Italy has always had dreams of going away to college.
Those dreams seemed like a far reality when she found out that she was pregnant. While she thought her life was over, her saving grace, by the name of Chase, came and saved her.
In her first year of college in Atlanta, she has to come back home to care for her younger sister once her mother dies in a car accident. The car accident takes her mother's life and her sister's sight.
Fast forward nine years, Italy is working as a flight attendant while trying to raise three children and keep an eye on her twenty-year old sister. After sticking by Chase's side through his cheating and jail stints, Chase decides he doesn't want Italy and his family anymore and marries another woman, leaving Italy to co-parent with the man who was once her everything.
Women usually can see a man's bullshit right away. But that's not the case for twenty-year-old Milan. When Milan decides she wants to celebrate her twenty-first birthday at the club, Italy can't do much to change her mind except tag along to make sure Milan is good. That's when they run into cousins, Poppa and Bubba.
Poppa has been married to his best friend for the past six years. Unhappy and not knowing what's next, he sees the beautiful Italy Munroe. He could tell she's been broken, but he loves a challenge. The main challenge being how he's going to leave his wife for a woman he just met.
Bubba has always been the bad boy type. He never settles down, and women are just for sex and entertainment. When Milan bumps into him and spills his drink, he's annoyed and disrespects her. Once he realizes that she's blind, much doesn't change. It isn't until he realizes he met his match when it comes to Milan Munroe. Her confidence and beauty are blinding—no pun intended.
This book was really good! The first chapter sets the stage for the level of drama to be expected (spoiler- A LOT!). Also, almost all of the characters are not good people, but watching how they move and cause drama is so entertaining. This should be a TV show. I can't wait to start the next book. The ending was so unexpected!!!
Wow I really enjoyed this! The drama was throughly entertaining and I found the realness of this story to be refreshing. This is not all butterflies and rainbows! These characters are real people, with real drama and lives! I’m usually not someone who reads the cheating trope BUT I can appreciate what the author is doing in this story and at the end of the day it didn’t really bother me! Italy and Milan are each other’s ride or dies and I love their relationship and commitment to each other. Now these MEN…I’m so intrigued by what their nexts moves will be! Oh and it ends on a cliffhanger!! I need book 2 yesterday!
This had the potential to be a very unique and different book with the sister being blind, but the author took away from the greatness it could have been with CONSTANTLY talking about Milan blindness. The character didn’t add anything to the story except being a burden on her sister since that stayed on repeat throughout the whole dang story. I mean unless somebody was taking her somewhere Milan never left the house, or did anything to show that she had more going for herself or at least trying other than a dang man. I mean I ain’t no expert on being blind but I see blind ppl all the time by themselves, on buses, getting in cabs, working, opening up businesses etc. This story really handicapped the character in her blindness and the fact that it just kept being brought up in everybody except poppa’s chapter was really annoying to the point I started skipping pages. I thought this was gone be a female boss up story instead it was a female depression story. All Italy did was let her baby daddy bring her down and talk stuff about her. She kept bringing up “I take care of three kids and a blind sibling” like we get it, women do it everyday B. Oh yea let’s not forget how weak poppa is, omg he makes me want to treat him like a 🤬, he was def a book bae fail. Then the whole story we go without finding out how she got pregnant with Jai cuz she just didn’t want to talk about it with anyone. Just to get to the end of the story and she just blurt out in front of a room full ppl that he raped her? Like for real, and then the fake drama that’s about to start with Milan and dude. I feel like it wasn’t a need to force drama the characters had all been through enough, it’s time to lighten the story up, because it’s about to be overkill now. The only reason I want to read pt2 is to see how the marriage ends.
The fact is that everyone in this book is kind of stupid and if there’s a bad decision to be made, they’ll milly rock into it. From Italy who has more than enough problems on her own messing with unhappily married but unwilling to do anything about it trifling Poppa, to Milan who thinks she knows everything but knows nothing at all to Bubba who says whatever he thinks.
The majority of the book was lower level drama kind of introducing the characters and their relationships and letting us make our own judgments about them. But the last chapter, specifically the last two pages, every bombshell possible was dropped and I’m gagging to know what’s going to happen next.
Really good story. I’m rooting for Italy and Poppa. Italy definitely deserves a Prince Charming after her BD did her dirty. Bubba and Milan are so cute together, I hope Beto doesn’t come between them. Looking forward to the next part.
The joy of discovering a a new author. One booking and I'm a fan. I like her characters I like the way she writes and her flow. I am thoroughly enjoying this book. I'm loving the twists and turns I can't wait to get to book two.
