Well-Tuned Growth: A Review of Love in the Key of Summer, by Zariah L. Banks
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By Shaundale Rénā
Love in the Key of Summer by Zariah L. Banks hits all the right notes! Known for the perfect balance of humor and romance, this award-winning novelist has done it again.
I so enjoyed this story. Full of emotion and wit, the characters are as real as it gets. Zariah’s book tackles so many real-life issues that it’s as therapeutic as it is entertaining. All of her characters, both male and female, are well-rounded and fully developed. I loved that Rue deals with his anxiety in such a way that shows vulnerability and strength collectively, and how Tawni deals with her own issues as she reflects on old ways of thinking and loving to fully embrace the new woman she is becoming. The circle of sisters and band of brothers in their lives, who continually show up to support each other’s individual growth, is above par. We all need people in our lives who see us, call us on our stuff, hold us accountable, while also offering a safe place to land when we mess up.
Zariah’s narrative is a tangible and raw study of the main characters’ progression. Even the children in the story are involved in their own emotional healing, as heir parents wrestle with keeping it together while still showing there is safety in falling apart—if you don’t do it alone.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for their next “Netflix & Chill” kind of vibe. It’s the perfect easy read and inspiration for the new you, waiting on the other side of the page. It’s one of those books you can fall into and get lost in each compelling chapter. While the title speaks of Love in the Key of Summer, the unfolding story can quickly turn this fall into a beautiful experience of self-awareness, self-expression and self-love, as we shed old skin in concert with the autumn leaves giving way to deep new growth. Simultaneously, we get to embrace the changes of the new season and the changes within.
Tawni is the perfect “new me” or “next me,” depending on your current season of life. As she navigates yet another breakup, Rue isn’t far behind her, ready to set aside the grief of losing his forever love. And while we don’t know what led to his wife’s death, we do know that he is a dad—trying to hold it together for his son and his boys and his co-workers and his mom and sister, and now Tawni. After three years, he’s ready to move forward with a new love but feels troubled by letting his old love rest in peace—a peace he no longer has without her. Tawni, determined not to repeat past mistakes in love by putting herself last, sets boundaries that her new self reminds her to honor. Playing second fiddle to a ghost is clearly out of bounds. Meanwhile Rue finds himself repeating old patterns of pushing those closest to him away as the walls come tumbling down around him. He tries to move forward in his heart but his head won’t budge. When logic collides with love, it’s an unruly sight.
Love in the Key of Summer is a worthy read. If you’re looking for a book that will give you examples of what loving self looks like, take a page from Tawni and Rue. Zariah opens with a breakup and ends with a potential happily-ever-after, highlighting that the best growth happens when we sit alone with ourselves and make time to heal.
Zariah Banks is a best-selling and award-winning contemporary romance novelist. Her novels focus on nurturing emotional intimacy and trust to find forever love.
Shaundale Rénā (@iShaundale) is a multi-award-winning freelance developmental editor specializing in romantic comedy, historical, contemporary and women’s fiction, and nonfiction self-help and memoir. With six international awards under her belt, Shaundale has collaborated with imprints like Adams Media/Simon & Schuster and Lake Union Publishing/Amazon Publishing on bestsellers like Self-Care for Black Women and Scarlet Carnation. Her most successful self-published clients, Kimberlee Yolanda Williams and Zariah L. Banks, have won multiple awards for their work, Dear White Woman, Please Come Home and Beauty Beheld, respectively. Shaundale’s passion for connecting the big picture of a story shines through in her work with indie and traditionally published authors alike. When she’s not editing for clients and writing under her alias (@StonyRhodes), she writes the New Releases column for KIZA Blacklit Magazine and book reviews for the African American Literature Book Club (AALBC). Learn more about Shaundale and her work in the literary arts by visiting www.ShaundaleRena.com.