A New High School YA Romance With a Black Female Lead

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While it can definitely be nice to read stories where the main character is nothing like you, I think it’s also nice when you find main characters that you relate to. And I understand how valuable it can be when you read a story and find characters who look like you.

In my new high school YA romance “What Happens After You Confess Your Feelings to Someone?”, Chloe—the female lead—is Black. Chloe is a second-generation Haitian-American, and as she deals with her intense crush on a boy named Mordecai, she also gets to navigate things like the challenges of dealing with her permed hair. I talk about that more in this post.

(I know that perm is technically supposed to be short for “permanent wave,” but in the world of Black hair care—and in my dialect—perm and relaxer can be synonymous. And they can both refer to ways of straightening hair.)

I decided to write a story where the main character resembles me, not only in looks but also in personality and temperament. I did this mostly because I’m trying to change my own story, which is something I describe in this post. And there are certain parts of my story that wouldn’t make a lot of sense to include if the main character didn’t look like me—like the permed hair thing.

But even if this didn’t occur to me as I was writing, I also recognize the value of filling our fiction with diverse characters so that we can learn from everyone and appreciate that all voices matter.

About This Young Adult Romance

In this YA romance, Chloe is a high school sophomore who’s deeply in love with a junior named Mordecai. Mordecai claims he would date her if she were allowed to date, but his actions say otherwise. He’s constantly dating other girls and constantly breaking Chloe’s heart with his insensitivity to her feelings.

But Mordecai has a secret—several secrets, actually. And whenever he needs help, Chloe is always the first one he turns to.

And then we have Chloe’s good friend Simon. He’s a new sophomore at her high school, and his love for Chloe is evident from the start. But he has trouble confessing his feelings to her. That puts him in the friend zone, often comforting Chloe after Mordecai leaves her in tears.

(Both Simon and Mordecai are White.)

Now that you know something about this young adult romance, here are some other things you might want to know about Chloe:

She’s Smart

Chloe is someone who’s very focused on school. While she does use a lot of emotional energy when it comes to her crush on Mordecai, she also devotes plenty of energy to her schoolwork. In fact, because she’s so smart, Simon and Mordecai both seek out her help with their schoolwork. But because Mordecai refuses to tell Chloe how he feels about her even though he already knows she likes him and because she’s somewhat oblivious to Simon’s feelings for her—or, rather, in denial—it occurs to her that maybe guys only see her as a study buddy.

She’s Close to Her Family

Chloe is an only child, and she’s close to her parents, who are first-generation Haitian immigrants and American citizens. The three of them often spend time together doing things like playing board games. And it’s because Chloe respects her parents so much that she does her best to follow the “no dating until senior year” rule that they’ve set for her. But since she is a teenager, it’s understandable that she might sometimes make a mistake.

She’s an INFJ

If you’re into personality typing, Chloe is of the INFJ personality. This is considered one of the rarest personalities in the Myers-Briggs system. (It’s also my personality type.) Among other wonderful qualities they’re known for, INFJs are known for loving deeply. That’s why you’ll find the love that Chloe has for Mordecai to be so intense and why you’ll notice it’s hard for her to let him go, even after all the times he hurts her.

A Different Kind of Teen Romance

This isn’t a normal teen romance. When you start reading, the ending hasn’t yet been decided. Instead, I leave it to you, the reader, to decide the ending. When you reach a certain chapter, you’ll get to decide whether you want Chloe to end up with Simon or Mordecai. And then you can read the rest of the story based on the outcome you choose.

Because this is an atypical way to read a YA romance story, I’ve designed it so that you’ll need to join the What Happens After You Confess membership to read it. If you’re interested, feel free to click here to learn more about the story and the membership.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a new YA romance with a Black female lead, I really hope you check out “What Happens After You Confess Your Feelings to Someone?” Not only will you get to experience all the highs and lows of an intense high school crush. But you’ll also get to experience this high school love triangle from the perspective of a Haitian-American teenager.

I hope to see you in the What Happens After You Confess membership!

~ Ashley C.

P.S. If you would like to sample my story-writing style, feel free to click here to read some short stories that are currently available.