Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Wash Day Diaries

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser

39 reviews

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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ashylibrarian's review

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challenging emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

First of all, thank you, Jamila Rowser. I didn’t know I needed to read this graphic novel, but I NEEDED to read this graphic novel. I am loving and living for the new adult content.

Secondly, I don’t think there is much more this book could have done to represent friendship and new adulthood. Both the author and illustrator did a fantastic job creating scenes that felt real, honest, and relatable.

Wash Day Diaries tells the story of four (4) friends who are all experiencing different aspects of new adulthood and enveloping themselves in Black beauty and joy: Kimana (Kim) is growing her singing career; Cookie is working to amend family tension; Tanisha (Nisha) is exploring what love means for her life at the moment; and Davene is learning how to prioritize her mental health.

Through minimal dialogue, text conversations, and intricate illustrations, readers are emersed in four major life points in each of the characters' lives and taken through how all four women intertwineidly (yes, I just made that word up) interact with one another. The friendship and genuine connection between these characters leave something to be admired and, dare I say, envied.

I love the use of wordless spreads throughout this book. These spreads are really powerful and push the reader to consider what is actually happening in the action of the characters and why the illustrator and author chose to include those scenes. These spreads in particular seem to share the beauty and intricacies of caring for the female body

*SMALL SPOILERS AHEAD* READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!

I think the way in which Cookie handles Davene sharing her mental health struggles is a representative and common response many people get when opening up about mental health, and with that being said, I think it is something that needs to be addressed. Cookie’s response to Davene when she shares that she was struggling with depression is to encourage positivity and encourage being around friends. She also scoffs in astonishment when Davene mentions asking her therapist about starting medication. This sort of reaction can feel really invalidating and potentially be super damaging.

I hate that this was Cookie’s response to her friend opening up about her mental health, but I am also kind of happy that Rowser chose to write the plot this way because it shows the raw truth behind mental health sigmas and assumptions, especially the ones that suggest you can “just be positive” and “think positive thoughts” to make things better.

I thought the follow-up for this interaction at Kim’s concert was a nice addition to show that Cookie really does care and is trying to understand. She is cognizant that Davene is out with friends after an extended absence of not going out with them and offers to stay back with her instead of going out to another party. This in turn gets the other two friends to stay in and have a girl's night, something they all seemed to need.

I initially read the eARC through NetGalley and then reserved the physical version as soon as it became available through my public library. The added color to the illustrations in the final version was the icing on an already beautiful cake. There is so much detail and thought put into this book, and I am ready to recommend it to everyone and anyone who will listen.

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shector1's review against another edition

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inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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asparagusisreading's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

A lighthearted and fun slice-of-life graphic novel following a group of Black female friends around their hair wash days. This read like a love letter to Black women and their hair, a celebration of strong female friendships.

I loved all of the nods (Easter Eggs??) to Black culture and living in New York. As a Black LGBTQ+ woman from New York, I felt seen and LOVED connecting and recognizing things included. For example, when one character ordered a baconeggandcheeseonaroll because that's exactly how I order it!! Davene pulling out a Jamaican flag from her bra??? The extra scarves (hair wraps, bonnets, etc) at night to protect my hair, the hair store, AAVE, the broken comb, parting my hair in 4+ parts when washing... I loved this. It felt like the illustrated version of someone's life, like the author put her life and friendships into pictures. I will absolutely be ordering a copy of this and sharing with it everyone I know.

The only complaints I had about this was I wanted a little more with the depression storyline and a LOT more pages in this book.

There is discussion and depiction of depression, LGBTQ+ characters, Black characters, catcalling, and a stalker ex-boyfriend.

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halfbloodprincess_hogwarts's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A quick graphic novel of friendship, sisterhood, a glimpse into their lives as they go through the beautiful process of loving their hair. It warmed my heart and found the characters personable, like they were familiar friends.

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geno's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

"Wash Day Diaries" nos muestra pequeños retazos de la vida diaria de cuatro amigas.

Las historias hablan de amistad, relaciones familiares y románticas y depresión siempre usando como excusa el "wash day" o día de lavado de cabello que es tan poco representando pero que tiene tanto significado para la cultura afro descendiente.

Como libro, está bien en su punto de partida, pero termina quedando corto. No todas las historias alcanzan para desarrollarse en pocas páginas, haciendo que se toquen temas serios pero de manera muy superficial.

Me gustaría haber tenido más desarrollo de personajes, tal vez enfocarse en menos protagonistas, sin embargo es tan raro ver un conjunto de personajes femeninos siendo amigas y dándose apoyo, que entiendo que hayan querido mantenerlo.

Al final del día, es un buen libro pero necesita un poco más.

TW: depresión, relación tóxica, uso recreativo de drogas.

Gracias a Netgalley y al editor por proporcionar una copia gratuita de este libro a cambio de una reseña honesta.
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"Wash Day Diaries" it's a cute and fun graphic novel that follows the day-to-day life of four best friends in five connected short stories.

I liked the "slice of life" aspect of the book but I felt that all the topics were on treated at a surface level. At some point, I wished it could be longer to give space for development.

Nevertheless, it's refreshing to see a group of female friends being good friends and supporting each other. Also, the level of love and care in everything hair-related it's incredible.

It's a good book that would help a lot of black girls to feel seen and, only for that it's worth it.

TW: depression, abusive relationship, recreational drug use.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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chlostersays's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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sam's review

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

an empowering graphic novel with beautiful illustrations and colour palettes that depicts a close knit group of Black women as well as the individual characters and their struggles in less than 200 pages. i wasn’t expecting to get so attached to these characters given how short the novel is but the author managed to completely hook me from the first page. mental health, friendship, relationships, and self-discovery were all touched upon with care, and i love how hair care was interwoven through all of it. this story has true-to-life portrayals of relationships and the love you can have for each other even through your differences and misunderstandings.

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notabookseller's review against another edition

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emotional funny relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Major thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this advanced copy of Wash Day Diaries in exchange for an honest review. Wash Day Diaries is scheduled to hit shelves on June 14th, 2022 and is currently available for preorder.

I. Love. This. The characters are complex, the stories are relatable, and the art itself is so fun and beautiful and clever (there is one specific panel in “Group Chat” that I just adore you’ll know it when you see it)!

This story follows four twenty-something best friends living in New York City (a genre I will never get tired of), specifically they live in the Bronx. Kim is super excited for her upcoming show, except for the nagging feeling in her brain that the ex- she’s been dodging is going to show up. Nisha is embracing her hoe phase, but once her love life and her work life cross paths it sends her running for the hills. Davene is severely depressed and trying to call out for help, but her friends can’t see the signs. Last but not least, Cookie goes to visit her estranged abuela and they reconcile, even if abuela doesn’t remember it.

Wash Day Diaries is Sex & the City for the next generation and for all the non-white women in the audience. This graphic novel is a character-heavy, slice-of-life story which I absolutely love; it has so much room for growth and continuation with potential for a series and even for television adaptation and I hope that everyone who reads can understand that. The representation of depression is very well done and true to life and the artist’s ability to show us what Davene is going through with next to no words is just beautiful. The story has a great balance of light and heavy subject matter; it evokes all kinds of emotions in the audience in all the right ways; and the actual friendship between these four women is so heartfelt and it’s just so easy to fall in love with them all.

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