“The Wedding Date” by Jasmine Guillory

I want to know who gave romance novels a bad name, and I want them fired. When I was in elementary school I would sit in the way-way back of the station wagon reading books. My mom and dad would holler, “Don’t get nauseous from reading in the car, Lori.” But I would never get car sick because I was reading romance novels in the way-way back, and I couldn’t get enough of them. In October 2017, The New York Times published an article exploring the premise that the number of successful non-white, romance writers was on the rise but under-appreciated. And, these writers have a strong target audience: college educated black women, who represent a significant book buying demographic. In this article, it mentioned the author Jasmine Guillory and her first book “The Wedding Date.” Her editor at Jove Trade Paperwork in Berkeley, encouraged her to examine more closely the issues experienced by the black protagonist and her white boyfriend. Guillory, a lawyer based in Oakland, was delighted at the challenge, and so was I. So I read a paperback edition of “The Wedding Date,” and almost felt ashamed carrying it around because people would say, “There goes a girl reading a romance novel.” But you know what? This book was good. It was entertaining, smart, charming and quirky enough to make it feel like a modern day Norma Klein. The main characters, Alexa and Drew have a cute meet in the elevator of the Fairmont Hotel during a power outage the day before a wedding he is attending. He convinces her to go as his date because the bride –to-be is his ex, and Alexa agrees on a lark. He is an LA-based pediatric surgeon and she is the chief of staff for the mayor of Berkeley. Of course they have miles between them, two best friends to confide in and a whole lot of baggage. But who doesn’t? Just because a book is romantic doesn’t mean it can’t be well written and creatively crafted. Everything can’t be Plato or Proust. Sometimes a book can be just about passion and a happy ending. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.