I’M SO (NOT) OVER YOU
By Kosoko Jackson
Yes, I own it; I enjoy a good romantic comedy. One of my all-time favorites is the movie Think Like a Man; I can watch it over and over again. Hence, when I was searching for a book to review for Pride Month, I came across one that combines Black Love, SGL (same-gender love), and comedy: Kosoko Jackson’s I’m So (Not) Over You.
Kian Andrews is a 23-year-old college graduate and journalist from middle-class roots in North Carolina. He is currently living in Boston, seeking employment in his field but not finding it. He’s smart, with the curiosity of a journalist and usually able to read people. At the same time, he can be neurotic and second-guessing himself in true drama-queen fashion. At this point in time, he has been licking his wounds over a breakup with his boyfriend, aspiring psychologist Hudson Rivers.
Unexpectedly, Hudson approaches Kian with a proposition. Coming from a Black family in Atlanta with deep pockets of old money, Hudson wants a huge favor: to have Kian meet his parents (who have never met Kian) and pretend they are still together, which morphs into attendance at his cousin’s posh wedding. In return, Hudson will connect Kian with a bigwig in the journalism field that he knows. Simple transaction? Yeah, right. Unresolved feelings for your ex? Check. Potential to have this scheme blow up in your face? Well…
Told via the first-person narrative of Kian, Jackson has done an excellent job in combining the romance tropes of second-chance, fish-out-of-water, and opposites (socioeconomically) attract, which he overlays with the humor, comedy, and pathos I expect in a rom-com. The fact that the main characters are two brothas is icing on the cake. I appreciated the scene between Kian and Hudson’s grandmother Johanneh, which gives the reader a poignant look into the history behind the wealth and status of the Rivers family business. And as with all romance novels, as Kian falls in love with Hudson all over again, this one has a satisfying happily-ever-after.
Hat tip to Jackson for his attention to details that point up the glaring differences between the daily lives of the uber-wealthy Riverses and those of Kian and his friends/family.
I’m So (Not) Over You is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and his website kosokojackson.com. (author photo credit to Sara Nicole Lemon)
Heartiest thanks, Kosoko, for a welcome addition to Pride Month and your amazing literary voice. Love wins again!
W.D. Foster-Graham
W.D. Foster-Graham is a native son of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a B.A. in psychology from Luther College, and he was an original member of the multi-Grammy-Award-winning ensemble, Sounds of Blackness. He has also been recognized by the International Society of Poets as one of its “Best New Poets of 2003,” is a guest writer for journalist/author/entertainer Wyatt O’Brian Evans.
