Love in 280 Characters or Less

In this optimistic romance by Stringfield (Love Requires Chocolate), Black 18-year-old Sydney Ciara Warren leaves her home in Chesapeake, Va., to attend Coastal Virginia University. As she adjusts to living on campus, she’s distracted by thoughts of her best friend, Malcolm, who’s thriving at Georgia’s Piedmont University. Struggling to make friends on her own, Syd heeds the advice of her trusted hairstylist sister, who suggests using social media to meet new people. Syd connects with others on Twitter and starts writing a blog, which she uses to work through myriad personal dilemmas, including whether she should pursue a law degree, as her mother desires, or forge her own path. While browsing through a comics store IRL, she meets Xavier, a Black CVU international relations major with a beaming smile. Even as Syd and Xavier pursue a romantic relationship, however, she finds herself swooning over social media user YoungPrinceX. Stringfield utilizes a series of formatted blog posts, text messages, social media posts, and more to deliver a timely and intimate interpretation of one Black girl’s experience embracing a period of transition, emotional upheaval, and self-discovery. Syd is a relatable protagonist whose magnetic personality smoothly propels readers along in this charming slice-of-life novel. Ages 14–up. (Apr.)