Review: Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen

I absolutely loved this story! So realistic. There were many moments where I felt like Tabitha Walker was literally me. I loved that Jayne Allen incorporated so many real life situations in this book. From infertility issues, racism, police brutality, suicide, death, blended families, stress of jobs, the ups and downs of friendships, the pressures to keep in shape and look good…she covered a lot of great stuff.

A major message to me that stuck out was that it’s ok to take some time for yourself and stop putting the world before your own needs. It seemed that Tabitha was taking care of everyone, but who was taking care of her. The demands began to weigh on her and you could see it. Along with these issues, she also had to deal with infertility issues and having to weigh her options. Tabby only had a couple of months to decide whether or not she wanted to freeze her eggs, convince her BF to have a baby immediately or buy a new house that she’d long been saving up for. In the midst of all of this, she also has a breaking news story on police brutality that sky rocketed her career.

There’s so much to take away from this book so I figured it was easier for me to breakdown the characters and how I felt about each of them instead.

Lexi: I felt like Lexi was judgmental at times and really thought her life was perfect and would do just about anything to keep it that way. I think Rob cheating on her (yet again) was the final reality check that she so desperately needed. I was glad that she was able to come down off her high horse and non longer ignore the pains she’d been feeling for years. Her separation helped her to be a better friend and person at the end of the day. I was also glad that she was making Rob work to regain his place back with his family.

Laila – She was truly one of my favorite characters. She was so raw and had this “I don’t give a f**k” attitude about life. She always had her friends backs even when she was the one being left out of things. I didn’t approve of her messing with a married man, but I now understand why it came to that. She was in need of love and attention. Her suicide attempt was heartbreaking but it brought her closer to her family and friends and pushed her to chase her dreams.

Marc: I loved Marc at first but him and his issues began to drive me CRAZY! I felt like his excuses for not wanting to be with Tabby were weak and I wished that Tabby had moved on to the doctor she had a single date with. I’m glad that Tabby moved on from him (although if she’s pregnant by him, that would be kind of hard). He has some growing to do and Tabby deserves better.

Granny Tabby – I loved her. She was so optimistic and also didn’t care what the world thought of her. She always saw the good in people and she was Tabby’s rock. I was so sad to see her pass away. She was Tabby’s whole world. Such a breath of fresh air and great advisor to Tabby.

Ms. Gretchen- This gem right here dropped so much knowledge in this book. She had little nuggets of life advice that were so relatable. We all could stand to be a little more like Ms. Gretchen. Living her best life and not caring what people think, nor letting anyone stop her from doing what she wants.

Tabby’s Dad/Diane/Danielle/Dixie: This blended family had so many issues. I wished that Tabby’s dad had tried a little harder to fix things with Tabby as she grew up but I’m glad they were able to come together towards the end, especially bonding over Granny Tabby’s death. I didn’t like Diane (her step mom) at first but I’m glad that she lightened up on Tabby and allowed her to have a relationship with her sisters and dad.

Chris (Tabby’s Boss): This guy just rubbed me the wrong way the entire book. I hated how he promoted Tabby and basically told her she really didn’t earn the position but that she eventually could. It almost felt like he was doing HR a favor by promoting a black woman. He also wasn’t very sympathetic to the fact that Tabby’s grandmother had passed away and that she needed some time away from work.

Scott Stone (competing coworkers): This guy was an absolute PRICK! I’ve never wanted to punch someone in the throat more than I have him. lol – He was so cocky and overbearing. He just KNEW he was going to land the promotion. I was happy that Tabby had her “take that” moment when she nabbed the promotion from him. He badly needed to be humbled.

Lisa (senior reporter/coworker): Lisa was stuck in her own world, only caring about the things the effected and mattered to her. She continually pushes issues on Tabby instead of realizing that Tabby was going through some things. I was happy that Tabby snapped on her towards the end. She needed that wake up call and took it well. After that moment, she became a valuable tool to Tabby, especially with Tabby’s infertility issues.

Tabby’s mom: Wish Tabby’s mom had worked a little harder to maintain a closer relationship with Tabby. You could see that Tabby desperately craved closeness from both her mom and her dad. Thankfully she had her grandmother to be her best friend and rock. I was happy her mom also got a second chance at love after heartbreak. So many of us have similar stories and it’s so good to see us win again.

Overall, I rated this book 4 stars! I’m excited for the sequel and to see how Tabby evolves as a PREGNANT woman!