The Best Black Romance Books of 2025 (So Far!) - Spicy Reads, Second Chances & More

Octavia Marie: 00:00:36

Hey guys.

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Welcome back to the Culture Lit Podcast.

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I'm your host, Octavia Marie, and

today I'm so excited to share something

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I've been working on four weeks.

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My top 10 Black Romance reads

for the first half of: 2025

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Y'all.

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This year has been absolutely

incredible for Black Romance.

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I'm talking about some phenomenal

releases that had me stand up way too

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late, from traditionally published

powerhouses to Indie Darlings.

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There truly has been

something for everyone.

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Now, I wanna be clear,

this isn't a ranked list.

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These are just 10 amazing books

that made my first half of

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2025, absolutely unforgettable.

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And I'm sharing them in no particular

order because honestly, they're

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all fantastic in their own ways.

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Now, I'm not gonna lie, narrowing

these down to just 10 books was

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hard, like pulling my hair out hard.

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I'll probably end up doing a larger

list later because there are so many

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amazing reads that deserved recognition.

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So grab your favorite drink and get comfy.

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Let's jump into these incredible stories.

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First up, let's start with

Church Girl by Naima Simone.

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And let me tell you, this book

had me clutching my pearls and

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fanning myself at the same time.

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This story follows Aaliyah, who literally.

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Runs away on her wedding day

and honestly good for her.

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She escapes her domineering family and

ends up in Chicago working as a nanny

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for Von a Tattooist and single dad

who's all kinds of fine and has a dirty

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mouth that would make a sailor blush.

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What I loved about this

book is the Layers.

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Von is this bad boy with a heart of goal

who adores his 7-year-old daughter, GIA.

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While dealing with a very vindictive

ex-wife and Aaliyah, she's finding

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her voice and learning that being

sweet doesn't mean being weak.

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And the dirty talk.

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Why Chef's kiss the slow burn absolutely

perfect and that line you a bad

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bitch, but if you don't believe it,

how you expect anyone else to that's

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going on my vision board, honey.

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Na and Simone really said, let

me show y'all how it's done with

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this coming of age, romance.

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That's steamy and very meaningful.

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Next up is the Love Syllabus by Lauren

Lacey, and this is a fake dating

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romance that had me in my feelings.

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Carrie Kind is starting over in

her thirties after a difficult

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divorce, and can we just take a

moment to appreciate stories about

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women reinventing themselves?

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She lends a homeschool teaching

position only to discover.

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Her new boss is Victor Grimes, a

whirl renowned chef and widower.

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She had words with just days before.

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Talk about awkward.

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Victor isn't trying to disrupt his

carefully structured life, but his

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daughter's need care and that undeniable

chemistry isn't going anywhere when

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they end up in a fake dating situation.

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The lines between professional

and personal get blurry very fast.

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This is a small town romance at its

finest, cozy, emotional, and with

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just the right amount of spice.

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Lauren Lacey knows how to write a

slow burn that pays off beautifully.

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And the found family vibes with

Victor's daughters perfection.

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And then life was beautiful by Asia.

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Monique absolutely had me hooked

from the first couple of chapters.

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And y'all, I devoured this

book in practically one city.

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Corey and August's story start as a

one night stand that turns into friends

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with benefits, but life has other plans.

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On the same day, Corey

loses her mother to cancer.

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August discovers he has a daughter, his

ex kept secret throughout her pregnancy.

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Oh, and Cory's pregnant too.

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Talk about timing.

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But here's what I love.

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This felt like Corey and August versus

the world, not Corey, versus August

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when life threw them curve balls.

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They face them together.

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August steps up as a man and a

father and his family support system.

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Beautiful.

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This book deals with grief,

unexpected parenthood, and

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love in the most authentic way.

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Plus Ake is a quadruplet

from a huge family.

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So you know, we are getting

more books in this world Asia.

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Monique, I am ready.

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The next step is Audra and Bash

are just friends by Tia Williams.

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This book absolutely stole my

heart This young adult romance is

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first love at its absolute finest.

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This is all the butterflies

yearning, joy and beautiful

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confusion that comes with young love.

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Audrey is a type A overachiever

dreaming of Stanford.

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While Bash is this free spirit who

helps her discover a truer version of

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herself Through an experience challenge

that's equal parts sweet and hilarious.

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What sets this apart is how real it feels.

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Tia Williams doesn't shy away from

the serious stuff, family dynamics,

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mental health, the pressure of

being a perfectionist teen, but she

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balances it with humor and heart.

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And can we talk about how this

connects to seven days in June?

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Audra is the daughter of one of

the main characters and seeing

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that family legacy continue.

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Love it.

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This is Young Adult Romance done right.

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The World around us by Lauren.

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Lacey is another masterpiece.

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This woman is having a

year and I'm here for it.

