Berta's Bounceback

Book 2: Malt Shop Milestones

by Nadine C. Keels

Genres: African American Historical; Historical Fiction; Clean & Wholesome Romance; Historical Romance; YA Historical Fiction; YA Romance; sweet romance; diverse books; Black romance; American Historical Romance; high school romance; teen romance; malt shop fiction; own voices

Synopsis

Malt Shop Milestones, Book Two

Young lives. First loves. And a classic American period enlivened by jukeboxes and chocolate malts.

Sixteen-year-old Berta is usually an upbeat girl, matching the energy of her thriving Black community of West Hill. But this year is proving not to be Berta’s easiest. She’s had to say goodbye to one of her best friends, who’s moved almost halfway across the country. Classes at school are getting harder, making Berta fear that her grades might slip below average.

What’s more, she’s having niggling doubts about her romantic life. There’s a newly arrived family drawing everyone’s curiosity in West Hill, and it looks like the pretty, talented teenage girl from that family has drawn the interest of one person in particular: Howard. Berta’s boyfriend.

Given how worrisome all of this is, what might it take to lift Berta’s morale back to its normal height?

Come along on a memorable milestone journey—here in this nostalgic nod to the bygone era of "malt shop" books.

Release date: June 21, 2025

Publisher: Prismatic Prospects

Print pages: 120