Love Is a Revolution

by Renée Watson

When Nala Robertson reluctantly agrees to attend an open mic night for her cousin-sister-friend Imani's birthday, she finds herself falling in instant love with Tye Brown, the MC. He's perfect, except . . . Tye is an activist and is spending the summer putting on events for the community when Nala would rather watch movies and try out the new seasonal flavors at the local creamery. In order to impress Tye, Nala tells a few tiny lies to have enough in common with him. As they spend more time together, sharing more of themselves, some of those lies get harder to keep up. As Nala falls deeper into keeping up her lies and into love, she'll learn all the ways love is hard, and how self-love is revolutionary.

In Love Is a Revolution , plus size girls are beautiful and get the attention of the hot guys, the popular girl clique is not shallow but has strong convictions and substance, and the ultimate love story is not only about romance but about how to show radical love to the people in your life, including to yourself.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Coming Of Age, Young Adult Contemporary

304 pages, Paperback

First published February 2, 2021

About the author

Renée Watson is the author of the children’s picture book, A Place Where Hurricanes Happen (Random House, June 2010), which was featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Her middle grade novel, What Momma Left Me debuted as the New Voice for 2010 in middle grade fiction by The Independent Children's Booksellers Association.

Renée’s one woman show, Roses are Red, Women are Blue, debuted at New York City's Lincoln Center at a showcase for emerging artists. Her poetry and articles have been published in Rethinking Schools, Theatre of the Mind and With Hearts Ablaze.

When Renée is not writing and performing, she is teaching. Renée has worked in public schools and community organizations as an artist in residence for several years, teaching poetry, fiction, and theater in Oregon, Louisiana, and New York City. She also facilitates professional development workshops for teachers and artists.

One of Renée’s passions is using the arts to help youth cope with trauma. She has facilitated poetry and theatre workshops with young girls coping with sexual and physical abuse, children who have witnessed violence, children coping with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and children who relocated to New York City after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Renée graduated from The New School, where she studied Creative Writing and earned a certificate in Drama Therapy.

Renée currently lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Hailey (Hailey in Bookland)]

I have some pretty mixed feelings on this one. I had a love hate relationship with the main character because while I think she was realistically flawed which was nice, I don't always want to read about a perfect character, but it did also make the book really frustrating. Enjoyment wise, that's where it did kind of suffer. However, I think the book did a lot of great things as well. It's a love story but self love is also at the forefront and that was a really nice touch. I think a lot of people could benefit from this read as you watch the main character learn to love who she is without the lies. This was a really fast read overall and I think it had a great message, you just have to accept the fact that the main character isn't the most readily likeable as she can be really judgmental and still has a lot of growing up to do, but that does make for a lot of room for character growth.

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Since I start reading this ultra delicious, moving, honest, motivating, inspirational book Bob Marley’s song started playing in my head: “ Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights!”

Renee Watson did an incredible job by creating those memorable, truly sweetest, most lovable and natural characters! I’m not only talking about Nala who grows up, wearing big girls pants , learning to be brave to rediscover herself by facing her fears. Or Tye who checks all the boxes to become sweetest pie and best book boyfriend.

I’m also talking about Imani, Sadie, grandmother and ice cream addict JT( best role model as grandfather candidate)!
This book is not only about love, romance, growing pains, challenges of leaving childhood behind to become grown up!
There are so many great political, self awareness, environmental, eco-biological messages. But the best thing I enjoyed about this boom is a unique girl’s pure, genuine heartwarming story who has her own insecurities, thinking little about herself, losing her way, pretending to be another person to be loved and adored. I loved Nala. I loved the paths she followed to find herself. I loved her bravery, resilience, honesty.

And of course I fell in love with every song words written in this book. (Nala listens to imaginary singer Blue and the singer’s inspirational song lyrics have been shared at beginnings of some chapters) After reading those enthusiastic, moving, pure emotional words pouring from the writer’s heart, you feel like you can achieve anything you dream. Only thing holds you back your own fear!

