I rarely cry at YA books.. but this book. My god... I felt seen. At 42 I felt seen.. a dark-skinned, plus sized teen black girl finding love and being herself(well... sort of LOL in the beginning) .... a revolution. Activism meets love. I think this is a book every black teen, any gender identity, should read. At the heart of it, self love is the key to real love.

I love this positive portrayal of talented, family and community oriented young African American women.

Thank you Netgalley and Bloomsbury YA for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Love is a Revolution'' is a story about the beauty of love and the importance of “self love”. I am so on the fence about this story. In the beginning I struggled a bit with Nala’s character. When the main character is problematic it makes it very difficult to enjoy the story. So there were several times I almost just put it down. However I continued to move through and as the story progressed it got a little better. The story kept referring to this difficult relationship with her mother but never went into detail. Which made me feel like maybe that was a crucial moment in her life and could’ve made her character more sympathetic. In the story when Nala finally realizes that she needs to think differently it comes off somewhat unbelievable. And maybe that is because we don’t really get to see much of this change in Nala before the book comes to a close.

After moving in with her cousin Imani, Nala’s life takes a turn. Her cousin is part of an activist group called “Inspire Harlem” that helps to improve the political, social, economic and environmental conditions of the local community. Nala isn’t all that interested in activism or her cousin’s group.
During open mic night at Imani’s birthday party, Nala spies Tye Brown, the MC and falls in love at first sight. Once Nala meets Tye, she decides to tell a few white lies about the social responsibility project for seniors. Pretending that she is involved in social activism like her cousin knowing that she isn’t interested in the things that drive her cousin. Will Nala realize that being someone she isn’t is no way to live? Will she realize her own worth?

I would recommend this book for grades 6 and up. This would be a good addition to any library young adult collection.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½⭐️ (3.5 stars)

I really appreciated how Love is a Revolution is a YA novel written for a YA audience. Nowadays YA encompasses such a broad range of maturity levels. So, sometimes I’ll read a YA book and it’ll includes some seriously adult-like problems/contexts, and have wonder if I would actually recommend it to a young teen to read.

You can tell Watson wrote this story with a teen audience in mind. Meaning that it may not be the most mature, nuanced book, but nor does it boast to be. The characters in Love is a Revolution feel real, are realistically flawed, and read like actual teenagers. This is the sort of book I would highly recommend to young teens, as I can easily believe they’d feel themselves represented in its pages. And its main message: to love yourself and be true to you, is a one I think a lot of teens could benefit from hearing repeated.

I loved the representation in this book. Nala is Black, plus-sized and proud, and I loved that. When she said, “People always think the only thing big girls cry about is our weight. I’m perfectly fine with my body,” it really resonated with me. I also enjoyed that Watson took the time to a show a non-traditional mother-daughter relationship in this story.

What didn’t work for me was the constant girl-on-girl hate, the judgemental attitude coming from the main character, and the constant lying. It just felt over the top, immature, and unnecessary. I get that the intention was for the reader to see Nala grow over time – and don’t get me wrong, I usually love me a flawed character – but it just felt like too much of this story focused on her hating on other girls and pretending to be someone she was not, that the revelation at the end felt a little rushed and incomplete.

I also didn’t love the romance. It felt like Tye was trying to change who Nala was, and then with Nala lying about herself on top of that – it just didn’t work for me. I’m glad at the end Nala figured out the importance of loving herself. I just wish she could have done so a little sooner.

Thank you to the publisher, Bloomsbury YA, and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.

