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Malt Shop Milestones #2
Berta’s Bounceback
Malt Shop Milestones, Book Two
Young lives. First loves. And a classic American period enlivened by jukeboxes and chocolate malts.
Sixteen-year-old Berta is usually an upbeat girl, matching the energy of her thriving Black community of West Hill. But this year is proving not to be Berta’s easiest. She’s had to say goodbye to one of her best friends, who’s moved almost halfway across the country. Classes at school are getting harder, making Berta fear that her grades might slip below average.
What’s more, she’s having niggling doubts about her romantic life. There’s a newly arrived family drawing everyone’s curiosity in West Hill, and it looks like the pretty, talented teenage girl from that family has drawn the interest of one person in particular: Howard. Berta’s boyfriend.
Given how worrisome all of this is, what might it take to lift Berta’s morale back to its normal height?
Come along on a memorable milestone journey—here in this nostalgic nod to the bygone era of "malt shop" books.
Young lives. First loves. And a classic American period enlivened by jukeboxes and chocolate malts.
Sixteen-year-old Berta is usually an upbeat girl, matching the energy of her thriving Black community of West Hill. But this year is proving not to be Berta’s easiest. She’s had to say goodbye to one of her best friends, who’s moved almost halfway across the country. Classes at school are getting harder, making Berta fear that her grades might slip below average.
What’s more, she’s having niggling doubts about her romantic life. There’s a newly arrived family drawing everyone’s curiosity in West Hill, and it looks like the pretty, talented teenage girl from that family has drawn the interest of one person in particular: Howard. Berta’s boyfriend.
Given how worrisome all of this is, what might it take to lift Berta’s morale back to its normal height?
Come along on a memorable milestone journey—here in this nostalgic nod to the bygone era of "malt shop" books.
118 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 30, 2025
1 person is currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
Nadine C. Keels
46 books246 followers
Nadine. A French name, meaning, "hope."
Her lifelong passion for the power of story makes reading and writing an adventure for Nadine C. Keels. She’s driven to write the kinds of stories she’s always wanted to read but couldn’t always find, featuring diverse and uncommon lead characters in a medley of genres.
Through her books and her blogs (Prismatic Prospects, Gentle Reads Fiction, and Selectively Gritty Fiction), Nadine aims to spark hope and inspiration in as many people as she can reach.
Her lifelong passion for the power of story makes reading and writing an adventure for Nadine C. Keels. She’s driven to write the kinds of stories she’s always wanted to read but couldn’t always find, featuring diverse and uncommon lead characters in a medley of genres.
Through her books and her blogs (Prismatic Prospects, Gentle Reads Fiction, and Selectively Gritty Fiction), Nadine aims to spark hope and inspiration in as many people as she can reach.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 24, 2025
“Sometimes you’ve got to get by yourself, look yourself in the mirror, and know who you are.”
Berta was a fun part of Vicky’s Victory, and I enjoyed getting to know her then as one of Vicky’s best friends. But I really loved spending time with her as the star of her own story in Berta’s Bounceback, the second book in Nadine C. Keels’ young adult 1950s malt shop romance series. Berta is a typical teenage girl, no matter the era – she loves listening to music and hanging out with her bestie and her boyfriend, enjoys being a big sister some days and other days not so much, struggles with her grades, misses her friend Evie who moved away, , and worries that she’s nothing special. But at her core she has a gift for truly seeing people and helping them feel at ease, and I so appreciated all the little ways she does so in this story.
The endearing flashback to her meet-cute with Howard is one such example and really made me smile. Oh Howard! His first few conversations with Berta were adorably full of nervous stumbles that won my heart, and if that hadn’t worked he would have for sure earned my fondness when he becomes an uncle for the first time. I basically just grinned every time he was in a scene because he’s just so sweet and good and cutely awkward. In some ways, he’s similar to Vicky’s boyfriend Willie when it comes to his shyness but in other ways he’s very much a distinct personality from the football player. Watching all these friends – and a new one – interact together was a lot of fun too, and one of my very fave parts of the book involved the whole group in the kitchen getting snacks. Keels excelled at pacing the snappy dialogue in this scene to create the feeling of a delightfully chaotic whirl of conversation (think the family dinner scene in While You Were Sleeping, but with teenagers) that … you guessed it… put another big grin on my face.
