This is amazing. I would highly recommend it. The art is amazing and aligns well with the story. You can tell that the author and the artist collaborated on this work. The art coincides with the story and allows you to see the story. It represents characters that we don't always see in graphic novels or novels. It was a different perspective than a lot of other graphic novels. We need more graphic novels like this. I highly recommend you check this out if you want a nice graphic novel read.

Beautiful artwork and amazing story. I really felt seen with these characters and could relate to almost everything. From the way the main character walked with her keys to the time spent on doing her hair. Absolutely loved it.

I received an advanced reader copy of Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith in exchange for an honest review.

Wash Day Diaries is a beautiful book. It is a graphic novel about four Black women getting their hair done. Each chapter is a vignette into the lives of these women, conversations about their love lives, family, depression, and more. My favorite chapter was the one told through text messages while Nisha was at the salon. It was a creative way to tell the story, and I really liked the way the messages were worked into the graphics, sometimes even having the three friends manifesting in the panel speaking their text messages. That was so cool!

I really loved these characters that Rowser and Smith developed. They felt real and well rounded. They looked really good too! The art style in this book was lovely. I appreciated the use of color, using almost exclusively pinks, purples, oranges, and yellows. It was a great aesthetic and I enjoyed looking at this graphic novel as much as I did reading it.

The back of the book also contains concept and development notes, providing some neat insight into the creation of this book. It was fun getting to see behind the curtain at the process of making a graphic novel.

My main takeaway from this book is that friendship is family. Friends who are there for you in your time of need, whether it’s to help you do your hair or to protect you from a harmful man, they are as much your family as your blood relatives. Sometimes even more so. Friendships like those seen in this book are rare, and they are beautiful and should be cherished. Overall I loved my time reading Wash Day Diaries, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Thank you NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the advanced reader copy.

Wash Day Diaries follows the daily lives of 4 Ride or Die friends. We are introduced to Kim, Tanisha, Davene, and Cookie on hair Wash Day in their Bronx neighborhood. The book takes its title from the wash day experience shared by Black women everywhere of setting aside all plans and responsibilities for a full day of washing, conditioning, and nourishing their hair. This graphic is a celebration of female friendship, black women, life as a woman, and of course hair. I was in love with this graphic novel from the start, the first few pages show Kim leaving the subway with her keys in her knuckles for her walk home. I felt that illustration in my soul.
This graphic novel is my favorite for 2022! I have already put it in the hands of multiple people because the artwork is beautiful and the color schemes for each different character are perfect! Also, all four women feel like my friends with real issues and lives that are so real. I hope there will be more novels to come from Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith because they knocked this out of the park and have me eagerly waiting to see more from them.

I loved this graphic novel. I didn't care how they left some of the girl's scenes feeling a little unfinished, but for the most part this was pretty perfect. The stories were A1, the art was A1. It was just an all around good time!

Wash Day Diaries is the first graphic novel I have ever read (I AM EMBARRASSED ABOUT THAT FACT, OKAY?), and I am so deeply in love. Words will never be enough to describe how much I love this book.

The friendship between four black women, the stories surrounding their hair routine - gosh, everything was so wholesome and heartfelt. Reading about the day-to-day lives of fictional characters has never felt better., The artwork was absolutely stunning. I will never get over them. I am obsessed with this gem of a novel, and I cannot wait for more people to read it. <3

An absolute beauty of a graphic novel. The art and colors had me hooked from the beginning, but the complexity and genuine feel of the emotions throughout kept me reading. Giving each character their own short and then bringing the stories to a close with all four women was a great way to develop them all and keep the novel moving forward smoothly. From concept to execution, this one is a new favorite.

A quiet but powerful look at the friendship and lives of four young Black women, centered around wash day. The story "Bright Side" hit me in the gut with its portrayal of a mentally ill character going through a deep depression reaching out to one of her friends, only to be shut down with a "snap out of it" type response; sometimes, even the best of friends let you down, and this story didn't shy away from that, well-meant or not. I enjoyed getting to know each character, and it's always great to read about strong female friendships! More of this please! The art style was fluid and lovely, with different coloring for each character that blended when they were together. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys slice-of-life stories about ride-or-die friendships.

