Meet Cute Book Club will celebrate sexy, swoon-worthy Romance reads every month. While we'll mostly focus on contemporary love stories, we're excited to read across sub-genres within Romancelandia. This month, we're chatting about Love in Winter Wonderland by Abiola Bello! Meet Cute Book Club is hosted by Loyalty's resident Romance mavens, Sandie Chen and Chardai Powell, who are committed to an inclusive book club for anyone ready for romances that make you laugh, swoon, blush, and occasionally cry. Join us in-person at Locavino at 7 PM on Wednesday, December 18th for this month's book club! Plus, enjoy an extended happy hour deal of 25% off all glass pours & appetizers at Locavino when you mention you're part of the book club happy hour. Please RSVP below to let us know you'll be joining us for this month's meeting so that we can reserve enough seats. Email us at [email protected] with any questions.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Sun Is Also a Star meets You’ve Got Mail in this YA Christmas love story set in a London Black-owned bookshop.

Charming, handsome Trey Anderson balances the pressures of school popularity with a job at his family’s beloved local bookshop, Wonderland.

Quirky, creative Ariel Spencer needs tuition for the prestigious art program of her dreams, and an opening at Wonderland is the answer. When Trey and Ariel learn that Wonderland is on the brink of being shut down by a neighborhood gentrifier, they team up to stop the doors from closing before the Christmas Eve deadline—and embark on a hate-to-love journey that will change them forever.

Heartwarming and romantic, this read is the gift that keeps on giving, no matter the season.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Abiola Bello is a British-Nigerian author from London, England. She is the bestselling, award-winning author of the children's series Emily Knight I Am and contributed to The Very Merry Murder Club anthology. Love in Winter Wonderland is her debut YA. Abiola has won London's BIG Read 2019, was a finalist for the People's Book Prize Best Children's Book and was nominated for the Yoto Carnegie Award.

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Sandie, who's in her 40s, started reading Romance in December 2016 as an escapist balm from the all-consuming news cycle. Hundreds of happily-ever-after titles later, she's partial to swoony contemporary and historical romances, particularly ones with endearing and funny supporting characters. Her favorite tropes are friends to lovers, forced proximity, and fake relationship.

Char, who's in her 20s, has always loved Romance and the enduring heart skips and butterflies that comes with it. Her favorites usually fall under contemporary and new adult romance, and her bookshelves are 98% romance, ranging from the messiness of being in love with your best friend's brother to the angsty buildup of enemies to lovers.

Please note Loyalty has a zero tolerance policy for harassment or intimidation of any kind during this event.