While Berta’s Bounceback is a fairly lighthearted and gentle read, that doesn’t mean that it’s without depth. I first heard about the ‘malt shop romance’ genre, popular among teens in the 40s-60s, when reading author Nadine C. Keels’ explanation of it in reference to why she wrote Vicky’s Victory – the first book in this fun series. And I said at the time that I’m so glad Keels is writing malt shop fiction featuring Black characters as vibrant protagonists instead of just side characters who were so often relegated to stereotypical (and seldom flattering) portrayals in this genre. I mention it again because… well, firstly because I still believe it… and because it relates to a meaningful theme in Berta’s Bounceback – knowing who you are and believing you were ‘put on this earth as rightfully as anybody’, regardless of what anyone else says or thinks. These words from Berta’s wise mom serve as an important reminder for Berta in the midst of the insecurities she faces in this novel, but they also reflect how Berta makes other people feel, and I absolutely loved this poignancy.
Bottom Line: Berta’s Bounceback by Nadine C. Keels immerses readers into an era of malt shops, jukeboxes, football games, and a brand new thing called television. This young adult romance delivers the right combination of entertainment, wit, romance, and history from the perspective of a Black teenager in post-WW2 America. I loved getting to know Berta and Howard better, as well as seeing Vicky and Willie and Bam again – and meeting the new addition to the neighborhood who had a distinct impact on this story and will be the focus of the third book in the series. More than that though, I appreciated Keels’ perspective on the importance of Black history and representation, and I thought she did a great job of weaving it naturally and winsomely into the layers of Berta’s story. Already looking forward to book three!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower
Berta was a fun part of Vicky’s Victory, and I enjoyed getting to know her then as one of Vicky’s best friends. But I really loved spending time with her as the star of her own story in Berta’s Bounceback, the second book in Nadine C. Keels’ young adult 1950s malt shop romance series. Berta is a typical teenage girl, no matter the era – she loves listening to music and hanging out with her bestie and her boyfriend, enjoys being a big sister some days and other days not so much, struggles with her grades, misses her friend Evie who moved away, , and worries that she’s nothing special. But at her core she has a gift for truly seeing people and helping them feel at ease, and I so appreciated all the little ways she does so in this story.
The endearing flashback to her meet-cute with Howard is one such example and really made me smile. Oh Howard! His first few conversations with Berta were adorably full of nervous stumbles that won my heart, and if that hadn’t worked he would have for sure earned my fondness when he becomes an uncle for the first time. I basically just grinned every time he was in a scene because he’s just so sweet and good and cutely awkward. In some ways, he’s similar to Vicky’s boyfriend Willie when it comes to his shyness but in other ways he’s very much a distinct personality from the football player. Watching all these friends – and a new one – interact together was a lot of fun too, and one of my very fave parts of the book involved the whole group in the kitchen getting snacks. Keels excelled at pacing the snappy dialogue in this scene to create the feeling of a delightfully chaotic whirl of conversation (think the family dinner scene in While You Were Sleeping, but with teenagers) that … you guessed it… put another big grin on my face.
While Berta’s Bounceback is a fairly lighthearted and gentle read, that doesn’t mean that it’s without depth. I first heard about the ‘malt shop romance’ genre, popular among teens in the 40s-60s, when reading author Nadine C. Keels’ explanation of it in reference to why she wrote Vicky’s Victory – the first book in this fun series. And I said at the time that I’m so glad Keels is writing malt shop fiction featuring Black characters as vibrant protagonists instead of just side characters who were so often relegated to stereotypical (and seldom flattering) portrayals in this genre. I mention it again because… well, firstly because I still believe it… and because it relates to a meaningful theme in Berta’s Bounceback – knowing who you are and believing you were ‘put on this earth as rightfully as anybody’, regardless of what anyone else says or thinks. These words from Berta’s wise mom serve as an important reminder for Berta in the midst of the insecurities she faces in this novel, but they also reflect how Berta makes other people feel, and I absolutely loved this poignancy.
Bottom Line: Berta’s Bounceback by Nadine C. Keels immerses readers into an era of malt shops, jukeboxes, football games, and a brand new thing called television. This young adult romance delivers the right combination of entertainment, wit, romance, and history from the perspective of a Black teenager in post-WW2 America. I loved getting to know Berta and Howard better, as well as seeing Vicky and Willie and Bam again – and meeting the new addition to the neighborhood who had a distinct impact on this story and will be the focus of the third book in the series. More than that though, I appreciated Keels’ perspective on the importance of Black history and representation, and I thought she did a great job of weaving it naturally and winsomely into the layers of Berta’s story. Already looking forward to book three!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower
August 1, 2025
This was such a cute short story/novella! I enjoyed Berta as a character and loved seeing her growth throughout the story. There’s a bit more light-hearted romance this time, which added some extra charm—especially compared to the first book.
