After really loving Happily Ever Afters I was super excited to pick up One True Love. I was definitely not disappointed. This was so much fun, it was so much fun that I couldn't help finishing it in just one sitting it kept me turning pages all night. I loved how full of representation this was and how well the representation was done.

a sweet and fun YA book for black teenage girls. i love the discussion around colorism and how it affects us black girls. honestly don't have anything else to say: it was just so sweet and swoony and adorable!!

Elise never misses. This book was so beautiful, hilarious, and adorable. I loved seeing the world through Lenore's eyes and it also felt like the perfect way to be reunited with Tessa. This book is middle child representation, especially with parents of color. The pressure to just choose a career and stick to it is so real for a lot of teens, and the way she deals with it is incredibly realistic. A lot of kids her age would also relate to the complications of dating at that age, and the unique way that senior prom can be low-key traumatizing.

Overall I thought it was a wonderful sequel. I walked away from the story truly feeling like a proud big sister for how much our girl Lenore grew.

Lenore Bennett seems to have it all together: she's smart (4.2 GPA, tyvm), clever, creative, and driven. But she is still the "puce sheep" of her family with an older brother on his way to law school and a genius 11-year-old sister, Lenore feels like she failing and floundering in life, but especially in love. Though on the way to NYU in the fall, Lenore is finding that she is unsure what her plan is for the future or if she even wants to move to NYC. The summer before college, she and her family go on a Mediterranean cruise, where Lenore must decide on her major and career path. What she doesn't expect, is to meet a handsome young man, Alex Lee, on the cruise who seems to have it together.
Super cute YA contemporary romance with BIPOC, mental health, and LGBTQIA+ representations. This is a low-stakes romance set in the Mediterranean, this story is told from Lenore's POV as she tries to figure out her life, regain her confidence, and find her true self while learning to communicate with others about her feelings. The love interest is very cute, but there are some over-the-top cringy moments. Either way, a fun book to read to get ready for the summer!

Don't ask me why, but I kept getting Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants and Cheetah Girls vibes from it even though all three of these stories are very different. I think it might be the cruise destinations Lenore and her family go to. So Lenore is a high schooler with a 4.0 GPA, great fashion sense, and a gifted artist. There's just a few things not going so great for her: she's considered mediocre in her family with her two genius siblings, she never seems to have any luck with love, and she can't figure out what she wants to do with her future. Her parents give her until the end of her family's summer vacation cruise before she goes to NYU to finally decide on what she wants to do with her life. However, can she do it, and will there be surprises along the way?

I loved reading this book because of the black love aspect and the conversation about black excellence, but you also get to go on a cruise with Lenore in the book, experiencing everything from the heartache, to the seasickness, to the outdoor markets and beautiful fountains.

This book aged me. My favourite childhood movie brushed off as a relic because it was released BEFORE THE CHARACTER WAS BORN. I’ve made it two years in the chaos that is the early 2020s, but this statement provided me with a nice existential crisis. Aside from that, One True Loves is a very enjoyable and relatable read!

Lenore is a very relatable character. She’s introverted but feels like she needs to be “on” in order to be liked, she’s afraid to commit to anything in order to avoid disappointment and failure, and she is plagued with the generational pressure to succeed to make her ancestors’ sacrifices worth it. All these nuances and fears were weaved through the story so well that it felt innocuous at the beginning and escalated to insulting and gaslighting by the end – I understand the origins of these comments, but it felt abusive because it was affecting Lenore’s sense of self and the way she viewed her art and her actions. This is the story of so many kids out there and I related to it so much. I love seeing Lenore grow into herself outside of the judgement and facades from home and becoming more self-confident and aware of what brings her joy.

Alex is lovely – do I hate that they fell into “I love you”s within a week or two of knowing each other? Yes. Did that make me like Alex any less? Nope! Alex is unproblematic and an over the top romantic. While his ex hated it, that romantic gesture vibe is everything Lenore wanted from her past relationships. I loved them together and how open and themselves they got to be with one another – Alex is definitely one of the cutest love interests I’ve seen in a while. The reason this book lost a star for me was the annoying miscommunication that happened about 75% into the book and it made me so mad. The end also cut off a little too abruptly after that drama and I really wanted a bit more resolution with Lenore and Alex, as well as more closure or something for Wally’s story line.

