Love is a Revolution by Renee Watson Book Review

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in even but rejoices in truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always preservers. . . And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

(pg. 267)

About

Author: Renee Watson

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

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Synopsis

When Nala Robertson reluctantly agrees to attend an open mic night for her cousin-sister-friend Imani’s birthday, she finds herself falling in instant love with Tye Brown, the MC. He’s perfect, except . . . Tye is an activist and is spending the summer putting on events for the community when Nala would rather watch movies and try out the new seasonal flavors at the local creamery. In order to impress Tye, Nala tells a few tiny lies to have enough in common with him. As they spend more time together, sharing more of themselves, some of those lies get harder to keep up. As Nala falls deeper into keeping up her lies and into love, she’ll learn all the ways love is hard, and how self-love is revolutionary. 

In Love Is a Revolution, plus size girls are beautiful and get the attention of the hot guys, the popular girl clique is not shallow but has strong convictions and substance, and the ultimate love story is not only about romance but about how to show radical love to the people in your life, including to yourself.

Review

Spoilers Contained Below

To the lovers,

Love is the most powerful thing there is, and if you have read In Five Years by Rebecca Serle, she said, “Love does not need a future.”

What drew me to Love is a Revolution, to be really honest, was the cover. I mean, shoutout to the graphic artist, because what a STUNNING cover! 😍And the detail? AMAZING. 💚

The star of the cover?

Nala.

I love her name and not just because it’s the name of the female tiger in The Lion King 🤪. I relate to Nala soooo much. I am a hopeless romantic too who has never been in love. Nala wants to find love with someone she could hold hands with and have a movie-sort of love. She wanted the best love. I do not blame her because, gosh, who doesn’t want an amazing love?

I was soooo here for Nala falling in love because I truly hope people find good love and health in their life, but . . .

I felt Nala was so focused on wanting love that she forgot to love herself. It just screamed off of her with how quickly she fell in love with people. And I have been there, done that, but I knew from the second that Nala met Tye, that she was throwing herself too quickly into a relationship when she needed to focus on the root of why she felt the need to have love.

So, I guess I should say I didn’t really like Tye. He’s not a bad kid, I just felt like he wasn’t the one for Nala or something. I don’t know. Their whole love felt too insta-love for me because one moment Nala didn’t know him, and then all of sudden she saw Tye and she was in love. I have heard of love at first sight, and I didn’t feel like that was this. I felt like Nala just liked Tye because he was 1) cute and 2) new. And a new cute boy is a great place to start because he doesn’t know anything about her and she could be anyone she wanted. Gosh, knows she was 🤪.

That was the other thing that made me go no no no no no, NO. Nala lied about being this proactive eco-friendly activist who helped out in the community. That was not who Nala was at all and I felt like if she was lying to a boy to get him to like her, the relationship isn’t going to work because first of all he doesn’t even know the real her so he doesn’t even know who to like. And second, a relationship can’t be built on a lie. I mean it can, but then it will for sure crumble. I couldn’t stop cackling when Tye was so adamant and angry when he said he hated liars and people who do not follow through with what they say 😂. Ahhh, sucks to be Nala. He sure isn’t going to like you because you lied to him.

I also didn’t like how Nala changed so much for Tye. She tried to be something she was not to impress a guy. Honey, if he doesn’t like you for you, he definitely is not the one. Nala changed her hair, her clothes, and personality for him. No guy is worth that.

Especially not Tye.

In her string of lies was telling Tye that she worked at the care home where her Grandma lived and how she was doing a community mural project there. I liked the photo idea of having the people at the care home print pictures of their family or memories and put it on the empty wall. It would have been a cute idea. Nala wasn’t going to do it until Tye told her he didn’t like people who didn’t follow through with what they say; he didn’t say it in the context of her portrait project, but in general. So, Nala bent over backwards trying to make this portrait project come true, which I admired. I think if Nala applied herself and went through with the project, I think it would have worked out. I honestly believe Nala has more passion and drive than she gives herself credit for, but she holds back because she doesn’t think she’s as good as Imani. So, she just does whatever because she thinks it won’t amount to her cousin.

