Guest post written by author Myah Ariel
Myah Ariel’s early love of movies led her from Arkansas to New York City where she studied film at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She went on to earn an MA degree in specialized journalism for the arts from the University of Southern California where she now works as chief program officer of a research center for Black media and social justice.
Releasing on April 16th 2024, When I Think Of You is a sweeping second chance romance from debut author Myah Ariel where the unexpected spark of two former flames may force them to choose between their dreams and each other.
As a nineties kid with an old-soul, I feel like I was destined to become a romance author. Whether I was riding in the backseat of my mom’s station wagon belting out to R&B icons like Mary J. Blige and Toni Braxton or getting dressed for school with the antics of Hillman College’s coeds as background noise–I’ve grown up surrounded by potent illustrations of Black Love. Naturally, when I sat down to write my first book, When I Think of You–which is itself a romance novel about making a romance film–I wanted to create something that felt just like the Black love stories that made me a hopeless romantic in the first place. One that evoked the chemistry and longing my favorite artists sang about, and that featured the vibrantly authentic characters that have been immortalized in movies and on TV. In that same spirit, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite romance novels written by Black authors, and the classic films and TV shows to pair them with based on vibes alone.
Vibe: When you find ‘the one’ but seemingly never at the right time…
Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan & Sylvie’s Love (Film, Dir. Eugene Ashe, 2020)
Read this contemporary romance that features a seering take on the childhood friends to lovers trope which brings us on an angst-filled journey of two soulmates with the worst timing–much like the gorgeously lyrical film Sylvie’s Love which, set in the 1960’s, highlights a “right person-wrong time” connection between a deeply conflicted woman who is soon to be wed and the jazz musician who swept her off her feet.
Vibe: When the world is harsh but in each other, you find a soft place to land…
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams & Poetic Justice (Film, Dir. John Singleton, 1993)
Read this second-chance love story about two tortured novelists who reunite after spending years calling out their unresolved passions for each other through their art. Then watch this West Coast road trip flick which chronicles a romance marked by vulnerability between a talented poet and hairstylist played by the Janet Jackson and an aspiring musician played by Tupac Shakur in his prime.
Vibe: When college provides a vivid backdrop for self-exploration with a test-run for the real world…
Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola & A Different World (TV Show, Created by Bill Cosby, 1987-1993)
Read this contemporary romance which centers an outspoken college radio host who doles out dating advice to her Black women cohorts only to find herself embroiled in a very inconvenient situationship with her campus’ biggest f-boy. Then watch the canon television series that follows the exploits of students at Hillman College, a fictionalized HBCU, and produced one of the most pleasantly surprising and iconic “opposites attract” TV couples of all time.
Vibe: When a shared passion forges a connection you can’t shake…
The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest & Brown Sugar (Film, Dir. Rick Famuyiwa, 2002)
Read this dreamy epistolary romance between two New Yorkers who eventually learn they have more in common than a deep appreciation for books. Then watch this timeless romcom starring Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs whose mutual affinity for Hip Hop sealed their friendship in childhood, but eventually blossomed into something else entirely–which neither one of them could deny.
Vibe: When the attraction burns brighter than all the reasons why this should never happen…
The Art of Scandal by Regina Black & Scandal (TV Show, Created by Shonda Rhimes, 20012-2018)
Read this sizzling contemporary romance about a woman who, fed up with her role as political trophy-wife to her philandering husband, finds an all-consuming connection with a younger artist who sees beyond the appearances she’s kept so well. Then watch (or binge, let’s be real) this gripping TV drama about brilliantly devious political fixers and the radioactively scandalous, yet wholly undeniable forbidden romance at its center.
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert & Rye Lane (Film, Dir. Raine Allen-Miller, 2023)
Read this deliciously humorous and heartfelt romantic comedy between a jaded academic and a brooding ex-athlete who enter a fake relationship only to find something all too real. Then watch Raine Allen-Miller’s feature debut which puts a vivid and stylized spin on the timeless fake-dating trope, by following a down on his luck, just-dumped Dom and the vibrant Yas, who draws him out of his shell while nursing her own broken heart.
Vibe: When getting away means finding yourself in the eyes of someone you didn’t know you were searching for…
Only for the Week by Natasha Bishop & How Stella Got Her Groove Back (Film, Dir. Kevin Rodney Sullivan, 1998)
Read this viscerally escapist sensation about finding love where you least expect it– at your sister’s tropical destination wedding– to your ex, and the life-affirming connections that can take you by surprise. Then watch the classic age-gap romance between the one and only Angela Bassett, and Taye Diggs, who meet on the beaches of Jamaica and spark a passionate, if unlikely, romance that tilts both their worlds on end.
Vibe: When what sets you apart, actually makes you perfect for each other…
Pride & Protest by Nikki Payne & Something New (Film, Dir. Sanaa Hamri, 2006)
Read this brilliantly remixed Pride & Prejudice retelling about an activist DJ, fighting to save her neighborhood, and the well-intentioned billionaire who’s family business is primed to run afoul of everything she stands for. Then watch this nuanced interracial romance starring Sanaa Lathan and Simon Baker, whose characters perform the delicate, sometimes awkward, and often vulnerable dance of falling in love, authentically, across differences.
