This is such a nice and cozy slice of life (anime in my head) comic. Everyone's voice is distinct and sound. I find myself satisfied but also wanting another episode...opps volume 💁🏾‍♀️

Wash Day Diaries is a new graphic novel that celebrates the strength of Black women and their friendships. It tells the story of four best friends - Kim, Tanisha, Cookie, and Davene - using short comics which are all interconnected. This graphic novel is also a celebration of wash day - which is the collective day in which Black women focus all of their attention on their hair. Using hair routines, each comic allows a brief glimpse into the life of each girl.

Kim, Tanisha, Cookie and Davane each live in the Bronx but are all living different lives. From their social lives to their work lives and even to their mental health, each of them is different. The authors use the idea of wash day to bring the characters together even if they are not in the same room. I really enjoyed the dynamic of this strong group of friends.

As a white woman, I cannot fully relate to the theme of wash days. I however loved learning about it. Wash days can be an all day activities where the women fully wash, condition, nourishing, and dying their hair before styling it. Each of the characters in this graphic novel have different experiences with this day. It demonstrated that although the theme is the same, the outcome can be very different. After reading this, I found myself thinking about the context in which I have heard discussions about Black women and their hair care and realized that outside of graduate school where a couple of my classmates were Black, I have not had very much experience learning about this area.

The reason I requested Wash Day Diaries from Netgalley is because I wanted to learn more about the cultural significance of wash day for Black women. As mentioned above, my knowledge of this day was pretty limited, and reading this graphic novel opened up my understanding. This graphic novel not only deals with wash day but also looks at other issues which Black women may face such as racism, cat-calling, career issues, family drama, and depression. All the graphic are very well done and drew me even more into the story. I look forward to sharing this story with others and helping to celebrate the Black girl magic.

This book was intriguing as it told realistic feeling stories about women and their culture. I appreciated that there was a strong tie between the hair wash routine and the culture and lives of the women featured in this book. The characters were all unique and lovable. Cookie was my favorite! I loved her aesthetic and personality. I appreciated seeing many different body and hair types represented in a positive light. What a wonderful read!

Having just completed my own wash day I can say without a doubt that I loved the book and I can’t wait to share it with all of my family members!

My hair is curly but fine, and wash day is never a big event. Yet for this cast, wash day is super important. It becomes a time to talk about life, and about daily choices. It is lovely and beautiful.

"Nah, it's wash day. I ain't goin' nowhere." ~ pg. 32

Wash Day Diaries tells the story of four best friends: Kim, Tanisha, Davene and Cookie. In comic book style, the daily lives of these young women in the Bronx are followed. As a Black woman, I know the authors tell no lies when they titled this new release. Wash Day really is an all-day affair. Set aside all plans for a full day of washing, conditioning and nourishing our hair with a group text of your best girlfriends keeping you company.

Wash Day Diaries is a tribute to Black joy, womanhood and hair care. The women chat about their personal lives, family rifts and spill the tea. At less than 200 pages in a comic/graphic novel format it is easily read in one sitting.

The representation in Wash Day Diaries is on point! Women with different hair types and shades of skin are represented in the group of friends. Their hair routines are full of accuracy like co-washing, deep conditioning and Black hair care. It is so beautifully illustrated in detail too! Order the paperback or Kindle edition (less than $10) for viewing on an iPad/laptop for the impressive colors, illustrations and layout. This is how a graphic novel is done!

Happy Pub Day, Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith! Wash Day Diaries is now available.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

~LiteraryMarie

What is not to love about this book. The illustrations, the backdrops of NYC and haircare, and the friendship between the four characters was amazing. I appreciated learning the background of each character as well as witnessing the loyalty between this group of friends. The story was relatable. I saw my friend group in these ladies and their haircare routines.