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Tiffany Weathers has been through

absolute hell and back, but

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her resilience is everything.

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The bond she shares with her sister, tiny.

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Her passion for dance, and watching

her capture Mason Boone's heart,

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it's also beautifully written.

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Mason is that guy with the

heart of gold who declares his

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love early and never waves.

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He's a star athlete who's known

heartbreak, but still believes in love.

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His devotion to Tiffany is

unwavering, and honestly, we all

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deserve a mason in our lives.

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Now, were there moments

that had me rolling my eyes?

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Well, yeah.

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Did Tiffany stress me the hell out?

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Absolutely.

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But once you understood her

backstory, everything clicks.

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This Second Chance Romance with a

supportive friend group hit all my

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favorite tropes and that indie beautiful.

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Now, this next one we already

know I absolutely adored Plus

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Size Player by Danielle Allen.

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I love this book so much.

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I did a whole standalone episode and

interview with Danielle after Danielle

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wowed us with Curry Girl Summer, her

first traditionally published novel.

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She's back with this confident,

sexy, laugh out loud story

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featuring one of the most self

possessed heroines I've ever read.

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This is Nina's story, Aaliyah's

best friend from Curvy Girl Summer.

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Nina Ford doesn't like to put

all her eggs in one basket.

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She works multiple jobs, enjoys

multiple hobbies and dates multiple men.

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In her 30 years of life.

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Nina has never come across a man who

has all of the things she's looking for.

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She loves fun and excitement.

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She has a man for that.

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She loves confidence and humor.

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She has a man for that.

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She loves intelligence and ambition.

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She has a man for that, and she

loves passion and romance, and she

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definitely has the man for that.

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She's always been content

rotating a few men in and out of

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her life to get her needs met.

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But when an opportunity presents itself,

Nina finds herself in a predicament

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Because everything she's ever wanted

in a partner collides with everything

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she's ever wanted in a career, her eggs

are bound to get cracked like her back.

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this book, tackles representation,

modern Dating and the reality of

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being a plus-sized black woman in

romance with humor and authenticity.

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And yes, that helicopter scene,

y'all are absolutely not ready.

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EM one and EM two by jaquel J.

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The emotional rollercoaster that

has the romance girlies in shambles

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Waiting for part three Qua Sam's

past is absolutely heartbreaking.

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Those flashbacks, so gut-wrenching,

but seeing him care for his neighbor's

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child felt like watching someone

get a second chance at fatherhood,

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and it was absolutely beautiful.

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Now I won't lie, I was this close

to rooting for Blair to move on with

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Zay because Qua was taking too long.

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But the weight was so worth it.

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Watching Blair's glow up from

the meek shy friend to the boss

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bitch, she becomes perfection.

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If you love found family emotional

death, and second chance love, this

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series is absolutely mandatory.

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Reading jaquel J puts us

through it emotionally, but

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we came out on the other side.

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Grateful for the journey.

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now can't get enough by Kennedy Ryan

has been everywhere because when Kennedy

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Ryan releases a book, we all stop

what we're doing and pay attention.

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Hendricks Barry is living

her vision board life.

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Successful business, amazing

friends, loving family.

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She's a woman with dreams and ambitions,

always striving upward, but she's

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also caring for an agent, parent, and

honestly, who has time for romance?

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When the ROI on relationship has

been historically low, well enter

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Maverick Bell Tech mogul wrapped in

an exquisitely tailored suit with knee

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melting charm From their first charge

glance, Hendrick knows he's trouble.

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He's forbidden fruit.

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But when he gives Chase pursuing

her, spoiling her, understanding

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her, maybe it's time to let

herself have something more.

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This is Kennedy Ryan at her finest.

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Deeply moving personal and exploring

themes of sacrifice, self-reliance,

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and finding true happiness.

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The emotional death combined

with the undeniable chemistry,

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it is truly unmatched.

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And there you have it, 10

incredible black romance reads

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that made the first half of 2025.

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Absolutely unforgettable.

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Now, I know some of y'all are probably

yelling at your phones right now

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about books I didn't include, and

trust me, the struggle was real

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trying to narrow this list down.

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What I love about this

collection is the variety.

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We've got traditional publishers,

indie authors, different sub genres,

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characters at various life stages,

young adult and adult romance.

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This is what Black Romance is

all about, showing the full

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spectrum of our love stories.

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But I want to hear from you.

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What were your favorite Black Romance

reads for the first half of the year?

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Did any of these make your list?

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Hit me up on socials at becoming

Octavia or send me an email?

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I love talking books with

my fellow romance lovers.

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Also, don't forget to subscribe to

the Culture Lip Podcast if you haven't

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already, and leave me a review.

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It really helps other romance

readers find the show.

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And until next time, keep

reading those love stories.

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And remember, representation matters and

black love is beautiful in all its forms.