I've followed Lawrence Burney's writing (and personality, via social media) online for nearly a decade now. Though we've never met, he has always felt like a friend in the ways that people would make genuine friendships via online communities in the early aughts. But when I saw he was writing this book, I genuinely didn't know what to expect.

No Sense in Wishing is a fresh take on memoir that probably won't but should come with a soundtrack (or playlist). It is a collection of personal essays that ultimately reveal how the music he's listened to has shaped him—whether he loved it or not. But it's also a really unique spin on a coming-of-age tale. And I think this work might be just as engaging for young Black boys growing up in Baltimore or the DMV as people like me: middle-aged Black women from the Bay Area.

Burney laces the pages with a blend of prose and slang through sentence structures that prove his journalistic merits are well deserved. While so much of this book is Burney recollecting on the role music has played throughout his life, there are elements of it that feel like an investigative journalist report. It's not just that Burney *felt* a particularly way about a song or artist, he digs deeper to understand what the rest of the world was feeling about that same song or artist at the same time. It's a memoir, it's personal, but it also can be seen as a history lesson.

And just like what made me follow him all those years ago, there's great song recommendations in here too. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

As a music lover, and a somewhat recent dweller of the DMV, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book. Lawrence is someone I have followed for years through his publication True Laurels and that great and visual writing that he captures is shown throughout this book. I loved learning about Baltimore through his lens, loved seeing how much of the same music I love has shaped him, and more. I think this book would be great for anyone who loves music--and hip hop specifically, and also anyone who wants to be touched by what they read. I loved it!

wow i started this last night and could not stop reading. such a touching, gut wrenching collection of essays. absolutely heartbreaking. while some were uplifting, most were so relatable and so upsetting because of how the world works. i'm so happy i picked this up randomly. thank you netgalley for the arc!