Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing company for this eARC!

I really enjoyed this book, I believe that it depicts the LGBTQ+ community very well and it was refreshing to read a story that wasn't centered around the main character coming out while still having some of that play into the storyline. I also thought that it handled the challenges of having an estranged mom come back into your life, high school, past trauma, etc. in a realistic and not annoying way that you can sometimes find with YA books that have a high school aged lead. I also thought the interlacing of both Rasheed's cultures was seamless and taught me a bit more about Kenyan culture which is always a positive for me! I also didn't think this book was too slow or fast paced, it felt like a natural flow and ending.

However, I did debate between rating 4 or 5 stars because the characters outside of Rasheed, Adam, and the family seemed a bit one dimensional. I often found that I was forgetting which friend was which and aside from one scene they just weren't that memorable. I think the friends should've played a bigger role because the times where they were really involved (like the hospital scene) it made an impact for me! In the end though I went with 5 stars because I would reread this book, I would recommend it to others, and it did keep me up wanting to keep reading and find out what happened!

I smiled through this entire book. It's exactly what I was looking for in an escapist romantic read: delightful POC and LGBTQIA+ representation, a simple and genuine writing style, and a plot that explores difficult topics (CW: <spoiler> sexuality, domestic abuse, neglect of a child, among others </spoiler>) without becoming too heavy.

It was pure delight to see the world through Rasheed's eyes for a time. A. Aduma did a wonderful job of imbuing him with both charming adolescence and a deep sense of compassion for others. It can sometimes be a struggle to read about teenage protagonists as an adult because of their self-centeredness; not so with Rasheed and the other young folks in this book. I was sad to leave their corner of the world when the story was over.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

'Lighter' is a really lovely book about Rasheed, who emigrated from Kenya to the US with his mother and grandmother when he was a child. At the beginning of the story, we find him grappling with several big issues. His granma, who raised him, has a stroke; his estranged mother returns home; and his former crush, Adam, reappears in his life just when he has more than enough to handle.

This gentle book shines in its portrayal of relationships. Rasheed's affection for his granma, and the parallel hurt he feels around his mother, are very touching. His chemistry with Adam feels real and their slow dance towards each other, as Adam deals with his own issues, is super romantic and heartfelt.

I also love Rasheed's connection to his Kenyan roots. It's a very powerful aspect of the book, with lots of swahili, food, clothes and memories of life in Mombasa. Rasheed's realisation that he is losing his swahili is sad. But he has made a place for himself in the US too.

I haven't seen much promotion around this book so I'm here to say it is really worth seeking out if you like heartwarming fiction featuring black boys in love.

My review is based on an ARC. I hope the finished book went through a final round of editing for a bit more polish.

This was a very cute read! This book follows our main character Rasheed as he navigates his way through some hard times in his life. His Granma being hospitalized, his absent mother returning to his life, and a childhood crush rekindling.

Overall, I thought this book was sweet and very feel-good-y. I found myself smiling a lot and once even cracking up (it's very rare a book makes me LOL). I'm a sucker for friends to lovers and I felt like it was done really well in this book. I also really liked that there was a bit of a found family aspect to it. I also appreciate that coming out was not a main plot point for our main character, Rasheed. The topic was discussed a bit later on in the book, but not a major plot point. It was really nice to read about someone who was so certain and comfortable with their sexuality. I also HIGHLY appreciated the content warnings at the start of this book! Petition for all books to include those!!!

Now, the things I didn't enjoy so much. I had a hard time with the characters, mostly the side characters. It's not exactly that I couldn't connect with them, I just felt like I didn't <i>know</i> them, if that makes sense. I felt like descriptions weren't really offered for them so I had a hard time picturing pretty much all of the characters. Personally, when I read a book, it plays out in my head like a movie (I saw on TikTok that not everyone experiences this?), so having detailed visuals for the characters is a must for me. And finally, I felt like there was a little bit of an emotional block with the heavy subject matters. I felt like when an emotional scene was happening, the level of emotional intensity that puts me over the edge was allllmost there, but not quite. I think this is another issue with just not going into enough detail for my tastes.

