this is for the lover in you...
Lots of love this week: book and series recommendation + a playlists, and other things.
The title of this week’s newsletter is my favorite love song of all time, by Shalamar, because this week’s newsletter is all about love.
Let’s start here: Did you watch Forever on Netflix yet?
The eight-part series (which got renewed for a second season) is a modern day adaptation of Judy Blume’s controversial novel of the same title.
I read the book in middle school because it was a pretty popular book in the streets of Castro Valley because it involved sex, which was pretty salacious at that time. My friends and I would write about the book on AIM because it was full of tea, and I love the reimagining by Mara Brock Akil, who served as the Showrunner and Executive Producer. Not only has Mara been my fashion inspiration for years, she also is the force behind so many of my favorite shows including: Girlfriends, Being Mary Jane, and even Moesha.
The series follows teenagers Keisha and Justin, who meet at a New Year’s party after having known each other as children and takes them through their last year of high school. It was a beautiful story, and with California as the backdrop, it’s modern, captivating, and will get you in your feels. I cried a few times and cried to the point that I gave myself a headache.
Initially, when Mara met with Judy Blume, Judy didn’t think this show would work in the current landscape as the topic of sex isn’t as taboo today as it was when the book initially came out:
Judy wasn’t sure that it could translate in this modern era, given how exposed young people [now] are to sexuality and the topic of love. She was like, ‘Kids can’t get away from all this.’
I thought what Mara said about the impact the novel had on her growing up was interesting and I agreed:
What resonates is the rite of passage: Taking all that you have learned up to whatever age and having your first choice of love outside that very safe place of familial love is very significant. The first time you have sex, your first kiss, the first time you say, ‘I love you’ — it resonated then, and it resonates now. When I was a young woman reading it, I had questions. Our children are exposed to so much more, and there’s so much data on them now at that age. Where are we providing that beautiful rite of passage [of first love] that they will remember forever?
There was so much about the series that made me smile. First, the cast is beautiful, and Justin’s family house is goals. I love Wood Harris and Karen Pittman separately, so seeing them play husband and wife was perfect casting. I also really loved the father-son dynamic present in the show. Another thing that was perfect was the scoring for the show, and it didn’t necessarily end the way you’d imagine which makes me excited for the next season.
Kennedy Ryan Can’t Get Enough
Keeping with the theme of love, the final installment in Kennedy Ryan’s Skyland Books series, Can’t Get Enough, was released earlier this week, and it makes me kind of sad.
If you haven’t read them, the series follows Atlanta-based friends Yasmen, Soledad, and Hendrix, and it came in the form of three books: This Could Be Us Before I Let Go, and the latest Can’t Get Enough, which is Hendrix’ story. From the beginning, Hendrix has been my favorite friend. She’s sassy, beautiful, and seems to have her shit together. Plus, she’s the rich auntie, which is where I currently am, so she was more relatable. In this book, we follow her as she navigates complex family issues, manages a business, and a new love interest, Maverick, who is rich and, I am pretty sure, fine.
One interesting thing about how Kennedy wrote Hendrix is that she made her child-free and kept her that way even after she found the love of her life. This was intentional for her, as she says:
When you’re reading like the Skyland series, these are 40-year-old women. And it’s very deliberate, because culture tries to erase us very early. I Can’t Get Enough, is very exciting, nuances, and modern profile because we still haven’t really normalized women, saying, I’m just not going to have kids. Hendrix is very clear. And for the entire series, it was important for me that these three women existed together with very lives and reproductive choices and that they respect that about each other. This is a story that esteems the love of sisterhood and the centering of friendship and platonic love almost as much as it does romantic love.
I love that, and I loved this series. I cried at different places (yes, I do cry often from things I consume) and loved the story. I also appreciate the way Kennedy writes. While I’m not the avid romance reader because the outcome is always expected, I will say that the way she writes interests me. I think one of my favorite things is that I can visualize the characters.
If you plan on reading this book or any of them, please let me know.
More love: in a playlist format
I am getting carried away with my headings currently — just adding some razzle dazzle. I think though the thoughts of love made me want to resurface one of my favorite playlists that I have made: “lover girl era.”
This playlist is on Spotify and features lots of good songs and in typical Erin fashion, it’s long—97 songs to be exact.
Before we depart this week, I did want to share a few things that I consumed this week that I think you should as well.
If you’ve been a reader here for a while, you know that I followed the Elizabeth Holmes scam stuff heavy, and this truthfully has me thinking WTF?
Did I share Isaiah Falls’ new EP yet? Well I asked that question and shared a link at the same time.
This Wax Poetics x Chanel roundtable conversation with Solange, Yukimi, Neneh Cherry and Angele is so good.
Very interesting read on parenthood and friendship
Great read on A’ja Wilson’s new sneaker and how it provides a look at race, fame and gender. A’ja is the first Black WNBA player to have a signature shoe since 2011.
Speaking of the A’ja Wilson’s sneakers and marketability of athletes, check out this edition of my sister friend Andrea’s newsletter, Unwrapped, where she talked about A’ja Wilson’s legacy on and off the court including a few brand ideas for A’ja.
One more thing about the WNBA. I thought this Fast Company video was cool. WNBA season starts Friday. I have a calendar with the teams I’m following. If you want it, hit me up.
Love the UX of this article on tips to be happy: “Instead of telling myself, ‘I have to go to the gym,’ I’ll say, ‘I get to go to the gym.’”
Is A Million Lives Book Festival the Fyre Festival of #BookTok? I think yes.
thank you so much for reading this week’s edition. be sure to connect with me on instagram, threads, or goodreads.
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loved all of this—especially fovever! very excited for season 2. and i also cry a lot while reading/watching stuff lol.
Thank you for the reminders to watch Forever and read Can't Get Enough! I LOVED This Could Be Us.