The other thing I didn’t like about their relationship was how it didn’t click for me. I didn’t like the way Tye would bring her water bottles as gifts because that seemed like an offhanded insult—-it was shady as heck. I mean, yes, protect the earth and do not use plastic water bottles. But do not be rude to other people by passively aggressively giving them a water bottle that sends the message that they are scum of the earth to use plastic water bottles. I don’t think Tye meant to be passive aggressive about his gift, but it sure came across that way. Oh, and don’t even get me started with how he gave her a speech book to draw inspiration from 😅. I’m so sorry, instead of making her feel stupid for not knowing what to say at the rally, comfort her! Don’t give her a book of speeches that tells her that you thought she embarrassed herself and here’s a book to help you for next time. I guess the intention was good, but seriously, he was kind of a butt canoe. Nala you deserved better!

The list continues . . . 🤪 So, I also didn’t like how Tye always talked about himself and his passions in a condescending way. Now, it is okay to talk about yourself so other people get to know you, but do not talk about yourself too much. It is also okay to talk about your passions, please do. Talking about your passions is interesting for others to hear what makes you driven or inspired. But GOSH this boy would not shut up about Inspire Harlem and all their efforts! I admired Inspire Harlem and their dedication and ambition—-they were doing some really good things for the world. I also respected how Inspire Harlem created a community of young adults who wanted to be the change in the world. I was not mad about that at all. What I was mad about was when Nala and Tye supposedly went on a date, this dude kept talking about Inspire Harlem. I get it, you are INSPIRED by Inspire Harlem, but please for the love of all things good, talk about something else! Oh, my gosh, I couldn’t stand it when Tye was like, “Oh, let’s have a normal date. We won’t talk about Inspire Harlem.” And then what do you know? FREAKING BLABS about Inspired Harlem during the date 😂. Nala was literally in his bedroom one time and instead of making out like every boy would do with a girl in his bedroom, this kid talked about INSPIRE HARLEM 😂. I COULD NOT. I mean, please, talk about Inspire Harlem if you don’t want to kiss a pretty girl. But seriously, he needed to quit it.

And if they were not talking about Inspire Harlem, they were doing something related to it or community service. Again, nothing wrong with having a community service date—that’s cute. But have other dates too. I just didn’t like how he took her to the GoodWill or thrift store to find things for her gallery project. I mean, the sentiment was nice, but bro could have taken her for ice cream or something different—something unrelated to the community project. But I will say, I did like that he was encouraging of Nala and this project. But I only knew that encouragement came from him thinking that she was a community advocate.

OOOH, gosh don’t even get me started with that argument during the movie in the park. During their date, guess what Tye was talking about? INSPIRE HARLEM and another one of their great plans. Nala was annoyed and asked him to stop talking about it, and this dude had the audacity to be MAD at her? Does he even hear himself? I would be irritated if I was Nala! When Nala ran off, this dude truly said I could care less 😆. I mean, he should have ran after Nala when she ran away from him because 1) they were in a new part of the city 2) it was nighttime 3) Nala was a black woman in a new city at night and 4) it would have been the chivalrous thing to do. No, Tye stayed at the movie like the dummy he was. I could not with him. How dare you just sit and watch the movie when Nala was out by herself at night. That is Grade A butt canoe work right there. Savage. I mean, get you a man who would run after you 👏🏼.

Yea, you suck Tye.

Eventually, he figured she was lying and he stopped talking to her. I didn’t blame him. Heck, good for Nala, she deserved more. But I did appreciate it when he apologized to Nala about his shady as heck gifts. He had more to apologize for, if you ask me. But Tye wasn’t a bad person, an uninteresting person, sure, but bad, no.

As much as I didn’t like Tye, I understood why Nala wanted to be with him. Nala didn’t love herself and wanted to feel loved by someone else.

