A Love Like the Sun by Riss M. Neilson

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I read Riss' I'm Not Supposed to Be in the Dark last year and while it was a decent read for me and I liked her writing style I was curious to see how she would do with an older audience. I received a copy of A Love Like the Sun from Berkley in exchange for an honest review.

Best friends Laniah and Issac have kept close over the years so when Issac finds out Laniah's  hair product business is failing he uses his influencer fame to get her brand attention by pretending she's his girlfriend. Suddenly her business is booming and Laniah is having to confront the feelings she's always felt for him. 

Many authors are making the transition from YA to Adult recently but I must admit not many making the transition so seamlessly. Some author's writing styles stay exactly the same and their book ends up feeling like YA with slightly older characters. Romance is a hard genre to stand out in with the constant releases both traditionally and indie, especially when the story is slow burn. But I think Riss' rhythmic writing stands out as well as the authenticity of her characters. The conversations here felt real like I was peaking into these people's lives. There's high sexual tension between Laniah and Issac that just works.

Riss wasn't afraid to have a conversation about her biracial main character being in the natural hair community and how some women might question her credibility when it came to doing 4c hair. She also wasn't afraid to shy away from showing the reality of chronic illness and loosing a parent as well as dealing with a diagnosis. And it's done in a way where it's not the entire focus. So readers get to enjoy the lighter moments and the build up of Laniah and Issac's relationship as they navigate industry events and the expansion of Laniah's business. Since there is actually benefit to keeping up the charade, the fake dating aspect works in this capacity instead of feeling like it was just thrown in to check off trope boxes.