The Side Effects of You

by Anna Black, Ida Belle (Narrator)

Andrea, Samantha and Josie, have one thing in common, an ex that they want to forget. Although they've tried to keep it together, there comes a time when you have to move on. As they strive to start over and make new lives, there are hurdles to leap over, not to mention something about the ex that keeps pulling them back in. Will these women finally find happiness, or will the side effects of their exes, keep them stuck in an unhappy rut? Will they let the new opportunities to be free of their past into their lives, or slip through their fingers? See if they will they fight for their independence in The Side Effects of You

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, African American

Audible Audio

First published October 16, 2014

About the author

Anna Black is a native of Chicago and the bestselling author of the I'm Doin' Me series. Her desire to become a published author didn't develop until her late twenties, and she didn't take her writing seriously until several close friends and family members encouraged her to go for it. In November 2009, Anna became a bestselling author for her debut release, Now You Wanna Come Back, within a matter of weeks.
She has since released over two dozen novels, short stories, and collaborations. The Perfect Love Storm is her new and most current release under, Urban Renaissance. As she forges her path to success, her goal is to offer page-turning tales to her many followers and fans.This award-winning author currently lives in Texas with her daughter Tyra, fiance Gregory and her adorable dogs Jaxson and Jasmine.
Please contact me at www.annablackbooks.com, info@annablackbooks.com or on all social media sites.

Reviews

[Kanese · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book that I have read or listened to by Anna black. The introduction of the book immediately captured my attention. The book had a lot of good scenes throughout and was drama filled. The characters were very well developed and interesting. The only part of the book I did not care too much for was the narrator. There were times when she would try to change her voice; however, the changes were not consistent.

[Phyllis PetersonRuffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Read

I like this author and read most of her books.
This book was awesome. It's about second chances, love and God.
I laughed and cried while reading this one, and because it was so good, I read it in one day.

[Tyra]

Page turner, and I thoroughly enjoyed every page. I could not put the book down after purchasing. Can't wait until the next read!

[Amber Randle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely one of the best books I've read in awhile .
Page turner, I couldn't put it down !

[January · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Side Effects of You by Anna Black
432-page Kindle Ebook (location only)

Genre: African-American Romance

Featuring: 10 Year Marriage, Blended Family, Size 20 MC, Loveless Marriage, Pastor's Wife, Hair Stylist, Triple POVs, Divorcée, Herpes, Single Mother, New Relationships, Exes, Family Drama, Sex - On Camera, Stupidity, Fat Shaming, Toxicity

Rating as a movie: NC-17 for sexual content and language

Songs for the soundtrack: "Side Effects" by Mariah Carey, "Shackles (Praise You)" by Mary Mary, "Everything I Miss at Home" by Cherrelle, "Grace And Mercy" by Marvin Sapp

My rating: ⭐️⭐️½

My thoughts: Meh. This story was okay. It was very predictable, but my issues were the story and characters. I didn't like any of the choices the characters made, they were in bad situations and taking left turns. Then the story read like it was from the 90s, I double-checked and this was published in 2014 so I was surprised by Andrea's vocabulary, very dated. Take a drink or eat a Skittle every time she makes a stupid choice. Josie didn't do right by her kids so I had a hard time sympathizing with her. Samantha was the more interesting character but only because of her condition and they didn't do much with that. I was only reading this for book club, hopefully, someone else finished it because I only know of a DNF so far, but if not there isn't much to discuss. I'll just be complaining about the delivery.

Recommend to others: Probably not. It's just popcorn drama but nothing worth seeking out.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Couldn't put my phone down lol(read in iBooks) and became an instant fan on Anna Black💯 I'm on my 4th book by her now🤯🤗😍

[Ranie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa, what a passionate and twisted book. Such a deep compassionate story with lots of emotional and high impact drama for each women: Andrea, Josie, and Sam. This is a well-written book that dealt with realistic problems, often violent, and excitement that occur in a marriage.

Highly recommended

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5📚

Oh the Drama. Definitely a page turning, one sitter. Lol.

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off slow as the author developed the characters. Overall, it showed that everybody is going through something & you need that tribe that will love you through it.

[Demetrius Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok..I read and enjoyed this book and I am glad all the ladies found happiness but I don't like the way Sam did Ethan...she jumped to conclusions that he was giving her the cold shoulder and went back to her ex. broke that man heart. Even though she did the same with Charles but I guess it was for the best. It broke my heart what happen to Anna..But all she was doing was following in her daddy's foot steps. Next...just my opinion. It wouldn't have taking finding out Pastor Young was gay to kick his ass to the curve. Two years of him not touching me. His ass would have been gone. I probably wouldn't have let out his secret.. But he would have known I knew. Last but not least, that damn Quentin. Now don't get me wrong I'm glad she's happy she deserves it. But he had her get an abortion because it didn't fit there life style at the moment. Then he left her to deal with it by herself. Then ONLY after things with him didn't workout 11 years later here he come with a 11 years to late apology. I would have sent his ass packing. And even if I did love him. I would have made his ass wait. He got off to easy in my opinion.