As a whole, this books was adventurous and adorable, with underlying themes of anxiety, imposter syndrome, and familial pressure. While I wish there had been a bit more at times, this book had me grinning and sobbing and I adore it.

TW: Panic attack, gaslighting
Rep: BIPOC characters, LGBTQ+ relationships for secondary characters, anxiety

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Balzer + Bray via HarperCollins Children’s Books in exchange for an honest review.

Loved, loved, loved this book! I discovered Elise Bryant last year at my local public library and adored Happily Ever Afters. I was so excited to see another book by Bryant, featuring some of the characters from the first book of hers.

I really enjoyed the progression of romance between Alex and Lenore.

Lenore's relationships with her family are deep and the issue of pressure to be great was handled well.

Now I want a book about Lenore's gap year and what Wally is up to.

This was a great companion novel to Happily Ever Afters. You definitely don't need to read the first one to appreciate this one and it can easily stand alone.

I loved that this book featured two Black characters as the love interests. The book also has some really great commentary on the pressure teens face from their families around making choices about their futures.

Elise Bryant has done it again! Brilliant idea to take Lenore (who played the sidekick/best friend role in Happily Ever Afters) and make her the leading lady in her own well-deserved love story. Lenore is a richly developed dynamic character who changes over the course of the novel in ways that we all change as human beings the summer before our first year of college. Loved the messages of finding self-love, taking risks in life and love, and choosing mental health and following your “knowing” instead of following cultural and familial expectations! Also appreciated the swoony Mediterranean settings ☀️

Oh how I enjoyed this beautiful story. Reading a story full of people of color succeeding and paving their way. Thriving. It all was very joyful and content. This story was really nice to read. This story is about a black girl just graduated high school accepted into a prestigious college but struggle to set her mind on a major. She is creative and does not want to choose a path she is not fully passionate for. Being born into a black family, her parents make sure to remind her all the time of how she needs to be ten steps ahead to truly succeed as it is a luxury to acquire their victories. Her parents wants her to choose a path and focus on it through to the end, being the type to bounce around different interests and all. It is hard for her to settle on one thing. Having met Alex Lee during a cruise ship; the two debark on a journey of friendship, love, passions, and a lot of emotions that helps Lenore in many ways she did not expect.

I actually relate to Lenore and the writer wrote her story in a way that I can actually feel her emotions and her struggles with her friends and families. I could honestly understand her struggle to truly let Alex in in the end there. I can see how she can feel when her parents does not make her feel as brave and creative she is around her other siblings. The portrayal of being black and trying to fit in somewhere you should already fit in is a battle many struggle with everyday.

Through her story, I can see why she felt like she had to put up the front of being emotionless in a room full of people who do lot care to see or only care to use it against you.

Story has so many memorable parts that I have bookmarked and am looking forward to read again.

This book was a cute story with a cruise-ship setting, and it did cover a few valuable and important topics. However, this was not an outstanding read for me. I picked it up because I fell in love with the setting of Chrysalis Academy and characters of Happily Ever Afters. One True Loves took the story out of the context that I really enjoyed in Elise Bryant's first book, and I did feel the same connection with the characters that I experienced in Happily Ever Afters. This would be a cute summer read, and I will happily recommend it to library patrons - but it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

You guys. I’m OBSESSED with this fictional cast of characters @elisembryant has created in both Happily Ever Afters (Book 1) and One True Loves!!!!

You can completely read this independently - but if you are sucker for books where old character faves come back, then this one is for you!

We follow Lenore (Tessa’s bestie from book 1) who is convinced the type of romance girls in rom-coms get, will never happen to her.

