Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5 stars)

CW/TW: mentions of SA, character battling an illness

Do you like?: black romance, the boy falling first, loveable side characters, diverse representation, coming of age story, and amazing plot?

In her debut novel, Ebony LaDelle takes on a journey of love, healing, friendship, and growing into our authentic selves with Love Radio. We begin with our two love interests Prince and Danielle (Dani). Prince is a teenage DJ, radio personality, and self proclaimed love doctor. He has dreams of becoming a major DJ personality and helping others but between helping his ill mother and watching after his younger brother, his dreams don’t seem like they’ll ever be a reality. Dani, a bookworm and writer who’s tired of the cliche love stories that her mother loves so much. Her main goal is to go to college and take on New York City to become an author but one thing is holding her back. Her college essay. When these two first meet, Dani is far from impressed and not looking for any cliche romance. But Prince is certain that he can convince her to fall in love with him…..in THREE DATES. As we follow our main characters, we see that not only can three date be special, but can they inspire our two love birds to evolve in the people they are meant to be?

Not only was this story a love letter to its main setting, the city of Detroit, it was a love story to every young black child who didn’t have the representation in the books they loved to read growing up. Ebony gives us not only an amazing love story, but an amazing coming of age story where we see our two main characters tackle everyday situations as teenagers. Prince is such a love male main character. One of the biggest questions popping in my head was constantly: why couldn’t I have a boy like this in high school? (lol) I loved that he had such an amazing support system from his uncle to his friends at school. Dani has my heart. She was such a sweet person to read and empathize with. She truly embodied learning a lesson that I too learned all too well in high school, that sometimes every friendship that we desperately want to hold on too is not meant to follow us on our journey to greatness. However, her true friend circle Rashida and Esi were the epitome of amazing and ride or die!! I was happy that she was able to overcome her obstacles, regain friendships, and learn to love herself all over again. Another thing that gravitated me to this story is that it isn’t your typical love story. It takes you on the journey of what healthy dating should look like and even some of the hard questions teenagers face when dating during this stage in life. I love that this was a journey and not just an instant love story for our two main characters to fall into an unrealistic love, but to learn about each other, inspire each other and help each other grow. Our two main characters not only showed love in its typical form but also in a variation that I feel is forgotten to be portrayed in YA Romance. Once again, thank you Ebony LaDelle for this amazing novel. If you haven’t already PLEASE go pick up Love Radio from your local bookstore or online and support this amazing author.

Loved this book full of sass and chivalry! This well-written story will appeal to a wide audience of teen readers; it includes knowledge of both: music and books; as well as family and romantic relationships. My favorite scenes were the courtship as they are handled with such respect and fun.

I adored this story!!! This is everything I want in a book! It had depth, heart, struggle, growth, lovable characters, and a love story I didn’t want to end; can I get an epilogue?! 🙏🏻 Oh, and I should mention it’s told in dual POV—my fav! 🤩

Prince and Danielle were a perfect pairing. 💞 Their stories were rich and their bond over each other’s passions was so beautiful to watch. They each had personal struggles that they needed to work through, and I just loved the respect, patience, and support they gave each other and received from those around them. This was a great example of supporting characters, rich in diversity, who had their own stories and DID THEIR JOB! This is a story every teenager should read; you will learn a lot!!

Author @jasminepics said Love Radio is “a celebration of Black love, Black teenagers, Black friendship, and the Black family, and I adored it from beginning to end,” and I couldn’t agree more. I especially loved the celebration of Black music and literature and the love for the city of Detroit.

This one ticked all my boxes and was such a beautiful story. 🥹 Definitely add this one to your list! You won’t be disappointed! I can’t wait to read more from LaDelle, and I will definitely be looking to add this to my permanent collection in the future.

The following review posted to our blog on June `13th.

I don’t t recall how Ebony LaDelle's debut Young Adult novel came to my attention, but I liked the eye-catching cover and the premise sounded interesting. A bit gimmicky (a high school boy tries to get a girl to fall in love with him in three dates) but fresher than many these days–no rivals to lovers, no fake dating–so I requested the ARC.

