I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm

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.

Author: Mariama J. Lockington
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
Published: 10/14/2025
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.25h x 5.38w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780374388904
Audience: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 07/28/2025
Kirkus Reviews 08/01/2025
Booklist 09/01/2025
School Library Journal 10/01/2025 pg. 85

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.