Maame Blue

Bad Love

Anika | @chaptersofmay

Bad Love follows the emotional yet edifying journey of Ekuah, a young, Black British woman navigating first love, family bonds, and personal fulfilment. Poetry plays a huge role in Bad Love, with Ekuah finding comfort in the art but also allowing the power of words to guide her across the globe. Maame Blue’s writing is fully of depth and flows beautifully, much like a moving poem. As Ekuah travels between London, Venice, Accra and Paris, the author’s words immerse the reader in each new landscape with ease. 

Sadly, I found Ekuah to be too childish to be a likeable protagonist. While the trials of new experiences she faces are very realistic and easy to relate to, many of her inner conclusions irritated me, and I struggled to warm to her. This tainted the reading experience, even with such rich dialogue. Still, the portrayal of love, both good and bad, paired with the author’s stirring writing made Bad Love worth the read (or listen). 

Through Ekuah’s eyes, Blue highlights the impact of parental relationships on new connections. Although Bad Love features the dark side of toxic love, this intimate theme is explored with nuance and with an elegant honesty. I wasn’t a fan of the more explicit scenes, but loved the insight into the world of music and poetry in this new and modern love story. 


Bad Love

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