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<\/a>There are plenty of familiar themes for fans of Bryant\u2019s debut. “One True Loves” is the second effort in her mission to fill young adult bookshelves with dreamy love stories about Black teens falling in love, and finding their way in the world.<\/p>\n
While “Happily Ever Afters” took place in and around Long Beach, most of “One True Loves” follows its protagonist, Lenore Bennett, as she and her family take a post-high school graduation tour around the Mediterranean. Along the way, Lenore tries to figure out what she\u2019s doing with her life and to avoid catching feelings for Alex, another recent high school grad on the cruise.<\/p>\n
Like “Happily Ever Afters,” “One True Loves” features plenty of big, beautiful emotional moments. But where Bryant takes a step forward and where this book shines is in exploring the quieter interior of a teen who\u2019s known to her friends as the life of the party. That tension as well as moving depictions of mental health struggles and of the challenges of living up to parents\u2019 justified but big expectations make this an enjoyable read for any age.<\/p>\n While “One True Loves” mostly takes place in Europe, it\u2019s still firmly grounded in Long Beach, with special appearances from Long Beach City College, Viento y Agua\u2019s open mic night, and the Aquarium of the Pacific during an unforgettable opening scene. Lenore also firmly corrects someone who says she\u2019s from Los Angeles with a reminder that she\u2019s from Long Beach.<\/p>\n Bryant told the Long Beach Post before her debut was released that she\u2019d \u201cset everything in Long Beach\u201d if her publishers let her, and it\u2019s a treat for local readers to have the city featured in the rising author\u2019s literary world.<\/p>\n “One True Loves” has been even more hotly-anticipated in the YA scene than Bryant\u2019s debut, as the book is No. 2 on Seventeen Magazine\u2019s Top 10 Best Books in 2022 list<\/a>\u00a0and has received strong reviews, including a Kirkus writeup praising Bryant\u2019s \u201ccontemporary yet timeless authorial style that is a breath of fresh air for the genre.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s more good news for Long Beach readers\u2014with the success of Bryant\u2019s first two books, she signed a second two-book deal<\/a> that will include a winter release in 2023 titled “Reggie and Delilah\u2019s Year of Falling.”<\/p>\n “One True Loves” is available everywhere, but in her continuing effort to support local businesses, Bryant has done a signed book pre-order deal with Long Beach shop Bel Canto Books<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/29125849\/Bryant-2-1110x1378.png\")
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