This book was amazing. As a plus size black woman this book made me feel seen! I loved it so much I had to go grab a physical copy for my bookshelves

Somehow I missed this book in my digital ARC stack. And boy do I regret that. This is a beautiful story of discovering love. To describe Nala in just a few words, I would choose family-oriented, relaxed, insecure, and reluctant. She's not a fan of change, and she isn't sure who she wants to be.
Then she meets a boy, and her whole world starts turning upside down because of her lies. She starts to feel concerned about her world's colliding because she doesn't want her lies to come to the surface, and she's struggling with how to come clean.
Nala's family is amazing. Each character is so we'll developed despite receiving such short amounts of page space. I could really put myself in Nala's shoes. There's a lot of good going on in her life which she sometimes struggles to see.
I enjoyed the journey of this book, even though it was predictable. I enjoyed the characters and the themes. I enjoyed that the main source of stress for Nala was a group committed to eco friendly practices, and how she often her cousin and friends brought up how to help the earth.

I generally love Renée Watson, and I really wanted to love this book but ultimately it was only a "like" for me. While I think this book is an important contribution to books for young adults, Watson's writing was her usual excellence, I struggled to connect with the main character, particularly as the plot progressed and I got more and more frustrated with her choices. I struggled to understand some of her choices, particularly lying about herself. I ended up finding all of Nala's friends more than I liked her, but generally disliking the toxicity between them all. I was expecting more of a sweet romance at the core, based on the description I read and the blurbs I saw. If love is a revolution, I think I was hoping for a revolution that resulted in a little more self-love and friend-love. But I do feel, despite my personal frustrations, that Nala was a fully, wonderfully realized character. Maybe I wasn't always a fan of her, but she felt very "real" to me, and I think that voice is part of why I always love Watson's work so much.

The format of the story was a lot of fun; I appreciated the lists and outlines. As much as I grew to resent Nala, her voice was strong and clear, and that made the book fun and interesting to read structurally, even if I didn't love the main character as a person. It's always a difficult line to walk, writing characters who are flawed but still sympathetic. Perhaps if the tropes didn't feel as worn out, I would have had more patience for Nala. That said, I acknowledge that it is critically important for young people, especially young plus-size Black girls, to have books that voice struggles they may face, and I can see how complicated it was for Nala to battle her internal biases against herself and the expectations placed on her by her peers, family, and society at large. In the end, I think Nala was able to find resolution and conclusion on her own terms, and that did feel powerful.

I think that ultimately it's hard for me to fully, accurately assess this book because I am not its target audience, and I'm glad to have a better understanding of the book's contents, because I can see how it would appeal to certain readers. It's a voice and a story that I haven't seen as much of, and covers important ground.

I have some pretty mixed feelings on this one. I had a love/hate relationship with the main character because while I think she was realistically flawed which was nice, it did make the book really frustrating to read at times. However, I think the book did a lot of great things as well. It's a love story, but self love is also at the forefront, which was really nice. I think a lot of people could benefit from this read. This was a really fast paced read overall as well.

When I first heard this book was coming out, I loved the synopsis. When the book cover came out, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this story. I wish I had had this story when I was younger. It's the epitome of Black joy and Black fat rep. It explores the ups and downs of young Black love, Black self-love, and Black family love. Excellent, excellent, excellent book!

The cover absolutely sold me on this book before I knew anything about it, and was really grateful for the book as it tackled friendships, first love, body image, self-love, and activism. Ultimately Renee Watson does a good job of addressing how important it is to know yourself on your own. The main character was flawed in such a realistic way, which I liked, but it definitely frustrated me at points, especially with the girl-on-girl hate that defined her relationships with people around her. It was good that the author acknowledged that this aspect of the MC was problematic, to say the least, but I wanted to see more of her growth on that front - because essentially it felt like Nala was falling into the "not like other girls" trope which I truly hate. And I wish there was a bit more queer rep in this book because I felt that those themes would've been important to the larger shape of the story. , especially since towards the end we are able to see that the author's intention was to highlight just how toxic some of these YA tropes can be, but that exploration felt really rushed and unsatisfactory. It's still a cute, quick read that raises some crucial points about what it is to love and believe yourself truly.

This review is based on an ARC copy.

