3.5 stars.

I struggled with Friday I’m in Love initially. Our narrator/MC is Mahalia was hard to like for a while.

She’s 16, queer, and wants nothing more than to have a big, fancy sweet sixteen party. But her parents are separated: her mom is struggling to provide and her dad has nearly forgot about her after moving on with a “new” family. So she decides to save up all her money and plan a “coming out” party. And from then on, her life becomes a juggling act with work, studying for the SATs, and pining after the new girl, Siobhan.

It may just be a sign that I’m getting older, but Mahalia seemed so selfish and self-centered. Which—I KNOW—she’s a sixteen-year-old girl, isn’t that how she’s supposed to be? But I found it hard to care about her party (or her growing relationship with Siobhan) when it felt like she was so ignorant and rude to the other people in her life.

What I did enjoy was some of the deeper themes mentioned: racism, biphobia or erasure, income disparity, and dysfunctional families and parental abandonment. Mahalia’s relationship with her history teacher stood out to me and was one of the best parts of the entire story. It felt so heartwarming and wholesome.

Overall, Friday I’m in Love was a bit cheesy and cute, but wasn’t memorable.

Thank you to Random House for the review copy.

've read this a month and a half ago so bear with me.

Mahalia Harris did not have the Sweet Sixteen her mother promised her her whole life. But, after her best friend Naomi's party, she wants her own. Yes, she's already sixteen, so she'll have a Coming Out Party instead. No one will know what it is before the day except Naomi of course. But nothing is so easy, she has to get a job, keep it while still going to school, budgeting, trying on dresses and so much more…

I wanted to love this one and I really thought I would. I really loved the first two books by Camryn Garrett and I was even more excited about this one… I mean sapphic and that cover??? I was hyped. Maybe my high expectations are what got me in the end. I liked it but I didn't love it. Something was missing... The romance was good but it wasn't enthralling and I had trouble falling for Mahalia. Still, it was a nice read and I would recommend this, especially for actual teens.
Overall, it was a good book and a cute one too but I was expecting more.

In Camryn Garrett’s Friday I’m in Love, 16-year-old Mahalia Harris crushes on new girl Siobhan while planning the Coming-Out Celebration Party of her dreams to come out on her own terms.

I decided to read Friday I'm in Love because of its gorgeous cover and creative and fun-sounding story. Garrett’s descriptive, expressive, and fanciful language usage and writing style draw you in, keeping you turning the pages. Her well-drawn, complex, relatable, and fascinating characters feel familiar, like people you know—possibly yourself. Garrett explores intense themes with sensitivity and nuance without affecting the novel’s pacing or narrative development. She excellently develops complex, relatable, and fallible characters. The story shines through the character interactions. Garrett’s character development, dialogue, and descriptions give the characters’ conversations, intimate moments, and shared silences a touching emotional depth and sincerity.

Mahalia doesn’t ask for much. All she wants is:

o a big Sweet Sixteen—like her best friend Naomi’s
o for super cute Siobhan to like her back
o a break from worrying all the time—about money, nasty remarks from white classmates, pitying looks from
church ladies—about everything she can’t control.

Mahalia scrimps and saves, works extra hours at her afterschool job, buys party supplies, and plans everything out to the last detail, including the perfect dress and music list. Meanwhile, she also awkwardly flirts with Siobhan. But can Mahalia make her Coming Out Celebration a reality with her bills piling up and bank account decreasing, falling behind on schoolwork, and family and friendship drama arising left and right?

She loves history and music, and her musical taste is diverse and quirky, featuring music from decades before her birth. Like Mahalia, it’s full of contradictions and surprises. Stubborn, intelligent, opinionated, independent, and a little self-involved, Mahalia’s excited to have something in her life she can control. And she throws herself into planning and saving for her party with her whole heart.

I love the relationships between the Black women in the novel. Mahalia’s character evolves through her interaction with three Black women pivotal to her life. Her mother, best friend, and crush—all of whom are excellently developed, vastly different women. Mahalia’s relationship with her mother, a single parent who works long hours, is complicated. Her mother is deeply religious and a bit legalistic, making it difficult for Mahalia to be honest about her feelings about God/religion and that she’s a lesbian. Financial/economic issues increase the strain. Mahalia and her mother’s relationship resonated so intensely with me as the daughter of a single, religious Black mother.

