Author : Jayne Allen
Genre: Contemporary Literature, Domestic Fiction
Rating: ❤❤❤❤
Backstory
Hi friends, I'm back again with another hot take on the books I have been reading lately. This book, is near and dear to my heart for a myriad of reasons. I originally saw the cover in a random Facebook advertisement while scrolling. It had a white hand holding up the book so naturally, given the title, it grabbed my attention. In the reading group I'm in on Facebook, people were talking about this specific book. Some were saying they enjoyed it. Others were saying they didn't really care for it that much. I was out at Target one day, maybe a week or two after losing my job and I saw it on the shelf. I decided to grab it on a whim. The cover was really pretty and the title kept grabbing my attention. I wanted to see what it was about.
This book got me out of my years long reading slump. Growing up, I had always been a bit of an addict when it came to reading but I had fallen off of it after college and life happened. The job that I had just lost, prior to finding the book in Target, had me so exhausted and stressed out 98% of the time that the idea of picking up a book just made me tired. Now that I had time on my hands, I wanted to renew my love for reading. This book got me out of my reading slump. It had awakened the book lover in me. Maybe that's why this book is so special to me. It brought back a part of me that I had honestly thought was long gone. Anyway, let's get into the actual book.
Book Synopsis
Black Girls Must Die Exhausted, by Jayne Allen is the first book in a three (I'm not sure about this one because I thought it was only two??) book series about modern womanhood. A young black woman must rely on courage, strength, love, and the support of her two best friends to overcome unexpected setbacks that threaten the one thing she has always wanted.
My Thoughts
My opinion may be a little biased, but that's fine. Honestly, I absorbed this book in the better part of an afternoon. Didn't even realize I was reading it so quickly until I reached the last page. My plan had originally been to read it slowly and to take my time so I didn't rush through it. Clearly that plan was unsuccessful. If you're looking for a book with excitement and twists and turns that leave you speechless, this is not the book for you, but if you're looking for a feel good story that will make you sit back and contemplate the things you have labeled as important in your own life, this is absolutely the book for you.
This was a sweet book. It had sad moments, but overall, it's definitely a good story to pick up when you just want to escape for an afternoon or two (depending on how quickly you read) and get lost in a story. This book highlights some of the struggles that women, but especially women of color, face constantly. We must be smarter, we must be stronger, we must fight harder, we must be faster just to be considered in this race of life. It can be exhausting. It was comforting to see a book that highlighted that in a story that wasn't completely surrounded by black trauma. I was happy to know that there was a second part, once I finished this one because I was not done with the characters just yet. I was dying to know more about them. A review on Part II will be coming soon. I appreciated this book by Jayne Allen and I look forward to reading more of her work.
I encourage you to grab this book and take a look (unintentionally rhyming is always fun) at what is inside. Maybe it won't hit you like it hit me, or maybe it will. If you're in a reading slump and you're looking for something easy going to get you back in the habit, definitely check this one out. Or, if you are just looking for something good to read and are hunting for suggestions, Black Girls Must Die Exhausted is the perfect book to pick up. If you do decide to read it, once you're done please come back and tell me what you think. You can check it out here:
Until then,
Happy Reading babes!
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