I’m giving a quick summary of storyline to give more details about characters and story’s processing:

Nala Robertson leaves her childhood house at age of 13, after the big argument she’d had with her mother, living with her Aunt Ebony- Uncle Randy and her cousin-sister- friend Imani. She falls in love with Tye Brown at first sight during the open mic night for her cousin’s birthday party.
She also feels like her cousin and she are slowly drifting apart because Imani is a part of Inspire Harlem group, which is an activist organization to improve the social, economic, environmental, political conditions of neighborhood. And Nala has hard time to be part of it.
But as soon as she meets Tye, she blurts out some white lies to pretend she is dealing with social responsibility project for seniors. And as she continues to share more about herself, her lies get out of control.

Could Tye like real her or could she actually find her true self and tell him the truth?

Layered, perfectly crafted characters, lyrical, emotional, provocative, powerful story telling and meaningful messages made me fall in love with this beautiful novel.

I’m giving well deserved, well written, memorable five stars for the soul of beautiful young women who are brave enough to raise up their voices!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books/ Bloomsbury YA for sharing this digital copy of this incredible book in exchange my honest thoughts.

[Lala BooksandLala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Renée Watson continues to write fully realized and dynamic teen characters. I always enjoy my time getting to know the casts of characters she crafts and discovering their feelings and motivations along the way. Unfortunately the goal of the book I feel got a little lost along the way. Thanks to Raincoast Books for the early copy! Full review is on my youtube channel.

[Kezia Duah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nala goes to this open mic thing with her cousin Imoni, and there she meets Tye. It was instant attraction (NOT LOVE NALA), and the lie that she herself is an activist drops from her mouth so quickly that she keeps this up for a good part of the book. Tye seems to reciprocate this attraction probably because she “does a lot for her community.” How long does Nala keep this up?

I’m not mad that she lied. Honestly, it’s a solid plot. Girl likes boy and pretends to be someone else to impress the boy. We’ve read that many times. The problem here is none of the characters in this book are likable. Tye and Nala’s chemistry was non-existent. The part that hurts the most is we are supposed to believe that Tye actually likes her for "who she is". Well, how the hell does Tye know who she is? She lied about so many things. Sis even said she was vegetarian or something. Okay, so maybe a few times in the book they do open up to each other about some personal things, but it didn’t feel enough. Maybe the book was just too short. Yes, we’ll blame this on the length of the book, because then we would have seen more growth.

Even though Tye doesn’t get to see much about her, we as readers still learn about her. I like that she stood up for herself a lot of times in the book. I can tell she was someone who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind most of the time and that was great. We also read about her relationship with her cousin which is not so great. I personally found her cousin to be a horrible person. Like maybe I could understand where some of the disdain for Nala was coming from, but no, I still don’t like her.

Also, I might be dramatic, but I didn’t realize her hair alone was going to be a character in the book. I also hope that people who read this book don’t feel bad for not being an “activist”. I think we can all be activists in our own ways. I don’t think the book was taking a stance on that per se, but I’m actually not sure what the message was. It was probably just a romance book, don’t let me make you guys overthink this.

[SincerelyTahiry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Im lowkey disappointed with this book. I was living for the cover and the idea of a plus size black girl learning to love herself. Also the book is set in NYC which I didn’t know initially. However Nala and every other female character were competing to see who was was more “not like other girls”. All of her relationships with her peers were super shallow. But mainly I was DEEPLY annoyed that Nalas whole personality was that she wasn’t “super woke”. How are you judging these other black kids for being activist and helping the black community but don’t even know how to do your own hair? Maybe u need more black friends in your life 🙄 CHILE ANYWAY....the writing was super juvenile to me and idk if it’s cuz I’m over ya romance or what. I also hate the whole “I’m gonna lie about who i am to get a guy to like me “ trope. It’s played out. And even though I understand where the author was going by making Nala start out like that, her growth didn’t feel believable. I was super interested to hear about her relationship with her mom because I have a similar experience, however we never even got the full story of how they had a falling out. Which was a huge turning point in Nalas life and is constantly being referenced. And because the romance was based on a stupid lies, I never got to enjoy the summer love story I wanted to read about.