Prince Jones is only a high school senior and already a radio DJ in a Detroit station (his uncle helped him get the job after he’d had him on as a guest and the audience loved him). His show, the Love Radio, is a mix of music and relationship advice. Callers call in and “DJ Love Jones” gives them his thoughts about and suggestions for dealing with their thorny relationship dilemmas.

Prince does this despite intense demands on this time. His mother has MS and was abandoned by his father after she was diagnosed, so it falls to Prince to help her around the house. His five-year-old brother, Mook, is adorable, but since their father isn’t around, Prince does his best to be a male role model to him. And of course, there’s school. At eighteen, Prince is a young man who shoulders a lot of responsibilities, and he handles them with grace.

Prince is part of a crew of four guys from his high school—Malik, who is dating two girls, Rashida and Charte, mainly because Rashida isn’t ready for sex; Anthony/Ant, who is father to a baby; and Yasin/Yaz, who yearns for Jordan, a girl at school, but is afraid that if he asks her out, she’ll say no because he isn’t Black (for those of our readers who live outside the US and may not know—Detroit has a predominantly Black population). Anthony’s one-year-old, Kisha, is a welcome addition when Anthony has her.

Although his girlfriend of a year, Morgan, dumped him after moving to college recently, Prince genuinely believes in love, and he tries to give his friends good suggestions on how to handle their relationships. When the other guys challenge him to take his own relationship advice and put himself out there, Prince thinks of the girl he crushed on in Middle School, a crush that never completely faded.

Danielle Ford is now a senior at the same school Prince attends. For over a year now, Dani has been avoiding her old friends Rashida, Esi, and Destiny. Dani and the first two were a tight group of three. Neither Rashida and Esi nor Dani’s mother have ever liked Destiny, though. Destiny is insecure and doesn’t have a car; before they had a falling out, she used Dani to get rides. One night she invited Danielle to a “party” that turned out to take place at a house off-campus. There was nobody there but the four guys who lived in the house. Destiny’s actions that night put Dani in danger and Dani was nearly raped.

Dani no longer considers Destiny her friend, but she avoids her other friends, Esi and Rashida, too, because she doesn’t want to talk about what happened lest they judge her and she knows that they’ll sense that there is something wrong and ask.

More generally, Dani has become reclusive. She has less trust in people now, guys especially, and she doesn’t want to open up to anyone. Although she and her parents comprise a close, warm, loving family, she doesn’t want to confide in her mom or dad either. She’s become blocked when it comes to writing her college application essay. Her ambition is to be an author but now her writing well seems to have run dry.

This is a partial review. You can find the review in its entirety here: https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/overall-b-reviews/b-minus-reviews/review-love-radio-by-ebony-ladelle/

When I saw the synopsis for Love Radio on Netgalley, I was immediately intrigued by the Hitch references. I saw Hitch in the movie theatre when it came out with a group of friends and enjoyed it. I still think it is a good movie and was curious how the premise would translate to a young adult novel. Enter Prince Jones aka DJ Love. Prince is seventeen and has his own show on the radio where he gives advice to the brokenhearted. Too bad he can't make heads or trails when it comes to Dani Ford, a class mate who he has been crushing hard on for years. As an attempt to win her affections, he bets her that he ''the love DJ" could make her fall in love with him with three dates.

On the surface, Prince has the confidence and the swagger to be who he is. Underneath, he is a seventeen year old boy trying to find balance between school, djing, and take care of his mother and younger brother. As the man of the house, he takes his responsibilities very seriously. Right away, I could tell Prince was a sweetheart. I loved the relationship he had with his mother and younger brother.

Dani is a bit more abrasive than Prince. Alot of that has to do with what happened at a party months ago. Ever since that fateful night, she has struggled to write which is difficult for her as she's a writer attempting to apply to college. She also had dreams of being an author. When Prince starts entering her orbit, he presents a nice distraction that she does not see going anywhere. She absolutely refutes the idea that he can have her falling love with him but as things get started she is admittedly having a good time. Dani is on a personal journey - one which was very interesting to watch.

