I Am Not Your Baby Mother: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

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The books featured on this site are aimed primarily at readers aged 13 or above and therefore you must be 13 years or over to sign up to our newsletter. The murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993 and the many other knife crime incidents since then, some of which don’t even get reported put into perspective how serious knife crime is and that awareness needs to be raised throughout communities to help bring this to an end. First off, the execution when it comes to the reality of being a black teen in UK, from south London gets a 5 star alone. It’s something else that is inevitable and Candice details how sometimes you may never let go of your grief.

Along with this, her explorations on grief, relationships and young love make this a well rounded novel and a great first step into fiction for her. Candice started blogging about motherhood in 2016 after making the simple but powerful observation that the way motherhood is portrayed in the British media is wholly unrepresentative of our society at large. A sharp and funny YA love story that explores themes of race, class and the complexities of growing up as a black British teen, from Sunday Times best-selling author Candice Brathwaite, author of I Am Not Your Baby Mother. I could really go on about how Instagram are doing a disservice to small bloggers and creatives but I won’t.It’s a soul-wrenching moment of realising that love is timeless and the reason why grief doesn’t leave. It also does a great job of talking about knife crime and the effects this has not only personally but culturally too but it is down subtley and really well. When Cynthia discovers a shocking secret about one of the brothers her whole new life begins to unfold once again. Although it’s aimed at a younger audience, I still found the story to be interesting, gripping and heartwarming.

I will push it aside to let the other person know that although I’m hurt or angry, I still love them. Brathwaite also does not hold back in the searing depiction of classism and racism that defines much of the narrative. Cynthia wants to follow her own heart and balance her own feelings with the pressure from her parents. It was eye opening and a must read for anyone who wants a hard dose of reality mixed with the kind of storytelling that draws you in so much so that you don’t want it to end, as painful as it can sometimes be.Unfortunately, the pacing felt a little off, and the last few chapters happened way too quickly - it seemed a bit rushed and as a result, the closure/ ambiguity was less effective than it could have been, in my opinion.