Now Shake It, Baby!

by Micah Flowers

Jaivyn

All Jaivyn—A.K.A DJ Celeste—wants to do is play sets for the Black LGBTQIA+ community in Florida, honoring faer late Grandmother. The last thing fae expects is to meet a striking, beautiful stranger at an event. So when fae are approached by Plexi, a skilled hip-hop dancer from South Africa, fae has no idea what to expect. All Jaivyn knows is that fae wants to see them dance—and possibly form a one-in-a-lifetime connection.

Plexi

Plexi's in Florida for a dance competition, ready to prove they still got it after a decade long break from dancing. They wind up hearing the most fascinating DJ set while out and about—one bursting with pink and green colors they see from chromesthesia. In a rare moment of confidence, they approach DJ Celeste, wooed by faer talent. An undeniable spark forms, and paths intertwine.

Now Shake It, Baby! is a low-stakes Black sapphic romance novelette bound to keep you smiling, even when it tugs at your heartstrings.

Genres: Queer, Romance

80 pages, Unknown Binding

About the author

Micah Flowers is a disabled Black lesbian writer and artist born in humble Abingdon, Virginia. They began writing when they were five years old. At the age of nineteen, they came out as nonbinary and genderfluid. Independent of creative pursuits they enjoy watching films, playing video games, studying psychology, and spending time with their many cats.

They aim to boost understanding of intersectionality, and normalize heavily stigmatized mental disorders and disabilities through their works. They believe it is never too late to uplift and amplify unheard voices.

Reviews

[bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars ✨

a cute bite-sized T4T black lesbian/sapphic romance with plenty of disability rep and lots of warm fuzzy feels. plexi & jaivyn were so adorable together, and i loved their relationship 🫶🏽 they were both so patient, gentle, and honest with each other. i have yet to read a romance about a DJ or a dancer, so this was a breath of fresh air!

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awww this had all the cozy dreamy vibes I was looking for. Jaivyn was autistic and had an SCI and was a killer DJ. Fae were lonely and depressed after losing faer support system. Plexi was sweet and anxious, though they masked their anxiety well with bubbly positivity. I loved how they both supported each other through the parts of disability the world likes to shun. Their love story was tender and lovely.

Spice: 2/5

Triggers: ableism including denial of accommodation, grief from death of parent figure, depression, anxiety attacks, past bullying by peers and adult, family estrangement, discussed car accidents, brief mention of sexual harassment, self deprecation, discussed fatphobia

[danie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beta and ARC reader here ✨️ Thank you so, so much to Micah for both opportunities!

I absolutely loved this book. Plexi and Jaivyn are fantastic characters and thw relationship between them is so raw and real. The story made me happy, made me cry, made me laugh, and so many other emotions. The book is only 80 pages long, and yet Micah was able to create an entire story in such a short amount of time that was so fuling and beautiful.

I can't wait for this one to be avaliable to everybody and everyone should read it at least once!

[Arthur Howell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to Micah Flowers for giving me a chance to read this ARC!

I'm glad to have given Now Shake It, Baby! a shot, considering it's been charming to ride through Jaivyn and Plexi's sweet-hearted relationship. I can feel the chemistry blossoming between them and getting them to understand each other. They put priority on being able to communicate together, and it makes it all the easier to cheer for their warm bond. I do wish this novelette could have let me spend more time with these two so that we can follow more of their love story's development, and this is generally an issue that I can run into with such short stories sometimes. In addition, I find that I can get tripped up by how this deploys the third-person POV at some points, but I still enjoy what this is doing to roll out the tale. Shout-out to the inclusion of Plexi's chromesthesia, since I'm always keen for anything involving synesthesia and the branches of its condition. I appreciate Jaivyn's neopronouns as well, especially since I believe this may be the first time I've read them in a book. That really is strange to consider, because I feel like that should have happened a while ago, although perhaps I'm forgetting another book. But in any case, you don't see books featuring neopronouns very often, and it's appropriate to have this novelette accomplish that as a way to weave in more real-life queerness.

Overall, I'm officially rating Now Shake It, Baby! 3.75 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding up to 4 stars. I'll keep an eye out for more of this author's work.

[mixedreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novella so much! It’s so well paced; it has a great balance of plot and character development. Flowers builds the relationship between Plexi and Jaivyn in a satisfying and realistic way, creating stakes that revealed the vulnerabilities of each character as they experienced or shared challenges with each other. One of my favorite aspects of this book is the access intimacy in practice. Plexi learns how to care for Jaivyn intentionally, declares it aloud, and they find pace together. Both characters experience hesitancy in trusting each other because of what they’ve experienced from the world. The care they exhibit for each other disrupts narratives of doubting their worth, making the sweetness of their connection even better. Grateful for the intersectional representation and how this novella empowers its characters and readers.

