“Ulen lovingly conjures a world of double-dutch and hair braiding on the stoop, hot sweaty basement parties and home-cooked meals. She takes the reader back to a time when a child’s greatest concern was trying to get home before the streetlights came on. Her tenderness and care produce the book’s warm, nostalgic feel and keep the action and the characters from descending into cliche. Ulen uses Crystelle and her plight as a call for healing in the African American community from generations of hurt and neglect. Release, forgiveness, embracing the present, and letting love flow are the themes of this novel, and for that it is worth the read.”

~ The Washington Post