In honor of Juneteenth, I have another Ten Things about a book by a Black author. Today we have TRULY MADLY ROYALLY by Debbie Rigaud.
Here we go!
1. The Tone
With all of the serious issues being brought to light these days, it was a relief to fall into a light hearted teen romance. On that note, TRULY truly delivered.
2. The Breezy Length
TRULY is a fairly quick read, which is just the right length for the summer story. It’s long enough that there’s still some meat to the story, but it’s short enough that it won’t take too long to read. As a bonus, the paperback is nice and lightweight, so it’d be a great beach read.
3. Community Focus
One of protagonist Zora’s main attributes is her dedication to her community. I haven’t seen many YA contemporaries with such a strong focus on the idea of the main character working to serve and better her community. It was refreshing to see that concept played out here.
4. Humor
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering the tone, but TRULY had some great humor. There’s one line in particular that made me laugh that I want to share, but I’ll let you read it on your own.
5. Friendship
Zora’s best friend Skye is a major character in her story, despite spending most of it states away. Their texts and phone conversations give Zora someone outside of her romance to bounce her feelings off of. I loved how even in a story centering on a romance with someone else, the friendship between these two girls was such a large influential part of their lives.
6. Fleshed out Minor Characters
This is one of those ones I can’t elaborate on too much without ruining it for you. Suffice to say, minor characters are fully fleshed out here.
7. Community
I know, I know, I already mentioned community on this list. But that was Zora’s attitude toward her community, and now I have to shout out the portrayal of her community itself. The members of Zora’s community are fleshed out in small but effective ways. The result is that her town feels vibrant and real.
8. Prince Charming aka Owen
As the male lead of this romance, it’d be a problem if I didn’t like him. Luckily, that’s not the case. He’s charming, friendly, and considerate, and a perfect match for Zora.
9. Zora
Of course Zora herself has to make it onto this list. Zora is down to earth, practical and ambitious, and she uses those traits for her goal of bettering her community. She won’t even let a romance with a European prince distract her. You have to admire her dedication to her goals, especially when those goals are so altruistic.
10. Romance Based in Friendship
What I like about this romance is it has a basis in friendship. Zora and Owen’s relationship starts as a friendship before it becomes a romance, which I just love to see.
Have you read TRULY MADLY ROYALLY? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below!
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