I enjoyed this story thoroughly. It is a great read for young people about how to navigate a relationship and learn to love yourself. Self love is a part of being in a relationship and not losing yourself in the process. The story does a good job of delivering that message with a character that has a lot of growing to do. Sometimes characters need time to explore themselves and fall a bit to grow and bringing the reader on that journey helps to make connections to their own lives.

I really liked this one. Such a great coming-of-age story about tackling friendships, body acceptance, first love and activism.

This book was a quick and easy read, but it wasn't amazing.

For one, many people, and myself, had problems with the main character. I feel like a character could have had an activism journey without being completely rude about it at the beginning of their story arc. I also had a problem with the fact that there are no queer teenagers in a book about activism?

I loved Nala's journey of self-discovery, it was so refreshing to read a book that wasn't rooted in deep civil unrest but rather in the celebration of growing up as a young black woman.

For Grades 7 and Up. Love is a Revolution is all about self-love. Nala changes herself to fit the expectations of whomever she is with. As her sister-cousin-best friend Imani grows more involved with Inspire Harlam, Nala finds herself for the first time not want to fit in. But when she meets Tye a new member of the organization she once again changes her likes and style to fit someone else's expectations. This newest book by Reneé Watson is a must-have for school and public libraries. Watson's writing holds true to the teenage experience, she writes diverse characters with a focus on internal growth.

I love to read books by Renee Watson and to recommend them to students to read.
She is real and relevant.
This novel is no exception.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing an advanced read of this novel in exchange for an hones review.

I wanted to love this story. It had all the promise but the moment the main character had to pretend to be someone else to get the attention for the guy she wanted you lost me. The book does have a beautiful cover though.

It’s the start of summer break, and Nala is ready to dive into the fun relaxing vibes of summer - watching movies with her cousin/best friend, Imani, trying out some new hair styles, and finding someone to date so she doesn’t always have to be the fifth wheel in her coupled-up friend group. When she goes to an open-mic event put on by Imani’s favorite cause, Inspire Harlem, she falls quickly for Tye, a passionate new member of the group. Nala has conflicted feelings about Inspire Harlem, but Tye assumes that she is as enthusiastic about the group and its mission as he is. Before Nala can stop herself, she has claimed that her regular visits to her grandmother’s assisted living facility are a community project that she has initiated and that her non-existent college plans are fully formed. Tye is obviously interested in Nala, and they begin spending more time together, but as their relationship grows, so does the pile of lies that Nala has to tell in order to keep her story straight. Would Tye still be feeling Nala if she was more true to herself?

Nala’s story is ultimately about the importance of self-love and self-acceptance. Are there more important messages for the teenagers of the world? Seeing Nala be involved in a loving relationship built on a rocky foundation paints a beautiful illustration of just how important it is for teens (heck, all of us) to be honest with ourselves and with others. Nala’s decision to focus on developing herself rather than her relationship may frustrate some readers, but even they will see that the romance would not last long otherwise. Nala’s journey of self-discovery is equally important with her family. She has been living apart from her mother for years, and has avoided her feelings about it. She is her real, honest self at home, with her aunt, uncle, and Imani, but as she feels Imani’s attention pulled away toward pursuits that don’t interest her, she wonders if she can remain as close to her cousin/best friend if they don’t love all of the same things like they did in the past. So many teens will relate to the feeling of transition and tumult that Nala is experiencing, and to the desire to take some time to find oneself. Also, though this book has plenty of issues that hold weight, and not all of Nala’s moments are happy, it offers many moments of humor and lots of uplifting vibes. Kids will be drawn in by the bright colors of the cover and the vibrancy of the story within.

I'm torn with how to rate this book.

I was annoyed with all of the lists in the book, and it wasn't until 2/3 of the way through where you find out what the connection with the lists really is. I felt like there were a lot of storylines that were left alone and we didn't get a lot of resolution.

I liked the idea of the story, but I'm not sold with how it was presented. I did enjoy the intergenerational aspect of this story. I wanted to read more about Nala's time with her grandma and her friends. Overall, it was a very quick and easy read.

