Lori Aurelia Williams

Maxine Banks is the kind of girl who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to make it happen, and what she wants right now is to get married. What she REALLY wants is to get out of her mother’s house, and a wedding seems like the best way to do that AND be treated like a queen for a day. Maxine is seventeen, and she’s seen enough of her mother’s bad boyfriends to know that her man Brian is a keeper. She convinces him that they should get married but their parents object – they’re still in high school, after all – but Maxine knows how to get her way and tells everyone that she’s pregnant. She’s not. But their parents believe that she is. They reluctantly give their approval, and Maxine Banks gets married.
And then the drama starts. Maxine finds out Brian’s not the man she thought he was when another woman shows up claiming to be pregnant with his baby. Then she ends up looking after Brian’s 13-year-old smart-mouthed, trouble-making, pain-in-the-behind cousin, Demonee. Maxine thought marriage would solve all her problems but it’s just created a bunch of new ones. Luckily, Maxine is smart, funny, and FIERCE. She keeps her wits about her and makes the best of her situation. She’s strong and determined to create a good life for herself and Demonee no matter what.

I can’t wait to recommend this book to my teen patrons, especially African-American girls. The plot will hook them, the drama will keep them, and although the tone isn’t preachy, in the end they might learn something about relationships and responsibility. Maxine is sassy, smart and tough – she’s relatable and a positive role model. She makes mistakes and poor choices, but accepts the consequences and faces her problems, and her future, fearlessly.… (mere)

Williams draws from her childhood growing up in Houston's 5th Ward, an extremely poor neighborhood, and being a product of an abusive father to pen an incredible first novel. She vividly describes in detail each situation and episode with the use of similies and metaphors. She also tackles some tough issues, molestation, rape, premarital sex, and prositution, without sugar coating what is going on.

The story is mainly about 12 year old Shayla and her trials and tribulations with her mama, older sister, neighbor Kambia, and her dead beat biological father who uses her mother only thinking about his well being and happiness.… (mere)