Prince really is a prince in how he treats Dani. He communicates with her and always enjoys surprising her. He uses music t express his feelings; and Dani responds in turn with written words. I really enjoyed this dynamic and the how it ebbed and flowed together. I was tender and had some really cute moments. Mixed in with these super cue moments are moments of self love and healing as Prince and Dani come to terms with their personal dilemmas (Dani - her trauma ; Prince - his mothers MS relapse). It is a celebration of Black love and representation.

Love Radio is adorable and does have several links to the movie Hitch. The dates Prince created were fun but what really made me and Dani fall for him is the way he listened and supported her. Even when she was trying to push him away, he was still holding strong. I just really enjoyed this sweet story.

Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle, 320 pages. Simon & Schuster, 2022. $20. Centering me
Language: R (180 swears, 4 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Prince (17yo), also known as DJ LoveJones, has been crushing on Danielle since middle school. Danielle has distanced herself from everyone in the past year as she stays silent about how she’s been hurt. When the two run into each other and spend a little time together, Prince convinces Danielle to give him three dates – three dates to make her fall in love with him.
LaDelle has created a casual feel to Prince and Danielle’s story through her slang-filled word choice. The vibe is conversational, like a friend telling you a story rather than a book being read. I enjoyed reading about how Prince and Danielle expand their definition of love and learn to better love themselves and their family members and friends as well as their partners, that theirs is not only a story of romantic love. They, and we, all deserve love – and a true love story.
Prince and Danielle are described as Black, reflecting how they are shown on the cover. Destiny is described as having brown skin, Anthony is Black, Rashida is Muslim, Malik is Jamaican, Esi is Ghanaian, and Yasin is Chaldean. The majority of other characters mentioned are either described as Black or are implied Black. The mature content rating is for innuendo, underage drinking, partial nudity, mentions of sex, and attempted rape.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Love Radio was a gorgeous book that spoke on a lot of topics. Ebony didn’t hold back and you were placed right into the story. The POV of both characters was so well written, I could feel the emotions they both felt.

Dani was dealing with past trauma and it slowly unfolds what happened to her. Her family dynamic as well as her willingness to let go of toxic people were some of my favorite parts in the story.

Prince was a knock out character and I really enjoyed his story. His hardships and the way he handled them made me love him right away. The way he handled everything between his home life, friends, Dani, and coming to terms with his past. Made me love him even more.

Dani and Prince have 90’s Black Love vibes, just like some of the coupes referenced in the book. I also really enjoyed how they both looked past the surface of each other to find what really made them tick.

This was a story of becoming who you want to be not who people expect you to do. As well as the reality of leaving home when your family depends on you. I loved the audiobook and listened to it all day today.

This is a book that needs to be read! Go out and get yours.

4 Stars

Love Radio is a heartfelt coming-of-age story that explores the importance of music and how heavily it impacts our society. This story showcases enjoyable friendship and family dynamics that are sure to keep readers engaged and entertained in the story. Love Radio will take you on a journey of self-discovery while exploring love and hardships present in our everyday lives.

Life has been so hectic lately that I missed the archive date for the ARC and had to read Love Radio over the course of a week, but it was a book I would've easily devoured in a day if I'd had the time.

When the weather gets warm, I like to read YA contemporary romance, and Love Radio is the perfect summer read: cute, fun, and delightfully heartwarming. It's the kind of book you want to indulge in on a lazy day with a bowl of ice cream. I'm usually not fan of alternating POVs, and while I wish there had been a little more

distinction between Dani and Prince's voices, I actually liked getting to see the story from both their perspectives. I thought Ebony LaDelle did a good job of balancing the light tone of the book with some of the heavier topics, and she managed to address some difficult issues while still giving us a love story that very much felt like teenaged Hitch. Jasmine Guillory says, “Love Radio is pure joy. This book is a celebration of Black love, Black teenagers, Black friendship, and the Black family, and I adored it from beginning to end," and I wholeheartedly agree. It's a love story that encompasses all aspects of life--romance, family, platonic and even self-love. The story covers a decent chunk of time in only 320 pages, so the romance felt a bit rushed. It was cute, but I think it could've been even more believable and swoon-worthy if it'd had more time to develop, but I was really glad that LaDelle didn't fall into the trap of creating drama for the sake of drama and made the source of tension (aka "why can't they be together NOW?") pretty believable. No overusing miscommunication as a trope here! Without getting too spoilery, I'll say I was a little disappointed with the way the book ended since she was doing so well building up to it, but it was still solid.

