whitneydaniell

by: Phyllis Dixon
Published: Jul 25, 2023
Genre: Contemporary, Adult, Fiction
320 Pages, E-Book ARC Courtesy of NetGalley
GoodReads Link

This was a quick and easy read but, the story itself was very predictable and underwhelming.

The story of The Diamonds is told through the point of view of each member, with two (maybe 3) chapters told by them as a group. Jade, Carmen, Doreen, Angel, and Ms. Gloria really give you Xscape, plus Mama Joyce or, Destiny’s Child, plus Ms. Tina.

One of my biggest issues with the story is, how quickly the pacing of the chapters – it all seemed rushed and I had no concept of the timing of the story. From what seems like just a few days is really months. There is a car accident and then a few chapters later, it has been a whole year. It feels like so much was put into each storyline but, nothing was really fleshed out. The characters have no substance.

• Carmen spends most of the story making rash and immature decisions without thinking of the long-term (or even short-term) implications of her actions. Most of her behavior is not the way I would envision a 40-something-year-old woman.
• Doreen has a sordid past with her husband and to their credit, turned their lives around. However, for most of the story her husband, James is selfish, controlling, unhelpful, and rude! I hated that for Doreen and wanted her to stand up for herself.
• Jade, oh Jade. Naive as they can be but also, with a husband who is literal trash. Her personal story and journey were much more confusing to me. Again, the pacing just didn’t allow for her to be fully fleshed out.
• Angela (Angel) is BIG “I just want to be solo” vibes. While she does have some redeeming qualities, it comes late in the story. From the jump, she rubbed me the wrong way.

Another issue is, when we jump to the present-day Diamonds, what year is the present day? The prologue says that the original group got together in 1991, then six years later they were stars and preparing to tour internationally when Carmen quits, this would be 1997. Then 20 years later is 2017 and the story runs for a little over a year, let’s say 2 (I think). By my math, if its 2019 and Doreen is 40, then in 1991, she would have been 12! Something about the timeline is throwing me off.

Final thoughts: It reads like a Tyler Perry play or film. Lots of emphasis on God even when it’s borderline ridiculous. “God is the best lawyer. We just need to pray,” that is a direct quote.

One-Word Summary: Laughable