Jayne Allen has created a Chicklit novel—turn women’s contemporary fiction in this raw and humorous story, showcasing the everyday dilemma females face. This was one of the first Women’s Contemporary novels I have read, and Allen has set expectations for further books. With an alluring cover and blurb, it would draw readers into Tabitha Walker’s world within the first few pages.
Tabitha Walker is a black woman with a plan to “have it all.” At 33 years old, the checklist for the life of her dreams is well underway. Education? Check. Good job? Check. Down payment for a nice house? Check. Dating marriage material? Check, check, and check. With a coveted position as a local news reporter, a "paper-perfect" boyfriend, and even a standing Saturday morning appointment with a reliable hairstylist, everything seems to be falling into place.
Then Tabby receives an unexpected diagnosis that brings her picture-perfect life crashing down, jeopardizing the keystone she took for granted: having children. With her dreams at risk of falling through the cracks of her checklist, suddenly she is faced with an impossible choice between her career, her dream home, and a family of her own.
With the help of her best friends, the irreverent and headstrong Laila and Alexis, the mom jeans-wearing former "Sexy Lexi," and the generational wisdom of her grandmother and the nonagenarian firebrand Ms. Gretchen, Tabby explores the reaches of modern medicine and tests the limits of her relationships, hoping to salvage the future she always dreamed of. But the fight is all consuming, demanding a steep price that forces an honest reckoning for nearly everyone in her life. As Tabby soon learns, her grandmother's age-old adage just might still be true: Black girls must die exhausted.
From the first chapter, readers face the fact that our main character, Tabitha Walker, has a time limit of of getting pregnant within six months or having to freeze her eggs. This has set her in motion to take her relationship with Marc to a whole new level. The flow of events after this confrontation with her boyfriend drew readers in quicker, because it’s one thing after the next happening in Tabitha’s life.
The writing itself was simple to read, no drag or overuse of monologue because that’s the first thing I recognize in a book. From Tabitha’s perspective, readers notice a significant amount of history regarding her past. Throughout the story, it’s clear that Tabitha holds the few relationships she has (friends, boyfriend, and grandmother) dear to her. In a way, this shows what kind of person she is. Tabitha and her friends go through a lot during the novel, but she’s still the one who tries to take care of everyone and barely includes herself.
A theme worth mentioning would be the friendship Tabitha has with her two close friends, Alexis and Lailaa. Whenever they met up, I noticed the aura they gave off to each other felt like a game. An imitation of demonstrating a ‘perfect life’ or filled with no worries. They were close, but they weren’t real with each other. Often two would see each other and speak about the third, yet see nothing wrong with it. The development and growth Tabitha had to go through with her friends was refreshing to see. A lesson where no matter how long you know a person, you don’t actually know them and what they are going through.
A relationship I adored was the one Tabitha had with her grandmother. They shared the same name, so Tabitha went by Two. She made it her mission to visit her grandmother every Saturday and listen to the stories of her father and grandfather. Neither of them were perfect and slowly Tabitha rebuilds the relationship with her father.
It’s also worth mentioning how well Allen distinguished the life both Tabitha’s lives. Since Tabitha’s grandmother is white and Tabitha is black, it took readers into the perspective of a mixed relationship and the hardships faced with both Tabitha’s. There was one chapter in the book which saddened me, where Tabitha’s grandmother spoke about raising her son and how she was treated to be white, raising a black child. This has brought light to these kind of conversations and experiences still occurring today.
I loved how romance was not a dominant theme in the book, rather the relationships with it. Sure, Tabitha and Marc expressed often in the book, but her primary goal was looking forward. She wanted to build a life with this man; it was up to him whether he wanted to take it to the next level. Alexis always maintained this perfect image of her family, but it slowly crumbles and it’s her decision on how she will fight for it. Lailaa’s intimate relationship had been a barrier to take care of something else, which struck something in Tabitha to be there for her friend.
It was truly an emotional ride for these characters; I loved the sense of growth and actual coming of age and not just enjoying life, but wanting to build something out of it and realize your true worth. There had been so much happening in this book, of course not everything would have been resolved. The type of ending left it open for readers to imagine what is next for these characters and how they have developed from the start of the book. Truly an amazing read, which is worth four glorious stars!
Author Bio
Jayne Allen is the pen name of Jaunique Sealey, a graduate of Duke University and Harvard Law School. An avid traveler, she speaks three languages and has visited five continents. Drawing from her unique experiences as an attorney and entrepreneur, she crafts transcultural stories that touch upon contemporary women's issues such as workplace and career dynamics, race, fertility, modern relationships, and mental health awareness. Her writing echoes her desire to bring both multiculturalism and multidimensionality to a rich and colorful cast of characters inspired by the magic uncovered in everyday life. Black Girls Must Die Exhausted is her first novel, which she calls "the epitaph of my 30s." A proud native of Detroit, she currently lives in Los Angeles.
