Rating: 4.75 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Zaire James initially enjoyed jet setting and hobnobbing with his husband. However, as his thirtieth birthday looms closer, Zaire has taken stock of his relationship and discovered that, at best, he and his husband are coasting through the party of life. Longing for a love connection that goes deeper than simply being an “it” couple in the BlaQueer community around LA, he files for divorce. With his newly gained freedom, Zaire begins living it up with dating apps and casual relationships, hoping one will lead to something real. Along the way, he has a few meet-cutes with Kenny Kane, his neighbor across the street.
Despite being not quite forty, Kenny’s list of accomplishments are as impressive as his vision for the future. He recently earned a Ph.D. and quit his university job to strike out as an entrepreneur seeking to create a “university in the community” to help marginalized groups reach their potential. But where his professional life seems ripe with possibilities, his personal life is in shambles. For years, Kenny’s attracted men who are no good for him. Most recently, an LA instagram-famous socialite named Brandon-Malik has put his heart through the ringer. When Kenny eventually meets his new neighbor, Zaire, they don’t exactly hit it off, but Kenny’s hopeful a weekend in Palm Springs with Kenny’s best friend and some of Zaire’s friends will bring them closer together. Unfortunately, their chances as a couple are dashed almost as soon as they start—and each seems to hold the other responsible.
Eventually, Zaire and Kenny realize they need to focus on themselves before committing to anyone else. It takes time, patience, and a lot of help from their respective families before they can move on from the past…and hope to build a friendship in the future.
In Case You Forgot was my pick for New-To-Me Author Week for Reading Challenge Month and I was chuffed with the excellent, character-driven story the authors delivered. This story has been a breath of fresh air, far removed from the standard get together and instalove subgenres. Smith and Lamar have created full-bodied prose that conveys these characters and their situations beautifully. The story unfolds from first-person perspective that alternates between Kenny and Zaire (with a few special chunks narrated by some of Zaire’s siblings). Even with so much of the drama that unfolds in both men’s lives being centered on their failed relationships, I thought Smith and Lamar created multifaceted characters who I grew to care about far more than merely whether or not the two MCs would end up coupled together. Kenny was especially relatable for me; he’s highly educated and knows he doesn’t want to work in the ivory tower that is white-centric academia. However, he struggles to get his consulting business off the ground and seemingly lets his dream of a university in the community concept languish. These hurdles seem to be due largely to his preoccupation with a lover who’s dumped him like a box of rocks. I loved being front and center to watch Kenny learn how to deal with the loss (and acknowledge that he is actually way out of his ex’s league). Similarly, Zaire’s story is wrapped up in his own relationship drama as he navigates the monumental shift from married man to singleton.
Apart from the various men Zaire and Kenny encounter, the book is rich with the experiences and realities Black and Brown people have in contemporary America. From the language used for Kenny’s and Zaire’s narrations, to the characters’ reflections on the fact of living in West LA while Black, the individual lives of these men felt rich with lived experiences. There are some nods to what Smith and Lamar call BlaQueer culture, but apart from the fateful trip to Palm Springs, I got the sense that these characters were more down-to-earth than 24-hour party people. In point of fact, it seems like Zaire and Kenny each come to understand it is the highly public, party-centric lifestyles of their exes that are turn offs for them. I thought this aspect of the story worked as an excellent counterbalance to Kenny’s and Zaire’s on-page struggles with relationships.
The only real criticism I have is in the specific voices for Zaire and Kenny. Specifically, that their narrative voices and family backgrounds felt sufficiently similar that I had to constantly remind myself that Zaire is 30 and getting a divorce, while it is Kenny who is 40 and being played by a fuckboy. The headings clearly state who is the narrator, but even then I found myself having to flip back to reconfirm who was who at first.
Overall, this is an excellent book. I loved the POC cast and the effortless way Smith and Chaz incorporate so much diversity when it comes to the queer community. The MCs are compelling, a great mix of admirable and repellent qualities. For anyone looking for a character-driven story about romance, or readers who enjoy strong POC and Queer representation, this is an excellent title.
This review is part of our Reading Challenge Month for New-to-Me Author Week! Leave a relevant comment below and you will be entered to win a bundle of fabulous books donated by Carina Press! Commenters will also be entered to win one of our three amazing Grand Prize book bundles. You can get more information on our Challenge Month here (including all the contest rules) and more details on New-to-Me Author Week here, including a list of all the books in this week’s prize.Â
I’ll keep an eye out for this one, sounds excellent!
It was a great read! I hope you enjoy it!
I’m always on the lookout for a character-driven story about romance…sign me up!
I really enjoyed this book that has clear romantic themes (and efforts at romance by both MCs) yet it feels like it’s so much more than boy-meet-boy.
Thanks for sharing your review, Camille, as I now know that this is not a book for me. Perhaps if one of the characters was a werewolf or a space alien….
Ahh, yes. This was decidedly not paranormal, more like slice-of-fabulous-life. As I get older, I feel like I appreciate this style of writing and these perspectives more…but a good old shifter novel every once in a while never goes amiss, either 🙂
I am not really sure about this one. It sounds good, but I don’t feel compelled to read it. Maybe I am not in the mood. Anyway, the review is great, thank you Camille!
It was a very good book! But I can understand not being in the mood for a story that’s a bit light on the typical romance and a bit centered on the MCs as individuals rather than as a couple.
It sounds like an excellent book, but at $10, I’ll have to hope that there’s a sale eventually.
It’s sold via Bold Strokes Books and they have several sales a year. It’ll be worthwhile to sign up for their newsletter so you get notification of when a sale happens.
It is an excellent book! If $10 is a bit steep, you can always try your library—interlibrary loans are possible, too, if your own library doesn’t have something!
Thank you for the review. I finished the first paragraph leaning toward thinking this book wasn’t for me but by the end I’m very interested. I’ll put it on my amazon watch list but like Jennifer I’m hoping for a sale
I liked how this story felt bigger than the romances of the main characters—and that the characters themselves had the chops to support it. If you’re really keen on reading, you can probably inquire with your library if they have (or can get) a copy for you!
This sounds like a really interesting book. Thanks for a great review!
It was a great read! I hope you give it a try!
Great review! I liked hearing that this was so character driven, definitely something I’ll be adding to my wish list!
Zaire and Kenny are lovely characters! I really enjoyed how this book includes romance, but doesn’t let that element dictate everything that happens.
Sounds like a book I would enjoy. Thank you for the review!
I hope you give it a try! It was a delightful read!
Ooh, I’d not heard of In Case You Forgot before, but it sounds excellent, something I’d really enjoy. I appreciate the note about the voices. Sometimes that does throw me, when I have to keep reminding myself who’s who because they’re not distinct enough. I’ll keep it in mind. Thank you, Camille!
Excellent review. This sounds like just the sort of book I would like 🙂 Putting it on the list.
Thanks for the review. “This story has been a breath of fresh air, far removed from the standard get together and instalove subgenres.” This is the part of the review that grabs me.
Of course I’ll have to wait for a sale, but it’s definitely on my wish list. 🙂