Sweet, stylish, encouraging, and caring, Siobhan is Mahalia’s opposite. But they bring balance and joy to each other’s lives, encouraging them to face fears and take risks and offering a safe space to share thoughts and dreams judgment-free. Of mixed cultural heritage—African American and Irish—Siobhan faces feelings of isolation and questions about where she belongs. She’s also still uncertain about her sexual identity/sexuality.

Mahalia’s BFF, Naomi, who is kind-hearted, outgoing, open-minded, and socially inclined, is like her sister. As a result, Mahalia’s always at her house. She believes Naomi’s life is perfect because Naomi’s parents are wealthy and happily married, and though they work a lot, they can spend more time with their children. But, of course, things aren’t always what they seem from the outside perspective. To make matters worse, planning her party and developing a relationship with Siobhan consumes so much of Mahalia’s time and attention that she fails to notice or care about what’s going on in her friend’s life, causing friction in their friendship.

Examining intense subject matter, the novel’s overall tone isn’t as lighthearted as readers may expect. But Garrett’s expressive narrative and writing style are whimsical yet grounded in reality in the best way. Friday I’m in Love is a fast-paced, thoughtful, sweet, funny, and angsty queer YA/teen novel with a surprising, sweet, romantic, joyful, and hopeful ending. Garrett explores themes of self-discovery, self-identity, self-acceptance, self-love, coming out, teen sexual identity/sexuality, first love, friendship, belonging, religion/faith, discussions of race, absentee parents, and family.

Content warnings: microaggressions, racism, discussions of religion/God, sexual content, fibroids, hysterectomy, discussion of miscarriage.

Advanced review copy provided by Knopf Books for Young Readers via Netgalley for review.

Thoughts and Themes: I will give any LGBTQ+ a try so when I saw this one I was happy to read it. I also have been trying to diversify the LGBTQ+ books that I read which means including more Sapphic books in that mix.

There is so much that happens in this book and I just really enjoy the way the author touches on each of these things. This book talks about socio economic class, queerness, religion, friendship, family, the concept of coming out, and so much more. I really liked the way each of these topics come about but also how much this book shows that it takes a village.

This book is one that I hugged, threw across the room, only to go grad it and hug it some more, this book made me laugh and then cry. This is one that just stuck with me for so many reasons and there was so much relatable material in this book that I just had to sit with it sometimes. This is one that I just wanted to immediately re-read once I finished it because of how much I related to what was going on in this book.

Characters: In this book you are introduced to several characters through their interactions with our main character, Mahalia. You get to meet her mother, her best friend, Naomi, the love interest, Siobhan, her dad, his new family, and several more characters. I really enjoyed each of the characters that are introduced throughout this book and the relationships that they have with Mahalia and with each other.

I loved the relationship between Mahalia and Siobhan, even if you suspect this is coming there are definitely moments in which you think Mahalia is in love with a straight girl. I loved that this wasn’t the case and how this all unravels and how their relationship comes to be.

I also loved the complexity behind the relationship of Mahalia and her mother. I love that the mom wants to support her and doesn’t always know how to. I love that they don’t always know how to communicate with each other and that this is called out. I also liked how their relationship contrasts with the relationship that Mahalia has with her father. I thought it was great to see that contrast and then also see how Mahalia’s father’s new wife can show up for Mahalia even when he can’t.

Writing Style: This book is written in first person through the perspective of Mahalia. I loved that everything was being told through Mahalia’s perspective because you got to know her feelings instantly. I think that being in her feelings really makes the book hit a lot harder and allows you to feel her pain. I also liked that everything was told in her perspective because there were so many moments that were beautiful because you didn’t see them coming.

First of all, this is one of the prettiest covers I have ever seen. So beautiful and it does tie in perfectly with the book. I really enjoyed her journey to prepare for this party and all the teen feelings that come with a new cute girl at school, best friend drama and her mom and dad. This read very age appropriate for a 16 year old and would be a book I’d recommend for that age! I loved the audiobook narrator and she nailed the accents and voices of all the different characters.

Friday, I'm in Love (yes I sang this in my head) but to be honest Camryn Garret, I'm in love! This was such a good book. I just adored Mahalia Harris and she navigates through life. Poor girl is torn between wanting to be a normal 16 year old but has the burden of helping provide financially for her family. I love that instead of a sweet 16, she wants to have a 'Coming Out Party"
I will say this book is targeted and written for the high school age demographic and hits on a lot of relatable points that kids these days will relate to more than an old lady like me. :)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

Are you interested in: a romance complicated by an ongoing relationship?
How about teenage hopes bargaining a major life event against the low pay of their minimum wage job and their mother’s small salary?