Overall, I enjoyed the book a lot, and the positives outweigh the negatives. I would definitely be willing to read Aduma's work in the future!

Initially i gave this 5 stars, and then after sitting on it for a while I've settled on 4 stars, because there were a few things i didn't love.

First things first though, i was provided a copy of Lighter through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lighter was your classic YA coming of age romance, with just the right about of family drama and parental presence.

We follow Rasheed as he deals with a poor break up (on his part), a poorly grandmother, the return of his estranged mother, and a reconnection with an old friend, that might just be more.

like i said, its a classic story and while for some that may make it seem a bit forgettable, but personally i had a lot of fun reading Lighter and i think it will be one that i revisit.

It was written with a very straightforward writing style, and Rasheed's friendship group were very one dimensional and surface level for me. That's why i decided on 4 stars and not 5. It seemed as though we could have erased them from the story and it would not have impacted a single event.
On the other hand, while i thought Adam (the estranged friend) could have had a bit more depth, i did really like his character and enjoyed his storyline and interactions with Rasheed.

The thing i loved the most about Lighter was the seamless incorporation of Swahili and African culture. It was funny, just before reading Lighter i watched a booktuber discuss authors having to overexplain and spoon feed their audiences knowledge of their culture, to the point of impacting their writing, due to publishers completely disregarding the fact that the authors intended audience may not be white/western etc.

Then i read Lighter and Aduma incorporated Rasheed's culture in a way that wasn't intended to teach the audience every aspect, or followup every sentence with an explanation. it was so natural, and while i didn't understand the Swahili, i didn't have to. it was written in such a way where the context of the situation was all i needed, or the next sentence really cleverly gave the context. and there was a glossary at the back.

Highly recommend!

This book was awesome. The ending makes me want to read a sequel because of how it ended. I loved the representation of gays, and bisexuals. i have nothing to hate about this book its well written and has a good plot and backstory.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Lighter in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really cute, family focused queer YA romance which made me really happy since normally family in queer romance is only there to a) be the best most accepting people ever or b) be homophobic/make the characters worry that they're homophobic. It was really nice to see the protagonist's relationship with his Grandmother given equal weight to his romance arc.

There's nothing particularly new about Lighter, but its a well written, enjoyable MLM romance so if you're looking for a lighter queer read, give this one a go.

Ah the feelings about this book. What a delightful and beautiful story. This book was very much needed at these times. The story was about a teen named Rasheed whose grandma suffered a stroke and his mom arrived back in his life. Juggling his feelings of anger, anxiety and love towards an absentee mom and an ill grandma, he had to figure out what to do with those feelings. Adam was the former friend, and current love interest that was amazing for him. Rasheed needed hope and love. Adam’s family members and Paul were great side characters that allowed us to see what a beautiful and supportive family looks like for Adam and Rasheed. And I really loved Rasheed’s friends. They were loyal, funny, and compassionate people that truly cared for each other. Overall, this was a cute, quick and delightful YA romance story. Definitely pick this book up.
I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley for my honest review. Thank you for my copy!

There was so much to love about this book. Rasheed is a very relatable teen, struggling with the reality of his grandmothers health and the sudden return of his absentee mother. The way that both relationships play out on the page -- plus the inclusion of Paul -- is painfully real. Families are imperfect, and not everyone can be the person you need them to be, and this book shows this wonderfully while still giving Rasheed the support he needs through his Granma.

