When a south side boy loves you.

When Brooklyn-born artist Giayana King is forced to move to Chicago's South Side after her mother's incarceration, she's determined to keep her head down, graduate, and escape to art school. Then she meets Carl Gallagher-charming, street-smart, and deeply entangled in the neighborhood's drug trade.

Despite her vow to avoid trouble, Giayana finds herself drawn to Carl's raw honesty and unexpected depth. When she attempts to find safety with Ryan, a seemingly perfect North Side boy, she discovers that danger wears many faces-and sometimes the most threatening people are those who appear the safest.

As violence threatens to shatter her newfound happiness, Giayana must decide what she's willing to risk for love and whether a South Side boy with a complicated past might actually be her future.

A gritty, passionate coming-of-age romance about crossing boundaries, finding your voice, and learning that true safety isn't about where you come from-it's about who stands beside you when the world falls apart.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​