This was a well written story about the trials and tribulations black women go through. But it was also a story about a struggle with fertility which is one I can't at this time relate too. However it was still a solid story and I enjoyed the friendship between the women.

I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

. . . . .

I received an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review

This book presents a basic chick-lit trope-try to rustle up a husband before the baby clock runs out-through the eyes of a Black woman navigating the blend of sexism and racism she and her friends have to face every day. So in that way the plot is revolutionary just by being so ordinary – this is the lived experience of many women who don't often see themselves in mainstream women's fiction. I hope it gets the attention it deserves

Jayne Allen is an outstanding writer. I enjoyed her characters and her story immensely, and respect the way she covered the issues in her book. At times I felt like she was writing a social justice tirade, but she didn't vilify one group in order to make a point. If I felt a particular section was preachy, I simply skimmed the few sentences and moved through to the rest of the thoughtful, engaging story.

Tabitha and her friends and family were real, lovable, interesting. I adored the relationship Tabitha had with her grandmother, and I appreciated the growth she achieved in the relationship with her dad. Again, the book was beautifully written. That title drew me in, and the beautiful story that goes with it did not disappoint.

4.25⭐️ enjoyable, relatable, thoughtful, and now I have to call my honorary grandmother. OK, I’m back. I appreciated all the different aspects of Tabby’s life—family, friendship, complicated relationships, work, romance, etc. By the end of the book she feels like an old friend.

When this becomes a movie, I’ll get a babysitter and see it opening weekend.

Yes, we must. Living the life of a black girl is beyond exhausting. Yet we persevere every day. Circumstances can push us to the grave prematurely. We are hit with disappointment when we don't meet the standards set for us. Get good grades, go to college, succeed in a career, get married, have children... But in reality, those things don't happen often in that order.

When 33-year-old Tabitha receives an unexpected diagnosis from the doctor, she panics. Tabitha has less than six months to have a baby naturally. This was not the plan! With the help of her best friends, she tests modern medicine, a ticking biological clock and how to become a wife and mother quick.

I must admit that I judged this book by its awesome cover. The title was a bonus. I skimmed over the description because I assumed it would be just as creative as its cover design. The story must match, right? Little did I know that it was mostly about having children (which is something that highly disinterests me). For this reason, I could not relate to the main character. But look at what good writing skills can do! Author Jayne Allen, from Detroit, wrote in such a way that I felt invested in Tabitha's journey and rooted for her throughout the book. Black Girls Must Die Exhausted may not relate to your own personal experience, but it's a good read.

LiteraryMarie

Great story that shows how women support each other through ups and downs. Show realistic issues that many are facing today. Great read!!

Black Girls Must Die Exhausted: A Novel for Grown-Ups by Jayne Allen

I feel like this was a book I should have related to and yet I found myself not very invested in the majority of this story. I’m a Black woman around the age of the main character who was born and raised in the area discussed through the majority of this book. I know this area and the issues facing this community. When that’s what was being discussed I found myself intrigued but the moment the story gravitated back to Tabitha, the main character of this novel, my interest would wane.

Allen’s writing style left a lot to be desired in my opinion. I appreciate being given background about the characters but I don’t enjoy when an author spends the entire book telling me how a character behaves instead of showing the character’s behavior. The biggest example of that were Tabitha’s friends. I was told about their different character traits but there weren’t many examples of the friends displaying any of those traits. Tabitha’s character had some growth throughout the course of the book but not much. The driving points of the plot were her indecision in regards to her fertility, her in competition for promotion and her floundering relationship. All of these are basically solved by the end with the epilogue’s sole purpose being to wrap up all the lose edges.

This book was okay. I wish I had been able to relate more to the characters and their stories but they simply weren’t developed enough for me to become invested in them. While discussing race and issues surrounding race were really well done, much of the plot was floundering and never really found a solid footing. Allen needs to work on the way she develops her characters and the structuring of her plot. After being told how important this promotion was for her, I learned very little about her work ethic and was told more about the person in competition for the job with her. This book ends with a lead in for the second novel. After finishing this one I’m not sure if I would pick up the second.

