Staff Picks: Marissa Marsh’s Favorites

Reading Cece’s story reminded me so much of my personal experience growing up as a Black ballet dancer, and Nicole Cuffy writes in a way that is so deeply personal and achingly beautiful. Even if you don’t know much about the ballet world, this debut truly demonstrates the highs and lows of balancing a high-stakes career with complex family and friend relationships, and the intersections of it all as a young Black woman.

I am a huge fan of Jasmine Guillory, and The Proposal is no exception. This book follows freelance writer Nikole Paterson who gets a surprise proposal at a Dodgers game. It sounds like a dream, except the proposal comes from her actor boyfriend who she had only been dating for 5 months, and he also happened to spell her name wrong on the JumboTron — yikes! Good thing a handsome doctor named Carlos is there to come to her rescue, and you guessed it, this won’t be the last time Nik and Carlos see each other. This contemporary romance is perfect in my eyes and a must-read for rom-com fans.