A review by onemorepagecrew
Black Girls Must Be Magic by Jayne Allen

emotional funny hopeful informative medium-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? No

4.5

In the second book of Tabitha “Tabby” Walker I opted for the audio book, and I am so glad I did.  The narrator, Marcella Cox, brought Tabby to life and her inflections during the inner monologue was subtle and effective.  In the first novel, I enjoyed meeting Tabby and the people in her life (there’s a review in a prior post) and in this second book I moved from “liked” to “loved” as we saw Tabby focus on what she wanted in her life. 
 
The plot for this installment is centered on Tabby’s pregnancy and career.  When we last left Tabby, she was struggling with infertility and taking medical options to increase her chances of pregnancy.  She was working as a news reporter and dating Marc off and on.  Her grandmother, grandmother’s friend (Ms. Gretchen), and her closest friends, Laila and Alexis, were her inner circle. 
 
As the second installment develops, we see Tabby lean on her inner circle, when needed, and start to trust her own voice more and more.  She’s navigating workplace microaggressions and racism, she’s evaluating what she wants in a life partner, she’s preparing to welcome a baby, and she’s processing the loss of a loved one.  I loved the way the author gave voice to the inner doubt and Tabby’s process for weighing what she wanted for her and her baby’s life.  I hope that Harper’s Collins announces the date for the third book soon – I can’t wait to read it. 
 
Throughout the book, Tabby faces workplace discrimination and microaggressions for how she wears her hair.  If you’re not already familiar with The Crown Act, I encourage you to visit their page and website to learn more and support their efforts to ensure protection against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles across the Unites States.  There are still 36 states where these protections are not in place and the experiences Tabby had in this novel are unfortunately not fiction.  Please sign the petition, email a senator, and join the efforts. 
 
Content warnings: Grief, Pregnancy, Infertility, Microaggressions, Workplace Discrimination 
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