I tried to like this book but I just didn’t like the style of writing. I’m sure for others they will love it but for me there was too much slang and use of the word ‘babe’ which annoys me in real life.

I loved this book. Tia is a single girl living with her family in London, hanging out with her friends Hannah and Luca. The book opens with the friends at a restaurant to celebrate the return of Aaron, who had a passionate night with Tia before he left to work in New York. Things don't go as planned and Tia joins Hinge, and meets Nate, a photographer.
Tia works for a news agency, and starts a report about a subject close to her heart, helped by her mentor Yvonne, and other supportive colleagues.
This is partly romantic comedy, but also about the challenges young women face when they are starting out, and friendships. It really made me laugh, and I finished it in one night. I liked the writing, and the speech. There was some repetition, but this can be adjusted. I also like the fact that most of the characters lived with their parents, rather than in luxury apartments, which made it more realistic for me.
I did have to look up quite a few of the words and abbreviations, so it was quite a learning experience.

A fun story with lots of under currents bubbling away.

An enjoyable read although not massively gripping.

Okay, so this is my first read of 2023, and I finished it in a day.
Tia is a young woman in her twenties in London, going through all sorts of angst about relationships, one specific one, and her place in a workspace that doesn't seem to respect her ethnicity or many of those from minority backgrounds.
I have to say I am glad that, as a reader in my late forties, I have a teenage daughter, so some of the language and slang used were more familiar to me, and even some of the pop culture references didn't fall on deaf ears...
Definitely, a book that Gen Z women would enjoy and appreciate, and if you are a little older, maybe a good one to read to understand a bit more about those younger than us since, even though we have been that age, life 'then' and life 'now' is very different.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, Merky Books for an ARC.

My final book of 2022, The Situationship, the debut novel from Taylor-Dior Rumble.

There is so much I enjoyed about this book!!

Firstly, the depiction of London throughout was just brilliant. It is so up to date (even down to the advertising on the tube which really made me laugh!) and I love that when people read this globally, it shows London as it really is.

I also loved the dialogue. Writing in the way the characters speak is still quite rare and I loved it, it really brings the cast to life. I could picture everyone so clearly, the way they interact and banter with each other, it gave such a heartwarming feeling of the friendship circle around Tia, our main character.

Lastly, I loved the strength of Tia throughout. Yes, there is romance, but that storyline does not detract from her drive to draw attention to subjects that her news agency want to shy away from. I learnt a lot through the descriptions of Tia getting ready and also the female conversations which many will find relateable. How important it is to be yourself...and how hard that can be in certain environments.

I can tell the author has reflected so much of themselves in this novel and I hope it is a huge success!

Thank you to @netgalley, @merkybooks and @penguinrandomhouse for the opportunity to review.

Released on 17th August 2023.

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I loved this book. I couldn't get through the pages quick enough as I felt so invested in Tia and her story. I found myself laughing out loud at parts in the book and I have been in similar situations and have friends very relatable to some of the characters.

We begin by meeting Tia who has been waiting for her long term 'something' Aaron to come back from the USA when he turns up with another girl he has met there. She decides to go on hinge to find a new bae - which turns out to be both funny and realistic - with plenty of dating disasters and ref flags.

The book celebrates being a black British woman living in London single. I loved the relationship Tia had with Yvonne particularly - as well as her close group of friends Hannah and Luca. The book explores the ups and the downs of life and having a good family and wide circle of people around you can keep you up from the daily grind of work and dating.

This is a book about friends, life and (trying) to find love. I will be recommending this book to others and looking out for more from this author.

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!!

Enjoyed this so much. I devoured it in a couple of hours. So so realistic and black and british and beautiful. Deftly navigates the complexity that is ‘the situationship’ and what happens when you’re young and in love and still haven’t had ‘The Talk’. Tia is a wonderfully relatable character and the ending was fantastic. I like it when protagonists in romcoms take a chance on themselves. A book full of hope and laughter and joy.