That is of course until she goes on a Mediterranean cruise with her family the summer after senior year 👀

💖WHAT I LOVED💖
-This book takes the “stereotypical always there for the main character” rom com character & destroys that narrative by GIVING HER HER MOMENT!
-Forced proximity trope (HELLO WE ARE ON A CRUISE): but is even better because the *families* are on the cruise with them.
-The entire narrative surrounding academic pressure, specifically Black Excellence & the pressure Lenore feels from her family to pick a set future
-Mental health discussion & a sibling dynamic I’ve always wanted to see represented in a book
- The travel element. Wow I have SUCH a travel bug & this book fulfilled that desire immensely.

ADD 📝 TO YOUR TBR!

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of “One True Love” by Elise Bryant. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was so cute!! I wish I had this when I was in high school/early college trying to navigating that terrifying task of deciding what I want to do with my life. This is a great YA novel.

The story line of this was so good and I loved the ending. I would totally recommend this book!!

This book was a cute follow up to Elise’s YA debut last year. I appreciate the depth with which she depict Black girl characters and the intentional plot line focused on their ability to find romance. This would be a good choice for students who want rich stories that represent Black girls’ complexities.

This is book was a slow burn but I liked it. Lenore was a hoot and my favorite, Alex complimented her so well. I will definitely recommend his book.

Reading this book was like reading my old high school journal! (And I am an adult)! This book was simply phenomenal from the friend issues, to the self esteem issues to the family drama! I was completely enthralled the entire time. It was very disheartening to read about the love interest cheating on her and then just using her in the end. I can see how that can harm a girl's self esteem!
The colorism issue arises slightly, but it's not a big overbearing issue. I love how the main character finds herself in the end and realizes her true self worth! Great read! I would definitely recommend this book to all my students.

Title: One True Loves
Author: Elise Bryant
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

Lenore Bennett has always been a force. A star artist and style icon at her high school, she’s a master in the subtle art of not giving a . . . well, you know what. But now that graduation is here, she’s a little less sure.

She’s heading to NYU in the fall with a scarlet U (for “undeclared”) written across her chest. Her parents always remind her that Black kids don’t have the luxury of figuring it out as they go—they have to be 110 percent prepared. But it’s a lot of pressure to be her ancestors’ wildest dreams when Lenore’s not even sure what her dreams are yet.

When her family embarks on a post-graduation Mediterranean cruise, her friend Tessa is sure Lenore’s in for a whirlwind romance. But Lenore knows that doesn’t happen in real life. At least not to girls like her.

Then she meets Alex Lee. After their parents bond over the Cupid Shuffle, she ends up stuck with him for the remainder of the cruise. He’s a hopeless romantic and a golden boy with a ten-year plan. In short, he’s irritating as hell.

But as they get to know each other during the picturesque stops across Europe, he may be able to help her find something else she’s been looking for, even if she doesn’t want to admit it to herself: love.

I enjoyed this read! Lenore was a bit over-the-top at first, with her brashness and in-your-face attitude, but when she tamped it down a bit, she was much more relatable. She’s under a lot of pressure from her family, and I felt sorry for her in that respect. It was good to see some character growth from her, as she slowly started to figure out who she is and what she wants from life.

Elise Bryant is from California. One True Loves is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review.)

One True Loves is a swoony, multi-layered young adult novel about making room for vulnerability, redefining Black excellence, and finding the courage to be one's true self. Set aboard a Mediterranean cruise, this sweet romance is a delight for travel lovers and books about summer romances. It also features common teen issues such as figuring out what to do in college, building real friendships, and managing relationships with siblings. If you have a chance to listen to this on audio, DO IT! The narrator is PHENOMENAL!

More. I need more. I loved this book. It was the perfect escape and though I wish I could've read it in spring or summer, it still felt right.

I am happy to say that I enjoyed this book more than the first. While Tessa's story was very cute, it almost felt too young and immature for me to really care as much. Lenore's story is still very light and innocent but felt more high school. I think it doesn't hurt that Lenore is more of a fun character than Tessa, as well. When meeting Lenore in the first book, she was so confident and vibrant and strong. In this book, I really didn't get as much of that personality. While I know the plot was centered on her being unsure of her future and feeling anxious, I still would have liked to see a little more out of her. Looking back, book one is probably a 3.5⭐ and this would be a 4⭐ for me.