THE ONLY BLACK GIRL IN THE ROOM

An ambitious reporter contends with racism in the newsroom and the reappearance of her ex-boyfriend.

Twenty-five-year-old Genevieve Francis has worked at the Sykeswood Tribune for four years and has written just one article—“investigating” a local ice cream shop’s new flavor. Instead, as the only Black person on the paper’s editorial staff, she’s been relegated to copyediting and sensitivity reading, dealing with daily snide comments and disrespect, and seeing all of her pitches rejected by the editor. So, when she’s asked to conduct an interview at a local CEO’s gala event, Genevieve jumps at the chance. The only issue? The CEO is her ex-boyfriend, Jude Landon. The last time they spoke was when Genevieve rejected Jude’s public marriage proposal at his father’s funeral. Now in control of the family’s business, Jude requests that the paper assign Genevieve to write the first authorized profile of him. This could be her big break, but will their past put Genevieve’s future in jeopardy? Explorations of systemic racism and racial microaggressions are crucial, but the author can be heavy-handed in her approach. Many characters, from Genevieve’s colleagues to Jude’s family, feel like underdeveloped caricatures whose sole personality traits are crassness and bigotry. And while Jude is written more complexly than his counterparts, it’s hard to root for a rekindled romance when it means Genevieve will forever be forced to engage with people who will never truly accept her.

A debut that addresses important issues but could have used more finesse.