[Dawn “D-Love” · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook and the narration was horrible. The Puerto Rican accent sounded like a nasally woman from the Midwest. The storylines were intense. Each of these three women experienced trials, tribulations and tragedies but in the end they had happiness. I was not to found of the husband coming back and the break up with a perfectly good boyfriend due to a misunderstanding. Nor was I okay with how she portrayed a man who was on the down low who wanted to keep his secret so bad he chose to get custody of his kids because of his selfishness. Otherwise the storyline flowed pretty smoothly even with all the sadness going on.

[Elise C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yikes... The writing needed editing.
There was a lot fat shaming (such as "ooo you're pretty for a fat girl") and homophobia (I haven't heard the f@990+ word thrown about so much in a while...geez)
Messy drawn out writing..we could have summed up a lot long time (especially with a certain video) 🙄🙄 but dumb decisions made this book keep going.


Narration was awful.. Inconsistent pronouciations/accents etc threw me out of the story so many times.

[Me'Tova Hollingsworth - Bethley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good read. I was not expecting that ending. Nice work Anna Black.

[h'Elena Pleasant · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this book and the narrator was horrible. I try to avoid books when I see she’s the narrator. She mispronounced names a lot. The over story was blah to me.

[BossyLadi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book shouldve been so much better than it was. I would've rated it higher but it contained lot of anti-gay rhetoric that was hard to read. One of the couples featured a homophobic pastor who was married to a female but had a male lover. If nothing else, thats an engaging plotline. However, the execution fell flat. The wife kept referring to him as a "fag" and there was a lot of focus on the pastor going to hell.

Even if the pastor was goung to hell that had no bearing on the wife's issue with the husband. The issue was the husband engaging in an extra marital affair. He committed adultery for at least two years. He broke the marital vows. The wife seemed more upset that the affair was with a man than the fact that the vows were broken. There should've been more focus on the broken martial covenant not the sexuality of the third party.

It felt like the pastors homosexuality was used merely as a prop device and that was disappointing. Gay people were one dimensional in this book. They were "fags" and going to hell. Thats it. Nothing positive about said about gays or even a throwaway "nothing against gay people but..." There was no balance or depth to the gay plotline. The entire storyline was actually cringeworthy.

The rest of the stories were cool. I didn't agree with some of the decisions but they felt realistic enough, albeit a bit rushed.

[Naketa Mullins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was full of drama so much so I read it in one day. There were some things I didn’t like about the characters. First off I thought it a bit unrealistic that all 3 ladies would marry their ideal man and get pregnant around the same time. You had all this sexing mixed in with words from the Lord

I didn’t like the way Josie treated her oldest daughter. She spoke so highly of the youngest daughter and talked down to the oldest who obviously was hurting and having a tough time. She basically kicked her to the curve and tried to have her locked up. I hate when women place labels on children based on their father. I especially hate the way things ended for her daughter.

The pastor was physically abusive on more than one occasion and yet Andrea would still go to see him alone at his most lowest moment. I knew what the Deacon’s wife was going to tell Andrea just like I knew how the pastor would end things.

This story held my attention so much I stayed up all night to finish the book. I would definitely read more books from this author

[Nouhr Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this till the end and have mixed feelings about this blend of stories.

The heroines weren’t all that interesting and though God’s name and God’s will were mentioned through the novel, from the way they made decisions and all that, they didn’t really acknowledge God. It was like “I’ll do me then ask God to fix whatever happens”. Oh well.

It saddened me to read of Pastor Joseph’s fate because again if the aim of the novel was to show who God is, then beyond the fact that God could forgive him, if one gets to know God, really know Him and spend alone time with him, he will be conformed to the image of Christ. It shouldn’t be a burden to love God and walk according to His ways.Even if we hide before men, can we hide before God?

Some parts were a little rushed for me.Andrea and Samantha for example, I don’t know if one can move from hate to love that fast. The way they went back to their exes in a click still left me astounded but it is what it is.

All in all the story was average but again these are just my personal views.

[LATOYA LEWIS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whew, what a 📚 read. Let me tell you Anna Black write the hell outta this book. She invited us into the lives of 3 different women (Sam, Andrea, Josie) and their shady men. One pastor who was so concerned about his image. He abused his wife, slept in separate rooms, but the kicker was he was in a relationship with his deacon, a man. The deacons wife caught them and recorded them and brought it to his wife's attention. When she confronted him about the affair he chastised her, told her no one would believe her, choked her and threatened to take her kids if she said anything. The other man kept going back and forth to jail and his daughter was falling into his footsteps, resulting in her death. Then the last one husband gave her herpes and she avoided being in any relationship with anyone until.... The book is a page turner, The side effects of loving the wrong person is a motha. But it don't rain always and the ending is proof. Unfortunately you have to go through hell to get to the other side. Happiness can still exist, this gives me hope #Book26of2022 #Bookworm #Whatsnext

[Diane Rembert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever been unhappy in a relationship and decided to move on, but somehow couldn’t get past the side effects of the first relationship? Well, this is the situation that three young ladies (Andrea, Samantha and Josephina) find themselves in.

