Ive Got My Love to Keep Me Warm, Mariama J. Lockington
Ive Got My Love to Keep Me Warm, Mariama J. Lockington
List: $20.00 | Sale: $14.00
Club: $10.00

I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm

Author: Mariama J. Lockington

Narrator: Rae De Vine, Shayna Small

Unabridged: 6 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/14/2025


Synopsis

When snow falls, sparks fly in this irresistible queer romance from Schneider Family Book Award and Stonewall Honor winner Mariama J. Lockington—for fans of She Gets the Girl and Jennifer Dugan.

High school senior Lyric has always found Christmas to be the hardest season. While other kids got presents and family time by the fire, she was in and out of foster care. An up-and-coming make-up influencer and aspiring cosmetology student who loves a bold lip, Lyric definitely isn’t looking for romance—not when opening up to someone feels a lot like asking to get hurt.

Christmas is Juniper’s favorite time of year. At least, it was, until her moms’ separation. They’re back together now, and Juniper hopes they’ll stay that way. Because if they’re happy, that means Juniper can leave for her gap-year trip after graduation (the one she has yet to tell her parents about, and can’t really afford without their help).

When a chance meeting brings these two opposite personalities together, they should clash . . . only they don’t. Instead Lyric strikes a deal with Juniper: pose as her fake girlfriend in a series of holiday-themed social media posts and they can split the money from her beauty sponsorships. But soon the lines between what’s real and what’s not start to blur. Could it be that sparks are flying both in front of the camera and behind it?

Told from dual perspectives, one in prose and one in verse, I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm is a cozy and modern love story from acclaimed author Mariama J. Lockington that's perfect for the winter holidays or all year round.

About The Author

Mariama J. Lockington is an adoptee, author, and educator. She has been telling stories and making her own books since the second grade, when she wore shortalls and flower leggings every day to school. Mariama’s middle grade debut, For Black Girls Like Me, earned five starred reviews and was a Today Show Best Kids’ Book of the Year. Her sophomore middle grade novel, In the Key of Us, is a Stonewall Honor Book and was featured in the New York Times. Her young adult debut, Forever Is Now, won the Schneider Family Book Award. Mariama calls many places home but currently lives in Kentucky with her wife, her sausage dog Walter, and an abundance of plants. You can find her on X @marilock and on Instagram/TikTok @forblackgirlslikeme.


Reviews

Goodreads review by April on October 25, 2025

This was such a cute Holiday YA Romance! Lyric & Juniper’s journey was very enjoyable as their unexpected relationship blossomed. What started out as an arrangement, quickly turned into something more with the undeniable chemistry between them. Despite the adorable scenes that make readers swoon, th......more

Goodreads review by LaTosha on October 06, 2025

This was definitely more Lifetime than Hallmark. And IFYKYK! This was an interesting read. The pace was good and the story was engaging and for my first contemporary YA book I was moderately impressed. Lyric was not an easy character to like but I had to remind myself that she is a very real represe......more

Goodreads review by Shannon on October 11, 2025

This was a super cute fake dating, grumpy x sunshine, dual POV holiday romance between Juniper and Lyric, two Black queer teens living in small town Michigan who agree to pose as girlfriends to help boost Lyric's beauty influencer posts. I liked the contrast between Lyric and Juniper's family lives......more

Goodreads review by Winnie on October 06, 2025

I read this book because I feel it’s important for me, as a Black woman who reads like I’m running out of time, to also read YA. This book is queer as all get out, Black, a little raw, and has fake dating like I love. I’m not used to reading about teenagers embarking on that kind of swindle, but we......more

Goodreads review by Ja’Laya on August 22, 2025

This was such a warm and charming holiday romance! Lyric and Juniper couldn’t be more different—one guarded and hesitant to trust, the other full of holiday spirit—but their fake-dating arrangement turned into something so sweet, real, and heartwarming. I loved how the story was told in dual perspec......more