Set partly in a 1950s soda shoppe, the setting is super fun, but the story also dives into meaningful themes as it follows a young Black woman finding her strength and navigating life.
I shared more of my thoughts (and some details) on my blog if you’d like to check it out:
📚 https://infusedwithink.blogspot.com/2...
Set partly in a 1950s soda shoppe, the setting is super fun, but the story also dives into meaningful themes as it follows a young Black woman finding her strength and navigating life.
I shared more of my thoughts (and some details) on my blog if you’d like to check it out:
📚 https://infusedwithink.blogspot.com/2...
June 14, 2025
Nadine Keels distinctively writes for both teens and adults to highlight historical norms, particularly in the Black community of the early 1950’s, through her Malt Shop Milestone series. I cannot recommend Berta’s Bounceback enough as a shared family read!
For my full review see Novelsalive.com after the July release. But in the meantime, read Keel’s first in the series- Vicky’s Victory!
For my full review see Novelsalive.com after the July release. But in the meantime, read Keel’s first in the series- Vicky’s Victory!
March 6, 2026
Personal copy
Berta Benson is a high schooler living in Port Milestone in the late 1940s. She's going steady with Howard, with whom she gets along very well. She still loves to work in the Victory Garden that she kept during the war, and there's a lot of excitement because her family has just purchased a television set! Even though there aren't a lot of stations or programs, it's a fascinating new technology, and the neighbors are often invited over to watch. Berta's mother is a seamstress who makes Berta's dresses, but also sews for both Black and white customers. She is very insistent that white customers treat her with respect, and doesn't allow them to call her by her first name, only Mrs. Benson. Her father is a barber whose shop is very popular, and he did not have to fight in the war because his legs are different lengths. Seeing her best friend Vicky's success on the school newspaper makes Berta wonder about her own future. She struggles in school, and doesn't have a career that interests her, so she feels very ordinary. When her neighbor Evie moves away, a new family moves in. Mr. Coleman was raised in the West Hill neighborhood, but it is widely known that he passed as white, fought in the war, and married a Mexican-American woman. This would have been illegal in some parts of the country, and his family struggles to adjust to West Hill. Berta befriends Ari, who is an excellent singer, and invites her over to watch television. She also talks to her parents about inviting the Colemans over to show that they are accepted. Howard confides in Berta that he also sometimes worries that he should have more dreams for his future, but he is happy to pursue a career as a plumber and to eventually have a wife and children, which fits perfectly with Bertas plans. Notes at the end of the book address the way Black people were addressed in demeaning ways by white people, details about how interracial marriage was viewed after the war, and even includes links to a soundtrack online!
https://prismaticprospects.wordpress....
Strengths of the series: The Malt Shop Milestones include all three stories, so I read this as one longer title. I'm an enormous fan of 1950s malt shop titles, and was so excited to come across Ms. Keels' work! She is also a fan of the genre, but was not happy with the lack of Black representation, or worse, negative representation common at the time. She has carefully researched the time period, made delightful romances that include realistic problems, but has also added important context by highlighting Black history in the plots. Vicky, as an aspiring journalist, underlines the importance of preserving stories like the treatment of Black citizens during World War II. Berta's mother refuses to be belittled by her white employers, and the family enjoys popular music by Black artists. Ari's family has to navigate the difficult situations of passing as white and raising an interracial family. The notes at the end of the book address these issues further, and I would love to see Keels write a book about Greenwood, Oklahoma before the horrific racial massacre. There are plenty of details about phone directories and telephone operators, polishing shoes, Kraft television theater, and, of course, Bro Brown's Burgers and Malt, the malt shop of our dreams! Young readers will be thrilled with the gentle romances and the struggles the girls go through to try to plan their paths forward into adulthood. The characters reminded me of the ones in some of my favorite series; Berta would have traded homemaking tips with Dulcie Lungaarde Trighorn from Lenora Mattingly Weber's Beany Malone books, and Vicky and Beany would have bonded over a love of journalism.
