Black Girls Read! discussion

Hey everybody...
Trying to think of something fun to engage you all with so I have a question.

What is an unpopular opinion you have about an author, book series or popular stand alone book?

I'll go first... James Patterson is highly overrated.

Also... The Other Black Girl was terrible. I was 70 pages in and tired of trying to like this book. It's sooooooo sloooooow. The description of the book made me think I was going to read this great thriller. It was not thrilling me at all. After just reading Yellow Wife I was on this "book high" and I wanted something just as good or better. The writing frustrated me to say the least. I just read reviews that state the book doesn't get "good" until the last 30 or so pages. I refuse to invest anymore time into this story. Glad I got it from the library and didn't have to pay for the disappointment.

I've heard before that James Patterson is overrated. So, in not surprised you said that. I'm just wondering why so many hype him up???

Shana wrote: "I've heard before that James Patterson is overrated. So, in not surprised you said that. I'm just wondering why so many hype him up???"

I don't know. I did read his autobiography and it was pretty good. He has had an interesting life. But his fiction??? Not for me.

Lol I hear ya! I plan to read one of his books to see this for myself. Apparently he coauthors many of his books. Maybe I'll start there!

@Kaya W. My unpopular book opinion was that Seven Days in June was overhyped and normalized toxic relationships. The author blended too many genres. Rated it 3 out of 5 stars.

I finished all of The Other Black Girl, but will admit that I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I still plan to watch the series. Also a 3-star read for me.

@Donna I agree about the overhype. I made it to page 114 of Seven Days in June. It was not holding my attention at all. Not one of my favorite reads.

Kaya W. wrote: "Also... The Other Black Girl was terrible. I was 70 pages in and tired of trying to like this book. It's sooooooo sloooooow. The description of the book made me think I was going to read this great..."

I agree, the book got off to a slow start, but after sticking with it, I enjoyed the original story about how the publishing industry treats Black people and how as Black women we are often forced to conform to white standards to succeed. I am currently watching the Hulu series based on the book and I must say they are doing a great job of sticking to the story.

@Lorilyn, what is the name of series on Hulu.

The Other Black Girl is the name of the book and the series on Hulu

I have to agree with you about James Patterson being highly overrated LOL

I feel so much better after reading about your opinions on Seven Days in June. I couldn’t return that book fast enough!🤣

Aurora wrote: "I feel so much better after reading about your opinions on Seven Days in June. I couldn’t return that book fast enough!🤣"

LOL!!! That one flew back to the library.

Kaya W. wrote: "Also... The Other Black Girl was terrible. I was 70 pages in and tired of trying to like this book. It's sooooooo sloooooow. The description of the book made me think I was going to read this great..."

I totally agree with you about the book being SLOW. The story took so long to start. I feel like people say that the book is good because of the interesting topic, however, it is not well executed. The fact that some people compared it to "Get out" ? Come on guys ! And the plot is not worth it. Overall it is not terrible, just not that good. I've started the show on Hulu and I'm liking it so far.

Black Girls Must Die Exhausted wasn’t great.

Kaya W. wrote: "I'll go first... James Patterson is highly overrated."

his early works were pretty good. After a while his writing style became repetitive and he wrote a LOT simpler. the plots and vocabulary were not as complex as his early work. just like tv shows, folks LOVE crime procedurals. and becasue his are quite simple, they appeal to the masses.

Shana wrote: "Lol I hear ya! I plan to read one of his books to see this for myself. Apparently he coauthors many of his books. Maybe I'll start there!"

noooo!!!!! start with early Alex Cross books or his children's series I, funny.

CoHo is very much overrated!🤷🏾‍♀️💯

I'm back with more unpopular opinions. I struggled to get through Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. It didn't connect for me as well as I would have liked. I rated it 3 out 5 stars. I'm glad that I read Transcendent Kingdom first.

I could not get into Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola and DNF'd it after the first chapter. YA is just not my thing.

buckle up....


Toni Morrison is just... like weird sad writing. read Beloved and thought maybe it was just that one. read The Bluest Eye and was like...yeah. weird sad strange and why oh why do folks love her stuff???

I should have known since she is Oprah Winfrey's fave writer. i figured if i can do Octavia E. Butler, Maya Angelou, and Alice Walker whose works are very sad at times and very weird at times then Morrison should be no problem. but no. she is just a big NO.

@Kay Dee I read Sula earlier this year, and it wasn't so bad for me. Still a little creepy and weird, but not too much. But those sentiments that you have are exactly why I haven't read any of her other work, especially Beloved. The movie was enough. Just too eerie/creepy.

You almost want to ask Toni Morrison “ girl what are you listening to when you write?? “

My unpopular opinion is that Taylor Jenkins Reid (author of Daisy Jones & the Six and Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo) is overrated. Her books are slow and lack depth.

Aurora wrote: "You almost want to ask Toni Morrison “ girl what are you listening to when you write?? “"

i am afraid of that answer. 😬👀

Ashanti wrote: "My unpopular opinion is that Taylor Jenkins Reid (author of Daisy Jones & the Six and Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo) is overrated. Her books are slow and lack depth."

hmmmm... they have been on my tbr list forever. nobody i follow gave the "you must read this! it's so great." review but they all said they liked it. maybe i will move them to the "who am i kidding? i am never reading this." list.

Kay Dee (what is your storygraph name? wrote: "buckle up....


Toni Morrison is just... like weird sad writing. read Beloved and thought maybe it was just that one. read The Bluest Eye and was like...yeah. ..."

I agree. I haven't been able to finish any of Morrison's books, with the exception of The Bluest Eye. I find her writing style just plain odd.

*deep breath* Before I Let Go. I tried so hard to love this book, but it’s on my DNF list 🫣

Alexis wrote: "*deep breath* Before I Let Go. I tried so hard to love this book, but it’s on my DNF list 🫣"

realllllllllllllllly? makes me wanna read it now. 😆😆😆

the cover is beautiful. but i added it to my list becasue so many of the reviewers i follow gave it 3-4 stars.

Only one actually wrote a review.

Heartfelt and heart wrenching. The loss of a child is such a unique kind of grief, and I think Ryan navigates it with tenderness and deep sympathy. (If you, or someone you love, has experienced the loss of a child, please PLEASE read this book with care!) There was some awkwardness to the dialog that I'm willing to overlook in the bigger picture of what it means to love, and to break, and to heal.

the publisher's blog review site said it had multiple steamy smexy times. they gave it an award the purplest prose.

i might have to ask my romance book club to read it.

@ Kay Dee, please do! Most people disagree with me on this one. After I attempted to read it twice I’m still standing on my original review 😂😂

A Moth to A Flame was a HUGE DNF because the characters completely pissed me off. I probably read 90% of it but I couldn't finish it :') For me, it's crazy seeing people recommend it, the Ethic and Butterfly series