REVIEW: A Little Bit of Love by Synithia Williams

In A Little Bit of Love by Synithia Williams, Sheri “Li’l Bit” Thomas has opened a restaurant in the place she had grown up in. With teenage crime on the rise, the business owners in the neighborhood come together to try to figure out a solution. Some want the kids removed from the area, but Sheri believes the kids just need more activities to keep them busy. She joins the group only to find it’s being run by Lieutenant Deandre King, who happens to be the man who arrested her after she had taken a bat to her ex’s car years earlier.

The last person Deandre expected to have to work closely with was the woman he once arrested. But he soon finds out that there’s more to Sheri than the woman who temporarily lost her mind, and he likes the woman she’s become. But as a widower with a teenage son, and pressure from the town leaders to come up with a solution to the crime problem, the last thing he needs is a complication like Sheri. Only the more time he spends with her, the more he begins to wonder if she’s just what he and his son needs in their lives.

I liked Deandre and Sheri. They have both overcome a lot, and it was wonderful to see them want to show the youth of the area that there’s more to just hanging out and causing trouble. And despite the attitude his son was giving him, it was clear that Deandre cared very much about him and was doing his best to try to reconnect with him.

There were a couple of characters that I didn’t like in the book, the main one being Sheri’s cousin, Cora. She seems to like causing trouble for Sheri, and yet Sheri lets her get away with things time and time again. For someone who comes across as strong throughout the book, Sheri certainly isn’t that way when it comes to her cousin. Even Sheri’s mother tries to make excuses for Cora’s behavior, which I couldn’t understand. I would have liked to have seen Sheri take more of a stand against Cora than she did, considering the way she was taking a stand against the crime in the neighborhood.

The ending felt a bit rushed. I thought there’d be more to it, then I turned the page, and it went to a bonus story, which I will not be reviewing here. While I liked the premise of the book, it simply fell a little flat in the execution for me. This would be a book for readers who enjoy stories about second chances (not of the romantic kind), forgiveness, and family.

Book Info:

Publication: May 21, 2024 | Harlequin Special Edition |

Their first meeting changed her life. Their second one changes everything. Sheri “Li’l Bit” Thomas will do anything to help revitalize the community she loves—even work with Lieutenant Deandre King, the cop who once arrested her after a stupid breakup stunt. Opening her new restaurant is a great first step. Partnering with the handsome widowed dad on an outreach event for at-risk youth and businesses is an even better one. But neither counts on the attraction simmering between them—or the potential problems with Deandre’s teen son. Is Sheri’s past a bad example for him, indicative of drama to come? Or is she the mom—and wife—they never knew they needed?