Urban Fiction Genre "Upgrade U" by Ni Ni Simone

Simone, Ni-Ni. Upgrade U. New York: Kensington Books, 2011. Print. ISBN: 978-0-7582-4191-7. Paperback; $9.95.

Annotation

Seven has been in a relationship with her boyfriend Joshua for some time now. As Joshua begins to become more obsessed with his dream of being an NBA star, will she begins to have feelings for another man named Zaire who she feels treats her better then Joshua.

Awards

•  2012 Street Lit Book Award Medal Winners

Book Talk

Seven is a young woman with her boyfriend, Joshua, who has dreams of playing in the NBA. She recently began to have mixed feelings about Joshua’s ambitions as his rising fame begins to create a rift between them. Soon, things take a turn for the worst for their relationship as Joshua begins to become a greater flirt towards the women around him. Chapter 14, page 130 outlines how much stress has accumulated in their relationship:

“Don’t try to twist this around on me. Girls come at me all day every day, but I’m here trying to upgrade you.”

“Upgrade me? I know you don’t think I’m on it like that!? I knew you when you had braces and a head full of naps. Don’t play with me.”

With Joshua’s pride getting the better of him and Seven having enough, she becomes curious about another young man named Zaire who has been interested in her for a while.  Seven is now on the edge of her emotional tolerance and is now in the process of deciding if maybe her relationship with Joshua is not ideal.

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