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.
Synopsis:
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.
This is definitely Love and Basketball (Dir. Gina Prince-Blythewood, 2000).
There are huge differences between the movie and Rainbow, such as they are not childhood friends, they are not heterosexuals, and Melony does not play basketball. (laugh) What they have in common is that I love both of these titles and I do not like basketball. (laugh)
I wish another cover had been done because I am picturing a basketball in a bed with rumpled sheets, lace panties, and a pair of basketball shorts crumpled on them. Though I would not say no to two ladies in the sheets with these items on the bed too. I think more readers would realize that this is a New Adult Romance with a different cover.
Verde Arzu writes a difficult coming out story for Taylor as she is just trying to succeed on her own merit without fighting anymore obstacles than she already is. I love Taylor. I am withholding an opinion on Melony…let me know how you feel about her after you read the story.
This is a great romance as it showcases love, dedication, and drive plus the struggle in-between as to what is important to fight for at the end of the day. Arzu does not take any shortcuts and does not give any easy answers. This is a HFN story, so no worries about a sad ending.
I look forward to reading the next book by Verde Arzu, she’s on my author read list.
I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.
Rainbow by Verde Arzu is a coming-of-age queer love story — plus, you could win a signed copy in the giveaway!
Thank you to Shannon of R&R Book Tours for sending me a free copy of Rainbow in return for an honest review.
Rainbow follows Taylor, a college student who only has time for basketball and studying in her life. She dreams of one day playing in the WNBA. But that all changes on a student union trip to Washington DC to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March. Taylor meets Melody, and this changes her whole life and world view.
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My review
The start of the story describes Taylor’s trip to Washington, DC, and her anger — two months before, Hurricane Katrina has destroyed the city of New Orleans, and the Black community were left to deal with the aftermath alone. On the bus ride there, Taylor sits next to Melody, who is friendly and outgoing, and already knows Taylor’s basketball stats off by heart.
I really enjoyed this coming out tale. The story is told from Taylor’s point of view as she struggles with her internal conflict about her sexuality. She is worried about being judged for being gay, that her family, friends and teammates will disown her. That if she goes public about her sexuality, she will be subject to cruel rumours and that it will affect her chances to join the WNBA. She also hasn’t been honest with herself — she refuses to believe that she could be gay or what that future might look like. Or even accept the possibility that maybe, things wouldn’t be as bad as she believes.
I’d always wondered what kind of girl I would date if I could. But I never acted on those yearnings; I was too afraid of being alienated for being gay. I listened to conversations some of my teammates had with each other about what people said about them, the kinds of rumours that spread once people found out they were gay. Half the time they laughed it off because of how ridiculous they were, but I was mortified at the thought of people talking about me in that way.
Throughout the story, Taylor’s concerns affect her life more and more — and ultimately the message is about acceptance and being true to yourself. While this story is only short, it has a big impact and I think it’s one that a lot of people will be able to relate to.
In addition, I really liked that the chapters are all basketball themed (Chapter One is called Pregame, Chapter Two is Second Quarter, and so on). There are also sketches and poetry at the start of each chapter which add a nice extra touch to the story.
Dash Fan Book Reviews
My Review
3.5☆ A Compelling YA LGBTQ Love Story
Taylor and Melony had a connection the minute they sat next to each other on the school bus.
Taylor knew she liked Melony, so why did she find it so hard to tell her she was gay and attracted to her.
But Melony already knew, so that night they shared their first kiss, the passion just felt right.
If only Taylor would let her guard down and commit her actual feelings to Melony instead of hiding and making Melony feel
like just a hook up, and when Taylor could fit her in.
You see Taylor ate, slept and breathed basketball. Her goal was to become the very best, train all the time, and she had no room in her life for distractions, especially ones that made her feel the way Melony made her feel!
But Taylor just can’t commit to Melony the way she wants her to.
Can Taylor let her guard down and admit her feelings to herself or is it all too late?
At first I really enjoyed this heartwarming coming of age/ coming out love story, and I enjoyed watching Taylor grow as a person.