Weaknesses of the series: This may be hard for school libraries to include in their collections because the books are over available as paperbacks or e books. Since I read primarily middle grade literature, I wanted more defined plots in all of the stories, but these embrace a more character driven, young adult format. I have a few tiny quibbles; there was not a single sock hop! I had thought that referring to stuffed animals as "stuffies" seemed very modern, but Ms. Keels herself assured me that this term appeared in Ladies' Home Journal in the late 1930s. THAT is a lever of research that I can respect.
What I really think: Traditional publishers are completely missing the boat by not publishing happier historical fiction with characters of color! Romance books are more popular than ever, and the inclusion of Black history alongside positive and sweet teen relationships is the perfect combination.
Along with the Greenwood story, could we also see two star crossed teens from Cleveland, Ohio in 1979 who are involved in the court-ordered school busing of the time? I've been waiting for this book to be written for twenty years!
Berta Benson is a high schooler living in Port Milestone in the late 1940s. She's going steady with Howard, with whom she gets along very well. She still loves to work in the Victory Garden that she kept during the war, and there's a lot of excitement because her family has just purchased a television set! Even though there aren't a lot of stations or programs, it's a fascinating new technology, and the neighbors are often invited over to watch. Berta's mother is a seamstress who makes Berta's dresses, but also sews for both Black and white customers. She is very insistent that white customers treat her with respect, and doesn't allow them to call her by her first name, only Mrs. Benson. Her father is a barber whose shop is very popular, and he did not have to fight in the war because his legs are different lengths. Seeing her best friend Vicky's success on the school newspaper makes Berta wonder about her own future. She struggles in school, and doesn't have a career that interests her, so she feels very ordinary. When her neighbor Evie moves away, a new family moves in. Mr. Coleman was raised in the West Hill neighborhood, but it is widely known that he passed as white, fought in the war, and married a Mexican-American woman. This would have been illegal in some parts of the country, and his family struggles to adjust to West Hill. Berta befriends Ari, who is an excellent singer, and invites her over to watch television. She also talks to her parents about inviting the Colemans over to show that they are accepted. Howard confides in Berta that he also sometimes worries that he should have more dreams for his future, but he is happy to pursue a career as a plumber and to eventually have a wife and children, which fits perfectly with Bertas plans. Notes at the end of the book address the way Black people were addressed in demeaning ways by white people, details about how interracial marriage was viewed after the war, and even includes links to a soundtrack online!
https://prismaticprospects.wordpress....
Strengths of the series: The Malt Shop Milestones include all three stories, so I read this as one longer title. I'm an enormous fan of 1950s malt shop titles, and was so excited to come across Ms. Keels' work! She is also a fan of the genre, but was not happy with the lack of Black representation, or worse, negative representation common at the time. She has carefully researched the time period, made delightful romances that include realistic problems, but has also added important context by highlighting Black history in the plots. Vicky, as an aspiring journalist, underlines the importance of preserving stories like the treatment of Black citizens during World War II. Berta's mother refuses to be belittled by her white employers, and the family enjoys popular music by Black artists. Ari's family has to navigate the difficult situations of passing as white and raising an interracial family. The notes at the end of the book address these issues further, and I would love to see Keels write a book about Greenwood, Oklahoma before the horrific racial massacre. There are plenty of details about phone directories and telephone operators, polishing shoes, Kraft television theater, and, of course, Bro Brown's Burgers and Malt, the malt shop of our dreams! Young readers will be thrilled with the gentle romances and the struggles the girls go through to try to plan their paths forward into adulthood. The characters reminded me of the ones in some of my favorite series; Berta would have traded homemaking tips with Dulcie Lungaarde Trighorn from Lenora Mattingly Weber's Beany Malone books, and Vicky and Beany would have bonded over a love of journalism.
Weaknesses of the series: This may be hard for school libraries to include in their collections because the books are over available as paperbacks or e books. Since I read primarily middle grade literature, I wanted more defined plots in all of the stories, but these embrace a more character driven, young adult format. I have a few tiny quibbles; there was not a single sock hop! I had thought that referring to stuffed animals as "stuffies" seemed very modern, but Ms. Keels herself assured me that this term appeared in Ladies' Home Journal in the late 1930s. THAT is a lever of research that I can respect.
