Thank you for my earc of this book!
I am a romance lover and so was so excited to read this! I also love short stories, especially when my attention span is low. I thought this was brilliant and engaging and introduced me to some new authors which I loved!

Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant.

What an anthology!!
The stories are beautifully written, the journey the reader goes on is thoughtful and we only discover all the points and how they fit-together when the author wants us to. We enjoy the twists and turns exactly as the author wants to which is a real skill in writing.

A powerful set of shorts, this collection includes some unique, fresh and inspiring storytelling , I found some far more interesting than others, some I connected with more, but overall each has its own qualities that make it stand out individually, full of the writers own experience of falling in and out of love. I am looking forward to read more in the future from these writers and the inspiring work they are sure to produce based on their work in this collection. Recommended reading for anyone who has a heart

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

An incredibly powerful collection of shorts, each a total triumph. I was moved and entertained, and look forward to reading the next collection!

Who's Loving You? is a wonderfully inclusive collection that sadly falls into the common pitfalls of short story collections: some stories are good, others not so much. Each story in Who's Loving You? was written and focuses on women of colour (most of them British). You could definitely tell that many of the authors included in this collection are relatively new to the writing scene, and, while that is not necessarily a negative thing, their stories definitely bore the signs of their inexperience (I do not feel 'nice' writing this but I prefer honesty to fake praise). The writing was stilted, the dialogues choppy, and the characters came across as relatively one-dimensional. I just have very little patience for clichéd phrases such as someone 'letting out a breath they didn't they were holding'. Dio mio! When will this phrase cease to exist?
And, while we do get two wlw love stories and one between a cis man and a transwoman, every other story is uber heteronormative in the most insta-love/boy meets girl way possible. It seems every character in this novel fell in love at first sight and we get some questionable comments about men being so handsome that no one woman in her right mind would decline to have sex with him (urgh).
Some of the love stories had questionable premises, such as the ones for 'The Waves Will Carry Us Back' (to be fair, a short story by Edwidge Danticat follows a similar scenario but under her pen, I 'bought' into it) and for 'Motherland' (which I ended up kind of liking to be fair but still...).
There were stories I liked, such as 'The Watchers' (which had a vague star-crossed lovers/soul mates feel to it), 'Rain...Doubtful', and 'Rani' (even if the story went to great lengths to make the mc seem 'awkward'). There was one story I actually loved, and that was 'Long Distance' by Varaidzo (which was, surprise surprise, hella sapphic, and bittersweet).

Some of these stories were set in the near future, one of which was post-covid, while others had vague pre-pandemic settings, and I guess that made things more interesting than having all of the stories share the same backdrop. However, the tonal shift between each story was sometimes jarring, especially with Rowan Hisayo Buchanan's 'No One Is Lonely'...that story felt very out of place in this collection.
Prospective readers should not let my less-than-stellar review dissuade them from picking this collection up. It was amazing to read a collection that focused on women of colour falling in and out of love, even if I was not personally taken by its stories. Before making up your mind I reccommend you check out some more positive reviews, especially ones from #ownvoices reviewers.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Who's Loving You is a beautiful collection of stories of love that is very needed not only for its talented group of diverse and multicultural writers, but also for the very important task it takes on in providing some much needed representation to women of colour in the UK.

Sareeta Domingo's introduction expresses this perfectly: "It is vital that we see ourselves portrayed in this way. Seeing love of all kinds represented fully, in art as in life, allows us to relate on a level that can be dangerous when lacking."

As a Black British woman myself, it made me reflect on the absence of the portrayal of Black love in Britain. I asked myself how many films have there been about Black British love? Can you name any? It was actually heart-breaking to feel that exclusion. Especially in something as fundamental and necessary as love. So each story in Who's Loving You is powerful and necessary, just like each author included.

I particularly liked that the love displayed in the book is not the easy instant love often seen or a love that's packaged and tied up nicely at the end with a Disney bow. For me, the stand out stories were Long Distance, The Waves Will Carry Us Back and Motherland. They captured such a beautiful essence of love and longing, identity and belonging.

Read this book slowly, do not rush through it like I did as each author has a different style of writing that should be appreciated. I look forward to reading more work from these writers. Pick up this book now. It needs to be recommended and read.

Thank you Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a copy to review.