This was a funny and emotional look at the life of a young professional woman. She is just trying to lead her life the best she knows how. She experiences lots of ups and downs and obstacles keep getting in the way. Terrific writing, wonderful realistic characters, and a story that is very emotional. I enjoyed it and I highly recommend it.

Loved it, liked Tabby a lot, and her relationship with her girl friends was very believable.
Good story, looking forward to second part.

There is a substantive distinction between BLACK fiction and fiction written about characters who happen to be black, among other traits, that’s difficult to quantify. Black Girls Must Die Exhausted, the first entry in a scheduled trilogy, falls into the latter category. It is integrated in ways that mainstream contemporary fiction rarely is beyond ethnicity, including socioeconomic class, geographic region, age, and gender.

Blend a 21st-century New Adult version of Waiting to Exhale and “Girlfriends” with candid revelations about traumatic injuries of the spirit reminiscent of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf. Toss in the caustic wisdom of seasoned women a la “Golden Girls” or “Grace and Frankie” into a sometimes exclamatory narrative style familiar to fans of Sophie Kinsella to create this endearing tale that’s provocative, funny, and emotionally satisfying.

Of its many thematic layers about 33-year-old Tabitha’s professional and personal struggles, Black Girls Must Die Exhausted portrays the challenges of women to maintain their integrity of self and exert agency from multiple angles: career opportunities, proactive medical and mental health advocacy, family obligations, and romantic relationships.

Tabitha’s, Alexis’s, and Laila’s complicated man troubles each qualify for their own “Ask Steve Harvey” segment. Tabitha broods about single, thirty-something men’s attitudes toward monogamy on page 10:

They treated love like a disease you catch, and if real adult commitment was the incurable version of it, then for them family was basically death.


The ensuing relationship drama practically screams validation of Dr. Maya Angelou’s quote about believing people the first time they reveal who they really are.

Inclusive representation is also addressed from multiple points of view. Seeds for a less fraught variation of themes from The Hate U Give are planted on page 27 when Tabitha thinks, “Communities that were underrepresented in the newsroom were underrepresented in the news.” The words newsroom and news are easily substituted for words like innovators and innovations or executive suites and workplaces.

Tabitha’s rude awakening regarding her fertility options resonates as a timely call for proactive self-advocacy consistent with revelations shared by former first lady Michelle Obama in Becoming, the #startasking campaign started by 2018 Mrs. North Carolina, and the series by Nicole Ellis for The Washington Post.

The level of reading enjoyment provided by Black Girls Must Die Exhausted bodes well for the release of And Baby Makes Two in September 2019.

[Proofing note: In the NetGalley ARC offsetting commas for directly addressing a person by name are frequently missing as on page 48, “Hi Nate,” and throughout the text, a pattern that was probably corrected in the final galley.]

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Empowering novel about hard choices in life and a woman who takes control of her future. This is a fun and inspiring read--it would be a great choice for a women's book club.

I've always been told that you should never judge a book by its cover, but it was the beautiful cover that caught my interest with this one. Fortunately, what was inside certainly lived up to that cover.
The idea that both women and black people have to work much harder to get the recognition that they deserve is certainly not a new one. Of course being a black woman means therefore that you have to work even harder again, which is why the title of this book proclaims that Black Girls Must Die Exhausted. For the lead character in this book, Tabatha Walker, that is certainly true. She has to constantly fight to get ahead, without wanting to be seen as too pushy or too aggressive. Everything is a struggle and even her body is turning against her in her attempts to succeed in her career, her personal life and the dream of one day being a wife and mother.
This book is not just about race, although it is an important theme in the book, it is also about relationships. Tabby has a number of strong women in her life, from her best friends Leila and Lexi to her grandmother, who is also called Tabatha. Added to this is her complex relationship with her father, less than ideal relationship with her boyfriend Marc and a long distance relationship with her mother. It is all of these relationships that add to the rich and complex mix that make this story.
This isn't a fairy tale with clearly defined goodies and baddies. Although there are people that are not so good at points, there are also explanations and reasons given for the way that they act. Not that you can excuse everything, but somehow giving reasons makes people seem more real and human.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The added bonus is that it was actually the first in a trilogy (which I didn't realise until the very end) and I'm really keen to read the next instalment.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I don't usually pick up contemporary fiction, but I had to give this one a try due to the title! I'm glad I did because it's full of amazing, supportive female characters. I really related to the characters struggles around fertility, racism and the career issues. Having read hundreds of books to date, I am glad to finally see myself reflected in diverse fiction. I'm looking forward to the next instalment!