I loved Nala’s story.

I loved how the lists in each chapter created Nala’s backstory because the lists said so much with little words. THat’s wonderful storytelling right there 😊.

Nala grew up with her cousin (who’s like a sister to her), Imani. Nala went to live with her Aunt and Uncle after moving out of her mom’s house when she was younger. There was this tension between Nala and the mom that I didn’t understand until I did. The mom had financial troubles as she was raising Nala and Nala left the mom because she felt like a financial burden and like the mom was struggling because it was her fault. That is the hardest thing to feel as a kid. I just wanted to reach through the pages and hold Nala and tell her she wasn’t a burden and it wasn’t her fault. Nothing was her fault. But she felt that way and she knew if she left her mom would be okay.

“How sometimes I feel like a burden to the people who are supposed to love me, the people who are supposed to be there, always, no matter what.”

(pg. 130)

Darn, I felt that. I felt that real well.

The thing that got me was how much Nala loved her mom, but how much she didn’t want to be a burden on anyone. Because she never felt loved as a kid or like she belonged, Nala had this piece of her missing that needed love—craved love. Hence, Tye.

“I want him to be part of my we.”

(pg. 73)

Nala also craved validation. When Tye called her beautiful, Nala literally felt over the moon because it felt like someone finally saw her. Nala, you do not need his validation or his approval to be just the way you are.

Nala also craved a community. That’s when she wanted to do the Sugar Hill Center picture wall idea, I was like, “huh, that’s good for her.” Because I could tell It gave her a sense of initiative, belonging, and community. I loved that for her.

But above all, Nala craved to belong.

Nala and Imani’s relationship was interesting and highly appreciated. From page one, I could tell something was off about Imani. Not like she was off, but there was something off about how she treated Nala. It felt like Imani resented Nala because Imani wanted to do her own thing and be her own person, but Nala was always with her. I understood Imani’s feelings because when you spend too much time with someone, you start to get irritated with that person. That’s when you need alone time. I felt like Imani needed alone time. But being that Nala never felt like she belonged anywhere, she held onto Imani because that was the closest thing to love she had. It made sense why Nala wanted to be everywhere with Imani. But sometimes when you hold too tightly to something, for lack of a kinder word, it can feel suffocating. I felt Imani felt trapped and squeezed by Imani and she just wanted to breathe.

I also felt Nala was slightly jealous and angry with how Imani got all the love, friends, and attention with ease. Nala didn’t make friends easily, she wasn’t a part of this community that Imani was in. Nala felt alone and she just wanted her cousin. Honestly, for such an inspiring group, Inspire Harlem wasn’t very accepting. In fact, they were very rude to Imani, especially that girl Toya. I didn’t like her.

As the story went on, the more I felt Imani was pushing Nala away, which was strange because of how close they were. But I think Imani was pushing her away out of anger. I also didn’t like Imani’s condescending comments about Nala joining Inspire Harlem because gosh knows it was just another way to push Nala awa. I also didn’t appreciate when Imani was really rude to Randy and Nala when they were sitting at the breakfast table planning Aunt Ebony (Imani’s mom) birthday surprise without her. I’m sorry Imani, but you were asleep.

But that’s when the explosion came.

Imani was angry at Nala because Nala just came in one day and took her family from her and changed her entire life. Inspire Harlem was her thing and she didn’t want Nala to have that too.

“It’s not enough you moved into my house, calming my mother as your own. You have to have my friends too.”

(pg. 213)

I understood where Imani was coming from. It sounded like she harbored this hurt for YEARS, but said nothing because she didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t like she had a say in kicking Nala out. But Nala wasn’t trying to take Imani’s parents from her, Nala just needed a home. But I get it. Imani had her parents all to herself and now she had to share them with Nala. I felt like Imani also just wanted her parents’ love as well but she felt like her parents focused on Nala a lot because Nala didn’t have a home. All that anger had been sitting in her for years. Gosh, knows it was about time for it to come out.