[Kai Spellmeier]

I like that Renée writes YA for actual teenagers when most of the YA books I read these days are written for an older audience. I also love the body positivity and the generally joyful contemporary story about a young Black girl trying to find her place in the world. What bothered me were the predictability of the story and the girl-on-girl hate that dominates most of the main character's relationships with other girls around her. The author eventually acknowledges that the MC needs to change this negative attitude but it's only mentioned in a single sentence. Oh and also, where are the queer characters? We have a group of young, Black activists interested in changing the world for good and constantly quoting icons like James Baldwin and such but there's not a single queer person? I don't think.

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[Holly | The Caffeinated Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

* thank you to Bloomsbury for providing an Arc in exchange for an honest review *

I really wanted to love this book. It'd been one of my anticipated reads for 2021 because not only do I love cute YA contemporaries, but I especially love ones that give us plus-size rep. Unfortunately though, I felt it missed the mark.

I think the main reason for this, is because the book sets up and uses a lot of toxic tropes that we've seen in YA over the years, and whilst the ending shows the authors intent to undermine them and show how negative they can be, because it's done so briefly and only within the final chapters, it leaves the book feeling extremely negative.

Throughout the book, almost all the female characters are competing with each other. This does get addressed towards the end when Nala realises she needs to change her way of thinking, however, because it's done so late into the narrative, we don't actually get to witness the change in Nala's behaviour which I think would have proved to be a really powerful image. Instead, we're left with a book where 90% of the narrative is just girls being mean and rude to each other, which completely fails to promote girls-supporting-girls.

Alongside this negativity, we also have Nala constantly judging the teen activists her cousin has befriended. And whilst I completely understand that not everyone has to be actively involved in activism, I don't necessarily know if in the current social climate we're facing and witnessing, if a narrative centred around criticising teen activists is something we should be encouraging.

As for the plus-size rep, I wish the author had done more with it. Of course it's amazing just to have a confident plus-size black main character, but I wish the author had really made a point of body confidence and self-love, because even though it popped up here and there, it didn't really feel that prominent in the book as a whole.

I also found that for a book focused on teen activists that has such a great representation in terms of body shape and race, that it was severely lacking in any LGBT+ representation which was disappointing.

I really wanted to love this book, but overall, I just felt disappointed. I do still think it's a cute book that's quick to read, but it wasn't for me and I just really wanted a lot more from it.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 2 out of 5]

*A few good lines from the first few pages of the book:

Imani: "I mean, I'm a fan too, but really? You've had the song on repeat all day."

Nala: "This from the queen of rewatching movies and saying the lines with the characters."

(Well, I'm both ☺️ May the Fangirling Nation prosper everyday!)


"I'm fat. It's just a description. It doesn't have to cast a negative judgement."

'And this is where we differ. I am not down with the Say-It-Loud-I'm-Fat-and-I'm-Proud movement. I don't have low self-esteem or anything. I just don't feel the need to talk about my weight or make statements about it or reclaim a word that was never mine in the first place.'


*2021 disappointing reads list is gaining members fast!

This one is pretty well damn too annoying to read.

Thought the main character would be someone that's not this shallow and predictable. Yes, I am fully aware of the genre and the target audience this book is for but this one is pretty too damn obvious and the characters not that developed well. The plot is quite predictable and the writing delivered nothing much more for a new book.

I wish Imani, the cousin of the main character, was the main character. No matter what happened towards the second half didn't matter much because the harm was already done and the character we are dealing with wasn't something I would like young readers to read about.

Sometimes the writing gets too damn superficial apart from being too predictable.

I wish the themes of body image and the other issues were handled better. The side characters are good. The main character was just awful.


*The book started out well but after a few pages, I began rolling my eyes because the character got too superficial, mean and lied about almost everything (even though things might become better towards the end and the characters developed a bit but it is frustrating to read something like this)


I wish the story developed well instead of the main character being so stupid. Yes, stupid. Totally. Utterly. Hurting the ones who cared about her.

Ok. Thank you, next!

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly, I thought that I was going to dislike this especially because it focuses on a young girl altering herself for a teenage boy, but this was done well.

Love Is a Revolution primarily focuses on main character, Nala Robertson, who finds herself falling in love with Tye after attending a spoken word event held by a local organization that her sister-cousin-friend Imani is a part of. Instead of being true to herself, Nala makes the decision to alter various things about her personality to encourage a relationship between herself and Tye. What follows is a hard lesson about falling in love, heartbreak, family, and staying true to oneself.