You can find this and more in Friday I'm in Love, which does a good job of showcasing how ones hopes can get tangled in intention and reality. It's perhaps because of the level of stress Mahalia is already working under with her school, job, and home concerns that I hoped for the romance aspects to be angsty, yet straightforward. I was unprepared for the complication of when she pursued her love interest which also lent me to be more critical of her decisions overall.

What a joyful, grounded coming-of-age novel about a Black bi girl who just wants to throw a party to come out, to celebrate herself, to bring everyone in her life together, and to wear the damn dress. I loved the layers of this story and Mahalia's determination to make the world her own, even when it's hard. Even when others--or her financial circumstances--are determined to deny her the chance. Mahalia is so easy to root for and I loved watching her find what she wanted, and ultimately what she needed.

Beautiful story of a queer middle schooler finding their way amongst all the normal age appropriate challenges. Add to that first crushes, and navigating financial instability, and so much joy! I loved this book.

I first discovered Camryn Garrett through Book of the Month when they featured her debut novel, Full Disclosure, and I absolutely adored the book. So when I saw Friday in Love on Netgalley, I rushed to request the book, and was thrilled when I got the opportunity to read and review her latest book.

Friday I'm in Love was such a joyous book, and the cover is absolutely GORGEOUS. I really enjoyed Mahalia and Siobahn's relationship. The book had a fun plot and well developed, loveable characters. The book does incorporate some difficult topics such as homophobia and biphobia, but they are written in a realistic way. Garrett does a fantastic job at balancing the drama, joy, and humor in the book.

I personally had some issues with Garrett’s work in the past, so I was a little iffy to try this. But then the cover was released and I didn’t have anymore doubt. I knew I needed to have this in my hands to at least try it. And Lordt I hate this cliche, but I’m so glad I did. This was not only a coming of age book, but also a sweet book about falling in love.

This book was so sweet! Mahalia was this sweet girl who just wanted a party; something for herself. Seeing as she never got her Sweet Sixteen, she thought she deserved a different party… And this one just so happens to be a Coming Out party. From that fact alone, I knew this was going to be good. Because is that not the cutest thing ever? Throughout the story Mahalia was trying to figure out how to get the money to throw her party, but of course life happens and she lost more than she gained. Add on to the fact that Mahalia’s mom is a single parent and she also gets laid off during the book. (Which makes this a good book to talk about socioeconomic diversity too.)

The romance is also hella cute! Mahalia is trying to figure out the best way to come out and to make it special. Siobhan is the cute girl she’s been flirting with lately. Or is it really flirting? Because she’s been throwing mixed signals at Mahalia. So what does she do? Their story is cute, but it doesn’t come without it’s bad moments too. Like the end? I was sweating. I hate situations like that. But I think they handled it gracefully.

The writing style was good too. I definitely had a different experience with this one than her other book. And this makes me so happy. I would have missed out on this incredible book without it. I was engrossed with every minute I was listening. So much so I found myself doing extra things like coloring so I could force myself to listen more.

This is a perfect segue way because I also loved the narrator. I haven’t listened to anything else they’d done before, but I really enjoyed it. They have a really great Scottish accent too. And I thought it was even funnier because there was a part where they had to use a bad one. Hearing them trying to make it bad was pretty weird. Neither one was forced at all. It turned out to be one of the better ones I’ve heard.

What I didn’t care for was some of the open ends it left tho. Like the old man? What was that about? Did he have a real purpose? Was he a filler character? I wanted to know why he decided to turn up again. And then they didn’t say where the means came from. (If they did I missed it.) But I also didn’t feel like it made that much of a big deal. I didn’t feel like it took anything from the plot, it just had some frayed ends.

This book was such a sweet coming of age romance. It was mainly about Mahlia and her growth and dealing with not getting all the things she wanted, but it was also about a sweet love she found along the way. I really hope y’all read this and love it as much as I did!

Mahalia is a Black queer teen who just wanted to have a sweet sixteen like her best friend Naomi. Since her birthday has come and gone and her mom couldn’t afford to throw her a big party, she starts planning and saving for a different kind of party - a coming out party. While she’s trying to focus on her party planning, she meets a cute new girl named Siobhan and develops a huge crush. While mostly a YA romantic comedy, this book also focuses on a young Black girl living in a world that has made her grow up faster than she should have. It’s a beautiful coming-of-age and coming out story with tons of great music references and humor.

