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Genevieve Francis, a 25-year-old Black reporter, assumed she’d go into her fourth year at her newspaper job with a bigger story than the latest seasonal ice cream flavor. Instead, she’s relegated to doing copyedits and sensitivity reads on the articles her white colleagues write. So when Gen finally gets the opportunity to cover a prominent CEO’s gala, she leaps at the chance—this will be her biggest assignment to date. The only problem: The CEO is her ex, Jude, whose marriage proposal she publicly rejected four years prior.
Following their awkward run-in, Jude personally requests Gen to write the first-ever authorized profile of him. The potential for scandal, if anyone digs into their past, is high, but Gen decides to risk it—if she proves herself with this profile, it could jumpstart her dream of writing articles centered on Black voices. But between the racist backlash from her colleagues and her conflicting feelings toward her ex, Gen soon realizes she’s in way over her head. And it may be more than just her career on the line.
Timely and thoughtful, this energetic debut explores what it means to believe in your future when everyone and everything is working against you.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
May 7, 2024 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781639106943
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781639106943
- File size: 897 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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March 15, 2024
As Travis' debut opens, Gen Francis goggles as her longtime boyfriend, Jude, kneels to propose--graveside--at his father's funeral. While she can't accept in a situation like that, she tells him she needs more time. But then he never calls her again, and Gen is heartbroken. Fast-forward to four years later, when Jude is the CEO of his father's company and Gen is a reporter at the Sykeswood Tribune. Gen is treated like a token there, but leaving would cost her a paycheck. One evening, all the young white reporters are out sick, so Gen is sent to cover a gala fundraiser, where she runs into Jude. Still reeling from the way he ghosted her, Gen is confused when he asks her to write a profile of him for the Tribune. The article could finally bring her into the public eye, but does she need Jude's white saviorism? Gen is an authentic protagonist caught in the crosshairs of her racist employer, her love for Jude, and her dedication to her career. Readers will root for her through every page.COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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March 15, 2024
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.COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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