whitneydaniell

by: Jayne Allen
Published: Sep 6, 2018
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Adult
350 Pages, E-Book
GoodReads Link

This book gave, Being Mary Jane and I do not mean that as a compliment. For all the things that I disliked about that TV show, I dislike it in book form as well.

Tabitha is all of the “strong black woman” tropes wrapped into one. She has to fight for validation and achievements at work, she is intertwined with a man who does not want anything more than sex and a good meal with her, her father has all but created a new life outside of her, there is a shooting of an unarmed boy by the police, jealousy within her own friend group, and I could go on and on.

Tabby focuses her young adult life on climbing the corporate ladder and buying all the labels that her money can buy. By all standards on the outside, she is living the American Dream. However, all of that comes falling down like a house of cards when she finds out that conceiving a child would be difficult for her. Then as if a switch was flipped, with this information she now suddenly and urgently wants a child – even if by doing so, she is taking away consent from her “partner” (if we can call him that).

Unfortunately for me, Tabby is not a likable character. Her friends offer nothing to her character growth or development. There are a series of bad decisions made by everyone and yet still because black women are exhausted, Tabitha will get everything she wants in the end even if it is not practical or realistic.

One-Word Summary: Struggle