All in all, Love Radio is definitely a book I'd like to come back to when I have more time, and I'm already watching and wiating for Ebony LaDelle's next book.

Prince Jones is a popular teen radio DJ and "love doctor" dishing out advice to his listeners while also taking care of his little brother and mother who was diagnosed with MS. When he sees his middle school crush in a library meet-(not-so)cute, he knows it's finally time to put his words to action to try to win her over. However, Danielle is not having it--she is focused on her goals to apply early to a college in New York and strongly distrusts men. Yet, she reluctantly agrees to go on three date with Prince after he bets her that she'll fall for him. So begins a YA love story with a slight remix of the movie Hitch.
This was an endearing YA love story told from Danielle and Prince's POV, but it went deeper than the romance as Danielle finds herself after pushing her friends away after a traumatic incident. The characters were flawed yet endearing. The plot was a bit predictable, but it's a fun summer read! 3.5 rounded to 4.

What a great YA that tackles really great and relevant topics! I loved both teens and the slow, respectful romance. Prince was wise beyond his years and a great book boyfriend. The book celebrates music and writing and is a sweet love story!

I loved the idea behind this book, but I just couldn't find myself being invested in the characters and their love story.

This review is going to be hard to write. I loved this book something fierce. From the music references, to the movie references, to the Black History that was embedded in it, just everything. This book was very much a “me” book and I can’t thank Ebony LaDelle enough for writing a book that I loved so much.

Dani thinks love is silly and she doesn’t believe it’ll ever find her. That is until Prince shows up. He’s the DJ for a popular love show, Love Radio. He gives advice to callers who call in and ask for his help in different ways. To be only 17 he is actually really helpful and is super popular with literally everyone. Prince has been peeping Dani for a long time, but finally decided to shoot his shot. And he misses. But when Dani finds out that how she made herself look, they come together again… And this time, the shot is all net. Well as long as he can make her fall in love with him in three dates….

The very best thing about this book is the characters. I LOVED Prince and his love for music. I LOVED Dani and her love for books. I LOVED both of them and their love for each other. Just everything about them was amazing. I don’t really know how else to explain it. Another thing I liked about this was the fact that Prince was so into her, and into her first at that. I just love that trope. And man, the romance between them was so cute. I remember even doing an update as “aksdjfpaihfPFN THEY ARE SO CUTE!” BUT….. I rounded this down a little because of the fact that that it seemed so perfect and like how? He was just a teenage boy lol The things they were able to do just seemed like too much. Don’t get me wrong, those dates were perfect and I’m hella jealous about them, but man, it just seemed like alot.

Ok, so I lied. The very best thing about this was also the writing style. I was so into it because I know that LaDelle said she once worked in publicity. And it definitely shows. Because she certainly knew what worked. With everything goin on in the plot, the little tidbits of Black History, and adding on to the way that she was alluding to but not showing what happened to Dani, it seemed like it was a lot going on. But the way she wrote pulls you in and all the pieces just fall together. It all just worked together. The music and the movies from back in the day and the setting paired really well with the Black Music Historical facts that were in this book. She tied in everything really well and I enjoyed it.

