The synopsis of this story caused me to do a double take to make sure I read what I was reading. I love a catchy book description. But, wow! This one, I admit, this one was…Wow! See, I’m stuttering with my book review intro just from memory. Look at the gray sweatpants on the cover of the book and tell me what your thoughts centered around. Go ahead be honest. Well, mine? GHYR could not print.
The novel was another superior work of art by this author. The writing was brilliant. This author is a great storyteller and strategist. Her stories are realistic, and the dialogue denotes real talk. Akila was a feminist hoping to make a career move to bolster her next endeavor. She was a freelance writer for a few publications. Excitedly she waited to learn whether she would be the permanent writer for Re-Mix Magazine. An article she penned garnered the attention of a podcast crew called the Lost Boys, and a war of words declared between them and warring factions took up posts. The Podcast consisted of three supposedly-grown men acting like fifth grade boys who’d peeped a female’s breast for the first time. Their blatant disrespect for women mirrored a lot of the issues women deal with in real-life daily. Akila was determined to expose the rowdy crew and still compete with her journalistic integrity intact. Carlos was the odd man out in her scenario to finding a solution to reveal the lousy behavior of the charlatan’s crude on-air broadcasts.
The author described the story as an enemy to lovers story, which connected the dots precisely. The first meeting between Akila Bishara and Carlos Richmond was epic. She met his man up close and personal in his gray sweatpants. And his man was an impressive sight to behold. The way Akila intended to reach one of her goals was through a workshop presented by renowned photographer Luca Romano. Akila wanted to add photos to her published works. She’d have to partner with another student for her assignment. Her new partner wanted to publish essays to make his new publication more appealing and to add professional prints to his website. Wait for it– Her new classmate was the guy in the sweatpants. Akila would soon learn she’d have to work with Carlos in a more significant capacity than she’d realized. Conversely, the final connection was the hullabaloo disaster point for both parties. So, their attraction from the start was much too difficult for them to overcome and proved to be quite the challenge. Although Akila and Carlos became combatants in the story, chemistry won in the end, and desire sealed the deal. The novel reminded readers about real life issues, with a connecting love story. Thankfully, common sense prevailed and the two lovers with opposite and similar beliefs came together on the same accord. It took a minute to get to the love part, but it was worth the wait. 5 Stars.