The romance plot is well done, too. The way Adam's side of things is revealed is perfect for a mutual pining where the MC is oblivious. I was expecting more drama to be thrown at them for the sake of drama, but was pleasantly surprised that the focus remained on both Rasheed and Adam's familial journeys.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed how Rasheed's story had a lot of nuance. Lighter really explored his relationships with different people in his life whether than was romantic, friendships, or familial. It added a lot more complexity to Rasheed's story that isn't always seen in YA queer romance novels. I particularly enjoyed the small, slice of life scenes A. Aduma captured in this book such as the everyday moments between friends and cooking with grandmothers. These weren't always critical to the plot, but they added more to the characters. Every character felt like they had their own story and not just like they revolved around the main character. Overall, I enjoyed this book and will probably get my own copy to include in my classroom library.

Rasheed is a Kenyan teenager living in the Dallas-area with his grandma, who has raised him. His mother is a filmmaker, and she's been largely absent in his life, even before she got them out of Kenya. Grandma had been abused by her husband, and they had been in flight from his wrath before they were brought to the US. He's always felt less than, because his mom never seemed to take an interest in him.

Rasheed is out to his grandma and friends, and has been for several years. It was the reason he pulled away from his close friendship with Adam Herman, a boy his own age and at his high school, for whom Rasheed had his first love. Adam is the fourth of six kids in a tight-knit family, with younger twin sisters and three older brothers. Adam's mom and Rasheed's grandma are good friends, and that is how he and Rasheed developed a friendship as children. When Rasheed's grandma has a stroke the Herman's take Rasheed in for a couple of nights, so he doesn't have to be alone.

And, that was when his mom returned.

Rasheed's world is in a tailspin, it seems, as he struggles with his fears over his grandma's health, her deepening relationship with a local man called Paul, when his mom will take off again, and what's up with his reconnection with Adam. The whole family seems to embrace Rasheed, and he's grateful for the space and connection--what he's been lacking at home. It's a sweet story, with Rasheed being so awkward about most things, dodging an ex that he did wrong, and fearing the growing attraction that he feels for Adam--at least until Adam confesses his own secrets.

This is a YA romance and the physical affection between Rasheed and Adam is commensurate with the genre. It's really a lot about figuring out the struggles and giving Rasheed the ability to mend relationships that should have been more strong to begin with. I love Rasheed, his cultural roots, and how he gains the strength to hold himself and others accountable for their actions. The Herman's are an awesome family, and a great support, as is grandma and Rasheed's other close friends: Mo and Peep. It's a fun story and I loved it from start to finish.

This was a pretty cute, family focused LGBTQ+ YA romance that was a really quick and easy read.

I really enjoyed the family dynamics within this book as family's are normally used for drama purposes in other LGBTQ+ books, so it was refreshing to see a fully accepting family who helps with the main character's journey.

Unfortunately there wasn't much of a plot to this story which made it a little bit boring at some points. I enjoyed Rasheed as a character, but we weren't given enough information about him to be able to connect fully with him. There was also far too many characters that were introduced so suddenly and randomly that I was left very confused.

The romance within this book was very cute but also very rushed and kind of came out of nowhere. I just wish there had been a bit more to it.

I think the main issue with this book was just the lack of backstory for everything. Like I said previously, there just wasn't much to this story which made it difficult to connect and really enjoy the book.

This was such a fun, lighthearted and quick read. While there were some serious topics it was mostly just funny and easy. I love family dynamics but often with lgbt books the family is only there to cause drama with a coming out so this was refreshing that this wasn't the focus of the book. I love Rasheed he's a lovely guy and his thought process made a lot of sense to me and his dynamic with his grandma was heartwarming. Also the way his friendship with Adam happened and their tension was just so fun to read about. While this wasn't anything new or extraordinary I do recommend it if you want a fun, quick, lgbt read. They don't have to always be full of drama, the gays love cute and fluff too.

I really enjoyed reading Lighter. The book is written in an authentic and engaging way — and I would gladly share it on my classroom shelf or in the school library.

This was so so. I wouldn’t recommend or pick it up again. I just felt like I’ve heard this story before just went m/m love interests.