I think this title would work for more reluctant readers, especially those getting ready to head off to college soon. The title is told through tweets and social media, which will help keep readers' attention. A lot of readers will be able to relate to Sydney's story as she tries to find her way in a new environment without her best friend and herself in general.

I loved the way the story was told through texts, tweets, etc. This story follows Sydney Ciara through her first semester of college as she navigates love and academics. This story was beautifully written and insightful.

First, I want to say thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC!

This book was really cute and I found the main character to be very relatable! I loved her perspectives on writing. This was a solid 3.5 star read for me. I felt the romance aspect could’ve been stronger, and the ending felt a little lackluster.

I honestly didn't finish this book. I couldn't get myself into it but I do plan to go back and try to read it again at a later date.

Ravynn K. Stringfield’s Love in 280 Characters or Less is a fresh and heartfelt take on the coming-of-age college experience, told in a uniquely modern format that mirrors how many young adults actually communicate today. Through blog posts, tweets, texts, and emails, we follow Sydney Ciara Warren as she stumbles through the excitement, anxiety, and confusion of her first semester. Stringfield beautifully captures the voice of a young Black woman searching for herself—both online and off—and creates an emotionally resonant journey filled with vulnerability, humor, and self-discovery.

What makes this book stand out is its honest depiction of digital connection and identity, as Sydney explores love and belonging in both virtual and real-world spaces. While the narrative style can occasionally make it harder to fully immerse in the emotional arcs, the creative format ultimately enhances the storytelling and feels authentic to the characters’ world. Sydney’s wit and introspection, her evolving relationships, and the tender mystery of YoungPrinceX all come together to deliver a story that feels both timely and timeless. A charming, empowering read that gives quiet girls—and their voices—a place to shine.

Syd reminds me so much of myself when I was a first year in college! This charming and thoughtful college coming of age book follows Syd in her first year of college as she tries to figure out her life. She feels pressure from the expectations of her parents and from seeing how everyone else is doing in college. Throughout her time, she finds mentors and friends who help her know that she is not alone. At the same time, she is experiencing changes in her relationships with her friends and family from before college.

This is the first book I've read by Ravynn K. Stringfield, and I will definitely be reading Stringfield's future works. I highly recommend this book to students going into college. The first year experience can be challenging, and I like how Stringfield shows the power of social media as a place where we can be honest about ourselves. It may seem like things will not work out, but, as this book taught me, following your passions can be one of the best actions you can take to feel comfortable in yourself. I really appreciate the view Stringfield sets up of college that you do not have to have everything figured out before you attend, or even in your first semester. What matters is that you will be able to figure out what you want from your college experience.

Wasn’t my cup of tea. Didn’t really vibe with all the newer slang and newer apps/social media. Not that it wa bad, but it kinda threw me off

𝙴𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠
🌟🌟🌟🌟
Love in 280 characters or more is young Black girl magic. I love the social media, text, and diary entry style writing. It gave the storyline depth and showed the characters' development throughout the story. This is a young adult, Black girl, coming-of-age, romance, and self-discovery novel. Highly recommended.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Macmillan Children's for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

This was a story told in tweets, texts, blog posts and emails. It was a very interesting way to convey a story. I liked the growth that Sidney had through her freshman year in college. I love how she questioned her writing and activist views. Good read if you like YA coming of age.

Thank you for the ARC!

Sydney was such a fun character to watch grow and develop in her own way! I loved how the story was told through tweets and newsletters, it was so clever! The social discussions woven throughout were so impactful, and they really made me appreciate the perspective and depth the book offered.

Sidney reminds me os much of myself as a young person going off to college. IT was such a cute YA read. I think every young girl going off to school should read this

Hi Again!

To wrap up my reading week, I decided to pick up a book I have seen around before, and I know it has recently come out, but I did not pick up a copy until I borrowed it on Libby. I am not sure why I did not pre-order this book (it might have just slipped my mind in the chaos that is life), but I will definitely be picking myself up a copy because I really enjoyed this read!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Sydney is going off to her first semester of college! She will not be too far from home, but she will be living in the dorms, and her best friend will be going to a completely different school. So it’s time for her to really get out there and find herself. Sydney quickly begins to figure out the campus and her independence. During this exploration, Sydney is tweeting about her life, which results in her meeting people who encourage her to follow her dreams (career-wise) and to make life her own.

