Title didn’t really match the book but all in all it was well written and easy to get into again the title really threw me off

This book does not seem to be aptly titled: although the story of a few Black women who form a friend group (with a few sisters in the mix), the story is more about their relationships with the men in their lives. The women face racism as they navigate their lives in New York City. Several of them have moved from Brooklyn to Staten Island to get away from gangs and drug dealing, which had taken at least two of their men to prison.

The climax of the book, however, revolves around the shooting of one of their sons by a white man. At that point, the plot shifts to examine racism, especially directed against young Black males.

The plight of incarcerated fathers is also a relevant theme of the book.

Single Black Female by Tracy Brown

358 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin
Release Date: November 2, 2021

Fiction, General Fiction (Adult), Multicultural, Family Dynamics, Relationships, Women

This book chronicles the lives of several Black women. Each has her own story and experiences with men and how the world treats them.

Ivy owns a salon and is very successful even traveling across the country for celebrity events. Her significant other, Michael, has been in prison for 16 years so she has been on her own raising their two children, Kingston and Noah. Coco seems to be attracted to the wrong type of men. She has been having a relationship with a man, but he informs her he is having a baby with another woman. She hears her biological clock ticking and wants a lasting stable relationship with a man.

Deja is a real estate agent married to Bobby a police sergeant. She was in a relationship with Rashid before he went to prison with Michael. She and Bobby have been raising her sixteen-year-old daughter, Bree. Nikki, Deja’s sister, is single and a social media influencer.

The book has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. All of the women are strong characters. They are believable and are rooting for them. If you like books with strong female characters, you will enjoy reading this book.

I thought this was a very moving tale about doing more than just surviving, but looking for love and where each of us fit in this world. I liked the character, Ivy, and I felt her struggles and her fears like she was a friend. I was so hopeful for her when she made some big life changes, so scared for when she stood her ground and terrified when she her phone buzzed after a night out. I felt the outrage at the twist and frustration when there were lies.
This one was eye-opening and tugged on my heartstrings.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

A very good book about four successful women Ivy, Coco, Deja, and Nikki with different lifestyles. This book addressed racism. single motherhood, relationships, interracial couples, and the effects of black men in the prison system. This book had me yelling out loud and sometimes feeling sad about the situations that the women faced.

Loved the story. Loved the characters. And I thought the audio version that I later listened to was great as well!

Ivy is a successful stylist and single mom. She has stayed loyal to her sons' father Michael while he serves a lengthy prison sentence. But Ivy is lonely and now wants something more. Coco is single and has everything she wants but she picks emotionally unavailable men. When she finally meets the man of her dreams, she’s unsure if she’s ready for him. Deja is a real estate agent who is married to a NYPD sergeant. Her life looks perfect but Deja is not having any fun at all. Deja is in for a rude awakening when her past catches up with her. Nikki is social media businesswoman and Deja’s little sister. She has no regrets in life and wishes her sister get out of the rut that she’s in. These four friends are going to have to face a harsh reality and choose sides when Ivy’s younger son has a run in with the NYPD.

Single Black Female by Tracy Brown is an entertaining novel about the different trials and tribulations black women face in today’s world. Brown does an excellent job of bringing us well-developed characters and storylines to this book. Each of these characters bring something different to this story which makes this book all the more enjoyable. Some of the decisions that these women have to make will make readers wonder what they would do in these situations. Single Black Female is a book that would make for a very lively book club discussion.

This was a DNF for me. I started it, but could barely get about 50 pages in. It was very aggressive, violent and over the type. The language was even a bit too much for me. Overall it was very aggressive and violent feeling. It took away from the writing. I always try to give a book 100 pages before quitting, but this one didn't make it.

I received a copy of this from Net Galley. Realistic book and was hard to put down as I was left with wondering what was happening next. The only negative would be it seemed like there should have been more wrap up to the story at the end unless a second book is planned. Would highly recommend this book

An interesting read about 4 black women and the different paths their lives have taken them down.

I got a little hung up on this title. It wasn’t accurate to the storyline and doesn’t really create a stir for what is between the covers.

The plots lines were intriguing to begin with but I felt that they just meandered a bit and never really went anywhere. If you are looking for a day in the life of these women type of read then I think this story will meet your expectations but plot advancement is not the strength of this story.

The characters felt very really and I think that many women can relate to qualities within the 4 main characters. I loved that this black author was able to reflect experiences from her point of view in the story.