One thing I know I'm going to get from Jah is a messy, entertaining story that leaves me hanging on a cliffhanger—and that's exactly what I got here!
Right from the start, Italy gets pregnant, heads off to college, and then tragedy strikes when her mother and sister are involved in a terrible accident. Her mother dies, and her sister, Milan, loses her sight. From there, I was completely hooked.
We do get a time jump, which allows us to see Milan at 21 while simultaneously kicking off both sisters' stories. I really enjoyed getting to follow their journeys alongside each other.
Now I need to dive into Book 2 ASAP!
One thing to note: there is cheating in this book. If that's not your thing, no worries—just know before you go.
Thank you to Podium for the ALC of this book. The narration was amazing—truly a 10/10 listening experience. Love me some Myles! 🎧✨
Jah and her cliffhangers!!! It wouldn’t be her if she didn’t do one. lol. I enjoyed listening to this book! The way my jaw hit the floor at the end…..I gotta read the next part of the series to see what happens next.
This book does include a cheating trope, accidental pregnancy, and disability representation!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
ALC Review 📚 Book Title: She Ain't Never Met Another One Like Me ✍🏽Author: Jahquel J. 🎙️Narrator: Simone Rothschild & Myles Washington 📕 Format: 🎧 ⭐️ Rating: ⭐️��️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🕑Quick Take: Italy Munroe’s plans for her life were upended when she learned of her pregnancy and the sudden deaths of her parents in a car accident. She had to abandon her college ambitions to care for her child and her younger sister, Milan, who lost her sight in the same crash that claimed their parents. Her life took further difficult turns because of an unfaithful partner with frequent jail stays. Now, with twins, she is a mother of three and a caregiver to her visually impaired sister. To celebrate Milan’s upcoming twenty-first birthday, Italy plans a fun night for her sister. Italy and Milan attract the attention of the co-owners of club Bliss, cousins Poppa and Bubba. Though they have their own baggage and flaws, they are quickly drawn to the women. We will see their stories begin to unfold in book 1 of this messy urban romance.
💭Final Thoughts: “She Ain’t Never Met Another One Like Me,” released in 2020, was recently recorded into an audiobook. True to Jahquel J.’s style, this series pulls you in and doesn’t let go. As usual, there was a cliffhanger, so I doubt I can wait for the next audiobook release—I think I’ll need to read books 2-4 to see how this messy story ends. Definitely an engaging read.
She Ain’t Never Met Another One Like Me had me stressed OUT because every single character in this book was carrying baggage, trauma, or secrets that were waiting to explode at any moment. From the very beginning you can feel how heavy Italy and Milan’s lives have been and honestly I just wanted somebody to genuinely choose them and love them correctly for once. Jahquel did such a good job showing how people can grow up in the same environment but still handle pain completely differently.
One thing I really loved was how layered the women felt in this story. Italy is trying to rebuild herself after giving so much of her life to everybody else, while Milan refuses to let people treat her like she’s helpless. The relationships in this book are MESSY too. Nobody communicates properly, everybody got history, and every time somebody new entered the picture I immediately started questioning their motives. The men in this book especially had me side eyeing hard because half the time I didn’t know whether to root for them or fight them.
This story really pulled me in because it wasn’t just relationship drama. It touched on family trauma, motherhood, self worth, toxic cycles, and what happens when people finally get tired of settling. Then just when I thought the story was calming down Jahquel started dropping twist after twist and by the end I was sitting there staring at my screen needing the next book immediately.
Definitely not my cup of tea but this book was highly entertaining because I know people just like these characters. These characters were the epitome of low self-esteem and self-worth. Growing up in the inner city myself the circumstances the characters went through were common stance but thankfully I had a loving family and mentors as well as the drive to never become a product of circumstance.
This book was messy, chaotic, rachet and ghetto fabulous. The FMC had a rough life, but you would think with her situation she would make better life choices; yeah no. My biggest gripe with her is the sheer recklessness. How you sleep with a married man unprotected then act shocked that you are knocked up? Seriously? Just throwing caution to the wind not caring about her health just a quick fling. Pathetic
The MMC is also trash. I get it your wife is a workaholic and refuse to spend time with you. Either go to counseling or petition for divorce. Instead, you sleep with a chick you just met unprotected and now have a baby on the way and happy about it. Dude, YOU'RE MARRIED!!! Trash
There were some laugh out loud moments, some moments of sadness and moments where you simply want to shake the FMC to knock some sense into her.
This was a quick read, but I won't be continuing the series. I just can't. I gave it a try, and it solidified my stance that this is not my genre or type of book.
