Mackenzie Gresham is a 20-year-old Gen Z baddie with a carefree spirit and an unshakable belief in love. But life hasn’t always been easy. Raised by experience and resilience, Mack has built a soft place to land with the support of her chosen fam, a tight circle of strong, Black women across generations who lift her up and hold her down. Now, she wants to add one more thing to that a lover of her own.
Enter Lena Carter.
Scripted like a box office smash by her big sis Shantal Morgan and backed by the soulful soundtrack of Whitney James, Lena shows up just when Mack is ready to receive the kind of love she’s always imagined. Smooth, stunning, and unlike anyone Mack’s ever known, Lena turns her world upside down in the best kind of way.
As their connection deepens and things get intimate, Lena reveals a truth that hits Mack harder than she expected. A truth that shakes her trust, challenges her beliefs, and forces her to confront some uncomfortable truths of her own.
But Mack isn’t navigating this journey alone.
She’s learning from her chosen
Shantal Morgan, her no-nonsense big sis with a sharp wit, a sharper eye for love, and a heart big enough to carry everyone’s secrets. She sees Mack clearly, and may have seen this love coming all along.
Monica “Money” Kelly, the sharp-tongued attorney and protector of the crew, who always has Mack’s back, and her legal options on speed dial.
Whitney James, the smooth-voiced Christian jazz singer and emotional compass of the crew, always ready with a playlist, a prayer, or a pull-you-together moment when Mack needs it most.
Yvette Leigh-Dixon, the 60-year-old widow-turned-free spirit, whose second chance at love reminds Mack that it’s never too late to live joyfully and boldly.
Layla Joy, an up-and-coming actress in her 30s, glowing in her melanin and exploring her own age-gap romance with Dymon Stud—and owning her spotlight with pride.
Surrounded by women who know the highs, lows, and curveballs of love, Mack must face her
Will she be able to love Lena for all that she is and embrace a more fluid kind of love?
Or will her own fears and hang-ups get in the way of her sweet Georgia ending and claiming the kind of love her generation was born to redefine?
Themes and Queer Black Joy, Chosen Family Across Generations, Gen Z Identity and Fluidity, Trust, Vulnerability, and Healing, Age Gap Romance, Butch/femme, Coming of Age
I took my time with this book because I kept getting all caught up in my feels, mostly in the best ways. Thank you Aunt Georgia Lee for the advance review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily. I appreciate you reaching out more than you could ever know ;).
I haven’t read all the books in this series, but Mack did stand out in the ones I’ve read and I was thrilled to read her story. She was always so giving and present. I adored her from beginning to end and she will stay with me now living rent free in my soul. Lena is a gem and her character was so well developed and beautiful. I truly loved how the whole story came together!
I am in awe of the camaraderie, community family and support in these books. While I have a strong family support system, the community/found family vibes I long for are very much lacking. Seeing it in stories like this one fills me with joy.
Highly recommend!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Bravo to Aunt Georgia Lee!!!!! This is one of the best books that I have ever read. Filled with everything a great book should have - love, joy, heartbreak, reconciliation, family and acceptance - I laughed out loud, cried with real tears, learned of a different way to express gender identity and sat in the silence of contemplation. Most of all, this book opened a door of understanding to those that identify differently than myself and made me love them for their bravery to be authentically themselves. Thank you Aunt Georgia Lee for this beautiful, insightful and relevant story. I can't wait to read the entire Real Lesbians of Atlanta series over and over and over again!!!
5 stars. Apologies to AGL for the late review. Traveling but also…I really don’t want to say goodbye to this series. That was an even bigger factor. I’m annoying when it comes to series I love I drag my feet on final books. I digress, this was an amazing finale to this series.
Mack…whew! I knew some Macks back in my college days. LOL. I was still very much in the closet then but yeah. Let’s just say her character took me back. I loved her. This is a romance but it’s also a really great character story with great development for her character. Lena was absolutely perfect for her. The chemistry between the two was so damn good! The conversations between them felt so real and natural and the obstacles they had to work through in their relationship never felt forced which I appreciate. There’s some heavy moments in this but as always everything is handled with so much care and respect and it never feels too heavy.
I also appreciate seeing all the character from the other books as well (DAYLA! <3) I adore all of them so, so much. They’re such a wonderful support system to Mack. I can’t believe this series is over but AGL really knocked it out of the park with this last book. Beautiful ending and I cannot wait to go back and read this series all over again.
One of the main themes in this book apart from the love between two women is the love of family. Found family in particular plays an important role in both main characters’ lives. Not only does it provide them with a sense of belonging but of security as well, something that is sorely lacking for many in the LGBT+ community. The other thing I found celebrated throughout the book was community especially the support it brought to the lives of those it touched. The colloquialisms were really interesting and took some getting used to but they were easy to follow and only added to the book’s draw. The one thing I didn’t enjoy was the excessive descriptions which felt like unnecessary padding and made reading certain sections tedious. On the whole I found the book interesting and engaging.
Loved this book as a way to wrap the series. Found this story to be one of pure love and emotions. Being a member of the LGBTQIA community it shows how even with each other safety plays a role in chosen families. Once this book ends I feel like my friends are heading out to the world. Please take this journey with them and who.knows you.may learn something