✨✨✨✨
Black Girls Must Be Magic
Jayne Allen
254 pages
Harper Perennial
“Stories aren’t written about women who follow the rules, Tabby. Stories are written about women who break them and show us all what’s on the other side. The world runs on that magic. Don’t let anybody limit you with what they can’t handle.”
Real, impactful, and fully entertaining. Allen has crafted these characters and their experiences with pure magic, and I hung on every word.
Tabatha’s life has become even more complex. She’s trying to balance pregnancy, career, love life woes, and everyone’s opinion on her hair. It’s overwhelming and exhausting. Especially the part about everyone’s opinions.
Just like the first book in this series, I devoured Black Girls Must Be Magic in one sitting and am left eager for the next book. Allen has a way of writing real life that fully drew me in and kept me engaged. My investment in Tabatha’s journey only deepened as she learned who she was. As she pushed past societal barriers to make space for who her authentic self, I was her biggest cheerleader.
It’s important to note that Tabby may be the headliner, but it’s Ms. Gretchen that’s the real star. Sage wisdom and a perfect manicure! Gosh I’d love to spend an afternoon with her. I have big hopes for seeing her as a Glam-ma in the next book.
I did wish this short book (only 254 pages) was a bit longer to include necessary follow ups from the last book (how is Lailah after her suicide attempt?), to showcase the friendship between the threesome more intricately (like in the previous book), and to go into greater detail about the dynamics with her and Marc (which is constantly in flux).
That aside, Allen continues to be a strong Black Girl voice tackling hard hitting issues in a fun and easy to digest way, and I look forward to the third installment of this series.
Many thanks to Jayne Allen, Haper Perennial, Harper Collins, and Storygram Tours for this #gifted advanced copy.
Leave a Reply