Thank you to the author for an advanced copy for review.

[The Queer Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you very much to Micah Flowers for letting me read an ARC!

I loved this novelette. I became invested in the characters immediately, I loved that it came with a playlist and I thought the pacing was really great. Plexi and Jaivyn were both really cool characters with specific interests. They felt like real people, and like you really get to know them through the book. I loved Plexi's interest in dance. As a former dancer it was so relatable to see them get in their head about the competition and choreography, and their journey felt really realistic. Jaivyn's love for music and faer grandmother was so palpable.

I was so sad when this book was over – and just blown away by how much Micah packed into such a short format! It's such a great read! I can't wait for other people to read this and kick their feet and blush too!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC READER**
I love these Sapphic babies 🩷💚 everything Jaivyn has been through and the flash back with Sally made me tear up. Going through what fae have and while it probably doesn’t feel like coming out on top fae have done what fae can with the cards fae were dealt. Plexi’s golden retriever energy paired with jaivyn’s black cat is a combo I truly adore. The both of them really decided to sapphic real close to the sun in this story.

Both carrying baggage but still being able to be there for each-other. Plus the emphasis on different kinds of mental health and disabilities in this book is something everyone should add to their reading journey. You will laugh, hurt and root for these two even in the short amount of time we get to enjoy them ☺️

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This was absolutely precious! It’s full of just Black Queer joy and I will ALWAYS be here for that. Great representation all around and it was low angst and romantic. Loved the way it was written, it felt authentic and both Plexi and Jaivyn felt like people I know in real life. They’re both so adorable and likable and the chemistry between the two of them was wonderful. Loved it and into the Comfort Reads folder it goes because this is one I will for sure be reading again.

Spice: ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥/❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥
Content Warning: Death of parents (in the past), Death of a grandparent (in the past), Mentions of past bullying of MC, Ableism

[Lex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a sweet and short read! Plexi and Jaivyn were adorable and I absolutely loved the care and patience both characters had for each other. This was my first book where one of the MC's uses pronouns outside of she/her, he/him/his, they/them/theirs and it was a delight.

Micah's care with writing these two characters was so evident, it made reading this so much more enjoyable. I especially loved the way they wrote in 3rd person, a POV thats typically challenging for my neurodivergent brain to process.

[Winnie Quick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I beta read this book. I gushed over scenes and the artwork. I donated to the kickstarter to make this book happen. And now I just finished ARC reading this book (there’s an expanded scene that y’all are gonna love). Somehow, Micah still made me cry! I love Plexi(glass) and Jaivyn deep. Seeing some of my diagnoses represented so well just warms my heart. Plus the love and care shown to music and dance. Micah just gets it. And they get 5 stars from me. I disregarded all my responsibilities to read this novelette in less than 24 very busy hours lol.

[Rae Colyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a lighthearted read that is so fluffy and sweet while being genuinely hot. Thank you to the author, Micah Flowers, for trusting me as an ARC reader. How wonderful it was to read gender variant, disabled, aroace, sapphic Black lovers in literature. Our characters feel authentic and lived in. I found myself giggling and blushing right alongside them!

[Maria Levato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unapologetically Black, queer, and disabled. It's beautiful, sexy, and I LOVE it

Also, this was my first time encountering fae/faer pronouns in writing or in person so I looked them up and got to understand them a bit better. It's always nice when a book is fun and it widens my perspective, so that was great too.

[Victoria I · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet slow burn novelette featuring a sapphic romance. Loved the communication, disability rep and spice once we got to it.

I think there were a few too many plots going on for the length, which is probably one of my only complaints.

[Levi Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! Plexi and Jaivyn being so sweet to each other was delightful to read, and I loved seeing diversity celebrated. Though I don't share a lot of the minority identities of the two main characters, I do get the sense that they were written with a lot of care.

[taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like all of the identities represented: neopronoun usage(fae/faer), Chromesthesia, neurodiversity, disability. Loved the aspect of taking everything slow, something you don’t always see in romances. Jaivyn and Plexi are made for each other and work so well together

[Jake Vanguard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now Shake It, Baby! is a sweet, low-stake romance with a focus on connection and dealing with life and its struggles.

I very much loved how both Plexi and Jaivyn's unique struggles were handled and how they grew to trust and love each other. Especially the scenes where they accommodated and openly talked about what they needed in that moment were perfect.

I do wish the whole book had been longer. At times, it felt rushed and like skimming over summarized scenes instead of deepening the emotional impact.

[ArtRogueMel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable story about unexpectedly finding your person. Dealing with the past and growing to love oneself.