I’ve read many reviews which say it was bothersome that the street life (selling drugs, etc) was glorified and problematic. I guess that’s true on the one hand. On the other hand, that happens today, in real life, so writing a story where families receive their money, even their very livelihood from street activities and having that be a celebrated event is merely factual.

I also read that this was written with a black audience in mind. I love this! And it feels to me like these are the very books that everyone should be reading to expand our knowledge of experiences that may differ from our own.

Single Black Female is the engrossing story of four friends: Ivy, Nikki, Coco and Deja, living their lives as Black mothers, friends, wives and lovers until one encounter with the police changes everything. Powerful and emotional, they each feel the effects in different ways with varying results. I enjoyed this book and found it not only thought provoking, but entertaining as well.

"Why the hell do Black women have to make choices like this?" This question is at the heart of Single Black Female, a book that follows the lives of four strong Black women navigating the difficulties of marriage, children, fulfillment, success, and being a Black woman in America. Ivy, Deja, Coco, and Nikki are best friends from childhood - bound together by their youth, family, and their husbands' pasts.

Ivy's husband Mikey is serving 15 years in prison upstate, and she's stayed loyal to him ever since he was locked up, raising both of their sons completely on her own and making time for prison visits every other week. Mikey's sister Coco benefitted from Mikey's success - he spoiled her and ensured that she could go to college, and now she has a great job at Livenation, just no man to speak of. Deja was in the same situation as Ivy, with her man Rashid getting locked up at the same time. But instead of staying with him, Deja took their child and cut him off, never going to visit or bringing their daughter for 15 whole years. Nikki is Deja's sister, an uber-successful social media star who rose to fame from scandals and sex tapes.

Things start to change in their lives: Ivy decides to move from Brooklyn to Staten Island to give her sons more space from the criminal activity that she absolutely does not want them getting in to. She also decides that it's time she stop visiting Mikey in prison every two weeks to give herself some space and freedom - and Mikey does not take that well. Rashid is released from prison and is determined to see Deja and get to know his daughter, but Deja has been raising their daughter with her new husband, an NYPD cop, for her daughter's whole life. Coco is trying to move on from the emotionally unavailable man she's been wasting years of her life with, and she might have finally found someone worthwhile.

The book is an intricate portrait of these close-knit families - including their kids - and how their lives intertwine with each other's. It's about challenges that Black women have to go through every day, issues of loyalty, being a single mother, succeeding on their own, raising kids to follow a straight path, teaching their kids - as absolutely awful as this is - that they are not like white kids, and what might be a simple mistake for a white kid could cost a Black kid his life. Most importantly, it's about always trying to seek happiness for themselves. The characters are all well written, complex, and fleshed out - they are all far from perfect, and that's what makes the book successful.

I feel like this was sort of marketed as a thriller or something more fast paced (even the title Single Black Female brings to mind the thriller Single White Female, which is very different than this). You won't read this book for the plot - it's much more about the characters. That being said, I would have enjoyed a few more twists and turns throughout; some of the more emotional scenes of characters rehashing their feelings got to be a bit repetitive.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC via Netgalley.

This was such an exciting, fast, page turner that kept me wanting to keep going nonstop right up until the very end. I might have had palpitations while reading. The storyline was as if it was real life and kept me wanting more. This author will definitely be in my rotation when it's time for a new book

I received a copy of the book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review

I was not able to review this title before archive date. Thank you to the author and NetGalley, for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story follows Coco, Deja, Ivy and Nikki as they go through the ups and downs of their lives playing the cards they have. Even though as adult women they all have their own issues and things happening in their lives, they always made sure to be there for each other as their past starts to affect their future. There are a lot of characters in the book and it took me a bit to be able to keep them all straight. But as the book progressed and I was able to get to know them it became easier to keep them straight.

This was a quick read. It touched on issued that affect all of us in our lives today. I was able to see pieces of me and my girlfriends in all of the characters, which made it even easier to read and enjoy. This is the first story by Tracy Brown that I have read and I look forward to reading more. I am hoping that the author expands on the relationships of these ladies.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of Tracy Brown, I love her work, she is a great writer. I love the bond that Nikki, Ivy, Deja and Coco have developed. The four fit well together even though their personal lives needed help; they still manage to survive the day to day living. These ladies have a lot going on in and out of their personal lives. Choices are hard to make. Some time we have to prioritize our lives, get them together, set up some me time and put ourselves first and stop holding onto old baggage or things that do not bring us joy. Nikki, Ivy, Deja and Coco are true sister friends and I so enjoyed reading about them. The end of the book was a bit emotional and I’m glad that things worked out for them.