Italy had a hard life with dealing with baby daddies Chase and his betrayal. She held him down she had twins by Chase he turns around and married someone else. Milian was Italy younger sister who ended up blind in a car accident. She was tried of being hurt by men who didn't appreciate her worthy. She was trying to have surgery with 50% of her sight not a guarantee. Milian met Bubba at his new club he was rude She finds out her so-called boyfriend has a baby and a girlfriend. Poppa met Italy at the club and is very attractive to her and Mets her on a trip to Mexico they end up having relation she later finds out she pregnant with her fourth baby. Poppa is married to Misa who put her career first and keep dodging have children with her husband of 6 years neither or Happy in their marriage. Their relationship has ran it course and what could positively safe it. Italy sees Jai real Trerellealfather at Bubba house party for his friend Beto. Milian get a blast from the past as well when she runs into Beto She trying to get know Bubba and now it some love triangle for sure . I can't wait Gor the next book She Ain't Never met a Another N*gg A like me.
Italy has 3 kids and her sister Milan who is blind and turning 21 soon. Ilan wants to live her life and Italy would love to have help. Chase her ex dogged her and married the next things smoking. Chase is ignorant, period. He tries to demean Italy, talk down to her but changed and never helps her financially but he picks the children up. Poppa and Bubba are first cousins and they getting money legitimately. Poppas marriage to USA is going downhill and one night in Mexico with an unexpected new friend will hinder on his decision to move forward with his wife. Milan and Bubba are getting to know each other and their boy Beto is getting out. Keka Bubbas sister is bringing her man to the big party Bubba us throwing for Beto. When I say life is going to change after Italy states her allegations and Milan has some familiarity with Beto. Good luck and move forward with part 2! Jaw dropping madness!
I was instantly sucked into this book. I love that Italy was a go- getter type of woman who doesn’t beg a man for anything. She is always hustling to make sure her kids have a roof over their heads and food to eat. On top of that she is an amazing sister to Milan. Milan being blind needs Italy to be her eyes and though Italy can sometimes overstep, she wants the best for her sister. I also loved that Milan doesn’t use her blindness as a crutch or regard herself as handicap, she knows her self worth and will not settle for less.
Im in love with Papa and the type of man he is . He knows what he wants and he has been fighting for his marriage but sometimes it doesn’t matter what, a marriage can’t be saved if both parties are not interested. Bobo on the other hand, met his match when he stumbled into Milan, she is not about to let him talk to her crazy and treat her less then.
I’m so excited for the next book. Thank you @podiumentertainment
Wow! So much is going on. Italy is a real woman that's for sure. It's crazy how she didn't receive the love and light that she gave out. I love how Monica was there for her but even Milan and her kids weren't appreciative for all that she did. Chase is a biatch for his actions but he only opened the door for the better man to come along. Now, Poppa has some shyt to him and that marriage wasn't created on a firm foundation, it's as flakey as his wife. Now, that ending is wilding out! All those twists and turns. Things were already getting interesting but they are on the verge of openly intrigued. Just call me a nosey neighbor because I can't wait to see what happens next.
After reading previous books from this author, I was blown away with her writing, so I decided to give this series a try. I wish I could say that I loved this book as much as I did her others but unfortunately, I could not connect with the characters in this story, and I thought the pace of this story was a slow. I will say that although this series wasn't the one for me it doesn't mean that I won't be reading other books from this author. It just means that THIS series wasn't the one for me, but in no way, shape or form will I stop enjoying other books from this author because when I do come across the stories, I love they are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!
Oh my is all I can say lol. You got married men making babies, you got a marriage that’s been over for quite sometime now, you got a blind girl who gets her heart broken, you have the older sister who gets pregnant as a teenager then has a relationship with the neighbor who turned his grandmother’s house into a trap house, then he impregnates her with twins just to get locked up and get out and leaves her and marries a Cuban chick and has a kid by her, and all the while talking grimy to his baby mother. Oh how the drama is about to unfold. Jahquel honey child boo boo, you sholl know how to leave a bish hangin with the cliffhangers 😂👏🏾. Oh well 🤷🏾♀️ on to unfold the drama in book 2.
What in the entire hell is happening? Jah, how you gone leave us hanging like this? Who dies that?
This book is so good! I love every one of the characters. Poppa is married to Misa and very unhappy. Bubba is living life and playing the field. Italy and Milan are sisters who are going through. There is so much going on that you can't wait to read the next page.
Then there is Keka, Bubba's sister, who is dating Trell. Trell and Italy have history, and then Beto and Milan....omg so much going on.