Andrea Young. a hair stylist and salon owner, finds herself in a loveless, controlling marriage where she feels trapped...especially because there are children involved.

Samantha Cooper is a restauranteur who is afraid to date because she is living with a secret that has altered her life.

Josephina Ramirez is a divorced hotel manager who struggles with a problem child while trying to get her groove back.

I enjoyed this 💎💎💎💎💎 book by @annablack72 and highly recommend that you give it a try. It will keep you engrossed and hopefully wanting to read more from this author.

[Selena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I like to read (or listen) to a real story - one with real life situations. This was one of those books. I came a crossed it on Hoopla and decided to borrow it and try it out.

Three ladies, who are friends, are dealing with not ideal situations. Andrea is married to a priest who hasn’t touched her in two years. He has demons he is dealing with but doesn’t share them with his wife. He wants to keep up the appearance of having a happy and solid family.

Josie has an ex husband in jail and is raising two children, one recently turning 18 and is giving her a hard time.

Then there is Samantha, a chef who has been celibate for a few years because her ex gave her an STD that you can’t cure.

Each one goes through heartbreaking situations that eventually puts them in a better place. Overall, I enjoyed the story. 3 stars.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

With so many great reviews my hopes were very high. The book started out a little Confusing but once I realized you are getting three different stories;I was on board. So many things start happening that annoyed me, I wanted to stop listening but I can’t leave a book unfinished. Thank God this audiobook was free. I would have been mad. I had to push the reading spreed to 3.5 x ( I have never listen past 2.0 x).

Spoiler:
What is up with all the exes back in the picture? Where is the warning ⚠️ some of the abuse happening in the book.

[Charlene (Char)🍁☕️📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has more drama no need for soap operas because this book was packed ! I absolutely love how the author written each story and gave life to each character and their own plot ! I was glued to this book and it was hard to put down / not listen ! This book was very entertaining and some side effects you deal with are long lasting. If you would like a good read and to be occupied for hours on end this is the book for you.

[Ree · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay book…. I feel like everything moved too fast towards the end. It was a very simplistic storyline of these three women dealing with insecurities, fears and anger from their exes or their currents. Honestly I’ve never been an urban book reader. It’s not really my kind of genre. This one though, was much better than I expected. No crazy spelling and not too many pop culture references. So overall not too bad but still not that great for me personally.

[Ronica Gravette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fun read of the lives of three women, married, single, dating, and divorced. The main women is a boss lady but naive when it came to her husband, she makes the reader want to shake some sense into her. I really appreciate how the author, Anna Black ended the book with some closure. A happily after story. I would definitely listen to this Audible book again. Also, I Enjoyed the voice of the narrator.

[Z Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Written!!!!

I wish it was more books well written like this, although in reality I don't believe in a perfect man, but its good to know you're able to work well together..... This book was a true page turner, it was really heard for me to put down, I read this book in three days. I greatly enjoyed it because it wasn't about sex and drugs but about relatable life crisis.

[Twyla Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know why I have never heard of Anna Black before but Good Lord she is on my radar now!! This book had me sitting on the edge of my seat in traffic, gripping the steering wheel at a green light!! Talk about a roller coaster ride! This story made me comfortable with characters day to day situations it was like watching a good sitcom that turned into a thriller. Very Well Done!

[Ida Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. One of the characters really got on my nerves with the choices to continued to make but hey it all worked out in the end. I had to remind myself who knows what I would do in any of these situations.

The writing style I like though most of the story was predictable but there was some surprises in there to.

The Story of true love and not perfection

[Connie F5.0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. Not what I expected and that’s a good thing. There were many parts in the book where I thought I knew the answer based on previous books I’ve read. I was only right ONCE! This book is a pleasant read despite the circumstances in the storyline where I knew I was about to get upset but I didn’t. I’ll have to read more of her books!

[T K Vaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good book and I loved the relationship btwn the ladies!!!…
I love how they trusted God in all things involving their relationships!!!…
The fat that relationships were broken, hearts were healed and a relationship was rekindled made for a very good book!!!…
It was a break from my normal reads!!!…

[Naughty Stacks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read for me as a relax for the holidays. Definitely a page turner. I did roll my eyes and call out some characters were being silly and naive but I had to finish and see how things turned out. I am pleased and love a good black love book that’s not filled with “street” narratives.