So grateful for the advanced copy. I will be talking about it a lot.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the review copy. I would call this more women’s fiction than the rom com it was labelled and definitely one that speaks to Gen Z and any women of colour, especially those living in London. It’s replete with detail of the vibrant life of one young woman of colour as she tries to navigate the world to forge a meaningful career and a meaningful relationship.

Tia is crushed when her long time best friend and love of her life brings back a girlfriend after a stint at a software company in California. Her already fragile hold on her self esteem and image is further challenged by the struggles she has at work to been taken seriously and not just a token contract worker who’s there to fill race obligations. When she connects with a photographer, Nate through a dating app and one of her work project ideas is given the go ahead it seems as if her life is finally getting back on track. But it never is that simple and with all the best will in the world things begin to collapse again and Tia must learn that she must be enough to herself first and be her real self to everyone else.

Reading the novel really opened up the world of Gen Z women of colour and in that way it was fresh and very compelling, That aside sometimes the slang could get in the way of the full flow and understanding of the narrative. It was a little rough around the edges, but overall enjoyable and I look forward to see what the author comes up with next.

I really liked this book, I found it witty and entertaining, couldn’t put it down, touches on race in Britain. Perfect!

Having really loved previous offerings from Merky Books, I really wanted to love this one. I was completely sold on the premise of the novel and its themes, but unfortunately it did not deliver for me.

I really enjoyed several aspects of this book: Tia as a protagonist, the authenticity of her workplace and the struggles she faces, some of the dialogue, and the key selling point: a romance centred on a situationship, and the uncertainties and what-ifs that define modern-day dating. However, I really disliked the writing style - it felt juvenile at points, telling rather than showing the reader (whilst being overly descriptive of irrelevant things), and repetitive - a character 'kissed [their] teeth' on seemingly every page. Moreover, whilst offering a hugely important message about the realities of being a Black woman, particularly in the workplace, I was really uncomfortable with the attitudes towards some of the other characters - for example, referring to Aaron's girlfriend (mentioned in the blurb of the book) as a 'bitch', for the crime of being his girlfriend, and not much more.

Thank you so much to the publisher for this ARC, via NetGalley. It was a really fun read, you know where it’s going plot-wise and it’s still a sweet rollercoaster romance.

3.5 ⭐️

Mixed feelings on this but for the most part, I did enjoy it.
The humour and dialogue between Tia and other characters were perfect. I like that this wasn't a conventional romance and that there was a focus on Tia's career and personal growth.

But and this is my main gripe with this novel, I think it could've definitely done with a LOT less pop culture references. It did get to a point where it was frustrating because it felt like the writer was trying to pack in as much as possible to make Tia relatable.

p.s. there's something so satisfying about reading a scene where a black girl is getting ready to go out (It just gives me endorphins!)

I liked the premise of this but at times the phrases used felt too repetitive, As an early 30 something I still felt too old for this read, whereas I think Gen z's may appreciate this more. Lots of potential but not enough delivery for me.

From the very first page, I fell in love with this book. Tia's eclectic, strong manner mixed into the banter between her and every other character she interacted with allowed for an easy read, with dialogue that just seemed right.

The book mainly focuses on Tia's relationship, or should I say 'Situationship' with the formidable Nate, the easy going photographer who sets Tia on a loved up path. However, the subplot of the article by Tia allowed for a more interesting character arc, focussing on discrimination and stereotypes some people may have placed on them for their hair. Tia's strong nature allowed for her to fight for her article to go into fruition, even if it seems as if the universe doesn't want her to.

Overall, I would rate this book 4/5 stars, but only because I think if I read the phrase 'kissed [...] teeth' again I will go insane.

I'm really sorry. This just wasnt my sort of book. I started it, read on a bit, found the language slightly unpleasant, tried again, but eventually gave up.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. Sadly I didnt enjoy it.