In Jamar J. Perry's beguiling YA romance, Finding Prince Charming, one young Black man accidentally becomes the fake boyfriend of a crown prince.
Eighteen-year-old Tyriq Howell spent the entire morning arguing with his cheating ex-boyfriend and missed his scholarship interview for the University of Maryland. Since that scholarship was the only way he could afford college, Tyriq considers forgetting about love and dating for a while. That is, until 19-year-old Desmond, the cute guy at the scholarship office (who "has a British accent on top of being fine as hell"), offers him a deal: Desmond will get Tyriq an interview redo if Tyriq agrees to be his date for an event. One fake date won't hurt if it means Tyriq can reclaim his chance at college, right? Turns out, Desmond is crown prince of the island nation of Catalina and the pair are swarmed by paparazzi. Now the entire world is investigating Tyriq. Desmond believes the only media-safe option is to keep fake dating until they can (publicly) amicably break up. Life becomes increasingly complicated, though, as the two young men fall for each other and Desmond's royal traditionalist father puts pressure on his son. How can the boys figure out what they mean to each other under so many watchful eyes?
Perry (Cameron Battle series) delivers a dynamic, swoon-worthy romance. The omniscient, third-person point of view allows the reader to sympathize with both Tyriq's and Desmond's approaches to finding love and acceptance as they grapple with understanding their own identities, sexualities, and families. Finding Prince Charming creates a safe space for queer Black boys to see themselves as deserving of receiving love. --Natasha Harris, freelance writer