It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

Bolu is one of my favorite people to follow on Twitter, so I was highly anticipating this one. It did not disappoint! I was so impressed how Bolu was able to take so many wonderful stories and mold them into beautiful little vignettes. She plays around with different styles and settings, as well as updating the content for modern audiences. I love that she picked several stories that were from underrepresented cultures, rather than choosing tales that have been updated many times before. I loved that I got to learn about these tales for the first time, while also enjoying Bolu's interpretations. My favorites were Attem & Thisbe but each story is so full of sweep-you-off-your-feet kind of love and I was grateful to fall into one Happily Ever After after another. I can't wait for Bolu's full length novel!

This was such a great debut!! These classic tales were reimagined in a way that made the new tales feel very authentic, with plenty of cheeky nods to their roots. I especially enjoyed the stories that were set in the present day and the flow from story to story improved as the book continued. The descriptive passages in the book could be a little bit much at times and make it easier to lose the plot of the short story, however they were also beautiful and definitely did more to enhance the stories than they detracted. The settings of this collection were particularly captivating, and this is definitely a must read for lovers of romance who want to experience new places from their couches!!

Myths and folklore are often mined by modern authors for updates, but Bolu Babalola's 'Love in Color' manages to take this common tactic and spin it into a book of rich, nuanced, engrossing short stories for grown-ups. Babalola's exquisite language ties together the different tales in the collection while simultaneously giving each one its own unique vibe and voice.

The premise is pretty simple: ten tales from history, reimagined and twisted into something new. There are ones anyone will easily recognize - Scheherazade and her 1001 nights, the queen Nefertiti, among others - and ones you might not be as familiar with. Across the board, though, they're enchanting and impossible to stop reading, as Babalola creates complex characters and intriguing story worlds within the span of each short story. The two themes that tie them all together are the foregrounding of women and the exploration of love in all its forms. There's something incredibly uplifting about these stories, as we watch each heroine learn more about herself and what love in her life looks like. It's an incredible collection that shouldn't be missed.

LOVE IN COLOUR by Bolu Babylonia is a romantic short story collection of magical folktales from West Africa. I haven't read a romance novel since my Harlequin days in high school...lol, but these were well told. The writing is poetically rich and expressive. The stories display joy, compassion, sorrows, and love. These stories made me smile. I preferred the tales based on Greek and ancient African mythology. My favorites were "Osun" and "Nefertiti".

The collection of stories in this book are very well-written from a prose perspective. The prose are well-composed, adjectives used brilliantly, and clichés are little to be found. I really was taken by the beauty of the words and felt that I was reading poetry. The plot of the stories were not on par with the beauty of its composition, but I have high hopes for this author and look forward to reading more of her work.

I love history, and more importantly I love to get lost in a good story! Having those two things combined was amazing!

Some of these stories I have already heard (Psyche) so getting them through a more “modern” eye as well as different stories from around the globe was fascinating. I enjoyed after reading going and looking up the original or passed down stories to compare the two!

I really enjoyed Osun’s story! It was a new to me tale and I just loved the female lead because in the end she proved to be a very strong female who didn’t settle for less than she deserved!

A great book for anyone who is interested in or loves myths and folktales!

This is a stunning collection of stories that often took my breath. The historical and speculative- leaning stories were my
Preference over the more contemporary stories. But I got something out of every single story included. I know it’s not in anyway a collection of holiday stories, but there is something perfect about reading a collection of love stories at this time of year.

This was a lovely collection of light-hearted love stories - retellings that position BIPOC in unique and fresh ways. As others have noted, this is a collection that's best spread out over time rather than read in one or two sittings due to the overall inevitability of each story's ending. Babalola can clearly write and this anthology reveals her skill in writing both in contemporary and historical/fantasy settings with evocative details - providing a solid world even within such small vignettes. I also appreciated the creativity in the angles of each retelling (especially Scheherazade, Pysche, Yaa, Siya, Nefertiti, and Naleli), Still, I found only the aforementioned stories listed as particularly memorable, for the others focused on couples who's chemistry was not quite sparking as much as I would have liked (Tiara, Osun, and Orin felt a bit off/forced for me). Perhaps I'm just the type of reader who needs a longer narrative to be convinced. In any case, take my three stars as more of a reflection of my personal taste as oppose to the quality of the writing - and if you are a romantic then this book is an absolute must read.

Thanks for allowing me to read this unique novel! I look forward to Babalola's future works.

A collection of modern retellings. Some stories caught my attention more than others but I'm glad I gave it a try.

As a lover of myths and retellings, I was immediately drawn in by the description of this short story collection. All too often, whiteness is centered/seen as the default when people think about mythology. With Love in Color, Bolu Babalola does a beautiful job of (re)spinning myths old and new (with some original stories included in the end) to feature Black and brown people.

In this anthology, Babalola is able to weave masterfully rich and layered tales in the short story format. Though the collection is varied in style, each story pulses with warmth, the love in each palpable through the words. Some glowed with soft, gentle warmth, while others sparked more fiercely, but each different love story was moving and gorgeous in its own way.

I would absolutely recommend this book. A few of my favorites from this anthology included Thisbe, Osun, and Tiara. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

tw/cw: death, abuse, alcohol, mutilation

Oooh what an unexpected delight this book was! I have such a soft spot for retellings of traditional stories, so of course I had to read this collection. ESPECIALLY, when I figured out that the majority of them were given highly original twists… FOR EXAMPLE, I invite you, if I may, to imagine Mount Olympus but as…. *dun dun dun*... an office building?!?!? Y’all. I am HERE for all of that water cooler gossip. Like, can you even imagine!? BAH.

As with any anthology, some stories packed a better punch than their counterparts. A few of them hit with so much ka-PLOW that I was genuinely, SHOOK when I finished the story. While others settled much more gently. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed one style more than the other. Also, just so we’re clear, there are a handful of completely original stories at the end that deserve praise in their own right.

Would certainly recommend this book. Honestly, I’m only docking that last star because I wanted more queer relationships from this collection and am bummed that I only got the one. Also, this cover is making it onto my favorite covers list, FOR SURE! <3

A book of love stories based on myths and folklore from cultures around the world. I was delighted by the fact that all of the stories were centered around the women (and I, of course, loved the sapphic tale based on Egyptian mythology). A stunning collection for anyone who wants to put a little love in their heart.

Love in Color was actually published in the UK in July 2020, but it is just now making its way to the US. It has been received with overall positive reviews since its publishing, and for good reason. Bolu Babalola really did her research into the myths she uses to weave these new tales (she goes into detail about her research and inspirations in the postface), and the result is a gorgeous and unique take on romance.

Some of my favorites from this collection were the stories of Thisbe & Pyramus and Naleli & Khosi. I usually don’t particularly enjoy romantic stories, but these were so sweet and heartwarming; they reminded me of the feeling of new love. The last story, which is the love story of the author’s parents, was beautiful as well. There were also fun stories like that of Psyche & Eros, where Olympus is a fashion media company, and Venus is Miranda Priestly on steroids.

If you enjoy diverse retellings and could use some love in your life, do not hesitate to pick this up!

Babalola is a great writer and each of these short stories was engaging and did a good job of differentiating the characters and making you care about them, which isn't easy in short stories. Definitely would recommend this.