You know that old adage: "Never judge a book by its cover?" YEAH. I saw this book cover and was stunned: by how gorgeous the art was. Nala is hella cute and the colors just pop. And then it struck me--how many times I could count on my hand a plus sized Black girl!!! Nala is centered on the cover AND in the narrative--in such a confident stance. Author Renee Watson talked about it in an interview:"So many times in literature, big bodies are erased or portrayed in defeated, downtrodden ways. I am intentional about having girls with big bodies on covers who are happy, content and fashionable. I truly believe that representation matters, and that includes body diversity as well."

In this YA novel, Nala is a Black teenage girl who, like many teenagers is staring the summer in the eyes. Summer is finally here and she wants to have fun, go places, heck, even fall in love. She’s also staring the changing transitions that come with young adulthood: she has yet to figure out what she wants to do after highschool, she hasn’t even written her personal statement essays for college apps and she constantly reminded of the expectation of her family for her. She’s also in a weird space: her best friend, her cousin is drifting away from her and she can’t figure ot why. Dragged to a youth activist meeting by her cousin and neighborhood friend, she finds a guy involved in the group in a leadership position who thinks she’s cute. He’s interested in what she has to say and a little lie becomes a big lie in the foundation of their new and fresh relationship that builds over the summer.

So, I hate the “I lied in the beginning and will ultimately hurt this person I might/may/will be in love with” trope. Alas, I do love Renée Watson’s writing. She writes in the familiar voice that everything I open up a book of hers, I feel at home. I feel like this voice is from my old neighborhood. From middle school lit like ‘Piercing Me Together’ to kid lit like ‘Harlem’s Little Blackbird’, I welcomed reading this book in the YA genre as I’m always game for her work. So the pros and cons for the review!

Pros:

The narrative: Took me by surprise in a way that worked very well with exploring the characters. I hope that Nala’s story would not revolve around Tye, the cute guy she met. It did not take center stage. Instead the relationships of Nala’s family take this precious spot and the story was better for it. Nala’s cousin, Imani, Imani’s parents who took in Nala after tensions with her mother, and Nala’s favorite person--her grandmother color the pages and as a reader, I learned so much about Nala through the interactions with them. There are some great themes threaded into the story that are super important and relevant like activism in the neighborhood, especially for young people today as we learn more and more about social injustices and more young people are heading movements.

Representation of what we don’t see often in literature super often nowadays: Black girls, Plus sized Black girls and women centered in stories and on the cover. Also young people not always living with their parents but having family members as their legal guardians. There is an example of a loving, supportive family that has Nala’s back. While complicated, (Nala left home after an argument with her biological mother and went to live with her auntie, uncle and cousin) they met and do their best for family gatherings and taking care of each other. I reckon it could have been easy for any other author to lean towards Black pain and Black trauma here and thankfully this author doesn’t. It is mostly implied in Nala’s own words that not every is well equipped to handle everything in life, like parenthood and that is fine. Like the Ashanti proverb,” it takes a village (to raise a child)” and this was one of the biggest selling points that I hope readers don’t gloss over. It is ever so important for Black characters and Black families.


Cons: While it served the topic of self love, the lyrics (by fictional indie singer Blu?) that sometimes opened a chapter or led Nala listening to in a moment of feeling down, killed some of the immersion for me as I read through this book in a few sittings. The pacing of the book threw me for a loop after the big confrontation scene where Nala is “found out” and some loose ends about certain family members for both Nala and Tye fell flat to me as the book was ending.

Overall a solid book for the YA audience with a few weak points, I loved Nala as a character. We are not always perfect. People are flawed, imperfect, messy. Being a teen, especially one of color and especially a young woman isn’t an easy road to travel, speaking from experience. Author Renee Watson fills these pages of someone I rooted for, someone I cringed for and ultimately a character that picked herself up on the pages I read and danced and struggled and preserved, finding that loving herself during a summer to remember was the biggest prize to win.