The running theme is obvious here. The one black girl who has worked twice as hard to get the job done. Is overlooked and undervalued. The twist here is that the publication she works for needs a huge profile and the subject of said profile is an old love. Not just any love but one that proposed at his father’s funeral. I will admit that when Genevieve finally realizes not only her worth, but that worth will only be determined by her, the story becomes more than an anthem for the overlooked. It’s a great road map to surviving without compromising dignity.

Genevieve Francis, a 25-year-old Black reporter, assumed she’d go into her fourth year at her newspaper job with a bigger story than the latest seasonal ice cream flavor. Instead, she’s relegated to doing copy edits and sensitivity reads on the articles her white colleagues write. So when Gen finally gets the opportunity to cover a prominent CEO’s gala, she leaps at the chance—this will be her biggest assignment to date. The only problem: The CEO is her ex, Jude, whose marriage proposal she publicly rejected four years prior.

Following their awkward run-in, Jude personally requests Gen to write the first ever authorized profile of him. The potential for scandal, if anyone digs into their past, is high, but Gen decides to risk it—if she proves herself with this profile, it could jumpstart her dream of writing articles centered on Black voices. But between the racist backlash from her colleagues and her conflicting feelings toward her ex, Gen soon realizes she’s in way over her head. And it may be more than just her career on the line.

This was a beautifully written emotional book. As a white middle-aged woman, I try to read widely about different people's experiences. Of course, this is fiction, but most fiction is based on someone's reality. It was frustrating to see how much crap that Gen put up with, the big and small ways people discriminate, even if they don't mean to.

While this was, at its heart, a romance, it was more about Gen finding her voice and her way in the world. I really enjoyed the romance part, but I wish Gen would have learned to stand on her own faster. Overall, excellent read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

I thought this book was well written and I found the characters interesting. I felt it was a good mix and didn’t focus too much on the romance. I look forward to reading more by this author.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. The writing is excellent, filled with wit and insight, making it an engaging and informative read. The author skillfully crafts dialogue that draws you in, and the chemistry and growth of Genevieve and Jude, both as individuals and a couple, are heartwarming. The portrayal of Jude's journey through grief and substance abuse, and the importance of therapy in acknowledging his past behavior, added depth to the story. Genevieve's struggles with self-doubt and workplace microaggressions as one of the few black women in her field were portrayed with care and precision. Her career progression was inspiring, making her a true girlboss. I was invested in Jude and Genevieve's relationship, though I wished for more insight into their in-between years and Jude's friendship with Oliver. Despite this, the conclusion was realistic and left me feeling joyful and attached to the characters. This debut novel exceeded my expectations, and I’m excited to see what we get next from Alex Travis.

I got my book through ARC from Alcove Press (via NetGalley).

In my honest opinion, this book hits all the right marks. 352 pages, and yet, it is well written and the dialogue flowed so well and easy the time flew by. The protagonist is sympathetic, embattled, feisty. The romantic lead is worthy to be called as such. Finally. And the romance is also very good.
It’s a heartfelt story, one of which for many is a reality. The book is strong and well made and really makes you question everything by the end of it.

I really wanted to like this book because the plot and synopsis sounded very interesting to me. I think it could have been great. Unfortunately the book wasn't able to keep me motivated and invested. I really tried and tried but in the end it just wasn't for me. The book focused too much on the romance, while I thought and hoped it was something else.

This book hits all the right marks.
A) Sympathetic, embattled, feisty protagonist: check.
B) Swoon-worthy romantic lead, willing to examine his past mistakes: check.
C) Romance: check.
D) Professional pitfalls caused by C): check.
E) Clueless antagonists you don’t actually ever have to sympathize with, at all: check.
F) An unapologetic and hopefully conscience-sparking look at what Blacks mean by “microaggressions”: check.

Alex Travis weaves all these pieces into a fast-paced narrative. Nobody’s life is being threatened here, no empires are rising or falling based on what transpires on the pages—yet Gen’s voice, her ambition, her thirst to prove herself and to make the world a better place, are so personal that the story feels like it carries all the urgency of those other scenarios and more. As a white woman reading this book, the descriptions of what Black women face seemed impossibly heavy-handed. But then again, the sheer volume causes me to think more carefully about my own words and actions, and to be more cognizant of how they can come across. I hope I am better, more aware, because I read this book.