Having grown up with a single mom, I connected heavily with Mahalia’s struggles to want a sweet sixteen, to worrying about how to pay for SAT prep or the SAT exam, to feel uncomfortable talking about money with friends, and to feel like your life is out of your control when your mom needs help paying for something. This is a book I wish I’d had in high school. The author does a wonderful job of making this story feel very realistic in a way that some YA books don’t. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others. If you enjoyed books like You Should See Me in a Crown, this one is for you.

Thanks to Net Galley, Knopf Books for Young Readers, and Random House Children’s Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun, queer, coming of age plus coming out story that I LOVED! I really wish that this had been around when I came out or especially when I was a teenager. It would have made me realize that I wasn’t the only one who liked girls and boys. I still feel weird about it in my 40’s! Mahalia and Siobhan are everything and I love how they found each other. The icing on the cake is the amazing amount of intersectionality in this story. It made my heart so very happy! Great writing and great story!

Oh, how I hated for this book to come to an end. MOST DEFINITELY A 5⭐️ #DiverseYA

🖐🏽Five Things I Love About Friday🖐🏽

🫶🏾 Mahalia and all that is going on in and around her life is entirely relatable. I can see parts of myself in her.

🫶🏾 A Black, Female, Teen coping with the intersectionality of her queerness, the tug-of-war with her Christian faith is present today.

🫶🏾 Mahalia and Naomi's relationship makes me miss Issa and Molly so much!!!! #IYKYK

🫶🏾 The nod to great music.

🫶🏾 Her relationship with her mom.

Thank you @tbrbeyondtours and @getunderlined for blessing my imagination.

From my blog post: First off, my favorite cover designers was on this one (shoutout to Erick Davila) and second of all, I love Camryn’s writing & humor (I will never forget a certain scene in Full Disclosure…EVER) so I was very excited to read news of this book. There was a great balance of humor (especially when she was planning her Super Gay Sweet 16…that could totally be a show), heavy and romance. I felt Mahalia on the realness of crushes and it was so nice to read how her crush on Siobhan evolved into her reality (their banter is hysterical). I also really enjoyed her relationship with her best friend and mom, so we really got 3 love stories-romance, friendship/sisterhood & family; which is a trifecta I can get with on any day of the week, especially a Friday (is that too corny?)!

Saccharinely sweet and beautifully queer, <i>Friday I’m in Love</i> follows sixteen year old Mahalia as she saves up for her coming out party while falling in love with the new girl at school. I loved how Garrett honestly depicted the highs and lows of the Black queer girl experience, from the development of Mahalia and Siobhan’s homoerotic friendship into a romance to navigating queerness in homophobic spaces. The depiction of life just above the poverty line, too poor to be considered middle class but not poor enough to qualify for benefits, felt incredibly accurate and resonated with me as a reader. Mahalia’s struggles, with her racial and sexual identity, financial stability, academic career, family, and friends were written with such a realistic wit that it’s hard not to relate to her. A good read!

I this was definitely fine, fun, all that. It wasn't my favorite but I'll absolutely recommend it. I'm always here for the bi/pan ladies.

- Hello, I need to do some queer screaming about FRIDAY I'M IN LOVE! I loved absolutely everything about this book. Mahalia is a fantastic protagonist: energetic, optimistic, sure of herself, but also a bit selfish at times.
- This book is so full of love and joy and discovery. It does touch on some difficult topics - tight finances, racism in the school curriculum, and more - but the exuberance never dies.
- This book is everything great about YA. Messy feelings, discovery of yourself and your relationships, learning how to maneuver through the world, and taking pride in who you are.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

This adorable story is about a high school student named Mahalia who never had a sweet sixteen but wanted one. She also happens to be closeted to her mother, and most of the world, but she decides to put together a coming out party as a related sweet sixteen with the help of her best friend Naomi. Mahalia also struggles with a crush she has on a transfer student named Siobhan, and her feelings become harder to deal with.

I love how Garrett takes a wholesome approach to create a story of two Black teenage girls who fall in love (no, this is not a spoiler). Mahalia is such a delightful protagonist whose gay panic is so relatable, as being around cute girls like Siobhan makes her *very* nervous.

The cover is also GORGEOUS

My rating is 4.5 ⭐️. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers (via Penguin Random House) for letting me read this in advance!!