What Worked: Renee Watson has such beautiful, lyrical writing that made reading this book a breeze. I was captivated by every word, every sentence. There were nods to Jamaican family dynamics and culture that I absolutely loved as well. Surprisingly, I both loved and disliked the character development. Nala is changing herself for a guy and reading her lie to him over and over again was frustrating; HOWEVER, I am not the target audience for this book. When I took a brief second and viewed this story through the lens of teenagers, I realized that this is a story that I would have appreciated growing up. A plus size Black teen that isn't ashamed of her body, but still experiences insecurities in ways that are normal for teenagers. Most of us have changed ourselves in some way hoping to fit in and gain acceptance. Things are no different for Nala. She feels left out of the circle of secondary characters who throw themselves into activism when Nala would rather spend her free time watching movies. Naturally, when she grows feelings for Tye, who is an active member in this circle of friends, Nala doesn't feel like she's up to what would be considered his personal standards. But instead of it being in looks, it's about perceived intelligence through the lens of activism. Lately, there has been an increase in activism in young adult communities. I appreciate that Watson tackles this idea that activism can take place in a variety of ways and sometimes it's okay to JUST be a KID/TEENAGER. As a parent, I fear, sometimes, that we push younger generations to be the change they want to see so heavily that they burn themselves out and forget to enjoy life. Nala brings that balance to the table. She wants to make change, but she also recognizes the importance of simply enjoying friends and family. Nala is by no means a perfect character. She's not always likeable and she can be frustrating, BUT she's still growing. She's a teenager trying to not only find her voice, but also her place in her community. I loved seeing her grow and shift into this person that is actively aware of the decisions that she makes in regard to herself and others. And major props to Watson for the nods to Lucille Clifton. I really appreciated that.

Overall, this was a good book. I know that it won't work for everyone especially for adults, but I really appreciated the commentary that Watson made throughout the story.

[Jesse (JesseTheReader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't overlook the insta love in this book. We have a character who becomes completely obsessed with a guy she knows next to NOTHING about and begins to let this man live in her mind RENT FREE. It blocks us from getting to know the depths of her character, because all we see is how she feels for this boy that again... she barely knows.

I did like that there are messages embedded in the text talking about how important it is to remain true to yourself and how you shouldn't change yourself for other people, but outside of that it was a miss for me. :(

[hillary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book but it didn’t have a great impact on me as Piecing Me Together did. It’s very clear what it wanted to do, and I appreciated the way Nala came to accept herself, but I didn’t enjoy how unrealistically childish some of the issues that Nala faced were. I don’t see what the problem with her saying she “works” at Sugar Hill really is. I can understand why saying she’s vegetarian could make Tye not trust her, but the book was mostly about her lying on the volunteering job and....she actually kind of worked there? Even if she didn’t have an official piece of paper? I loved her time with the people at the residence, from my pov she was really invested in them and cared about them having a great time whenever she visited. Her grandma was an actual FORCE lol.

Tbh I really liked Nala’s character, it was the others that annoyed me. Especially Imani and Tye. That means I couldn’t fall for the romance at all. The more I learned about Tye, the more I didn’t like him and his entitlement. Nala and him are not a great match in my opinion.
In general, the people volunteering at Inspire Harlem annoyed me. I love activism but I also love when people doing it are supportive towards all kinds of people and don’t try to force the activism on everyone they meet.

I really enjoyed that this book was about black love instead of black trauma, and that it put black culture and black teenage problems at the forefront. I found Nala’s journey with her hair to be very interesting; I also loved the positive fat rep. I can’t get enough of fat characters who love their bodies and just own it.

To sum it up, I have mixed feelings about this book and the characters, but I still liked what it did in the end. I’ll definitely read more Renée Watson.