It was such a heated argument and a lot of hurtful things were said in anger.

I was sad for both of them 😔.

That’s hard on both of them. Nala’s whole life changed and so did Imani’s.

“Right now we are just shadows, just ghosts of ourselves.”

(pg. 152)

The Grandma helped heal things. Or she got things going.

I loved Imani’s Grandma because she was the voice of reason. I felt she also gave Nala love and drive when Nala didn’t feel loved. I thought it was sweet of Nala to always go out of her way to visit her Grandma or secretly bring JT ice cream. I liked the heart-to-hearts JT and Nala would have. They had a cute relationship. My heart felt really sad when The Grandma and JT all found out that Nala was hanging out with them so much because she supposedly worked there. That had to hurt because it felt like she used them for a boy, which I mean she did. But I knew Nala actually enjoyed spending time with everyone at Sugar Hill—-it wasn’t just a fake job for her.

The Grandma really told Imani and Nala off when they both came to visit her. I loved how the Grandma told Imani straight; how Imani had all this passion in her, but she needed to remember her family. But I also loved how she told Nala exactly what I have been thinking the entire book.

“And Nala Robertson, you have to start learning how to love yourself. For you, it will always be easier to love other people, to put them first and cater to them, to adapt to their needs. You want to really be something in this world—learn how to walk in a room being yourself and staying true to how you are. Yes, there’s room for growth, always. But if the change isn’t for you it won’t last.”

(pg. 215)

Exactly.

We all need to love ourselves first before we share our love with others because if we do not love ourselves, we will continue to pour our love into what others want us to be. We need to put ourselves first in knowing we matter. When I was a teen, I remember I tried to be what others wanted me to be. I tried to be skinnier and more confident, but that wasn’t who I was. I wasn’t happy starving myself or changing who I was because that never was me. And you being what you are not because you want to fit in, isn’t going to make you as happy as you think. If your change does not come from a genuine place within you, it will not make you happy—it will not fill a void.

Be true to who you are.

Do not be afraid to be single or alone.

You don’t need someone else to be complete.

The happiness and love you seek, is within you. I will say it is SO MUCH easier said than done, but when you actually find the happiness and love within you, it does get easier. I’m still trying to find it.

“But you’ve got to decide who you’ll become after this,” Grandma says. “For you.”

. . .I take out my notebook and make another list.

1. Remember Yourself.

2. Honor Yourself.

3. Critique Yourself.

4. Love Yourself.

This is how I plan to grow.”

(pg. 228)

I LOVED that 💚.

We need to remember who we are and honor that. Sometimes we critique who we are, not criticize, critique, because we always have room to grow. And that is how we continue to evolve and love ourselves.

Towards the end of the book, I truly just loved Nala’s vibes. I could tell she was immensely happier because she was pouring all this love she wanted from other’s into herself. Gosh, it is such an empowering thing to feel. I loved how Nala danced to her Blue’s music real loud and proud. YOU GO GIRL! I also loved her tips for showing love to yourself (pg. 233). Her list emphasized how she was going to do everything for her and not some love she wants from others. That is true growth as a person.

“Part of me is screaming inside, asking what is wrong with me, why am I letting go of someone who cares about me, wants me, forgives me. But I yell back at her, reminding her what Grandma said.

Self-love is radical love.

Self-love is radical love.

Self-love is radical love.

Today, I’ve started my own revolution.”

(pg. 238)

FREAKING LET’S GO NALA! SCREAM IT!!! 😆

When she turned down Tye, I screamed. What a boss power move. What a revolution it is to choose yourself and love yourself. I Freaking loved that because people think you need someone to be complete, but self-love is radical love, it is a love no one expects and it defeats the norm. It is a powerful revolution to say I love myself enough to be by myself and care for myself and take time for myself. It is a strength. It is not easy. But it is needed for us to grow and know who we are. Again, we can’t keep hoping to find love with others unless we love ourselves—-we start our own revolution.