The way that I knew this book was for me tho, was the Black experience that was in it. Yes it was about a love story, but man I was so immeresed in Black excellence. I don’t remember getting that feeling from a mainstream book. The Hair Show, the fact that it was set in Detroit, the birthplace of Motown, the Black books, the Black authors, and the Black movies? I didn’t want it to end. And all the Mook scenes with the books? Lawd, my heart melted. But I have been waiting to say this since I read it, the greatest Black movie soundtrack is not Love Jones, LaDelle. It’s actually Waiting to Exhale. I know you mention it and I know you said you loved it, but you said LJ was better and naw, I just can’t agree lol It’s good, but WtE is the best. Now the best movie soundtrack of all time is The Bodyguard. And that’s it. I won’t be taking questions or rebuttals at this time lol

One way I know I loved a book is when I go through every emotion while reading it. And that’s exactly what I did with this one. I was so into it. I swooned, I laughed, I cried, and everything. It was just so good. I cried at the part where she explained what happened at the attempted sexual assault. Not because I was sad, but because I was so angry that happened. I’ve never been in that position so I can’t comment on the way it was written, but I felt like it was written in a sensitive enough way. And the way that she wrote the way Prince and his mom interacted? It brings tears to my eyes. He was such a sweet boy and deserved all that he was getting.

This book has definitely made it to my Favorites shelf. I knew it would when I first heard about the book from a talk the author did. I’ve been excited about this book since I heard about it and I can’t wait to see all the Best of Lists it’ll be on at the end of the year.

Really enjoyed this one! Danielle and Prince's love story was so authentically patient. Both characters were written with great nuance and care. All the elements of a great romance are here while also being a great overall story.

Ebony LaDelle’s Love Radio is a love letter to Detroit, to young love, and to figuring out how to love yourself.

Prince Jones may only be in high school, but his status as a DJ giving love advice has elevated him to nearly local celebrity levels. Danielle Ford has all but withdrawn from her former social life, deeply intent on securing college scholarships and admission to a university in NYC so she can pursue her dream of becoming an author. The last thing Dani wants is romance, but Prince convinces her to give him three dates. Can the love doctor take his own advice and find his own happily ever after?


This YA rom-com is as full of heart as it is depth. Dani is struggling to overcome an event that happened, the catalyst that caused her to withdraw from her social life and all of her friendships. Prince is the primary caretaker for his mother, a strong woman fighting MS, and his younger brother. Coupled with the friendship and relationship plots, these components provide plenty of depth and heart while there is still lots of humor, romance, and coming of age aspects that are relatable.

Dani and Prince are both alike and different, complimenting each other and challenging on another in unique and unexpected ways. I love to see positive teen relationships portrayed, and Dani and Prince are top notch. They each respect the other’s boundaries, are encouraging, and keep one another accountable. They challenge each other’s preconceived notions such that both grow throughout the book due to their interactions with each other.

The importance of prioritizing friendship, whether in hard times, good times, or the beginning of a new and exciting romance, is an important topic that LaDelle expertly portrays. From maintaining healthy friendships to letting go of toxic friends, a wide spectrum of friendship is depicted.

Seeing Danielle with her girlfriends and Prince with his boys also provided insight into the accountability friends can offer. From checking each other for misogyny to breaking stereotypes about teen parenthood, the secondary characters in the friend groups truly show how important building community and being supportive is. Dani pushing away her friends after the party incident that haunts her is isolating, and makes her trauma feel even worse.

The technical aspects that make this novel so wonderful are the incredible character development, the realistic dialogue, and the well-developed sub-plots that tackle so many issues teens are already thinking about. From sexual harassment, toxic friendship, and managing health complications, this novel addresses many issues teens are facing today in a relatable way that isn’t preachy.

We definitely love our mental health representation here, and I especially appreciated both Danielle and Prince’s experiences with their school counselor. Yet another heavy topic expertly handled by LaDelle!

The setting of Detroit is practically a character unto itself, and I loved learning more about the city and seeing it presented in a positive light. The beautiful descriptions and elaborate dates Prince set up definitely made me add it to my list of literary places I’d like to visit.

Love Radio is delightful from beginning to end. The unique passions of each character and their individual growth throughout the novel is wonderful to witness. Love Radio has all the fun rom-com moments, from the totally extra dates to meeting the parents to awkward bathroom moments met with grace and humility. The characters at the heart of this novel are so completely lovable, that you root not only for them individually, but for them as a couple.

