Aim Higher Than Romeo & Juliet

Hello again! I’m writing to y’all today, back home, with just a few more days left in my vacation. While there is more than a little bit of bittersweetness to that, the time off did exactly what I wanted it to do, which was give me a boost in all aspects of my life. I’m also planning on a mini-vacation solo later on (shhhh don’t tell my son though) so that is something else to look forward to. 

During our vacation we went to a drive-in which was a completely new experience for me, and I loved it. We saw Raya & the Last Dragon and it was amazing. Yes, it is currently on Disney+, which I do have, but there was something magical about seeing it on the big screen. I also really loved the new short Us Again. It was a sweet story about a couple who realizes that age doesn’t hold them back from having fun, which, considering my recommendations from last time, seemed fitting. I know that it was animated but the dance sequences were also awesome. Just a pure, sweet story. 

As for Raya…wow, just wow. The voice actors were amazing and the story was engaging. It was also beautifully animated and I loved the story. As much of a die-hard romance fan as I am (bit of spoilers here), I also appreciate stories where the princess doesn’t need to end up with a prince. I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoiling but I do heartily recommend it. 

Bookish News:

This book announcement came across my Twitter timeline and caused a whole lot of feelings. Just to be crystal clear: the Tweet I linked *is not* by the author who wrote the book; I just heard about it from her first. And everything about this is just unsettling.

Clearly, I’m not against interracial romance, but the title alone causes an unpleasant knee-jerk reaction. When you couple that with that flag on the cover, not to mention the disclaimer about the cover model when you go to the product page? It’s a mood, that’s for damn sure. 

I know that there are tons of books that have ‘mafia’ and ‘redneck’ in the title, which is also triggering for some people, especially as some of them also have the flag on the cover. But this book goes all in on the problematic scale in choosing the word it did as the title. Then it triples down by calling itself a Romeo and Juliet retelling. It’s just…a mood. And not a good one.

I remember a few years ago when we were simply engulfed in redemption romances for n*zis and that was a whole big bowl of nope for me. Hopefully this won’t bring in an influx of supremacist romances or anything like that.

Plus…Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, y’all. It specifically tell us that in the play’s prologue. No clue why they’re still touted as a couple to aspire to or why we still keep wanting to use them as a couple goal. If you want an example of forbidden or rivalry love, use the Hatfields and the McCoys. At least some of them are still here.

Moving on so as to not end this section on a complete downer.

The Ripped Bodice was back in the Romance section of the Twitter-verse due to a response critique that romance bloggers Nick and Ari wrote. This year, the Diversity Report caused a lot of division, so this rebuttal, as it were, isn’t entirely unexpected. After Nick’s original tweet, the Koch sisters did reach out and respond that they were preparing a statement. So, there has been progress made in that regard.

I touched on this as well in a previous newsletter. Again, I want to reiterate that my concern isn’t intended to be an attack but constructive criticism. Having questions about how the numbers do or don’t work doesn’t mean you can’t still support this awesome business. Those two ideas can be mutually exclusive. To put my own personal spin on what the Shelf Love podcast said, I love that my hairstylist can tame my curls and help color pop in them. But I wouldn’t want her to perform heart surgery on me.

Talia Hibbert’s latest, Act Your Age, Eve Brown, hit the NYT Bestseller list! I’m sure this is a surprise to no one who has read any of her books but it is still good news to hear. I’m reading this right now and I’m loving every moment of it.

From Book Riot and Around the Web:

Brooke wrote a wonderful article about what makes a good sex scene, interviewing well-known figures in Romancelandia. Of course, body positivity and consent are up there, but there are other factors and opinions that may surprise you. It’s a great read so be sure to check it out.

If you’re participating in the Read Harder challenge this year, be sure to read over this list of romances that feature trans and/or nonbinary characters, since some of those may satisfy a prompt or two.

Sara Desai revealed some of her favorite fake-romance movies. I just finished her latest, The Dating Plan, and had a great time reading it. Don’t let the fact that you haven’t read the first one keep you from reading this one, if you have been on the fence about picking it up, since that isn’t necessary. Although now I do want to go back and check it out.

New Releases:

Here are some of the upcoming titles that will be hitting the stores this week. 

Wild Rebel by Laurelin Paige

One More Time by Aurora Rose Reynolds

Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher

Hard Luck by Sarah Ney

Crazy Hearts by Amber Kelly

Changing the Rules by Catherine Bybee

That’s all for today. If you want a little bit more of me between the newsletters, follow me on Twitter @Psribe801. Until next time.