Having to be born in a place where gun and knife crime is something that bound to happen to the youngsters, Cynthia’s father is determine to change their future by moving out. You take your whole self to work because no limb nor pound of flesh will be considered too different, too black, too strange. I’m sure many Caribbean children can relate with how open their grandparents and parents are when talking about it.

London is all Cynthia knows, but a traumatic incident means her family relocate to the middle of nowhere leaving Cynthia feeling adrift. It was so evident that this book was written by someone much, much older with not much sense of modern youthfulness and their interaction. As she reckons with race, class, love, knife crime, prejudice and racism she handles every page in her stunning way. Would recommend for young Black girl teens to read too, the reality is the world that we live in is not trying to change at a pace that makes real change visible, in some ways it's important to know what could potentially lie ahead if you are not open or willing to do what is necessary to change the narrative for yourself and those around you. Chelsea Watego’s book was an eye-opener in this regard for me and I look forward to your comments when it reaches the top of your TBR.This was a sharp and funny fascinating look at what it is to be a black teenager in Britain today and looked at issues such as race, identity and who someone is in themselves, their school, their surroundings and their family, ethnicity and class. For 220 pages Cynthia explores the most romantic love story, I just knew something was going to blow it up but MAN, that twist at the end slapped. It’s a soul-wrenching moment of realising that love is timeless and the reason why grief doesn’t leave. but if I'd had this as a teen, it would have been a 4 0r 5 stars, so it's hard to do a simple star rating. London is everything to Cynthia, so when her parents move her to a place where there is only one bus an hour and the faint smell of horse manure continuously permeates the air, it's a culture shock, to say the least.

She is also the founder of Make Motherhood Diverse – an online initiative that aims to ensure many more mothers see themselves reflected online – and a hugely popular influencer. Cuts Both Ways tells the story of Cynthia- a 16-year-old from South London who just moved to Buckinghamshire with her parents following the tragic loss of her brother. Written in Candice's trademark straight-talking, warm and funny style, it will delight her fans, old and new. This is a story about loss, longing and reconciling the person you thought you knew with the reality. She expects to be the only black girl there but is surprised to meet Isaac, brother of the head boy.I found myself nodding, holding my chest, laughing and getting worked up in recognition of how honest it was.

The following extract comes from Candice Brathwaite's highly anticipated second book, Sista Sister, a compilation of essays about all the things Candice wishes someone had talked to her about when she was a young Black girl growing up in London. Even though Winter’s story was based miles away, as young black girls raised in south London, many of us felt like we had elements of Winter within us. It’s so easy to close yourself off to people when you’ve been hurt so many times, whether it’s by family, friends or even a significant other.

Set in London and a small town outside London, this story follows a young Black girl and her family as they deal with the aftermath of a devastating event. There she meets Issac, another black student who also comes from South London and shares the same sentiment for home as she does. 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. continuously throughout the book i found myself laughing out loud, due to the dialogue being so familiar to me, it was just funny actually seeing it written in a book🤣. Motherhood is a predominantly white space and it needed diversity…so a voice that would speak up for the minority that are often overlooked, judged and victims of horrific experiences within the NHS, was incredibly important.