Add in a deeply satisfying ending and you have the makings of a great gift for Christmas, birthdays, or simply self-pampering.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
Throughout “The Only Black Girl in the Room” we see Genevieve writer many roles: writer, friend, partner, daughter. We also see how she faces multiple obstacles in these spheres of her life, as well as the resilience that gets her through them.

This is a frustrating book at times, as Genevieve has to do so much to have the minimum opportunities and respect that seem to be granted to her white counterparts. I thought that Alex Travis did an excellent job with integrating those experiences into the narrative structure of the book.

What kept this from being a 5 star read for me would be the supporting characters; there were so many throughout the various parts of her life, and I had trouble keeping track of some of them (especially when they have names that start with the same letter). Gen and Jude—her former boyfriend—were the strongest characters and relationship for me, and I wish there would have been a bit more time spent depicting their relationship toward the end.

This book publishes on May 7, 2024–and I’d definitely recommend keeping your eyes peeled for a copy! Huge thanks to Alcove Press for sending me an ARC in exchange for this review.

This book started strong, and then I started to lose interest. I fell into some romance/chicklit cliches and I think I was expecting something more like "The Other Black Girl" which I really enjoyed. Titles aside, these are not similar books and while I do like some chicklit, it just felt predictable to me, unfortunately. More ardent fans of chicklit/romance may have a better "read".

This piece of art was unimaginably beautiful beyond words. It had such a grip on me from the very first page to the last, and l couldn't put it down no matter what. The characters were so interesting and exciting adding on to the great flow of words that just made this book perfect. Genevieve is my kind of girl, beauty and brains in one and l truly loved her and enjoyed seeing her resilience and passion when it came to the things she wanted. The author does a tremendously great job in her writing because she not only talked on self-believe but on racism and l felt like that just tied this book up into one perfect treat. This book has self believe, self-love and determination wrapped up in it, and after reading a book never have l felt like l can do anything l put my mind to until l read this beautifully written work. It's definitely a must read that will leave you feeling all sorts of high, it sure did for me. After this amazing book, l truly can't wait for what more Alex has in store for us because this is one author with such a great talent and this book speaks loudly on it.

Well, if you don't want to read about a strong Black female and the odds that are stacked against her, then this book isn't for you. If you don't want to read about how it feels to be the only Black girl in the room, then this book is not for you. If you don't want to read the heart wrenching love story of two people who fell apart due to life, then this book isn't for you.

This book had me crying for absolutely no reason. Well, there were plenty of reasons to. But the most important part was, it felt good to read words that I could relate to. I hope this books gets the attention it deserves. This is a new to me author and I will definitely be reading more.

This is it folks - the best read of the year. If I could give this book 10 stars I would.

The Only Black Girl in the Room follows Gen, a black reporter, who’s struggling to catch a break whilst being asked to improve upon the work of her white colleagues so they can get ahead. Until she’s asked to write a profile for Jude: prominent CEO, gorgeous… and her ex.

This story is a great love story. Travis has created a world with believable characters, real friendships, and a FMC who you are rooting for and who we get to watch develop outside of her blossoming romance with Jude.

Importantly, this book successfully depicts the nuances of everyday racism as a black woman in a largely white area. The thoughts are REAL, the scenarios are REAL, and this book is a great example of something that will make black audiences feel seen and enable white audiences to understand the occurrence of daily micro aggressions. Travis’ book is accessible and light, and this aspect of the story is heartfelt and funny, instead of falling into a heavy and depressing narrative that has made me switch off of books in the past.

If you only buy one book this year, make it this one.

This was just an okay read; while it was an easy read, I struggled for it to keep my attention and somehow was not. a page-turner. I found Gen particularly boring and lacked any real strong characteristics. The friends were undeveloped and their stories were not completed by the end which was disappointing. The focus on racism and microaggressions had some important and relatable elements, but all were still centred on the investment of rich white people.
The soft romance was painfully slow, and for a twenty-something year old character, it felt more like a YA book.

