5 listens with Mia Sosa

If you love Dancing with the Stars ... try Take the Lead by Alexis Daria

Daria’s debut novel pairs a professional dancer with a reluctant celebrity and places them on the set of a television dance competition reminiscent of Dancing with the Stars. If you’ve ever wondered whether the chemistry between your favorite DWTS couples could move beyond the dance floor, Take the Lead will satisfy your romantic inclinations. It’s a story filled with grit, humor, passion, and a skilled attention to behind-the-scenes detail that will delight DWTS aficionados.

If you love Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip Hop ... try American Royalty by Tracey Livesay

Ladies First chronicles the triumphs and challenges of the women who carved out a space for themselves in hip-hop—and it pulls no punches. Tracey Livesay beautifully pays homage to that vibrant legacy in American Royalty, a novel about the unlikely but inevitable romance between an American female rap star and an English royal. The chemistry between the two leads shines, of course, but Livesay’s thought-provoking portrayal of the struggles of being a female MC in the rap industry is just as moving and will resonate with anyone who’s watched the Netflix docuseries or loves hip-hop as an art form.

If you love Scandal ... try The Art of Scandal by Regina Black

Imagine your life needs the kind of crisis management Olivia Pope is famous for, except you take matters into your own hands and strike a deal with your philandering husband who can’t afford to announce a divorce in the middle of his political campaign. The bargain? You’ll continue to play the doting wife ... for a price. Then imagine you meet someone who could upend all of your plans—and he’s keeping his own secrets too. Yes, The Art of Scandal is as addictive as it sounds, and Mela Lee’s narration is top-notch.

If you love Queen Charlotte ... try An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera

The rise of the Bridgerton era has certainly brought new fans to historical romance, but it’s the stories centering people typically found in the margins that are breaking new ground. In Queen Charlotte, the titular character, a Black woman, moves gracefully and unapologetically in a society that does not know what to make of her or her new station in life. In Island Princess, Cora Kempf Bristol, Duchess of Sundridge, does the same. The second book in Herrera’s Las Leonas series deftly highlights the intersectionality of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality. It is both decadent and disciplined, offering biting social commentary while never losing sight of the central romance between its main characters. What’s more? Nneka Okoye’s narration is sublime. Sidenote: I had to fan myself several times.

If you love With Love ... try A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by Natalie Caña

Adorably messy and meddlesome family members? A protagonist trying to secure her future while navigating life and love? A celebration of Latine culture? Both Amazon Prime’s With Love and Natalie Caña’s A Proposal They Can’t Refuse deliver all of this and more. Caña’s charming debut novel brings together a Puerto Rican chef and a distillery owner in a fake dating arrangement prompted by their scheming grandfathers’ shenanigans. It’s sweet and funny and full of heart. Bonus: Valentina Ortiz’s narration is masterful. Double bonus: Ortiz also narrates the second book in the series, A Dish Best Served Hot.