I have one question??? Is she blind or deaf? I think it said deaf two times and I was almost confused.
As always this soap opera is good. Every series is the same yet different with their craziness. Everyone knows each other and have been together in some kind of way.
Chase is an absolute asshole with the way he’s treating Italy. Milan finally has Bubba, a man who genuinely wants her for who she is and she’s about to mess that up because her pen pal is out of jail now, even though they haven’t spoken in years.
I’m glad Poppa and Italy found each other. Now he just needs to go ahead and get that divorce from Misa. And Keka? She’s crazy for listening to Trell and actually believing him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was such a good story. I was hooked from start to finish. The narrators absolutely brought this audiobook to life and did an amazing job capturing all the emotion and tension.
Definitely check your trigger warnings going in, because parts of this felt incredibly relatable and hit hard. This story had me feeling everything! Angry, heartbroken, anxious, and constantly waiting to see what would happen next.
But THAT ENDING?! Why would you do that to me?! Now I’m desperate for the next audiobook release… although I might not survive waiting and end up reading the next book instead.
Thank you to Podium for the opportunity to listen to this amazing ALC!
I loved everything about this book I couldn’t believe the way Chase treated Italy like she wasn’t nothing at all to him yes he did help take care of her first born child even though she wasn’t his. But he Treated Italy like she was nothing to him. I was hurt that he had moved on and married someone else. I loved the fact that Italy took care of Milan after everything that had happened. Milan I love her and I want her and Bubba to work though. I also want Poppa to leave his wife because she’s no good for him though.
The review page don’t come up on some of these books and some still say currently reading that’s been already read. Since I really wanted to leave a review I had to dig deep. I enjoyed this story so much, I almost read in one sitting. This was definitely a page turner. I was into these characters and all their issues. I already knew I was gonna get part 2 before I got to the end but damn that ending was epic. It’s a small world. I was left with my mouth open and looking for the next part because what’s next? I can’t wait to see.
This was different writing for you but ...GURL!!! You did that. This storyline was great. The characters each are going through some things. Misa, dont like her at all PERIODT. Poppa is it for me. Bubba has potential and Milan needs to give him a chance and not mess up what they have for Beno. I knew Jai's dad was gonna be revealed but whew chile who knew lol. Chase needs to go on somewhere far far away. Ready for pt2
Omg! That ending was........ From the very start this book pulled me in. Didn’t want to put it down and still don’t. I was mad like hell when I started seeing 86%.......92%..... Didn’t even realize when I reached 100%. Now I’m mad I even started the book. Cuz now all I cud only think about is when I book 2 coming. Never fails to deliver a great read! Waiting.................
Jahquel this is definitely different but I loved it. No matter what you write, I'm going to read because I love your work. I love Italy and Milan. I want them to find their happiness. I think Bubba and Poppa are good for them. I just need Poppa to get everything straight so he can fully be with Italy. I've got a bad feeling about Beto!! That ending was crazy!! Can't wait for part 2!!
Trell? Jai Father? WTF? Beto & Milan? Damn Bubba smh it’s about to be some shit in part 2. I think MIsa is low key cheating on Poppa. I hope Milan get some of her sight back. I love her confidence she have in her. I can’t believe Chase end up doing Italy like that. I thought he really did love her. I can’t wait for part 2. I can see Beto & Bubba going at it about Milan. Can’t wait to see how all this drama unfold for this crew.
Lord have mercy!!! I don't even know where to begin with this review......Italy and Poppa deserve to be together. She's been through a lot it's time for sis to win. I hope the surgery goes well for Milan she needs to see the fool she hooked up with. As for Beto, I hope he is not on no snake crap..Please end the relationship between Misa and Poppa he needs to be with Itlay they need each other.LORD WHERE IS BOOK 2!!!!
I enjoyed the twists and turns this book took. I know its a lot more to cone because I have a ton of questions. I know Misa butt cheating on her husband and I bet it's with somebody they all know. I can't wait to find out what happens with Bubba and Milan because I know his friend is going to throw a lot in the mix. Then you find out who Jai dad is is crazy! I can't wait til part 2
Shit was just getting good. I always wondered who Jai's sperm donor was. I remember Italy saying that if she said who he was and what happened - that her mom wasn't going to believe her no how. Then here is Milan's crush who just so happens to be Bubba's homeboy. I already know shit bout to go all the way left. Oh let's not forget Chase b!tch ass. It was all fun and games while he got somebody and talk down on Italy. Now the rabbit got the gun and shit ain't so sweet no more.....