******

This one sounds like a fictional version of Michelle and Barack Obama’s love story and

[Chidimma Desiree · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a big fat NO for me. This is my fourth Renée Watson book and I’m so disappointed. I could have never predicted me disliking this book this much. My main issue with this book is the main character, Nala. SHE WAS INSUFFERABLE! I found her to be condescending and judgmental of others ironically because she also thought people were judging her. She was so dismissive of what people around her were passionate about for literally NO REASON at all it was really weird to me. Like someone would say something about how they care about using reusable water bottles and not plastic and she would make it seem as if they were attacking her it was bizarre. She seemed like a hater throughout most of the book

My other issue with this book was the romance. This couple was so mismatched, I really didn’t see how they could work in the future. It made no sense to me. They didn’t seem like a good pairing like at all, they both felt too self centered and pushed their ideas on to the other instead of truly listening and caring about what the other person’s beliefs were. I felt like the whole loving yourself thing the author brought in last minute was so rushed and seemed very forced. In my opinion it would have made more sense if the couple didn’t end up together. This book was just not for me and I’m more surprised than anyone how much I didn’t like this book.

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, let me just (not be the first to) say that this cover is absolutely beautiful. I love everything about it, and I especially love seeing plus-size representation.

Now, it is no surprise to me at all that Renée was able to cultivate the voices of such realistic and messy teens. She truly owns the craft of writing for young adults. I'm an "adult" reading YA books, so not everything is going to resonate with me, but that doesn't take away from the importance of this story. Love Is a Revolution will resonate with its intended audience.

I enjoyed watching the gradual journey towards Nala's personal growth (in both maturity and self-love) but I wish there was further development in the area of family dynamics, particularly her history with her mother and her relationship with Imani.

In any case, I look forward to Watson's next release.

Actual rating: 3.75/5

[chaity · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book is as chaotic as summer itself.

[anna ✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

Love is a Revolution is a powerful book about finding yourself in the height of your teenage years. It's about love and family and everything that comes with the pressure of growing up and figuring out who you are.

It's summer and Nala Robertson wants to make sure she makes the most of it before her senior year begins. When Nala reluctantly joins her cousin for her birthday celebration/talent show, she ends up meeting Tye Brown and sparks fly instantly. In order to impress Tye, Nala tells a few lies about certain about herself in hope they will have a lot of stuff in common. Quickly, Nala realises that it is unfeasible to pretend someone she's not and that what she really needs is self love and self confidence. I don't think there are enough words I can out down to describe the incredible journey this book takes you on. It's not about a teenage girl who moulds herself to find love or fit into society, it's about a teenage girl who is trying to find her place in the world and takes action to become the person she wants to be.

Love is a Revolution is an amazing story with well crafted characters and a remarkable growth arc. Nala is written exactly as a real teenager would be. She's not perfect, she's only human, and she makes mistakes as such. Plus all the other characters in this are very self aware and working towards a better future - not only for them but also for the our planet.

There's so much to be learned from this book and from Nala's growth story. Renee Watson has a remarkable writing style and creates hard hitting, real, raw stories that are also full of happiness and hope.

Nala is a Jamaican-American plus size girl and there's never a point in the book where this becomes the sole plot line, or where this makes her life more difficult in any way. This is an incredible joyous book with great representation and I feel there is definitely a need for more of these.

Overall, an incredibly fast paced story with very important discussions about what it means to love and believe in yourself.

Thank you so much to Bloomsbury for gifting me an arc.

[Dahlia]

I just love Renee Watson. Her books are such a great tough love + big hug combo, and this was no exception.

[Kelly]

Nala's stoked about summer, and among the many lists she keeps, one thing she knows for sure she wants to cross off before school begins again is to finally get a boyfriend. So when Nala joins her cousin/best friend Imani at one of Imani's activist group events and sees Tye, it's crush at first sight. But activism isn't really Nala's thing, as she struggles with tremendous insecurity and worries about using her own voice as a tool of power.

Her feeling for Tye continue to amplify and Nala begins telling him a series of lies about who she is. Yes, she's a vegetarian (she's not). She has a job at a local senior living home and helps coordinate projects for the residents (she doesn't -- she goes to visit her grandmother). She begins to change her hair and her style to fit the perception she believes Tye has of her and yet, she's struggling to keep the lies and facade up. It all comes to a head one night and despite how well the relationship had been going, she breaks and tells him the truth.

Herein begins the real revolution: Nala is going to learn to love herself first and foremost.

