Special thanks to @stmartinspress & @netgalley for my gifted copy‼️

This was a great collection a bit different from her previous short story collection because I found this one to be a little humorous. In many of the stories characters were in search of something they already had right in front of them. In the others characters were in search for more than what their current situations had to offer only to find things out the hard way.

My favorite stories were the few that had me laughing:

Living- This story was hilarious. Seymour left his wife for the city life. He was only gone a few days before he was running back home.

Down That Lonesome Road - This was a funny story as well all I can say is it involved a sex toy and she got way more than she bargained for.

Spooks- This was by far the craziest story of them all cause I just know that woman wasn’t that naive. She was basically tricked out her panties lmao

Overall, I enjoyed this collection and would recommend‼️ Each story presented a different theme surrounding love, marriage, forgiveness, motherhood, sex, wealth, friendship, or life. I did enjoy how the author shifted perspectives throughout. One minute you’re sympathizing with a character then the next you’re laughing. I also loved how quickly each story pulled you into its drama.

These short stories were all so beautiful and collectively, created a beautiful theme around Black love and care. Each one is special. What a fun, heartwarming read. Thank you J. California Cooper, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC!

I really enjoyed these short stories.

Each one was like visiting an old friend. I would be hard-pressed to name which one was better than the rest.

It is described as a vivid picture of Black characters finding love in the most unlikely of places. And that fits this for sure.

I highly recommend this short story collection.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this title. This is a collection of short stories originally published in 1986. I enjoyed these stories and feel like I have learned a little bit more about how others have lived.

J. California Cooper's Homemade Love is a vibrant collection of stories that pulses with the raw energy of life. Through her unique voice, Cooper brings to life a tapestry of characters who are each struggling against the challenges fate has thrown their way. Her storytelling is rich with emotion, capturing the wonder and heartbreak that come with simply living. The characters are relatable in their flaws and triumphs, and Cooper’s ability to infuse even the most difficult circumstances with hope and resilience is nothing short of inspiring.

What makes Homemade Love truly special is Cooper’s gift for finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. Her tales are steeped in the everyday experiences of love, loss, and perseverance, yet they resonate with universal truths that linger long after the final page. The simplicity of her prose belies the depth of her insights into the human condition. While some stories may feel somewhat repetitive, the overall effect is a powerful reminder of the beauty and complexity of life. Homemade Love is a testament to Cooper’s talent as a storyteller and her deep empathy for the people whose stories she tells.

Happy Pub Day Review!

I am slowly becoming a lover of short stories and this one really, really has my heart!

I know years from now I will come back to it, missing the characters, and enjoy it maybe more the second time!

Each story made me pause, think, and offered advice and I just loved that. The stories are not complex and will be ones you want to share with those you love.

I think my favorite one was “Spooks.”

Thank you so much @stmartinspress for the early copy

Homemade Love is a short story collection written by J. California Cooper.
Cooper brings to life thirteen incredible short stories that explore love’s impact on family relations, friendships, and romantic entanglements.
As a reader, you will definitely experience these characters' Joys, heartaches, struggles, and pain.
She draws a vivid picture of Black characters finding love in the most unlikely of places.
Cooper is the embodiment of the simple folk tradition in black writing.

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Now, short stories are not usually my thing. But, these are very different and yet they are alike.

All of these stories are about love. Homemade love is the best title for this collection. It is about love at home and then some!

I really felt like I was sitting at someone’s table over coffee and listening to their life stories. Some are better than others but these just encompass life, love, happiness, dissatisfaction and disappointment

I received this from the publisher for a honest review.

What stood out about this short story collection, first published in 1986, was how conversational it was. It felt like I’d been invited into a neighbor’s home to relax and hear the stories of her life.

SO happy to see this reissued and hoping that those who missed it will now pick it up and enjoy, as I did, spending time with these 13 stories. It's timeless. The characters, the lessons, they all continue to resonate. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Perfect to read one at a time in order to savor them.

J.California Cooper is one of my fav authors. Her writing leaves you feeling satisfied. This is a collection of short stories that are sad and some are funny. Each story does leave you with some advice on life and just trying to live and make peace in this world. I would recommend this book to a reader who is wanting a book to feed your soul.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher & of course the author for gifting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this series of short stories. It was a great summer read, in the fact that there is always a lot going on in the summer (in an good way) and so it was nice to come to a story and be done with it. When I finished, there was a note at the end and I didn’t realize the author had died 10 years ago. I remember enjoying her other books And chose to read it. It’s a really good book for lovers of historical fiction like myself set in times and places that could be real, but with completely fictional characters. The stories that stood out to me were the ones about the girl named Marriage, the last humor story with the ghost, the one where the woman insisted she was just doing the Lord work watching out for her neighborhood and finally the one about the unattractive woman who started businesses. I will also add the one who had the next-door neighbor named Lana. That’s what I remember at the end of this book, they were really stand out stories. I suggest giving this book a try.

I've been reading and recommending everything J. California Cooper to my friends and others. Cooper writes with a passion that feels me with not only happiness but a heavy dose of reality and relatability and how we all want to love and community. If you come across Cooper in the bookstore - buy it. You will not be disappointed.

This is great read. The characters were engaging and I couldn't put the book down. I would recommend this book for a book club or a friend.

Beautiful and stunning collection of short stories I love Cooper so much. One of the best African American storytellers of all time these stories will stick with you for a lifetime and you will want to read from this collection for years to come.

I absolutely adored every bit of this. I could keep reading this and did not wish for the stories to end. I will definitely be going back and doing rereads again and again.

First published in 1986, Homemade Love rightfully earned the American Book Award for short story collection. J. California Cooper explores the nuances of love—romantic, friendship or familial—in thirteen (13) short stories. As usual when I read short stories or poems, there are a handful that stand out as extraordinary. My favorites in this collection are Swimming to the Top of the Rain, When Life Begins!, and At Long Last.

Homemade Love is written in a literary folk tradition similar to Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. It belongs in the Harlem Renaissance Era. Vivid pictures of Black characters leap from the pages. There's the busiest, talkinest child, a woman who holds up the community, a neighborhood watcher, fools and those simply surviving life.

Every short story has its own voice yet Cooper's characters remind me of that matriarch in every Black family. I zipped through these thirteen short stories in just one day. It was like sitting between the legs of great grandma while she's braiding cornrows into hair, sipping freshly made lemonade mixed with sweet cane sugar tea, listening to her gossip about the neighbors while looking out the big front window. We can all relate!

Readers will finish Homemade Love and know the different kinds and levels of love that affect us. The stories may be short and separate but oh, it will all come together! You will feel urged to hug on your friends, families and lovers.

Happy Early Re-Pub Day to the still celebrated J. California Cooper! Homemade Love will be available on August 27.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

This new cover of J. California Cooper's collection captures the timelessness of the short stories. Consider adding this cover to your own collection,

In this American Book Award winning short story collection, J. California Cooper brings to life thirteen moving short stories that explore the threads and nuances of all kinds of love—whether romantic, familial or friendship. Written in the literary folk tradition associated most often with Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, Homemade Love draws a vivid picture of Black characters finding love in the most unlikely of places.

My Take:
This was my first introduction to J. California Cooper, and it will not be my last. I understand that this collection of short stories was originally published in 1986-these stories still hold up. I would especially recommend this book as a companion piece to bell hooks' love series for a book club: the combination will make for great discussions.

"I choose the name 'Homemade Love' because it is love that is not bought, not wrapped in fancy packaging with glib lines that often lie."

"Homemade goes a long way. Usually lasts long than we do."

Wow, what a beautiful, raw, and real depiction of love in it's many forms. There was something to love about each of the stories, I felt so many emotions from happiness, to sadness, and sometimes anger. At the root of each was the fact that love knows no bounds despite our status of flawed humans.

A few of my favorite stories were Happiness Does Not Come in Colors, Funny Valentine's, At Long Last, and Down that Lonestome Road.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to be an early reader! I can't wait to add a physical copy to my shelves.