As a black reader, its not often you read some thing that resonates with who are. I saw myself and my amazing friends in everyone of these characters. This graphic novel just hits on so many levels, from funny to touching to sad to happy. It gives a short glimpse into a black girl's life and friendship. Showing you our magic without violating the magician's code. I'm honestly excited to see where the author's does with this, will we get a more indepth view into the lives of each character or another book filled with more glimpses? Let s not forget the amazing artistry of each frame. So beautiful drawn and painted. I love it!

I hope you do too!

Thank you to the publisher/author and netgalley for the early read

And as always Happy Reading!!

Our hair says a lot about us. The pride we take in it, how we take care of it. This beautifully illustrated graphic novel creates a story of four women woven through their hair like a braid. It was a breath of fresh air to see how each woman, diverse in her own way shared a small piece of her life with the reader. It is a quick, easy read that I enjoyed getting to view.

I loved this graphic novel and it felt like it finished wayyyyyyyyyyy too soon! I felt so seen with the showing the routine of deep conditioning, I just felt it so hard. I wanted more stories and I hope for so many more. The art was beautiful and so was the dialogue/banter and the friendship dynamic. I just loved it so much.

This is a beautiful slice-of-life graphic novel that follows four best friends. Told in five connected vignettes, the book offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of each women and brought me on a rollercoaster of emotions. La Bendicion/Cookie's arc was gut-wrenching, Group Chat/Nisha's love triangle troubles had me laughing, while Bright Side/Davene's mental health struggles were all too relatable.

I loved the women's ride-or-die friendship as well as the realistic portrayal of ups and downs that they face. There's diverse representation, though I wish some issues (especially Davene's depression) had been explored in greater depth.

The illustrations and colour palettes are stunning. Some of my favourite scenes are the pages and pages of textless frames that depict women washing or caring for their hair.

Not only is this book a wonderful tribute to Black hair and women, it's also a lovely celebration of friendship and sisterhood. A heartfelt and enjoyable read overall!

Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser is an ode to friendship and the hair care routines of Black women that connect us. I truly enjoyed this graphic novel! It’s inclusive and the stories of the four young women cover a wide range of personal experiences.

It’s a quick read, but a memorable one that will have you begging for more. Each chapter is a short story featuring one of four best friends – Kim, Tanisha, Davene and Cookie.

Black Women And Self Care
To be honest, I have never seen a wash day experience depicted in a book before. I felt an instant connection from page one as Kim starts her wash day routine. Depending on how much hair you have and what you are doing, it can literally take all day. The line “Nah, it’s wash day. I ain’t goin’ nowhere.” had me laughing.

Slice Of Life
Each chapter follows a different young woman during a day in her life. I did a little research on Jamila Rowser and discovered this book was inspired by her “slice-of-life” mini comic, Wash Day.

Sisterhood
Even though each woman has her own short story, they are all entwined in each other’s lives in supportive roles. This sisterhood was so full of joy! Wash Day Diaries is a true celebration of women’s friendship. They really are there for one another and step up for each other. It was super refreshing to see how they interacted with each other and comforted each other.

Even during moments that as a reader, you may feel that a character didn’t really understand what another was going through like Cookie and Davene, at the core they still had each others backs. Especially when Cookie helps Davene, who is suffering from depression, pick herself back up by doing her hair. I felt that although Cookie’s response to Davene talking about her consideration of antidepressants, was insensitive though well-meaning, it was also a realistic depiction of how many conversations go when someone shares they need help with their mental health and the other person doesn’t have real understanding of how serious things are for them.

Illustrations
I thought the illustrations were vivid and contributed to the story Rowser told. I’ve seen Robyn Smith’s work before and notice that she has a preference for purple hues. I thought it worked beautifully here. My review is of the arc, so not all of the pages were in color, but the ones that were, were beautiful.

Will There Be More?
The one wish I have about this book is to know if it’s slated to be part of a series. I would love that! There is enough here for each character to continue each young woman’s story. I’ll be on the lookout!

