Thank you to Macmillan Audio and netgalley for allowing me access to Dear Black Girls by A'ja Wilson. I really enjoyed this book and it was very motivational.

It’s really hard to review a memoir - but A’ja Wilson’s Dear Black Girls was such a wonderful read.

While this is written for young black girls, I found that many of her stories resonated with me as well; and many women and girls will connect with A’ja.

I didn’t know of A’ja before picking up this audiobook (not a big sports person here), but after listening to her narrate this book, I feel like I spent the past 4 hours getting to know her.

This is definitely a must read for all girls out there.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the gifted audiobook.

A Love letter to black girls everywhere! A’ja starts out by giving a disclaimer. Stating that she doesn’t have all the answers but she was willing to share her experiences with us and I love her for that. The advice and topics she discussed is relatable to all however the book is more targeted to teenagers and college age adults.

A fast listen. I love that she narrated her own book. I recommend this read for any young woman. That first chapter really drew me in. A’ja sharing her first racist experience and how that shaped her and the way that she wrote about her grandmother left me grieving as well. She’s accomplished so much and overcame many barriers. She knows about preservance and resiliency.

You don’t have to be a big basketball fan to enjoy this fantastic read. The book is thoughtful, funny, heartwarming and an authentic approach to a memoir by a pro athlete that I really enjoyed.

With a friendly and informal tone A'ja Wilson shares examples from her own life and career in the WNBA to encourage and comfort other Black girls who are likely experiencing similar obstacles. Despite her extraordinary success, she offers down-to-earth and realistic encouragement

A book of love letters from an All Star who is a GOAT in the making to the girls of color around the world.I especially enjoyed the author narrating her own book.

Every black girl should read this book. A’ja wrote this book for us. 20 out of 10. I will repeatedly listen to this.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. I really like biographies. I am a white generation x woman and I LOVED this book. I am not the target audience for this book. The book was AMAZING.

I finished listening to the book in less than 24 hours. I am not a huge basketball fan. I truly like the book and Aja Wilson. Even though, I might be a similar age to the author's parents, I related a lot.

The book is the author's journey through life. She shares uncomfortable stories. I really felt like I got to know Aja.

The author talks about her mental health journey. I think her openness will help other's to seek help. You can feel her pain and her joy.

This is one of the best books I have listened to ( or read). She shares her life. Talking openly about her struggles helps the reader to feel seen. Thank you so MUCH for sharing your life with me.

For my black, female, students… this book is an inspiration. It is important that these young ladies hear voices that echo their struggles and embody their confidence, or the confidence they hope to have. I will recommend, again and again. A’ja Wilson admits her loneliness, which is the the beginning of healing for us all.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio arc of Dear Black Girls. I will say that I did go into this thinking that maybe it would point me in the right direction of where I should be in life. A’ja quickly let me know that, that wasn’t it. I would recommend you read this because it is very enlightening. It’s something about know that a 2 times WNBA Champion could have the same experiences as a regular woman like me. I loved her stories about her grandmother and just how supportive her parents were.

*Based Audio Advanced Copy* First, A’ja is such an incredible speaker and hearing her talk about her childhood and the challenges she faced was both inspiring and relatable. I found myself completely engrossed in her story from start. The fact that she read the book herself made all the difference in the book being engaging and entertaining the whole way through. Dear Black Girl is relatable is tells a true story of growing up black. Loved it

I am a huge Gamecock fan so I absolutely jumped at the chance to read this book before it was as published.

I cannot say enough good things about Dear Black Girls. A’Ja Wilson is so real and honest about her experience.

I know this book was not written for me. The only thing I will say is that I’m so proud of her and what she has accomplished. It was so exciting to see her achieve her dream of writing a book.

If you are a fan of women’s basketball you must read this. I’m so thankful and glad I did.

A million thank yous to McMillan Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this book! This was so relatable and so much of it resonated with me. This is a book every black girl and everyone who loves a black girl can benefit from. I can't wait to gift this to my own daughter when she is older.

I appreciated that the book is not a self-help book or framed in the way of her being flawless or having it all together, as many successful people do.

Aja was transparent in a way that made her feel like a big sister who truly has your best interest at heart. Her openess about her learning disability and mental health, were so impactful. In a time where mental health is just starting to become more of a norm in the black community, her openess will help so many to feel like it's okay to not be okay sometimes, and normal to need support.

Her relationship with her grandmother and the impact of losing her also resonated heavily with me, as someone who had a similar grandparent relationship and struggled after losing her. I could really sympathize with A'ja's pain and the gravity of her loss.

I highly recommend this book!

Reading Between the Wines book review #1/130 for 2024:
Rating: 5 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: Dear Black Girls
Author: A’ja Wilson
RELEASES on February 6, 2024!!!

Sipping thoughts: When I saw that A’ja Wilson was writing a book, I KNEW I had to request it. Getting approved for the book right before Christmas was a great present for me. Having a 14-year-old daughter who plays basketball and has been since she was 3 was also a big motivator for me wanting to read this book. Being able to share some of the chapters with my daughter made my heart smile. I thought her after game press interviews, her wonderful moves on the court, her sideline hilarious antics, and her Instagram stories were enough to make me love A’ja. But I was wrong. This book not only gave me insight I did not know about Wilson but made me love her even more. As I read, I laughed, smiled, and felt extremely proud to have such a great representation for our culture. I will be suggesting this book to all Black girls that I encounter.

Cheers and thank you to @MacmillanAudio and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @DearBlackGirls.

#DearBlackGirls #AjaWilson #MacmillanAudio #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #nonfiction #Sports #SelfHelp #autobiography

Pub Date: February 06, 2024
Published by: Flatiron Books
192 pages
4 Stars

I received this audiobook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is one of my favorite players of the WNBA and also of the University of South Carolina. This book is so needed for all the Black girls! I loved how she told her story as love letters. Expressing to the readers that she is not perfect and that she is just like us. I enjoyed the stories about her grandmother and they made me think back about some of my stories about my granny. A’ja lets us know that it's okay to go to therapy and have flaws. This was a very quick read you will enjoy this story.

My most anticipated nonfiction book for 2024 is A’ja Wilson’s new book, Dear Black Girls. I’m a huge A’ja fan. I love her game and how she is unapologetically herself. In her book, each chapter is a letter full of stories from her life and the life lessons that she has learned, so far, along the way. In the audiobook she reads her book and I felt that this made a much bigger impact on the story since it is her own voice. After listening to this audiobook, I’m an even bigger fan!

I highly recommend this audiobook to every single person. The lessons of learning what is truly important in life are applicable to us all!

Thank you @macmillan.audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

(This same review was shared on the Barnes & Noble website)