I think this book could’ve been called All Girls Must Die Exhausted. That’s not to negate the BIPOC experience but rather to say that this book is entirely relatable. Any professional woman with a strong sense of self trying to balance her desire for a successful career, a loving relationship and balance with their family could relate to Tabitha.
I read the reviews that said this is like Sex and the City, and I think that’s true only in this sense that the women are relatable. I didn’t find the story salacious but rather honest and raw. Tabitha is trying to balance her identity as a black woman with her identity as a successful woman. She wants to embrace both of these titles but not have them be reliant on one another. She also wants a man that is worthy of her but doesn’t ask her to compromise who she is. Her family has baggage and she’s coping with it as best she can. But when does she get a break? (Spoiler alert: she doesn’t!)
Despite my first comments, there are a few incidents in the book that deal with race especially being black in relation to the police. I always have split loyalties here as my brother is a cop, but in the case of this story, I think Officer Mallory is the kind of cop we want on the force. I’ll leave those incidents to be revealed to you, but I thought they were handled with truth and grace and helped build empathy and understanding.
Thanks to Harper Perennial for the gifted
copy. All opinions above are my own.
What’s the last you read authored by a black woman?
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