Saturated in lovely color, this graphic novel is a beautiful exploration of the traditions of wash day routines and Black hair care, personal stories, and intimate friendships. It is funny and heartfelt, and balances tender slice-of-life with the harsher realities of living.

The Wash Day Diaries was my first graphic novel, and I absolutely loved it. It opens up with a drawing of a woman with her hair wrapped turban-style needing supplies/products, and I found myself sighing. The sheer amount of energy it takes to wash your hair as a Black woman is next level (I was actively avoiding wash day while reading).

The opening of the Group Chat being “aight, so boom…” had me cackling. My and friends have started stories off similarly. It’s how we know just how juicy a story will be.

From there, we follow this intriguing group of friends throughout the city and witness some of their lives. We see the daily joys and struggles as real-life issues are tackled in such a raw and relatable way. The fact that the author dedicated time to depression, especially in today's world climate, was beautiful and necessary.

As we get older, we begin reflecting on our lives. We often try with all of our might to right the wrongs that we’ve done or think we’ve done. This is shown in La Bendición, where forgiveness takes over.

This is by far the most relatable thing I’ve read in a very long time, and I truly enjoyed it. I felt this weird sense of being understood. I liked that the many complexities that make up being a Black woman, friend, granddaughter, and lover (past and present) were presented authentically. This story was one I didn’t realize I needed, and I plan to buy it for myself and my friends.

Voluntarily reviewed after receiving a free copy courtesy of NetGalley, the Publisher, the author/illustrator, Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith.

Wash Day Diaries is a beautiful slice of life graphic novel following a group of best friends as they navigate life in the Bronx, also allowing a glimpse at each of their various hair care routines.

Each chapter chronicled in a vignette style, followed a different friend within this group of 4. The color palette per POV seemed perfectly suited for our leading ladies and not only held strong in each chapter, but followed them throughout the story itself.

With lots of heart and humor woven into these pages, I appreciated how this upbeat graphic novel didn't shy away from difficult topics. You'll find discussions on depression, unwanted advances from men (then quickly followed by an insult when denied), working towards healing family trauma, and toxic exes.

I absolutely love a strong female friendship and this story delivered! You can so clearly see how much each of these women loved and cared for each other by being supportive besties we all hope to have in our own lives.

Wash Day Diaries is an absolutely stunning, lovely graphic novel that truly deserves all the praise!!!

This was a super sweet, nice read. I feel like there's so little representation in graphic novels so I'm really glad that this book is in the world! More of this!

A warm and loving look at what it's like to have girlfriends who've got your back.

I loved the artwork and soothing colors.

Hope to see more of these ladies in the future.

I loved this graphic novel! It is a beautiful portrait of friendship, sisterhood and joy .The art in this novel is vibrant and beautiful, most of all I loved how haircare is portrayed and how the hair itself connects the whole story.

Wash Day Diaries follows four friends in a short snippet of time, talking about different issues, experiences, and activities each of them goes through.

This is the first graphic novel I've ever left a review on, and there's honestly not much I can say other than I loved it! It takes raw talent to turn a story idea into art, let alone a novel. The art is amazing, the storyline is interesting and explores several different issues, and is layered with nuance. ALL WITHIN A GRAPHIC NOVEL! Even within the short amount of time the story seems to take place, I get to know each of the girls.

Thank you for this, I really enjoyed it!

I am so glad NetGalley approved my request to read Wash Day Diaries. I've read books where they mention wash day but don't go into detail. Rowser goes into detail and really shows you how important hair is to Black women. Smith did a wonderful job with her illustrations. Loved how much attention she gave to the hair panels. Rowser did not only highlight how hair can bring happiness, but also showed the downside. Davene's story hit hard. Not only was she going through a rocky time in her life, but the fact she had to worry about her hair was insane. I ended up really liking how the short stories connected and how their hair routine was just a part of their life. So I liked how the author showcased that. It was a very quick read, which was actually kind of a bummer. I really think it should have been longer. Overall, I liked this one! Many thanks to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.