Watson's novel is a story of learning who you are, how you fit in, and how it's okay to be interested and engaged in what lights you up, as opposed to what you think other people want you to be excited about. Nala is not a loud, proud activist like her cousin or her friends. She prefers to be a little more behind the scenes, and despite living with her cousin who encourages her to embrace who she is wholeheartedly, Nala doesn't even want to call herself fat. She's got a body and that's enough for her.

I love the idea that falling for someone could be the impetus for embracing who you are deeply because sometimes, that's how it works out. Nala was unable to bring her true self to this relationship and instead brought someone she thought she should be. And when she realizes it's simply not her and she'll continue being disappointed by how she's treated because of it -- for example, she doesn't want a metal water bottle as a gift to help cut down on plastic use because it's simply NOT something that shows love to her the same way a few flowers might -- Nala decides to step back and settle into a project of being honest with herself about who she is.

There are so many excellent pieces to the story: Nala's love of her grandmother and other seniors at the living center; the smells, sounds, and tastes of Harlem; the interspersed lists of Nala's hopes and dreams and thoughts; the message that you can love yourself as you are without necessarily affixing a label to it; that everyone's activism and passion looks different; how a strained parent-child relationship can function; what it looks like to grow up with a father who decides to move back to his home country of Jamaica. Watson's a master at writing coming-of-age, and this feel-good romance will resonate deeply.

Pair this one with Brandy Colbert's The Voting Booth, among so many others.

[Delaney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was OKAY. I was expecting to love it more than I did so MMM.

Love is a Revolution has an incredible title. It's a quick, light read about loving yourself. But!!!!

It has a lot of typical YA content:
- (Once again I ask myself: am I getting too old for YA?)
- hating on a girl because she's "better" than Nala the MC (a.k.a. I'm tired of girls hating each other for a boring ass boy)
- #ImNotLikeOtherGirls
- Nala is judgemental, she’s flawed in order to learn and grow
- love interest is bland and "perfect" but they fall in love with each other instantly...I felt nothing for these two!!!
- conflict explodes within the last 100 pages of the book because that's part of the lesson
- teenagers make dumb decisions
- TeenDrama™ and once again ask: What is wrong with being single?
- Cliché storyline where everything is basically resolved at the end, even though it feels like there needs to be more worked/talked out
- The 180 change needed a progression from the halfway mark not the last 100 pages mark
- Family is swept away for the luuv aspect (I wished her complicated relationship w/ her mom was explored more)

What wasn't typical?:
- A plus size Black girl that doesn't focus on "body positivity" (cause, really, let's go for body neutrality plz it’s 2021) but more on self-love as a whole person
- Literally she just exists as a fat girl, doesn't want to be skinny, is actually desired for how she looks physically, has her flaws and is working on it, and I love that
- "Love yourself before you love others" can also mean "love yourself AND love others who will uplift and empower you and grow together"

All in all: A fast, quick read that I wished delved a little deeper on some topics. I think the major flaw that kept the book from being cohesive and hit me more emotionally is that there were so many subplots that didn’t seem to contribute to anything. This isn’t a book that is memorable, but I did enjoy certain aspects that Renée Watson wrote.

[Anniek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for the ARC!

I often read YA contemporary to not have to think too much for a little while. But sometimes, you come across a book that really makes you think.

This is not a book that everyone will love. It's really messy, and the main character, Nala, is not always at her best and not always very likeable. I did however really love her and I loved going on this journey of self love with her.

This book has some really nuanced discussions of what is important in life. And I really appreciated those and related to Nala's struggle: activism isn't for everyone, and it can feel, especially in this social media era, like you have to be this one specific kind of person who speaks out about everything and is aware of all of the issues going on in the world. That can feel intimidating and it can also make you feel like you're not enough and like you're not good enough. Not to say activism isn't great and important, but just that there are different ways to do good in the world, and everyone has to figure out for themselves what they're capable of and what suits them as a person.

Going into this book, I expected a main focus on the romance, based on the synopsis, but the main focus is actually on family; on Nala's relationship with her cousin Imani especially. One thing I think could have made the book even stronger would have been to have chapters from Imani's perspective as well. Because both of these characters struggle a lot and they go through a learning process in the book.

At this point I'll just read anything Renée Watson writes.

