This was a wonderful and engaging collection of essays. I especially enjoyed the essays "Food of Love" by Jasmine Guillory and "Imprint" by Allie Parker. I appreciated the personal insights of those pieces and they contrasted nicely with the more analytical/academic essays, which I found a bit denser and drier. The anthology really emphasized the importance of loving yourself and how important representation is in books, especially romance.

Overall, I thought Black Love Matters was balanced very well and was a great mix of personal essays, academic examination, and history of Black romance.

This is a nonfiction anthology, so I won’t be giving a star rating.

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

Well, immediately after finishing this book I bought it so, that should give you a pretty good idea what I thought of this book.

Jessica P. Pryde, the Editor and a contributor of this book, mentioned in the introduction that she had read Well-Read Black Girl and found there to be a lack of representation of romance novels. As a result, she wanted to put together a similar collection of essays, but focus on the representation of black and POC in romance novels.

If you’ve read just about any of this blog, you know that I enjoy romance novels, mostly contemporary romance. I’m not into the super cheesy romance novels and tend to prefer ones that take place in our world. I’m not hugely into historical bodice ripping romance noels or fantasy, but I do love sports romance novels.

What I’ve always found interesting about the romance world is that so many people are shamed for reading it, yet it’s one of the most profitable genres. There has also been a lot of rigidity in what people believe the romance genre should be and I think this book highlights so much of what needs to change as well as some people who are trying to change it.

Most of the essays in the novel I loved and found to be eye-opening and informative. One of the reasons I purchased the book is because I want to have a reference of all of the book that the authors mention so that I can check them out, as well as the names of the authors that contributed to this book because I loved some of their writing styles.

There were one or two essays I found to be a bit preachy in a pretentious and very college literature way and they weren’t my favorite. Like I very much felt like I was back in a college course and listening to a lecture. They still had some interesting points but the style wasn’t my favorite and I felt like I didn’t learn as much from those essays. But that was definitely in the minority.

As a privileged straight, white, female, I have a lot of learning to do. Even though I’ve always considered myself to be aware and open-minded, reading books like these helps me to continue to learn and grow and make me aware of things I might’ve overlooked or learned one way and need to unlearn now. I highly recommend this book as well as Well-Read Black Girl to all readers. If you are more into the romance genre, check this one out first, but they’re both fascinating stories that are put together in a way that makes the easy to read and also will make you add about 20 books to your to-read list.

This was a great collection of essays about the past, present and presumptive future of Black romance novels. I particularly enjoyed the samples of work interspersed throughout the essays, such as the pieces by Dr. Piper Huguley. If you’ve ever wanted to feel like you’re sitting in a room with all of the right people, this is the book for you. Well collected and put together by Dr. Pryde.

I listened to this book on audio and enjoyed the performances. I know we can’t always get the original creators of content but would have loved to hear them read their pieces. Ah, well.

I really enjoyed the range of thoughts and stories on Black love in storytelling and its history. It's a must-have collection for anyone interested in romance, Black culture, and literary studies.

Happy first day of Black History Month! This was the absolute perfect book to start this month off with!
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A collection of stories of Black Love told through the eyes of Black writers. This was a fascinating read. In the section Black Indie Romance, Christina C Jones talks about what it was like to see The Cosby Show. Before you come at me for Bill Cosby being problematic (WHICH HE IS) there was something huge about seeing a married, successful Black couple on tv. I was lucky enough to be young growing up watching it. This was our favorite family show and we watched it religiously. I had no clue that this was such a groundbreaking show. To me it was just a family I wanted to be a part of each week.
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My favorite section was Food of love by Jasmine Guillory. I loved it and I love her in general!
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This inner look at Black Love in media has me paying closer attention. I do my very best to read across all genres and to make sure my bookshelves are diverse and I will continue to do that!
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Huge thank you to @berkley for an advanced copy.

As a Black woman who so often watches media that denigrates Black love., it was so refreshing to read this collection of essays that reaffirms it.

Too often Black love is portrayed negatively and linked to trauma in television, film and books and this thoughtful collection speaks to the need for positive representation of it in romance books.

As a Black woman this book is "preaching to the choir" but I love that other cultures will get to read, reflect and ruminate on the necessity of positive images of Black Love in books.

Perhaps this will also inspire non-Black authors to write about us in this vein as well.

Thank you so much Berkley for my advance reading copy.

These well-written, well-researched essays by a variety of academics and writers examine the serious dearth of romance for people of color--while not overlooking the pioneers who published in spite of the hard push of accepted wisdom that only white people read. All through this book shout-outs for early romances aimed for the Black reader get air time. In fact, the list of books at the end, and the bibliography for further reading, are worth the price alone.

But first, enjoy the essays.

We all know that publishing has been, and is, all about book as "product" and what got published was what publishers assumed everyone wanted, everyone being the white book buyer. This generally accepted factoid, and how it is at last crumbling, is examined from all angles in the essays.

The selection is smartly chosen, ranging from academic to enthusiastic writers who talk about fan fiction as well as romance. Queer and trans perspectives are not overlooked, which furnishes a deeply appreciated window into how much Black readers in particular (many with reading tastes much like mine) had to go through to find even a modicum of representation.

There ought to be a copy in every library.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly February New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

A wonderful read for anyone interested in romance as a genre. The mix of academic and personal essays is on point, and I love that there's thoughtful criticism along with the cheerleading. Well done and a great read all around!