What I really think: Traditional publishers are completely missing the boat by not publishing happier historical fiction with characters of color! Romance books are more popular than ever, and the inclusion of Black history alongside positive and sweet teen relationships is the perfect combination.
Along with the Greenwood story, could we also see two star crossed teens from Cleveland, Ohio in 1979 who are involved in the court-ordered school busing of the time? I've been waiting for this book to be written for twenty years!
July 2, 2025
Berta's Bounceback had me in the feels. Berta is ordinary. She doesn't have a head for school like her friend Vickie or a beautiful singing voice like her friend Ari. What she does have is the capacity to bring people together and make them feel seen; not a gift to be overlooked, even if it often is today.
"If her confidence in herself were to hinge on her boyfriend, needing him to think she was the only attractive or interesting girl alive, who could truly call that self-confidence?"
It was nostalgic in that Berta is learning who she is, and where her confidence should be found; a hint, it's not in what other people assign her worth to be. It's in her sweet moments with Howard as they navigate the awkwardness of first dates and plan a future together, to the in-between times when Berta realizes that it's OKAY to be normal. In fact, being normal is actually lovely.
"Sometimes you've got to get by yourself, look yourself in the mirror, and know who you are."
Nadine C. Keels does a great job in Berta's Bounceback of illustrating how society places expectations on women to be someone "important" and to have a career, especially during the period (Post-WWII) when Berta's Bounceback takes place. Many women truly wanted and looked forward to the time when they could have a husband and kids; their "important" career was to raise a family. Berta's Bounceback takes place right around the time that everything was changing for women. New doors were opening up, and many women were torn between two worlds in a sense.
It was also interesting to gain an accurate perspective from Berta, who is Black, on the changes that were occurring during that time frame. There aren't many books that touch on that, let alone a YA book. I also always appreciate how Nadine C. Keels uses the author notes in the back of the book to provide more in-depth information on some of the elements she discusses in her books.
I know I'm not doing Berta's Bounceback justice. There was a great deal of depth to Berta's thought processes in this story, a wealth of fascinating history, and a story that has some valuable lessons for all ages to remember. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and am eagerly anticipating the next installment of Malt Shop Milestones.
"If her confidence in herself were to hinge on her boyfriend, needing him to think she was the only attractive or interesting girl alive, who could truly call that self-confidence?"
It was nostalgic in that Berta is learning who she is, and where her confidence should be found; a hint, it's not in what other people assign her worth to be. It's in her sweet moments with Howard as they navigate the awkwardness of first dates and plan a future together, to the in-between times when Berta realizes that it's OKAY to be normal. In fact, being normal is actually lovely.
"Sometimes you've got to get by yourself, look yourself in the mirror, and know who you are."
Nadine C. Keels does a great job in Berta's Bounceback of illustrating how society places expectations on women to be someone "important" and to have a career, especially during the period (Post-WWII) when Berta's Bounceback takes place. Many women truly wanted and looked forward to the time when they could have a husband and kids; their "important" career was to raise a family. Berta's Bounceback takes place right around the time that everything was changing for women. New doors were opening up, and many women were torn between two worlds in a sense.
It was also interesting to gain an accurate perspective from Berta, who is Black, on the changes that were occurring during that time frame. There aren't many books that touch on that, let alone a YA book. I also always appreciate how Nadine C. Keels uses the author notes in the back of the book to provide more in-depth information on some of the elements she discusses in her books.
I know I'm not doing Berta's Bounceback justice. There was a great deal of depth to Berta's thought processes in this story, a wealth of fascinating history, and a story that has some valuable lessons for all ages to remember. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and am eagerly anticipating the next installment of Malt Shop Milestones.
June 25, 2025
I'm really enjoying this Malt Shop Milestone series. In book two, we're dealing with Berta, who's starting to wonder if she's too ordinary, and concerned that all of the boys, including her boyfriend Howard, think the new girl who's moved in is pretty. Realistic problems in a realistic setting. At the same time, we get a glimpse of the bigger picture outside Port Milestone.
I appreciate the way the author weaves social issues into the story as an organic part of the whole. I also appreciate the author's notes at the end of the book, explaining some of the issues. The fact that all of this is told through an interesting story with relateable characters? We need more books like this.
I received an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I appreciate the way the author weaves social issues into the story as an organic part of the whole. I also appreciate the author's notes at the end of the book, explaining some of the issues. The fact that all of this is told through an interesting story with relateable characters? We need more books like this.
I received an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews