Alright, I hinted that my review would be an essay on social media. So let’s begin. For decades, many authors have written about minority communities and have relegated them to be caricatures, painted them with harsh stereotypes, and left them voiceless. This has existed especially for Native Americans (especially in the Western Romance genre). That’s why I’m so proud of Danica Nava. She’s reclaiming a part of the genre that needs diversity and quite frankly new voices.

Love is a War Song for me is a book about identity, community, and belonging. Avery Fox is rightly ostracized after a scandal related to her new music video and Rolling Stone cover (it’s bad like cringe level bad). She flees the fallout by hiding out in her grandmother’s ranch in Oklahoma. While living there she begins to connect with a part of her history and culture that she was never exposed to or learned about her entire life. She has moments of self discovery.

Oh yeah, she also falls in love with cowboy in residence Lucas Iron Eyes. Totally grumpy and sunshine vibes with their love story and it’s a good slow burn.

This book for me as a reader of colour is a reminder, never make yourself palatable for individuals that don’t take the time to understand your culture. Lean into what makes you special. Never be ashamed of your history, and it’s ok to sit down to learn more about your familial history.

Giving this 5 starts cause whew, Avery and Lucas are really going to blow you away. Also Danica wrote and recorded
‘Need a Warrior Tonight’ that you can listen to right now! Hoping for a recorded version of 'Heartbeat' soon.

First things first you need to go watch the author’s music video for the FMC’s hit single. It is a BANGER!
The full track is also on Spotify & Apple music!

Avery is a pop star and former child actor, she makes a big mistake and the internet cancels her - she flees to her grandmother’s ranch in Oklahoma to escape the drama and connect with her roots - and may just fall in love (with a rugged cowboy) along the way.

This book made me FEEL things!

This story felt so real and relatable - the author does a phenomenal job at making you feel things; embarrassment, disappointment, heart-break, sorrow - I felt the full gambit of emotions while reading this! The amount of cringing and second-hand embarrassment I felt is reason enough to recommend this book.

What I love l most about this book is the overall message the author is giving us. People make mistakes, intent vs impact is sometimes nuanced - but intent never excuses. Our mistakes only define us if we don’t learn and grow from them. I loved watching our FMC, Avery grow!

What’s to love…
- SLOW BURN
- indigenous rep
- the author really makes you feel that second-hand embarrassment
- messy - in the best way possible
- the BANGER single by Avery Fox
- COWBOYS
- they get caught in a storm

What’s not to love…
- my biggest critique is the writing style/prose - it felt very basic and over explanatory. This is something i’d expect from a YA book, but for an adult novel I want the author to have a little more faith in the reader’s ability to infer things. Show me, rather than tell me the feelings the characters are having.
- along the same lines the dialogue often felt a little stiff and unnatural.

1🌶️ - There is only one explicit scene (Ch 22) - pretty mild and easy to skip if you prefer.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Nava expertly explores themes of cultural identity, misunderstandings, and personal growth, while keeping the tone light and engaging with plenty of witty banter. This romance isn’t just about falling in love, it’s about learning who you really are, and whether two people from vastly different worlds can find common ground, especially when they’re both fighting their own personal battles. With Avery’s pop-star persona and Lucas’s rugged cowboy world, their chemistry is undeniable and offers a satisfying mix of tension, humor, and heart. It’s a delightful, sweet story that showcases the importance of staying true to oneself while navigating love and the complexities of identity.

This 2nd book by Danica Nava is as lovely and charming as her debut. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Avery and Lucas. The storyline was interesting and explores important themes of identity, family, community, following your passion. I enjoyed watching Avery grow, determine who she wanted to be and what she wanted to do with life. Secondary characters are great and add depth to the story as well. Only downside is that the pacing felt a little too fast. I would have liked to see slower development of Avery's relationship with Lucas and with her mom & grandmother.

Ridiculously good! I really enjoyed the truth according to ember so I had a feeling that I would love this one as well.

Lucas and Avery were phenomenal and I love their relationship. Avery’s journey was a beautiful one and I can’t wait to read whatever else Danica writes!