"Bel fashions beautiful prose, punctuated, in the novel’s fringed spaces, by her own poetry leaking love and despair in equal parts. The characters themselves are delicately fleshed out, their bond throbbing with undeniable chemistry, in a true testament to Bel’s efforts—defined in the afterword—at writing a love story plagued more by internal conditioning than one beset by external obstacles."
— Book Life (from Publishers Weekly)
"Bel is a lovely stylist, and her prose sparkles with surprising and memorable imagery: Discarded socks are 'tartan croissants'; cemetery steps are 'slug-snotted.' The dialogue crackles as well... The book threads the tricky needle of neither taking itself too seriously nor allowing its characters to become caricatures of young Parisians. This narrative is brief, but the feelings it contains are deep."
— Kirkus
"Zoe Marie Bel’s 'Valérie; or, Red Velvet Nothing' is a story that lingers long after the last page, not because it ties everything up neatly, but because it dares to sit in life’s complications... Valérie’s story is not one of easy answers but of hard-won self-knowledge, and it reminded me that the labels we wear are only parts of who we are. For readers who crave a novel rich with character, culture, and emotional depth, this book is a thoughtful and rewarding experience."
— San Francisco Book Review
"All great stories are a marvel to behold, but a finely balanced story that is also a joyful one is a rare feat. 'Black Wax' tells the tale of a fledgling record company inspired to promote unstereotypical Black American music. This engaging set-up provides the vehicle for a superbly incisive, witty, and uplifting love story."
— Australian Book Review on Bel's short story 'Black Wax'