I received an ARC via Netgalley and would recommend “Single Black Female”.

**I received this book from St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley for an honest review**

This is a story that follows four friends. Ivy, Deja, Coco, and Nikki. They all have a unique personality that matches their friendship well. Deja and Nikki are sisters whose bond isn’t as strong as one would think. Ivy is married but without official papers, Deja is married but bored, Coco is dating, and Nicki is single and doing her.

I loved this story. I loved the friendship and bond these four women shared. This was drama filled and very addicting. It took some time getting to know each woman though. After learning about their families and establishing what they were bringing to the story, things we were off to the races. The last 40% had me practically glued to my tablet. I couldn’t wait to see how things were going to shape up. Only a portion of this story was predictable to me but outside of that, I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. There were several uncomfortable parts, but I liked I as it made things feel very realistic.

Overall, this was a great read. I look forward to reading more from Tracy Brown.

So I must admit, I really didn’t read the description when I selected this book. As a Single Black Female in the US, I figured I could relate to whatever the author had set. And let me tell you, how I enjoyed this story. I was mad I pushed it back for so long!

This story follows four Single Black Women in the Boroughs of New York. I truly appreciate the diversity and vulnerability that was depicted within their small group and immediate families. I truly felt like I was the fifth friend within their circle experiencing it all beside them rather than as an audience which speaks to the wonderful writing.

Lastly, I also appreciate the honesty within this book. While the main conflict was resolved, which I’m very grateful for, there were other parts that ended in an honest way. I appreciate that we as an audience received closure without having to put a bow and smiley face on it. The ending matched the intensity of the story which I appreciated.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ivy has spent the last 16 years visiting her partner and father to her children Mikey in prison. Ivy and Mikey have two sons Noah and King, with King never knowing his father outside of prison walls. Ivy is ready for change and wants to take her life back. Taking the 4 hour drive to see Mikey weekly has taken a tremendous toll on Ivy, and she just wants a normal life with a normal relationship. Ivy has moved the kids out of Brooklyn and to a nice affluent neighborhood in Staten Island where Deja lives. Ivy is hoping to keep her boys on the right track by moving them to the suburbs and to start fresh and grow her business. King is a star on his basketball team and seems to be adjusting well. Noah on the other hand misses Brooklyn and the streets.
Deja is Ivy’s best friend and the ex-girlfriend of Rashid who also spent about 16 years in prison for a crime Mikey committed. Rashid refused to snitch on Mikey due to his loyalty and just took the charges. Deja had a daughter with Rashid, but moved on with her life and married a cop named Bobby. Bobby has raised Deja’s daughter as his own, but feels threatened when Rashid pops up after being released from prison. Rashid is determined to form a relationship with his daughter despite his disdain for Deja due to her leaving him when he was down. Mikey isn’t taking Ivy’s decision to end things well, Deja is struggling with her unresolved feelings for Rashid, and Bobby is showing a side of himself Deja never thought she would see. As King has an encounter with the police that is racially motivated Ivy starts questioning her decisions and Deja is definitely questioning Bobby when he seems to back the blue instead of the people and family he’s known. In the end these ladies will find that sometimes in life the decision we make when we are young can affect us for years to come.

I truly enjoyed this book, great character development and an overall good storyline.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC

Single Black Female is a story about American life and how the color of your skin impacts what that’s like.

Ivy Donovan has been completely loyal to her man, Michael, during the many years he has been in prison. She has been putting his needs and wants before her own, working hard to make a success of her salon so that she can provide Michael with what he needs to be as comfortable as possible where he is, and to make sure their sons Kingston and Noah can choose a better path through life than Michael did. She wants more for her boys than hustling, burning bright but short like all the men in their father’s family have done. Ivy’s moved them from Brooklyn to Statten Island to make sure that happens. But the move has left her exhausted and the tale starts with a fight between her and Michael. She tells him she no longer wants to make the long trek up to visit him, that she needs a break from rearranging her life every couple of weeks just so she can come see him. He’s not pleased and threatens retribution.

