LOVE IN 280 CHARACTERS OR LESS

A teen embarks on a journey of self-discovery and new love in college.

Eighteen-year-old Sydney Ciara Warren is a Black girl who’s just started her first year at Coastal Virginia University. She loves fashion and writing and has her own blog where she shares her opinions and style tips. Syd left everything familiar from back home behind in Chesapeake, Virginia, including her best friend, Malcolm, who’s attending Piedmont University. Now she has to make new friends and choose her major; her lawyer mom wants her to choose a prelaw track, but Syd is considering other paths, like English, sociology, and fashion writing. She takes to Twitter, where she finds potential friends who attend CVU—and even a new crush. But while browsing graphic novels and manga, she meets Xavier, a Black guy from Washington, D.C., who becomes her first boyfriend. Syd navigates both the real and the digital worlds as she tries to figure out her own path in life. Stringfield pulls readers in through Syd’s engaging first-person voice and her interactions with the diverse supporting characters. The story is told through varied formats—including blog posts, texts, news stories, and tweets—helping to sustain readers’ interest. Syd comes across as a fully formed character with concerns, anxieties, doubts, and desires that many readers will find relatable.

A charming and romantic coming-of-age story that speaks to both contemporary and evergreen issues.