Disclaimer: I met Jess at a library conference years ago and consider her a friend. However, I am blessed in that my friends who write non-fiction have absolutely knocked it out of the park with their books and I can gush without reservation.

This is a stellar combination of essays, a mix of the personal and the academic with great flow, all tackling the concept of Black love. I ducked out of romance reading years ago because I was sick of not seeing parts of myself represented on the page (specifically the queer, polyamorous parts), and seeing authors talk about how they as readers and writers navigated–and in some cases refused to navigate–those spaces themselves was absolutely a draw for me. That said, this book is not written with every/any reader in mind. This is a book for and about Black romance readers about Black love. My ability to relate might end at a lack of representation in the industry, but my ability to enjoy did not lessen on any page.

There is so much more to this book than representation. This is a history and many histories, and it's also very much a discussion of the present. This is the kind of book where you sit with the essays, but you also pore over the works cited. You then start adding to your TBR.

Thank you so much to Berkley for an advance copy of Black Love Matters in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Star Rating: 4 stars
Genre; romance anthology
Pub Date: February 1, 2022

I was very excited for this book, and even more so when Berkley contacted me about a blog tour for it. This book strikes the perfect balance between personal essay, history, and romance "texts." I was hooked from the beginning, and I really enjoyed diving deeper into my favorite genre.

I found this anthology at turns engaging, entertaining, and poignant, striking the right balance of exactly what I wanted from this story. I think these chapters really highlight the importance of representation in all types of books, especially romance books, as well as loving yourself. This book is just really well-done.

I enjoyed this from beginning to end! This is a phenomenal book that consists of essays that explore Black romance, and why the need for it to be portrayed in media is essential. Thank you, Berkley and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a brilliant collection of essays about the history of Black romance in publishing, the importance of Black romance in the literary market as well as the contributor's relationships with Black romance. They were all poignant essays that make a great argument as to why we need to and SHOULD see more Black romance in publishing. They also gave some great Black romance recommendations throughout the book that I'm excited to get to read (eventually) as someone who is constantly craving Black/POC romance!

This is such a powerful collection of essays with authors including some of my favorite Black romance writers. Contributors also include academics, librarians, and popular culture writers. Each essay takes a unique perspective on the importance of happily ever afters, hope, and joy in Black literature. The essays are quite intersectional and don't always agree with each other. To me, that diversity added important nuance and depth.

I recommend you read the book, so I will just highlight a few high points. Beverly Jenkins writes a history of Black romance storytelling that incorporates historical events and traces a clear lineage back to the first Black romance novel. Adriana Herrera ties her romance novels not only to her Black Dominican heritage but also to her parents' work broadcasting telenovelas. Nicole M. Jackson and Kosoko Jackson write separately about their search for Black queer representation.

My favorite of the essays were those written by novelists and popular culture writers. I appreciated more personal tones that linked to the authors' own journeys as readers and writers. In contrast, the tone used by some of the academics stood out as clearly different, drier, and wordier.

Reading these essays helped me add a number of books to my TBR. And it made me think carefully about the Black romances that I am reading.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

This book is incredibly important! I loved the various perspectives; they were provocative, deeply considered, and heartfelt. Ms. Bev's essay was probably the highlight for me. She, and many of the other essays, challenge the notion of universal foundational works in the genre. I also really appreciated how so many of the writers branched out from romance novels into other media as well, giving such a thorough view of the landscape. I will definitely be thinking about these essays for a long time to come.

If you ever wanted to know why Black Romance as a subgenre was and is needed read this essay collection. As a reader, you learn about the experiences authors have trying to publish Black stories but also the criticism they receive because some readers think it's unrealistic to read about Black characters having a HEA. This collection is not only lived experiences but includes historical nods of the vast experiences of the African diaspora with the common threads of each essay the power and liberation of Black love. This essay collection addresses the need BR to be intersectional queer, Afro Latnix, etc. but acknowledges there is more work to be done.

I enjoyed some essays more than others but overall found that each essay really spoke to the Black experience with a level of care. Bravo.

Not only super entertaining and insightful and poignant, this is an excellent place to start learning more about Romance in general and Black Romance in particular. If you do reader's advisory, please read.




Disclosure: I am mutuals with the editor and friends with one of the contributors, and follow most of the others on Twitter

Thank you to Library Journal and the publisher for the early copy; professional review to come in Library Journal

A beautiful collection of essays about the need for black love in romance, from well known romance authors, bloggers, podcasters, critics, and librarians. Thoughtful and nuanced and perfectly illustrating why representation in pop culture is so important as well as the importance of loving the skin you’re born in, these essays are personal and self-reflective and an important contribution to critical writing on romance novels.

A collection of Essays all about black love. I loved everything about this book. I loved the diversity as well. Being a huge romance reader the book made me happy, also I got a chance to read from different writers, this book didn't just give me one emotion each story gave me something unique. Can't wait til this book launches, I will be purchasing as gifts for friends. Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Black Love Matters is an essay collection about Black Romance. Authors Kosoko Jackson, Jasmine Guillory, Beverly Jenkins, Adriana Herrera, Podcaster Allie Baker are some of the people that are featured in the book. This fascinating essay collection is about the importance of seeing yourself represented in books, the need for more happy endings for Black characters, the importance of Black representation in Romance and why Black Romance books matter.