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Nyja Joyner has been celibate for over 20 years since the death of her husband and the birth of her daughter Meosha. Now, the 40-year old grandma is looking to put herself back into the dating scene and find some love. With the help of her friend, Jovada, Nyja meets and falls in love with Omar Joseph, and the two of them hit it off immediately. But while Nyja is enjoying her love renaissance, Meosha runs into some legal trouble. Will Nyja be able to succeed in helping her daughter out?
Filled with warmth, humor, and tension, this novel is a story about the strength of a grandmother’s love, as well as the experiences of generational families. The author essentially splits the story between the older women and their granddaughters, showcasing the contrasts between how each woman lives her life. Nyja is the younger grandmother with the daughter that behaves, while Ms. Marsha is the older, typical-aged grandmother with the daughter that misbehaves. The two women and their daughters act as foils to each other and represent the different paths that life can take dependent on decisions.
In addition to having Nyja and her fellow grandmothers as the main protagonists, the novel also explores the sexuality of older women, something that is usually the focus for young adult novels or of characters who are not grandparents. Fueled by the conversations between Nyja and Jovada, the novel explores the different ideas of love and sex that older women might be privy to. It also centers the story around agency and choice, and around society’s expectations of older women and their sexuality. It is an interesting dynamic to explore in a novel that navigates generational relationships.