⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Ari’s Aria
Nadine C Keels
Ari’s Aria is book 3 of the Malt Shop Milestones series — a YA collection of malt shop romances featuring a predominantly Black community in the late 1940s.
While it’s not necessary to read the first two books in my opinion, they do provide helpful context for book three! Read my review of Vicky’s Victory here and Berta’s Bounceback here.
Keels does a fantastic job of creating unique, real characters who face relatable teenage anxieties while in a time of major racial inequality in the US. Her stories are love letters to Black culture; in Ari’s case, to mixed race Black and Mexican culture, and to the communities built to uplift each other.
Ari’s journey as a young Black Mexican woman in 1948 America is a heartfelt one; when she decides to sign up for the Black Diamond pageant she is met with pushback and self doubt as she wonders whether she really belongs to her community. Throughout the story she settles into her community and discovers a sense of self alongside her blossoming romance.
I LOVED Ari’s sense of humor and her banter with Bam. I also appreciated her generally kind perspective even as she dealt with a jealous former pageant queen and her many internalized questions about her Mexican heritage and her dad’s ability to pass as white.
I also love the little pieces of history scattered throughout; the race films and commentary on music always makes me feel more like I’m there.
For a relatable, youth-appropriate romance featuring diverse characters and perspectives, I definitely recommend Ari’s Aria and the whole Malt Shop Milestones series.
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Thank you, Nadine C Keels for the complimentary ebook! All opinions are my own.
For more information about Ari’s Aria and the other Malt Shop Milestones books, click here.
The Midnight Review 