I just loved the growth of Nala and the power she now held. I loved it!

“What is it with all this talk about doing things for myself? How do you know if you’re doing something for yourself or someone else?”

(pg. 265)

I think it is about asking ourselves that very question everyday. We need to choose things for ourselves because at the end of the day this is our life and we should do things for ourselves not because other people want us to or want us to be other people.

I also loved Nala’s lists about reasons she needs to forgive herself for. I loved that because we can be our harshest critics, but we need to give grace to ourselves.

I loved how Imani and Nala are truly sisters and made up. They might get on each other’s nerves and be angry at each other, but there is always love there. I love how there are always people you know love you but do not need to hear it to know it.

“And we don’t have to say I love you either.”

You know when someone loves you. You just know.”

(pg. 247)

They had that sort of love 🥰.

I also loved how Imani and Nala both celebrated the auto and got the Aunt very thoughtful gifts. I feel like me and Nala are on the same wavelengths when it comes to gift giving. I strongly believe Nala has a big heart with so much love to give because she knows what it is like to not have a lot of love. It’s kind of like the saying that the kindest people are the saddest, but they are kind because they know what pain feels like and they don’t want others to feel that pain.

“I think people give the type of gifts they want to receive.”

(pg. 252)

I also enjoyed how we saw Nala and the mom. I liked how they were trying to mend their relationship because I know they love each other, but just have a complicated relationship. It made my heart really sad when the mom wanted to buy Nala all these school supplies, but it was still a financial struggle for the mom, but the mom didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. The mom was honestly doing the best she could and I have nothing but respect for her. Life can be tough and unfair. I felt like if Nala and the mom just had a heart-to-heart about how Nala felt as a kid, maybe things could be stronger from them. That’s honestly what I wanted most after reading the story—-more resolution between Nala and the mom. Because I felt like they loved each other and if only they communicated what happened, they could start to heal their relationship even more. Because I think Nala needs to hear that she was never a burden. I think hearing that would make Nala feel less alone.

But I did like how during their little day out the mom talked about how you can have both love and self-love.

“Well, I don’t know the whole story, but it doesn’t have to be one or the other . . .sounds like you gotta get good at doing both.”

(pg. 273)

I liked that. It’s something I always wondered about because people always told me I needed to love myself in order to be in a relationship. And gosh knows I preached that in this post 😅 and I apologize for that. Because I do believe it does not have to be one or the other—self-love or romantic. You can have both. You should have both. And I will be honest, it probably isn’t the easiest to balance, but I guess that is why people say to love yourself first because if you love yourself you won’t get lost in the relationship and you can better balance who you are in the relationship. Makes sense. But I feel like even if you do not fully love yourself when entering a relationship, that is okay. Because sometimes people come into our lives to show us there are parts of us that can be loved, and we learn to love ourselves through that. So, like everything in life, there has to be balance.

Overall, such a powerful story about family, loving yourself, and the power of you. Love is a revolution darling, being yours. And also, please never change and be someone you are not to impress anyone. If someone loves you, they should love you for you. And if they don’t, there will be someone who does. I guarantee.

Anyway, what was your favorite part of the book? Least favorite part? Anything I mentioned that you want to discuss more about?  What is something you like to do as self-care? Any self-care tips? Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕

I hope you have a beautiful day whenever and wherever you might be reading this 😊.

And as always, with love,

Rating

3.32 Full Bloom Flowers

Characters: I love Nala 💚. She’s just a precious little darling who deserves so much happiness and love, and who always had love within her. I’m happy she was giving it to herself.

Plot: Honestly, expected a romance, but loved how it wasn’t about romantic love.

Writing: I enjoyed the lists In each chapter because they helped move the story along and they gave a cool depth without saying too much.

Romance: I wasn’t really a fan of the romance between Tye and Nala because it didn’t seem real. But I did enjoy the relationship between Imani and Nala and Nala’s relationship with herself 💚