[Logan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best way I could describe this book is generic or mediocre. If this was a middle grade book I'd rate it higher, but since it is YA it reads very far below that style wise. I found the main character's voice to be very juvenile along with all the metaphors and jokes Watson made. She didn't feel like a teenager about to be a senior in high school.

The romance was very lackluster to me as well, I wasn't rooting for Nala and Tye even though Watson gave me every reason to think they were cute and perfect for each other. This actually presented me with another problem, if they are so perfect for each other, why have Nala lie? She does it to feel good enough for Tye, but the boy is so obviously into her it comes off as a really pointless, stupid, and cliche conflict.

The story I wish Watson had given me would've focused more on Nala's Jamaican heritage and familial relationships, maybe grappling with the pressure to be a social activist in America because you're Black, shouldn't you care? That's what I wish was more discussed. I think there's a good book in here somewhere, but what I read was very watered down and unimpressive. Beautiful cover though!

[Shawnaci Schroeder · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 ⭐️

- The community aspect of this book was so beautiful to read! I love how the community is so interconnected and how the characters really focus on staying close to their family!
- The main character was absolutely insufferable. I know that a major plot was that the main character lies, but wowww she really did that to the max!! She really didn’t like that her friends were activists or trying to do better for the world which was weiiiiird to me.
- The book was really easy to read and the cover is SO cute so I’ll definitely be reading more from this author!

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had so much potential to share a great story about the importance of volunteering with the community and loving yourself as a plus size teen.

Nala and her lying drove me nuts because something didn't need to be lied about. Tye was wayyy to woke.

[kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully heartwarming coming-of-age story exploring activism, racism, community, relationships, self love and the pressure to get it all right.

I think Renée did a brilliant job at presenting a middle ground for activism, a way in which you can do the right thing and focus on 'doing good' without allowing it to become your whole being, especially as a teen. Nala and Imani's approach to activism were polar opposites and I loved the journey they both found themselves on in uncovering the nuance within in and finding a balance between activism and living for yourself as well as others.

I also really enjoyed the way Sala was written as a plus size girl. The way in which the body positive aspect of this book was marketed made me assume Nala's body size was going to me a much bigger focus throughout the book and whilst initially I was somewhat disappointed (I love a loud body positive read), I think this excelled in its representation of body positivity and diversity. Nala was a plus size girl just living her life totally separate from her size. This was simply a story featuring teen character who happened to be fat, rather than a book about her fatness and personally, I think that's almost the most 'body positive' message you could have in a book.

Whilst I think I agree with other reviewers that this would have maybe worked better had it been for a younger audience with Nala being a younger age, overall this was a highly enjoyable read. I flew through it in a matter of sittings and would definitely recommend it to younger readers looking for a story of self love, activism and flawed (aka normal) teens making mistakes and learning from them.

[Althea · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 Stars

For a while now I've been dying to pick up one of Renée Watson's novels, after hearing so many glowing reviews of her writing, and after seeing her latest novel, Love Is a Revolution up for request on Netgalley, I jumped at the chance to read it!

Love Is a Revolution follows Nala who, one night, goes along to a local open mic night to celebrate her cousin's birthday. While there, she falls head over heels for the MC, Tye, a local activist and friend of Nala's cousin, Imani. When Nala stumbles upon the opportunity to chat with him, she decides to slightly change certain aspects of her life to fit in with him, but as the lies get harder and harder to keep up, Nala must decide if it's really worth being someone she's not just to fit in.

When I picked up this novel, the first thing that struck me was Renée Watson's writing style - it captivated me from the very first page and I had to force myself to put the book down after a couple of chapters just to go to sleep! In fact, I absolutely raced through around 70% of the book in one night, I was just so invested in the story! Interspersed throughout this book are short lists that Nala makes in order to help her write her college admissions essay, as well as lyrics from her favourite singer, Blue's, songs. I really enjoyed both of these inclusions and I think that they really added a fun extra layer to the story!

I really enjoyed Nala the main character, particularly the love and care she has for her family. I loved the scenes where she spent time with her extended family, particularly her grandmother at her care home - they were just so heartwarming! There is some tension between Nala and Imani throughout the book and I think it was really realistic and well written (though I did get annoyed by Imani on a couple of occasions!). Then there's Tye - sweet, caring Tye! I really loved his passion and drive to change the world for the better and he's one of the loveliest male love interests that I've read in a YA novel in quite some time!

