Come Close: A Romance Novella

by Felicia Pride

A second-chance, later-in-life romance...

After years toiling in Hollywood, fortysomething Amaya Ellis is finally directing her first feature film in her hometown, unexpectedly reuniting her with Kyrie Tate, her high school sweetheart, whom she hasn't seen in decades. He wasn't just the one. He was the standard.

But ambitions, dreams, and the world got in the way and their relationship fell apart. They lost touch. Moved on. Or so they thought.

As fate brings them together, they relive their own movie of their past love, and find themselves creating a new story.

Genres: Romance, Fiction

113 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 13, 2025

About the author

Felicia Pride is a writer, literacy advocate, and hip-hop baby. Shes the author of the forthcoming books: The Message: 100 Life Lessons from Hip-Hops Greatest Songs (Thunders Mouth Press, October 2007); Everybody Hates First Girlfriends (Simon & Schuster, September 2007), a chapter book in the book series based on the award-winning television show Everybody Hates Chris; and coauthor of the young adult anthology Hallway Diaries (Harlequin/Kimani Tru, September 2007).

Felicia is also the book blogger for AOL Black Voices book blog, More than Words, a frequent contributor to Publishers Weekly and the managing editor of Mosaic literary magazine. Shes also the founder of BackList (www.thebacklist.net), an organization dedicated to keeping books in style. Her writing about hip-hop, books, publishing, and pop culture has appeared in various publications including VIBE, PopMatters, and the Baltimore City Paper. As a literacy advocate, Felicia has been an invited speaker at various publishing and literary panels. She also conducts publishing workshops to empower emerging writers and serves on the board for the Literary Freedom Project. She has a M.A. in writing and publishing from Emerson College.

Visit her online at www.feliciapride.com. "

Reviews

['The Book Queen' · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.8 Stars

The story was good. It was obvious the author had a screen writing background experience. The book sounded like a television show, or a movie. The characters were likable, and the plot was pretty good. The pacing in the story slowed a good bit at the end, but the story was a solid read. 4.85 stars.

[JazzReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

just ok

This novella was just ok. I like the overall theme and plot of the book. I wanted more romance elements. Overall just ok for me.

[RChelle Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amaya is at the top of her game after years of making a name for herself as one of Hollywood’s in-demand directors. She’s landed a multi-million dollar film deal, and while she’s on cloud 9 about the professional accomplishment, she’s dreading her return home to Baltimore, where he is.

Kyrie never forgot her- in fact, he’s followed her career every step of the way, wishing he’d had the courage to pursue his dreams like Amaya. Sure, he’s found love again and is running one of the most successful contracting businesses in the city- it’s nothing without her.

Two aching hearts in the same city are bound to find each other, right?

This was an engaging, fun novella that held my attention and even made me shed a tear. If you enjoy a 2nd chance, mature romance, add this to your list.

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can we have this on film?

I don't usually like novellas, because they're often too short to fully immerse me in the world. Felicia wrote this so beautifully that 20% in, I knew I'd love it. Your heart will break for Amaya and Kyrie. You'll love, laugh, and grow with them. Even with such a short time to do so, the author handles flashback scenes in a way that doesn't feel rushed. It's clear that Felicia knows how to build a world. Now I'm on a mission to convince her (no, she doesn't know me lol) to give us this universe on film. I know it would be beautiful.

[Rhetoreecal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Come Close was a nice quick palate cleanser. I always enjoy the second-chance romance trope. That said, this novella felt more like a screenplay than a novel which isn’t a bad thing especially given the author’s screenwriting background. I just found myself wishing for more depth and a stronger romantic arc. I want to swoon more. This story could have benefited from being a full-length novel or even better, a movie.

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novella started out slow. A lot of the 109 pages talked about the protagonist struggle to arrive in her current stage of her career. When the past and the present merged, is when the book took off. I found myself smiling at the novella, talking to the novella, and doing a little shimmy dance in my seat. It is a good read that could have been a great read.

[Tomorrow Mims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this.

I thought I would be disappointed since it was so short but I am happy I finally read this! It was BEAUTIFUL!! I am a sucker for a happy ending! ❤️🥹

[Marisha M Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winner

This book was well written and thought out. It grabbed my attention and kept it throughout the entire read. Need more of her work.