Teenage Love Affair
By: Ni-Ni Simone
*****
This is Ni-Ni Simone’s fourth novel and by far her best. The novel begins with characters Zsa-Zsa, Asha, Courtney and Malachi in June of 2004. Zsa-Zsa is living two different lives between school and home. At school she has Malachi professing his love for her and begging her to be his girl, but at home it’s a completely different story. On Friday nights when her dad is drunk he comes home beating his wife, in front of their children Zsa-Zsa and her younger sister Hadiah. When the beatings would occur, Zsa-Zsa and her sister would sneak upstairs to Malachi’s house and spend the night there, until Malachi moved away.
The story picks up in 2009 and Zsa-Zsa is now seventeen. She thinks her life is perfect. She has her best friends Asha and Courtney by her side, and her so-called wonderful boyfriend Ameen. In the beginning Ameen seems to be a great guy, until his temper starts to flare and Zsa-Zsa finds herself in an abusive relationship, but she too is in denial like her mother. While out with Ameen, Zsa-Zsa sees a familiar face she hasn’t seen in awhile. It’s Malachi! While Zsa-Zsa is overjoyed, Ameen becomes jealous and his jealousy turns into anger. Zsa-Zsa is starting to take the same beatings her mother had taken and is doing nothing about it. Malachi wants to pick up where they left off before he moved away but Zsa-Zsa is in “love” with Ameen.
I gave Teenage Love Affair 5 stars because it’s a great story on love. Teenage Love Affair is also a story on abusive relationships. Ni-Ni Simone does a great job of exploring these topics and making them relatable to teenagers that could be in the same situation. If you are a fan of the Bluford High series, you will LOVE Ni-Ni Simone’s Teenage Love Affair.
This is Ni-Ni Simone’s fourth novel and by far her best. The novel begins with characters Zsa-Zsa, Asha, Courtney and Malachi in June of 2004. Zsa-Zsa is living two different lives between school and home. At school she has Malachi professing his love for her and begging her to be his girl, but at home it’s a completely different story. On Friday nights when her dad is drunk he comes home beating his wife, in front of their children Zsa-Zsa and her younger sister Hadiah. When the beatings would occur, Zsa-Zsa and her sister would sneak upstairs to Malachi’s house and spend the night there, until Malachi moved away.
The story picks up in 2009 and Zsa-Zsa is now seventeen. She thinks her life is perfect. She has her best friends Asha and Courtney by her side, and her so-called wonderful boyfriend Ameen. In the beginning Ameen seems to be a great guy, until his temper starts to flare and Zsa-Zsa finds herself in an abusive relationship, but she too is in denial like her mother. While out with Ameen, Zsa-Zsa sees a familiar face she hasn’t seen in awhile. It’s Malachi! While Zsa-Zsa is overjoyed, Ameen becomes jealous and his jealousy turns into anger. Zsa-Zsa is starting to take the same beatings her mother had taken and is doing nothing about it. Malachi wants to pick up where they left off before he moved away but Zsa-Zsa is in “love” with Ameen.
I gave Teenage Love Affair 5 stars because it’s a great story on love. Teenage Love Affair is also a story on abusive relationships. Ni-Ni Simone does a great job of exploring these topics and making them relatable to teenagers that could be in the same situation. If you are a fan of the Bluford High series, you will LOVE Ni-Ni Simone’s Teenage Love Affair.
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