One of the main themes in this book is the focus on self love with particular emphasis on loving yourself as a Black girl, and I think that this will be a really valuable addition to YA literature! The synopsis did suggest that there would be more of an emphasis on body positivity and, although it is mentioned a couple of times throughout, I really would have enjoyed it if it was focussed on a little more! Aside from that, the only reason I docked stars was because (naturally) this book is geared towards a much younger audience and the plot is pretty standard for a YA contemporary. Because I am not the target audience though I decided to round it up to a four star rating here, though I do really recommend this book for teens!

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for an eARC copy in return for an honest review!

[⛅ Sunny (sunnysidereviews) ⛅ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love Is a Revolution is a timeless coming of age that you won't want to miss this year!

The initial premise of the book immediately intrigued me as stories regarding self-love aren't very common in fiction. Unfortunately though, the message of loving oneself was too obvious for me. I usually like to look for a deeper meaning, but in this case, I was already presented with the message. 

In addition, the characters weren't very likable. While I can appreciate the different relationship dynamics the main character Nala has with others, she wasn't a very kind person. She's closeminded, and constantly lies to her crush in order to impress him. However, she never truly accepts that what she did was wrong. Furthermore, there was a lot of girl-on-girl hate, which I am not fond of. On a better note, I adored Tye, Nala’s crush. He was extremely likable and added a real spark to the book. 

Luckily, I adored the dialogue in Love Is A Revolution. It was the right amount sparky and heartfelt.

I was very conflicted when it came to the writing. It was done very nicely. At times it was beautifully poetic! Other times though, it was too simple. This unfortunately made the moral of the story seem blunt and on-the-nose. 

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Love Is A Revolution. While it didn't exceed my expectations, I can definitely appreciate its message. If you're looking for a book on self-love, then this is definitely the book for you!

Age Rating: 13 and up
Trigger Warnings: Lying
Overall Rating:6.5/10 or 3.25 out of 5 stars

More reviews like this on my blog https://sunnysidereviews.wordpress.com/ !

[Toya (thereadingchemist) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating is between 3-3.5 stars.

I'll be honest, I couldn't stand the MC (Nala) for the majority of this book. I think I read it so quickly just to get to the point where she underwent some growth because I was tired of her judging Black folks for wanting to uplift their community and the constant hating on/competing with other females trope.

More thoughts to come.

[hannah! (lowkey gone) · Rating 2 out of 5]

i hate lying as a trope. and this was so much lying it was revolting.

[Esther · Rating 1 out of 5]

Love is a Revolution was very unenjoyable for me. The main character, Nala, was so infuriating. And the book as a whole was boring.

There was not one character I liked in this book. Everyone was too annoying, and I understand that we don't need to have perfect characters, but they should at least be likable. I hate when characters lie for no good reason, so I immediately hated Nala. I hate when people think they are always right, so Imani quickly became insufferable. It was just too much for me.

I hated this book with a passion, and the awful writing didn't help. It was too difficult to read the choppy sentences that gave no emotion while pretending I cared about the book. There were sentences where the same information was repeated twice as if the author forgot that it was already mentioned. But arguably worse were the lists that Nala made. I could feel the attempted poetic-ness oozing out of Nala's written goals/achievements and whatnot. It was disgusting.

Nala and Tye's relationship was one of the most embarrassing things I had to read about. There was no connection between them, and their entire situation was so annoying to witness. They barely even felt like a couple, and both of them are so flawed that their relationship, especially without any chemistry, was just really bad.


Rating: 1 star

[camilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

i didnt absolutely love love love it, but i didn’t hate it either! wanted something fun, cute, and quick to give my brain a break and this was just that. i found most of the characters, except for tye, some side characters. and the adults very agitating so that wasn’t fun. but at the same time i can remember being 17/18 and feeling the same things that nala (mc) did, so that made it easier.

i would have absolutely loved this in high school, so that’s what i’m mostly happy about & i’m glad black girls in the younger generation get to grow up with more YA romance books catered to them and their struggles instead of self-inserting like i had to!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,25★

This was cute, eyeopening and sweet.