I was drawn to the book from the title, and I felt the story didn't disappoint. Tamara walker, in her mid 30's is dealing with what a lot of us are dealing with, fertility and relationship issues. She is a frequent visitor to her paternal grandmother, who is a Caucasian woman and her best friend, Ms. Gertie at the assisted living facility where they both reside.

There were several surprises I enjoyed, as well as some things I wasn't expecting. It had a really good flow, and several of the issues in the story was extremely relatable to some of the current situations that's happing in real life. It was a great read, and even though this was the first time I've read a book from this author, it won't be the last.

Thank you #QualityBlackBooks and #NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful book. I have to admit that I experienced various emotions while reading this book as I am sure many will too. It broke my heart that Two had to go through the things that she did, but mostly I felt bad for her because she had such a fear of police officers. The black community has been treated unfairly I agree but every race has it just hasn't been aired. However, we must remember that we cannot allow those few bad ones speak for the entire group. We need less cowering and more hugging. This story also made me aware of the fact that our health care system needs to be looked at even further to assist women in dire need of help with fertility assistance. I can say so much more but I I am just going to recommend that you read this book because you will not be disappointed!!!!

Overall, a well written, engaging read. You know it's good when I talk out loud TO THE BOOK. I had a few character nits, but nothing really worth ranting about. You've heard the saying about having to work twice as hard to get just as far as our non black counterparts-- well, this is that saying, in print. Tabitha's life, from her job to her boyfriend to her family seems to be coming apart at the seams and the only thing holding it together is her grandmother, for whom she is named. They simply call her Too, because she is Tabitha, too.
I found Grandma Tab to be delightful and surprisingly woke... perhaps because her husband was black and her son is half black but she was progressive for an older white woman. I kept bracing for her to say something off, but of course that never happened. A common theme, and something I'm definitely going to take away from this book is 'if a man has no plan for you, that isn't your man'. Ain't that the truth, and a hard truth to learn and accept. For Tab, too... but I said I wasn't gonna rant.
This was a sometimes emotional, sometimes funny look into the life of a young urban professional, just trying to life her best life, despite life itself getting in the way of that. An enjoyable read!

I confess, the title is what drew me in. And the book kept me engaged. The story itself wasn't particularly new, but I enjoyed reading about the challenges of a woman of color trying to 'have it all' and realizing that everyone, no matter what their background, faces a unique and discrete set of obstacles along the way to the happiness they seek. Well written, with very life=like characters, the book is set in LA and obviously written by someone who either knows or researched the area well. I recommend to anyone wanting a good, quick read.

Strong female characters and lots of women supporting each other, a breath of fresh air. Very well written, and even though I'm a middle aged white female i was able to connect with the characters with no problem and really enjoyed every moment of it! Well recommended for anyone!!
Thank you NetGalley for free advance reading copy!

What makes this book so different is the cultural perspective that you usually don't find in other books and weren't expecting in this one. It shows how family secrets shape the family dynamic, and how it plays a role in other aspects. This book has the ability to transport you to that story with those characters, it's beautiful and much needed with everything that is going on in the world. I can't wait to read more from this author. I highly recommend this book to others.