While we don’t judge the book by its cover, can we just take a moment to ooh and ahhh over this fantastic cover?! I love seeing actual people on the cover, especially when so often books featuring Black characters don’t feature them on the cover. You can read more about the issue of featuring BIPOC characters on book covers in this wonderful article. I had also hoped to link to a 2020 article from a librarian titled “It Matters if You’re Black or White: The Racism of YA Book Covers,” but sadly it does not seem to be available any longer. Both articles are wonderful and really demonstrate how large of an issue this is.

Thank you to the author, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, and NetGalley for an advanced copy such that I could share my honest opinions.

I really enjoyed LOVE RADIO. It’s not easy to write in a way that’s both really natural and really emotive, but this book is very much both. I found it very easy to get lost in the story. The writing makes it feel as though you’re sitting down with someone, listening to them tell the story directly. It’s both entertaining and heartfelt, and I loved following both Prince and Danielle’s stories. I loved their families and friend groups, too.

LOVE RADIO celebrates music and literature and how both inspired Prince and Danielle. I loved the way both of those passions were woven into the story. Danielle writes letters to some of her favorite writers as part of processing some things that happened to her. I loved that as Prince and Danielle got to know each other, they each found ways to celebrate things the other person loved. They also respected each other’s commitments to family and friends and the boundaries they set with one another.

I loved this sweet, playful romance that celebrates music and literature as well as treating one another well. I’m super glad I read it, and I can’t wait to see what Ebony LaDelle writes next.

This Contemporary Romance is told from multiple perspectives; Dani and Prince are classmates in the same cohort year at their high school. After a sexual assault incident that took place at a college party, Dani changed on a social and emotional level. She is not writing as much as she did prior to the incident; no longer hanging out with her friends; and, she has become a bit of a cynic when it comes to love. Prince, who has had a crush on Dani sinc middle school, challenges Dani to give him three chances (i.e. dates) to woo her. He claims that after the third date, Dani will officially have fallen in love with him. This debut author is definitely a force to be reckoned with; she manages to balance familial, platonic, romantic, and self- love. What's more, she is somehow able to offset the hardships of the main characters with their burgeoning harmony. Futhermore, this title has perfect pacing, and is chocked full of Black literary and pop culture allusions. So far, this is the best Contemporary YA Romance of the year!

This was such a cute YA read, Although it did seem a little young for me. But I enjoyed the book I enjoyed the characters and the story. Over all I would suggest this one.

This is a really sweet, beautiful story about love and the path it takes to get there… even when you’re not looking for it.

There is some very real, very severe subject matter in Love Radio. Some very difficult trauma that was heart wrenching. I loved Dani and her perseverance. And Prince and his love for her was the best thing ever.

Sparks are flying between Prince and Dani, but it’s not as easy as chemistry. Prince is convinced that he can get her to fall for him in three dates. And what follows is a romance surrounded by respect and a mutual growth and kindness.

Danielle is a strong main character who knows what she wants and exactly what she needs to do to get it. Her dream is to go to NYU for a degree in writing. She takes much of her inspiration from Black female authors that came before her. She is a force to be reckoned with....until she hits a major writer's block right before she has to finish her college admissions essays.

Prince is an aspiring "love guru" DJ where he has a local show once a week in Detroit. He cares for his chronically ill mother and does a lot of the heavy lifting taking care of his little brother since his dad left 8 years ago. He knows he wants to continue to pursue communications and radio in college, and he wants to have big dreams, but also feels compelled to stay local to continue to help support his family.

Prince convinces Dani to go on three dates with him and then she is sure to fall in love. While she is skeptical, she decides to go through with it. This is such a fun story of a budding relationship and how being with the right person at the right time can help build you up and challenge you to be better. All of their dates are MUCH more elaborately planned than any date I've ever been on, much less any I had in high school. The bookstore date...swoon worthy! I highly recommend this book!

CW: sexual assault, parent with a chronic illness