You Better Not Pout (Home Sweet Holidays)

“A great guy does not the right partner make.” Juliana and Eric are both stubborn and set in their ways. He says she’s a workaholic who refuses to prioritize our relationship. She thinks he should be more supportive of her efforts to establish a successful career. “Wanting to achieve in a world where the cards are often stacked against us is a way of life for Black and Brown folks.” “If you make your own money, no one can control you with their own.” “He’s apt to try to slay dragons for me whenever they arise. Which is an admirable quality in theory. In practice, however, I’m fully capable of being the dragon slayer of my own story, and I don’t need him swooping in to save the day.” Maybe she doesn’t need him to solve her problems or slay her dragons; she just needs him to let her speak. “The tricky thing about chemistry, whether mental or sexual, is that it has the potential to cover the dips and cracks in a relationship like a thick coat of primer, smoothing over the flaws that are hidden under the surface.” Together, they discover that it’s not that Eric thinks Juliana shouldn’t be ambitious. Or that she shouldn’t have your own money or independence. But she should also be valued for everything she brings to the table. They need to be able to rely on each other as partners. That doesn’t mean he controls the purse strings. And it definitely doesn’t mean he controls her. “It means we support each other…make decisions together…regroup, reassess, recalibrate, whatever…side by side…We’re works in progress, but we’ll get to the right place eventually…As long as you’re by my side, the right place is exactly where we are.” “Some of the best stories surprise you with a plot twist.” Like her Ceia de Natal, Mia Sosa’s You Better Not Pout has all the right ingredients for the perfect holiday read. Pairs well with croissants and cocoa with a shot of amaretto and whipped cream with dark chocolate shavings on top! Feliz Natal and bon appetit!