The Reality of Everything

Everything Duet #2

by Whitney D. Grandison

Elgin Murray isn’t exactly a dreamer. It’s hard to dream when you’re constantly being stepped on. Bullied at school, ridiculed at home, and feeling completely alienated from the world, the only thing that brings him light is writing songs and performing in his garage with his pop-punk band. That, and the idea of winning at Fall Fest, the biggest musical competition in the state.

Everything about Mariah Campbell’s life is a part of a well-crafted lie. Despite being head cheerleader, one of the most popular students at school, and one-half of an It couple, no one knows how much Mariah struggles to maintain her “perfect” image. What her mother, her friends, or even her boyfriend doesn’t know is that Mariah is sinking. The pressure to keep up this façade and hide her mental scars and bruises has Mariah drained.

When Elgin and Mariah meet it’s a head-on collision. Elgin instantly sees through Mariah’s mask. And Mariah is blown away when she hears the boy with the somber eyes sing and play guitar. What begins as an unlikely friendship burns into more the closer the two get beyond the surface. Hopeless but hoping, Elgin finds himself dreaming of winning the contest and the girl.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult

404 pages, Paperback

First published November 3, 2025

About the author

A lover of words, Whitney D. Grandison has been writing since as far back as she can remember. Outside of writing, she is a lover of Asian dramas, all things John Hughes, and horror films. Whitney currently lives in Akron, Ohio with her cats.

Visit Whitney’s website, www.whitneydgrandison.com, and follow her on Instagram, @wheadee.

Reviews

[hc · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh i’m gonna be chasing the high of this book for the rest of the year!!!! my first five star read of 2026 and rightfully so! mariah my princess i love you always, you’re so special to me! 🫂♥️ i always find myself rooting for the underdog and this book made it so sweet ◡̈ if you’re a lover of ya romance, music, and misunderstood black girls, then this is for you!

whitney girl 400 pages wasn’t enough smh, i could read a 600 page book about these two!

[Martha Broadnax · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, this was a good book. Just complimentary to my review for “The Chemistry of Everything.” It was such an easy read but also tugged on the heart strings. It’s so nice reading books like this.

[Ashley Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

High school me would’ve loved to have someone to tell me it was going to be ok. Bullies absolutely sucked the fun out of my experience. So I connected with Elgin so deeply.

[Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so damn good and cute 😭😍! Like Whitney mentioned in the Acknowledgements, Black characters into rock or alternative are typically paired with white or non-Black characters, so this was refreshing that we got a Black couple. So many quotables about finding someone you can feel safe with and love.

👍🏾
- Elgin’s gradually increasing confidence
- Mariah fangirling about the band
- Tyriq was protective of Mariah
- Mariah getting help
- happy Klark wasn’t an asshole

👎🏾
- how Brandell treated Mariah at times but she was wrong to break up with him at hoco and then go immediately to spend the night with Elgin. That was too fast for me 😅
- the saddest part was Nikki not changing—still a bad mom to Elgin. I felt so sad for him after that wack family visit.
- Elgin’s relationship with Gran isn’t all that either, but I wonder if it’s cuz her son is a deadbeat. I wanna know Christopher’s story.
- Elgin and Mariah’s friendship and romantic relationship was fast—two months

[Chelsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a 4.5 for me.

i did read the first book in the biology before starting this one. i do think the first book really helped to build this world of brookside high. so when i started mariah and elgin’s story i was already interested in them from seeing them bop around the background of book 1.
it was so nice to see black kids be black kids without having to be monoliths.
elgin loves alternative, punk, and rock music. this isn’t a trait that ostracizes him from everyone around him, but instead allows him to gain friends that understand him. while also bringing mariah and him closer through the sharing of music.
mariah may seem like the snobbish head cheerleader on paper, but she is actually a really lonely young girl. reeling with a secret that she feels the burden of it’s weight. she kind of finds a friend in elgin simply from not having to play pretend all the time.

it’s a cute read with some heart. definitely enjoyed this one.

[megumi ִ ࣪𖤐 · Rating 5 out of 5]

ooouuu i think this might be my fav in the duet.
ELGIN MY SHAYLA UGH HIS BACKSTORY WAS SO SADDDDD i was ready to fight his mum bye. i guess she had some truth in telling him not to put all his eggs in one basket but damn did it hurt her to support him😔 he’s so sweet too like all those times ppl were mean and he just brushed it off :( sooo seeing mariah apologise to him was good i love her too the way they SAW one another aghhh whenever she found some new music and wanted to immediately spill to elgin was too cute!! plus the bracelet and guitar pin I LOVED THAT SM 🫶🏽 the friendships in here were really sweet tooooo

[naz;༘⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

a story that flips the trope of white people fall in love over Hip hop. To black people falling in love to pop-punk. a niche interest of mine. The story gave cw angst early 2000’s Black teen Dromedy. think love don't cost a thing. Plus it was midwest based. The romance made me Feel reminiscent of my first love.
The story made me cry speaking to lost relationships between parent and child.
My one fault with the book was now quickly some long term issues were resolved in the pacing at the end.

[ShybutRude92 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this. I’m glad that Mariah got the help she needed and better relationships with her mom and friends. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 to therapy! I definitely wished Mariah and Elgin would have waited but 👍🏾👍🏾 to safe sex!

The following are all the thoughts I had while reading this book so it may contains some spoilers:

I wonder if Klark is married to Elgin’s mom. Or if he’s Elgin’s biological father.

Sanaa better say that!! You have to love yourself wholly and completely!! You are enough all on your own!

[Ty Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

I haven’t read a book in awhile that I instantly wanted to re-read but this one! Ugh! So beautifully written. Even it being a YA didn’t deter from its relatability. Loved everything about it just wish I got an epilogue lol. I need more!!

[Jacq M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

sooo sooo good

I loved this one! Better then the first

Everything about this book screamed cozy, romance and finally the underdog has their day!