I listened to this book in about a day. It was absolutely amazing. The pace never felt slow, and it felt like Sydney’s school year was moving along at light speed, and I was glad that I got to be there to see it as the reader. There were a lot of ups and downs as well as many moments of self-discovery. An additional note before wrapping up this review, I have bought a copy, and I absolutely love the cover. This book will definitely be one that I re-read. I highly recommend giving it a try!

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

3.5/5

I think the author does a great job of writing young adults managing their emotional entanglements and their coming-of-age simultaneously in a way that seems realistic and current.

Would recommend for a) budding writers, b) any black American student trying to figure out "HBCU or PWI" and c) any high school senior or undeclared undergrad trying to pick a major major.

I think the slight mystery of who "X" was done well. It wasn't the whole point of the book, but was a nice little side plot.

Because of the parental guidance/pressure + activism/civil rights + college topics, some of this work reminds me (thematically) of People of Means by Nancy Johnson.

I enjoyed Love Requires Chocolate by this author (Ravynn Stringfield) more, but this was a solid novel.

I have mixed feelings about this book.

I loved the formatting and that the ending wasn't predictable.

I didn't like that Syd didn't know who X was. It felt obvious and her not knowing made her seem "clueless"

I also wasn't fond of her reaction to Malcolm's declaration of love. As close as they were to say she didn't trust him with her heart as if that's not a major part of friendship didn't make sense to me.

Overall the character development, formatting, "realness" of the freshman college experience, and unpredictable but well-paced ending were things that I enjoyed and would bring me back to reading another book by this author.

This was such a fun cute read! I am a fan of YA, this book was not like any other book I have read before.

I think this book was cute. It’s honestly not for me though the writing was good. I would recommend it. It just wasn’t my type of read, but that’s OK.

enjoyed this YA romance told through an epistolary narrative (emails, text messages, tweets, blog posts).
Highlights: College Setting ✨Freshman Year Struggles ✨ Coming of Age✨ Digital Age ✨ Finding your crew

This just wasn't the book for me. I DNF'd at 28%. I like the idea of the story but it almost seemed like I was reading someone's journal.

This was my second Ravynn K. Stringfield novel and this book really solidified her as an auto-read author for me.
Told through blog posts, tweets, and text messages from the main character, Love In 280 Characters Or Less is a coming-of-age story about a college freshman learning to find her voice. But don’t let the cute title fool you; this book covers some important, serious topics from racial profiling, to the question of what defines activism and how much of Black artists’ work has to revolve around this activism.

I really enjoyed the format of this book. I thought getting the story through posts and messages was pretty original and it was surprisingly easy to follow along. The story moved at a steady pace and I felt invested in all of the characters. I also really enjoyed the commentary on art as activism and the various viewpoints of how people react following a racial profiling situation. These are such important things to talk about, especially at a high school / college level and I think Stringfield tackles these issues beautifully,

I can’t think of much that I didn’t like in this book. I think there were times the main character frustrated me, but I think this was by design. She’s trying her best to navigate her life and the things happening around her in a way that feels genuine to her with a ton of outside input. Sometimes all we can do is our best.

I really enjoyed this book and I would gladly recommend it. I’m very excited to read more of this authors work. And if you haven’t yet, check out her other book, Love Requires Chocolate!


*Thank you to Ravynn K. Stringfield, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, and NetGalley for providing me with and advanced e-book of this novel in exchange for honest review*

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.


Told in a non-traditional format, Love in 280 Characters or Less is a coming-of-age story that explores big themes—racial injustice, self-discovery, and navigating friendship and freshman year—through blog posts, tweets, and text message transcripts.


While the story delivers on its premise, the title led me to expect something different: a more romance-forward, contemporary novel aimed at a new adult audience. Though we follow Sydney Cierra as she experiences her first love, the heart of the story is really about finding herself. Because of this, the book reads more like a younger YA novel, and I think it will resonate best with readers in late middle school to early high school.