#WashDayDiaries #NetGalley

This book felt like a warm hug. I would’ve loved to read this growing up; it makes me incredibly happy that younger children/teens like me can read and enjoy this.

I loved the art and the individual stories with each main girls hair routine! I'd definitely live to see more from this author and illustrator duo and maybe even more stories involving this girl group!

Quick review for a quick read. So I just want to say this for the record...

CAN WE HAVE MORE OF THESE KINDS OF COMICS/GRAPHIC NOVELS READILY AVAILABLE, please? Like way more? An ongoing series of Black women with their unfolding stories, relationships, positive vibes, funny situations? All of this kind of thing?

I loved "Wash Day Diaries" so much. I feel even saying that is understating the joy it gave me just from picking it up to finishing in one sitting. It was such a refreshing collection of stories about a group of friends and their day-to-day lives, with a centered theme of hair punctuating each of the five stories featured. The artwork was beautiful - from the character designs and attention to detail when each of the characters were getting their hair done, to the backdrops and coloring/shade detail. I really enjoyed getting to know Kim, Tanisha, Davene and Cookie in the bit of time I spent with them here. The bits that we get showcase an array of different emotions, from simple joys to humor to bittersweet and even a little sadness/anxiety (though it's punctuated with situations meant to uplift).

I'm glad that I had the opportunity to read this and definitely look forward to reading more from the authors in the future. I plan on picking this up for my personal library as well.

Overall score: 5/5 stars.

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley from the publisher.

Each chapter is a story about a different Black woman getting her hair done and features a brief look into her life. I love female friendships and this book really delivered just that.

So good, so true to real culture! This has teen potential except for the couple of panels that show naked bodies that will probably keep it out of children's bookstores. I loved it.

Wash Day Diaries is a delightful graphic novel that looks into the lives of four women centering around their hair, specifically their 'wash day'. I found myself devouring this book all in one sitting and was left wanting more in the best way possible. The characters are well fleshed out and I was invested in each of their lives. I cheered for their successes and sympathized with their struggles. Absolutely wonderful.

This an adorable story about female friendship, I feel like most women can see themselves or their friends in these characters.

Wash Day Diaries is now in my top 5 favorite graphic novels I have read. The representation was a 10. The stories between the 4 friends in this book? 10. The art work and aesthetic? 10. I absolutely loved how slice of life and realistic the stories were in this graphic novel. The way young black women were represented was so refreshing to see since so many books are stereotyping black women and blackness. The hair and wash day routines represented was great as well and pretty accurate. The art was beautiful and I would love to read more about this friend group in future novels. 5/5⭐️

I loved the colors, the flow of the story art and how it was drawn. The words to picture flowed & I loved the story telling in just the drawn flawless and beautiful.
The stories about love romantic & platonic. And the touch of mental illness discussing going to therapy & even the talk about taking meds. I just there's more in later volumes.
The heart of this was the friendship. Ride or Die kind.
Just so beautiful.

Five short stories connect the lives of four young Black women, best friends, in this graphic novel about hair love, friendships, and relationships. Each story has a subplot on hair care and hair love. Characters are likable, realistic, and accessible, and storylines are all about self-empowerment. An excellent choice for new adult collections.

This was such a cute GN. I absolutely loved it! The stories, the character, and the art *chefs kiss 😚👌🏻* I was obsessed with getting to know the ladies, Kim, Tanisha, Davene, and Cookie! They were all very relatable and I was envious of their little girl group lol
It starts off with short individual stories of each character and then ends with all four lovely ladies coming together. Not only is this about the girls nourishing their hair but it also touches on family, relationship, and mental health. Although the speed and ending was perfect, the overall story was so enjoyable that I would’ve continued reading! I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did 🤗

[4/6/22]

Thank you to Jamilla Rowser and Robyn Smith, the publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC!

This was absolutely GORGEOUS. The illustration, the colors, the story, the vibe, the aesthetic. Love it love it love it. Read it all in one sitting. I hope it’ll get the attention it deserves once it’s published!

4 / 4.25 ☆