Rainbow by Verde Arzu

Release: December 9th 2019
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Independently published
Source: R&R Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon

Taylor has room for exactly two things in her life: improving her performance as a college basketball player and maintaining the grades. She needs to stay on the team and someday play in the WNBA. But when she meets the beautiful and confident Melony, Taylor’s whole way of life is called into question. RAINBOW is a coming-of-age queer love story with a Love Jones kind of vibe. It’s the first of many queer black novellas by the author Verde Arzu.

About the Author:

Verde Arzu is a passionate, middle school special education teacher. She graduated from Fisk University, a historically black college and university (HBCU) located in Nashville, TN. There she earned a B.A in History.

Her love for teaching pushed her to go on to graduate school where she earned a Master of Science in Special Education from National University. Verde is not only a teacher but an advocate working to ensure equity for students of color, especially those with learning disabilities.

Verde is excitedly working toward completing a post-baccalaureate certificate in writing from UC Berkeley Extension. Upon completion of the program, she plans to continue to publish novellas, short love stories, centered on realistic lesbian and queer relationships.

Verde recalls writing her first piece of fiction as a kid on the front stoop of her two-flat home on the south side of Chicago. She traces her passion for writing stories about African American queer characters from her desire to see more characters’ voices she can relate to.

A native Chicagoan, she currently resides in Northern California with her beautiful wife and two furry, four-legged children, Bob and Marley. She enjoys reading books written by African Americans–with her favorite genre being romance. She is a die heart Chicago sports fan. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, basketball, biking, binge-watching her favorite TV shows, and of course, cuddling up with a good book!

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Rainbow Review:

Rainbow is a short and sweet story about accepting yourself and finding love, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The highlight of the story is in the characters. Taylor is the star of the show. I loved her from the first page and could relate to whatever she went through. It is always a challenge to accept yourself and come out when you are part of a group and on the limelight. The author writes the emotions of the characters very well that you can connect to. Melony is also interesting and I felt for her too. It is not easy being in the receiving end, and I thought the characters were portrayed realistically. Moreover, Taylor and Melony are so good together. I loved the way they meet up for movie dates and get to know each other.

However, I really wished the story was bigger and detailed. I loved reading the story but felt it just went by so quickly. It would have been nice to add more details like how everyone in the team reacted to Taylor. Also, maybe I missed it, but I would have liked to see Taylor’s family reaction to her coming out. Also, I really liked Reggie as a character, even if she appeared for only one or two scenes. It would have been nice to see her be more prominent in the story.

Other than that, this was a beautiful short love story that is worth reading.

Giveaway: Signed Copy of Rainbow (Everyone)

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I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the Rainbow by Verde Arzu Blog Tour hosted by R&R Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

Blog Tour Schedule

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