But then the story sort of hit a bump for me and it felt rushed to the end.
Yes the story was tied up nicely, but it felt like because this was a Novella not enough went into finishing the story.
There was so much more that could of been developed, which was a shame as I wanted more.
The characters were as I expected, complex, a little frustrating at times but well written.
Overall Rainbow is a compelling and endearing love story, that deals with teenage angst, first love, coming out, self acceptance, self discovery, secrets and juggling life, sport and love.
A great Novella, I just wish it was longer as I wanted more. Definitely looking forward to reading more from Verde Arzu.
https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2020/08/blog-tour-rainbow.html#more
Review: by Author & Blogger, Jessica Belmont
Rainbow is everything I hoped and more. What an inspiring novella. I’ve been really wanting to find a representative story, and Rainbow was offered through my email. I absolutely adore this story and I’m giving it 5 stars even though it deserves more!
This is a queer, coming of age story that is wonderfully written. Taylor is a perfectly relatable character. I was immediately connected to her and I loved learning more about her.
I wanted this to be longer because I absolutely didn’t want the story to end. Highly recommended! Don’t miss out!
Rating:
5/5☆
*I received a free copy of this book from R&R Book Tours in exchange for an honest review on the blog tour. All opinions are my own and unbiased.*
Cup of Books
Book Review
I really enjoyed how Rainbow was written, it kept the book flowing so well that I managed to read this in one sitting. Verde Arzu is an exceptionally great author who really knows how to engage her audience with her words.
This book is about two college students who meet during a trip organised by their black student union from college to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Million Man March. It’s about self-acceptance and finding themselves on a path to start a relationship together. I loved how realistic this story was and enjoyed learning about Taylor and Melony, and following them on their journey together.
I thought the cute drawings and passages of a poem at the end of each chapter was a really lovely touch to this novella. Also, I liked how each chapter was divided my basketball play, which you soon come to realise that basketball is a big part of Taylor’s story.
I understand that this is a novella, however I wish Rainbow was a longer story, as there were times throughout reading it that I thought that happened a little too fast or that I wish they’d go into more detail in some parts, especially the intimate scenes between Taylor and Melony, there’s something so beautiful when an author describes intimate scenes in detail.
This queer novella had a really insightful look into the struggles that some LGBTQ+ women go through when they find themselves, but are afraid of what others will say, react or the actions that they will take against them. I find this really saddening to know that so many people around the world go through this time in their lives where people are still not accepting towards them.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novella and shall definitely be keeping an eye out for more of Arzu’s material in the future!
BookishEnds Review
Rating: 4 Stars
Review
“What was the point of going to marches, yelling and screaming and crying at the injustice, if I wasn’t going to come back and fight for myself?”
Taylor
I love how social issues were at the forefront of Rainbow and impacted the way that Taylor and Melony operated in the world and with each other. Their Blackness was just as important as their sexuality and Arzu showed the intersectionality of their identities so well. Melony was headstrong and wasn’t afraid to ask for what she wanted. Taylor was more timid and didn’t want to rock boat which made her suppress a part of herself. Taylor was so focused on the wrong things, and I just wanted to shake her sometimes to make her realize that she just as important as her goals. I think her caring about getting into the WNBA was great, but when you start hiding your emotions and feelings until you get to your breaking point, you’re not handling them well.
I also loved the idea that you can have a whole community behind you, but you have
to accept them and want to be open with them. It’s not good to keep parts of yourself hidden to everyone, so finding those people who will love the authentic you is so important, and I thought it was great how that was highlighted in the novella. As someone who has a fear of rejection, I really related to Taylor’s struggles with expressing her identity and feelings towards Melony. I also enjoyed how the novella was divided into quarters and the way basketball was central to the story. I love the film Love & Basketball, so getting to read what feels like a queer companion to that was so cool. Overall, I thought this story contained equally moving and funny parts, and I very much enjoyed Arzu’s writing.
Rainbow Review
By: Rajiv
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.