Coco (Cara) Norris knows that everything she has built comes from the foundation laid by her brother Michael.

Coco had been in the fifth grade when their father-a hustler also- had been killed. Mikey was in high school, and he picked up the baton he felt their father had passed to him. Mikey hit the streets and ran headlong into the crack game, as if he felt that the responsibility to provide for the family fell squarely on his shoulders.

She feels obligated to visit, to call, to send letters – but like Ivy she feels she’s done a lot with the little Michael left her. Coco’s not sure anyone appreciates just how hard she’s worked for her prime position at a marketing firm. She knows for sure the men she’s dated don’t. When the latest loser spends a night getting down and dirty with her and then advises her in the morning he won’t be back because he’s marrying another girl he knocked up, she knows she needs to make changes. She lets her friend Nicky set her up with a guy named Ziggy. He’s not like anyone else she’s ever been with – but maybe that’s a good thing.

Deja Maddox’s boyfriend Rashid got sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit – but he also didn’t snitch on the guy who did. Deja testified for him at the trial and did all she could to get him set free, but the minute he was found guilty she bounced. Deja didn’t want to spend the next decade taking herself and her baby daughter Bree back and forth to visit her man in prison like Ivy has done with her kids. Deja got a degree, worked her way up the ladder as a high-end real estate agent and married Bobby, a police sergeant with the NYPD. He may bore her to tears and she may have to get her sexual satisfaction from her guy on the side but she’s built a great life for herself and Bree.

Then Rashid gets out of prison and decides he wants to develop a relationship with Bree. His presence is a catalyst, bringing unexpected changes to the womens’ lives and forcing them to examine if Black women can ever really Have It All.

This is a general fiction novel which takes a look at complicated family relationships and how they impact our lives. Ivy has spent more time being in a relationship with the incarcerated Michael than she ever spent with him while he was on the outside. That relationship has tied her to his problematic sister Patsy and Patsy’s sons, who are all in the same business Michael was. It has tied her to Coco, his sister, who also wants to be far away from the hustling lifestyle but is in turn tied to it by her love for her brother and sister. Rashid had gotten taken up with Michael as a known associate because he had been in the same gang. His return means Deja and Bree are now pulled back into the shadow of that life.

Easily the best part of this book is that the author shows the complex emotional aspect of this situation, which explains why the women couldn’t just build better lives by walking away from their old ones. Michael’s hustling enabled Ivy to have seed money to start her business, and allowed Coco to pursue her degree, so both women feel a sense of gratitude. Michael’s two sons may have spent little time with him, but they know how he provided for his family by what he did, appreciating that his actions weren’t selfish but necessary, and driven by concern for his kin. Rashid had paid off Deja’s mama’s mortgage and made sure they had cars to go to work with and food on the table. His generosity had kept them from being homeless. The men may bring danger and violence into their lives but have provided love, care and protection as well.

An important plot point is that the danger Rashid and Michael bring with them isn’t just because they are drug dealers, but has instead a great deal to do with being Black in America. Racism plays an important role not just in limiting the men’s choices for how they provide for their families, but how they are treated both in and out of the system. Ms. Brown does a really nice job of capturing the tension Black families live with and surprising us with how ordinary events can turn extraordinarily dangerous for them.

The book’s only flaw is that while presenting the rich emotional ties that keep Black families connected, it glosses over the very real costs of doing so, as well as the wealth of problems connected to the hustling lifestyle. Reading this novel, you receive the impression that the worst that can happen is imprisonment and the highest price paid by the families is sacrificing a day every couple of weeks to visit them. Everything bad – such as Michael’s father’s murder and Deja’s mom’s financial struggles – is in the past. People deal drugs but no one is addicted. Folks get roughed up but no one gets killed. Hood life is also glamorized – the excitement, the Instagram fame, the ready money are discussed, but no conversations take place about what it takes to get any of that.

The characterization really suffers as a result of this veneer. The ladies are presented as so fierce, so successful, so beautiful and so together that trouble practically bounces off of them. This makes them hard to relate to or feel empathy for. It also makes them difficult to distinguish – aside from their jobs and the names of their kids, the three leads are interchangeable.

That might have worked in a women’s fiction or romance novel which tackled lighter subjects, but in Single Black Female, dealing with some of the biggest issues affecting our culture today, it lessens the impact of the story, leaving it well written and interesting but not DIK material.