Okay, so just to recap , “A Novice’s First Take” is a series created by me to highlight “new to me” authors. It includes my raw feelings, thoughts, and the opinions that I have while reading these authors’ stories for the first time. It will consist of three sections; my pre-reading thoughts, my raw thoughts, and thoughts in hindsight. Of course the Pre-Reading Thoughts section briefly describes my thoughts from reading the synopsis alone. My Raw Thoughts section features the unstructured immediate thoughts that I have while reading. Lastly, the Hindsight section highlights my overall reading experience and my big takeaways. If you haven’t read it already, there will be some spoilers in the Raw Thoughts section.
So far I’ve checked out Kema B., Ashleynicole, Shae Sanders, Kimberly Brown, Rae Lyse, and Ladii Nesha. If you haven’t already, make sure you go check those blog posts out! Last month I made a good choice by reading Ladii Nesha’s Bambi series. Now for the month of July I am reading another author that is long overdue and that is Antoinette Sherell. She’s an author that I have had on my “want to read” list for years and I’m embarrassed I’m just now getting to it. To introduce myself to her I will be reading A Love Bred from the Block. The 2021 release is a coming of age story that focuses mostly on Reason Atkins and Zodiac Goings as they navigate through the struggles and victories that come with different stages of love.
Pre-Reading Thoughts
From where I am situated in the literary world, Antoinette Sherell is a name that rings bells. She is loved and her work comes highly recommended. A Love Bred from the Block, specifically is loved by many which is why I chose it. I’m anxious to see what it’s giving. It’s almost 500 pages, so I’m crossing my fingers that it’s long and interesting and not long and boring.
Raw Thoughts
Not the first couple of pages already having me on edge. These little Mfs are already in some shit and I already know that they are going to get caught.
Awww, the bonds I’m seeing between Zo and Yonis, and Zo, Temptest, and Lyrica. Zo and Nice are the only solid ones. I hope that them two stick together and stay loyal. I also hope that in time Temptest and Lyrica will be able to heal and strengthen their bond as sisters. Temptest may be envious of Lyrica’s academic success, but I think that Lyrica may be envious of Temptest’s attributes too, which is why they bump heads.
Reason and Zodiac’s budding relationship is so sweet. They are both sweethearts and I love it. It’s nice to see them young while they still have some of their innocence (although it’s slowly being stripped from them). I think she is going to be somewhat of a replacement for Lyrica in his life, by trying to keep him reading, out of trouble, and keeping him grounded. I feel like that’s why her name is reason, that’s what she is for him. It’s definitely giving strong coming of age vibes and I’m loving it.
Omgggggg he calls her his reason! I’m screaming on the inside.
Mannn, this Dani and Hassan storyline is making me sad. The fact that she is seen by everybody else as property, and not a young girl that needs to be protected, hurts. Hassan is the only one who really sees her and cares for her. It’s sad that he’s been wanting her, but they can only have a few stolen moments. I get Hassan’s issue though because both of them could die if anybody found out about their love affair. Zodi could be lumped in with the mess too. It’s a hard situation. This shit is stressing me OUT! I love a book that just keeps me up at night 😂
Oh my fucking gosh! Dani, this is crazy. I knew it was gon be him. He needed to die from the beginning.
Zodi just better make it to the end of the book dammit. I feel like he’s about to get hurt. Omggg I swear I’m scared.
I love Yonis! He is a true lover boy. He loved Shan hard, and I’m happy that they were able to make it happen. I knew as soon as they made that bet that they were going to get back together. Temptest got her a new man (thank you Jesus)! I love that Lyrica, Temptest, and Zo have been mending their relationships. They aren’t letting the family break up ever again. Now we just need Zodi and Reason to reconnect at this wedding chile.
Hindsight
As I read there were two questions constantly flowing through my mind. One being why did Antoinette Sherell eat like this? She licked the plate and left no crumbs. The second question was why the FUCK am I not somebody’s Strawberry already? Shit, I want to be somebody’s reason too dammit 😂
On a more serious note though, I freaking loved this. Antoinette has a writing style that really agrees with me. Especially when it comes to her describing emotions through more than just words, but also through body language. A Love Bred from the Block had an interesting storyline and even though they were in a rough setting, there were a lot of sweet moments to balance it out. The book itself was well put together (and from what I saw, didn’t have any typos). It was just so good to me. Their story was one of those that kept me up at night, occupied my thoughts during the day, and had me screaming internally as I read. Ms. Antoinette knows what she is doing as an author and I’m here for it.
A Love Bred from the Block touches on so many topics within its 448 pages. It is way more than just a simple love story. It demonstrated love on different levels and in different realms. It showed the unconditional love amongst siblings, the loving bond within the sphere of brotherhood, the love between best friends, the consequences of forbidden love, and the otherworldly love of soulmates. Their blocks were where they all came together and where their love for each other blossomed into something so much bigger. It was interesting to see how their love twisted and turned as they all went down their separate paths.
As I read I grew to love all of the characters, and the situations they found themselves in invoked a wide range of emotions in me. To me that is what makes a good story, the author’s ability to invoke emotions through their words. Achieving this for me takes well developed characters, serious topics/situations, and deep well written storylines. Antoinette did this beautifully. Her characters were developed and had their own unique characteristics. I like that through them she depicted some of the many paths that young Black boys and girls can travel down, and the different outcomes that accompany them. She showed the full journey, the wins and the loses. This is sometimes overlooked, so I appreciated it. That’s all I have to say yall. She killed it!
Now for the main question: Would I read Antoinette Sherell’s work again?
Yes, yes, and yes again. That’s it and that’s all.
With that being said, shout out to Antoinette Sherell! Fooling around with me she has gained another fan. Now let me find out that she is trying to jump up to my top ten favorite authors (I’m serious!)! I definitely will be reading more of her work. I can say with my whole heart that I recommend for you guys to check out her standalone, A Love Bred From the Block! As always I want to know what y’all think, so don’t forget to like and comment. Until we meet again, HAPPY READING!
Ciao,
J. Lynae 💋
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