The title is promising, the plot might be interesting, but at the end of the day it is romance, spiced up a bit with antiracist and feminist aspects that are pertinent, no doubt, but have been dealt with literarily in much more proficiency. The author tells us that she started writing at the age of 11, but she is not a writer, but a school psychologist. She is certainly competent in her profession, but her literary talents are minor. There are lots of repetitions of facts, which is boring in a novel. The first person narrator is constantly doubting herself, doesn‘t seem to know, what she wants from life - a career? her high school sweetie back? respect? She is rather weak, but easy to put the blame on others - her colleagues, her ex-almost-mother-in-law, her boss… I won‘t spoil here, but the ending of the novel is no surprise, either. And in its twist - a will? - kind of pathetic. So, my conclusion would be: If you like soft romance and can bear with the somewhat flat way of telling a story, which, as such is a good one, go ahead and read it. On a lazy sunday morning in bed, or on the beach. All others rather grab something else from the netgalley shelf. Thanks to netgalley I could read this book, in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book but felt as though the editing was done really poorly - a lot of repeats of words or phrases within a few paragraphs and characters either repeating themselves or doing a complete 180 from the prior scene with no explanation as to why. I felt as though there could have been a bit more characterization of the various side characters as well as they all seemed to mold together.

Genevieve Francis is a 25-year-old Black journalist in a predominantly white town. Gen’s editor refuses to give her any real stories and instead she spends her time doing copy edits and sensitivity reads on her white colleagues’ articles. Things begin to change when Gen’s 3 mean girl coworkers get sick and Gen gets the opportunity to attend a prominent CEO’s gala and write a piece on a chef. The CEO happens to be her ex, Jude, and after the gala he requests for Gen to write the first ever authorized profile of him. The majority of this novel deals with Gen trying to balance career fine lines and having Jude back in her life.

I liked that this book tackled topics such as Gen being one of just two Black women in her workplace and all of the microaggressions and racism that they dealt with. All of the dialogue did what it had to do. The workplace story was told vividly, I loved Gen’s interactions with her friends because they provided her so much support, and I felt the chemistry between Gen and Jude.

However, I hate to say it but I couldn’t wait for this book to be over. I was incredibly frustrated with how long it took Gen to leave her job. I read this entire book and I can’t tell you what the reason for that was. I would’ve enjoyed this book way more if Gen had stood up for herself AND THEN reconnected with Jude so that it could have been a decision that she made on her own. This is not a romance. The romance was a blip in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this novel.

Pros: it was a break from the mystery books I normally read. It dealt with real race issues when it comes to how women, especially black women are regarded in the work p[ace. I love the dynamics of the inter-racial relationship the main character had with her college sweetheart. I can see this being a issues in real life, when the parent and siblings have difference views on if they were best together or apart.

Cons: The author was a little wordy for my taste. I felt this story could have been wrapped up sooner.

But all in all a fund read that dealt with friendship, race, and love.

Would definitely recommend!!

The Only Black Girl in the Room was such a thoughtful, well-written story! When readers first meet Genevieve Francis, she feels, quite simply, stuck. She'd hoped she'd be going into her fourth year at her newspaper job writing meaningful stories and feeling as if she finally belonged at work, being one of only two Black employees. Instead, she's forced to hear microaggressions from her awful coworkers, and do extensive edits on their hard-hitting stories instead of writing her own. But then, famous CEO—and Gen's ex—Jude walks back into her life, and everything changes. Jude wants Gen to write a profile on him, and Gen is thrilled to accept this huge opportunity—but she'll be forced to spend more time with Jude than she has in four years, when she rejected his marriage proposal. Will Gen risk both her career and her heart in writing the profile?

I so enjoyed this book! Genevieve is such a complex, likable character, and it's easy to get invested in her story. I loved following her journey of advocating for herself and achieving her goals. The second-chance romance was so sweet and well-developed, but I appreciated how the main focus of the book was really on Gen and her growth. I also really liked reading about her friends, and how supportive they always were of her! Overall, this was a wonderful debut from Alex Travis. Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC!

First I really liked the way the story was written and how the characters were portrayed. I’ve been noticing sometimes the characters stories are rushed and this was the perfect amount of time

Also omg the fact that her big interview was with her ex I love that so much and reconciliation is a must. I give this book 5 stars out of 5 I wish I could do 10 stars instead

This was billed as a romance, but the romance was an afterthought. There are a lot of things to love about the story. This was really a story about Gen standing up for herself and pushing back on the racism she faced on a daily basis. The love interest, Jude, grew as a person worthy of her, owning up to his mistakes and doing better. That said, their relationship got very little page time compared to Gen facing a toxic workplace environment, a toxic potential in-laws situation, microagressions on the regular, and Gen’s relationships with her friends. I enjoyed it, but I would have enjoyed it far more had my expectations been correct. It’s heavy on the social commentary.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove for the ARC.