Review of Here & Now
Posted: 30 Jun 2021, 12:44
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Here & Now" by Jarius Hunt.]
Michael is a realtor and has no time for love. However, he does wonder what it would feel like to have someone to go home to. He has tried dating apps and websites, but they were not for him. He is black and was raised by an authoritarian military dad who was strict. Rachel is the white owner of the nightclub, The Dock, and was raised by parents who only cared if she got home on time. Online dating is not for her. Her best friend is Chris, a black woman who loves learning about other cultures. She is always setting Rachel up with dates, but they never work out. Chris wants to introduce Rachel to Michael because she thinks they are perfect for each other. Chris knows Michael through a youth mentoring center they both volunteer at. Chris and Rachel are both activists and allies in the Black Lives Matter movement. Rachel and Michael reluctantly agree to meet each other at The Dock. They hit it off talking to each other before they realize they are each other's date. They discover they have the same taste in music. However, other than music, they live completely opposite lives. Her apartment is bohemian and messy; his apartment is luxurious with everything in its place and sterile. Can two people from different cultures find love? Or, are there differences that will tear them apart? You will have to read the book to find out.
The book, Here & Now by Jarius Hunt, has many positive aspects. Jarius Hunt has done his research and was able to develop all of the characters fully. His knowledge of the Black Lives Movement, slave life on a cotton plantation during the Civil War era, and the differences in the culture of New York versus that in a small town in Georgia is amazing. I could sense the atmosphere in a New York nightclub, a highrise apartment, and a bed and breakfast establishment in a small town. I could see the difference between the house the plantation owners lived in and the slaves' shacks. I could feel the emotions of Rachel and Michael as they looked at the differences and noted that even during current times, the plantation mansion was well taken care of and ready for visitors compared to the slave shacks that did not have plagues or anything to tell the public about the starvation, abuse, and death of the slaves.
The only thing I disliked in this book was the bigotry and racism, but that is what made the story. Sometimes the truth is hard to read and swallow. But paraphrasing what Jarius Hunt stated, no one is responsible for the past because the past can not be changed, but the present can be changed.
A professional editor has exceptionally edited this 105-page error-free book. I can not think of one reason not to give this action-packed, fast-paced, well-written book less than 4 out of 4 stars.
I recommend this book to adult readers who enjoy romantic tales that cross over different cultures and books about the Civil War era or the Black Lives Matter movement. I do not recommend this book to younger readers because of the descriptive sex scenes and non-borderline profanity. I do caution sensitive readers that some of the atrocities committed against slaves are explicitly described.
******
Here & Now
View: on Bookshelves
Michael is a realtor and has no time for love. However, he does wonder what it would feel like to have someone to go home to. He has tried dating apps and websites, but they were not for him. He is black and was raised by an authoritarian military dad who was strict. Rachel is the white owner of the nightclub, The Dock, and was raised by parents who only cared if she got home on time. Online dating is not for her. Her best friend is Chris, a black woman who loves learning about other cultures. She is always setting Rachel up with dates, but they never work out. Chris wants to introduce Rachel to Michael because she thinks they are perfect for each other. Chris knows Michael through a youth mentoring center they both volunteer at. Chris and Rachel are both activists and allies in the Black Lives Matter movement. Rachel and Michael reluctantly agree to meet each other at The Dock. They hit it off talking to each other before they realize they are each other's date. They discover they have the same taste in music. However, other than music, they live completely opposite lives. Her apartment is bohemian and messy; his apartment is luxurious with everything in its place and sterile. Can two people from different cultures find love? Or, are there differences that will tear them apart? You will have to read the book to find out.
The book, Here & Now by Jarius Hunt, has many positive aspects. Jarius Hunt has done his research and was able to develop all of the characters fully. His knowledge of the Black Lives Movement, slave life on a cotton plantation during the Civil War era, and the differences in the culture of New York versus that in a small town in Georgia is amazing. I could sense the atmosphere in a New York nightclub, a highrise apartment, and a bed and breakfast establishment in a small town. I could see the difference between the house the plantation owners lived in and the slaves' shacks. I could feel the emotions of Rachel and Michael as they looked at the differences and noted that even during current times, the plantation mansion was well taken care of and ready for visitors compared to the slave shacks that did not have plagues or anything to tell the public about the starvation, abuse, and death of the slaves.
The only thing I disliked in this book was the bigotry and racism, but that is what made the story. Sometimes the truth is hard to read and swallow. But paraphrasing what Jarius Hunt stated, no one is responsible for the past because the past can not be changed, but the present can be changed.
A professional editor has exceptionally edited this 105-page error-free book. I can not think of one reason not to give this action-packed, fast-paced, well-written book less than 4 out of 4 stars.
I recommend this book to adult readers who enjoy romantic tales that cross over different cultures and books about the Civil War era or the Black Lives Matter movement. I do not recommend this book to younger readers because of the descriptive sex scenes and non-borderline profanity. I do caution sensitive readers that some of the atrocities committed against slaves are explicitly described.
******
Here & Now
View: on Bookshelves