostly contemporary romance. I’m not into the super cheesy romance novels and tend to prefer ones that take place in our world. I’m not hugely into historical bodice ripping romance noels or fantasy, but I do love sports romance novels.

What I’ve always found interesting about the romance world is that so many people are shamed for reading it, yet it’s one of the most profitable genres. There has also been a lot of rigidity in what people believe the romance genre should be and I think this book highlights so much of what needs to change as well as some people who are trying to change it.

Most of the essays in the novel I loved and found to be eye-opening and informative. One of the reasons I purchased the book is because I want to have a reference of all of the book that the authors mention so that I can check them out, as well as the names of the authors that contributed to this book because I loved some of their writing styles.

There were one or two essays I found to be a bit preachy in a pretentious and very college literature way and they weren’t my favorite. Like I very much felt like I was back in a college course and listening to a lecture. They still had some interesting points but the style wasn’t my favorite and I felt like I didn’t learn as much from those essays. But that was definitely in the minority.