Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle Book Review

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Blurb

Prince Jones is the guy with all the answers—or so it seems. After all, at seventeen, he has his own segment on Detroit’s popular hip-hop show, Love Radio, where he dishes out advice to the brokenhearted.

Prince has always dreamed of becoming a DJ and falling in love. But being the main caretaker for his mother, who has multiple sclerosis, and his little brother means his dreams will stay just that and the only romances in his life are the ones he hears about from his listeners. Until he meets Dani Ford.

Dani isn’t checking for anybody. She’s focused on her plan: ace senior year, score a scholarship, and move to New York City to become a famous author. But her college essay keeps tripping her up and acknowledging what’s blocking her means dealing with what happened at that party a few months ago. And that’s one thing Dani can’t do.

When the romantic DJ meets the ambitious writer, sparks fly. Prince is smitten, but Dani’s not looking to get derailed. She gives Prince just three dates to convince her that he’s worth falling for. Three dates for the love expert to take his own advice, and just maybe change two lives forever.

Triggers

There are brief mentionings of attempted sexual assault.

Ratings

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There are possible **SPOILERS** beyond this point!

Overall Rating

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love Radio is sweet and endearing!

I recall thinking, I wish I had a romance like this in high school! It was absolutely everything I was expecting and more. When I saw that this book was supposed to be a YA version of Hitch, one of my favorite movies with Will Smith in it, I grabbed this book from B&N immediately.

This book is about trusting what’s in front of you and leaving behind what hurt you. Prince and Dani have a rocky start but they figure it out along the way. Prince has so much on his shoulders in addition to being a young DJ trying to make a name for himself. Dani has some serious trauma that she is recovering from and her general mistrust is understandable. Her struggles with writing and getting into a good college add to the pile.

Through a huge effort on Prince’s part, Dani is able to see a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Their dates were absolutely swoon-worthy! I liked how understanding and patient Prince is. Dani always had a witty comeback that I enjoyed so, so much. The culture and references in this book made me really nostalgic. Prince and Dani’s friends were just the icing on top. I love a diverse cast! I smiled a lot reading this book. I never thought I’d say this but there was no epilogue and I actually appreciated that here.

I highly recommend this read if you like sweet romances! This one was so precious.

Genre & Tropes

Genre

Young Adult Romance

Tropes

He Falls First
Emotional Scars

Favorite Quotes

“I’m just . . . happy to see you look so content. I hope one day you look at me the way you looked at that donut.”

They gave so much of themselves to their work, realizing the importance of showing other Black women a mirror image of themselves.

“That’s what love looks like. It’s not always about the flowers and grand gestures, but this right here. Being completely yourself with another person in the moment, and them accepting no less of you.”