A review by lashette
Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Okay to start, lit fic is not my fave genre. They often feel like work and are rarely comforting as the regular life struggles of any random human is not comforting. That doesn't mean they are not good. This is well written. I had all the emotions. More than usual but I can relate to this character in many ways. But I grew either bored or frustrated with her choices were not relatable. It's like when you see a friend making questionable choices. But she is not a friend. Though I've been thinking lately that I do have a friend that may be a lot similar.  

Let me tell you how the first chapter had me so anxious. Maybe the first 2. I knew immediately this woman did not see life like me. And then she spent the whole book wondering why things weren't working out. That's not how life works. But I did appreciate the themes of friendship and family, work a black woman, worrying about police brutality, wondering if you are getting ahead due to affirmative action. But at several points I found myself saying she is not a good friend. The ending not included. There's this facade and she doesn't even realize it exists but then again it's so thin. But this book did live up to it's name. It's all there in black and white. The title is why I kept putting off reading this book for 4-5 months.