Good Books by Black Women for Black Women
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Reading is back IN. Okay, maybe it was never “out,” but there were about 4 good years where I didn’t really pick up a book. After falling back in love with reading, I now know that my hiatus was because I simply wasn’t picking up the right books.
In the last few years, I’ve read a little over 60 books, many by Black women authors. And as you can expect, I was thoroughly entertained. But more than anything, I felt seen. From nuanced characters with familiar family dynamics, career pressure, and love woes, I could see a little of myself in every character.
If you’re on the hunt for your TBR (to be read) list, here are some good books for Black women in their 20s that I think are worth the shelf space:
My Sister, The Serial Killer
By Oyinkan Braithwaite
What would you do if your sister’s boyfriends always end up dead? Would you stick beside her? But what happens when she sets her eyes on your crush… My Sister, The Serial Killer is such a thriller. It’s the book that really got me back into reading and firmly one of my favorites. Once it picks up, you won’t be able to put it down.
Queenie
by Candice Carty-Williams
When you feel like your life is a mess and it won’t get any better, pick up Queenie. I promise you’ll see that it could definitely be worse. Her long-term boyfriend breaks up with her, she’s on thin ice at a job that she hates, and her family dynamic is slightly dysfunctional (to say the least). It’s truly a downward spiral that culminates into an ending so beautiful that I actually cried. Oh, and it’s funny!
While there is a Hulu series, I want Queenie to stay just as she was in my mind (and in the book).
Maame
by Jessica George
After a life spent caring for her brother, her father, and everyone around her, Maame is finally going out on her own. A new apartment with roommates, dating, and all the things you do when you leave the nest.
She’s about as late of a bloomer as they come with the naivety to match, but I really enjoyed her story. And being somewhat of a late bloomer myself, I saw a lot of myself in her. It highlights the feeling of familial obligations versus self-prioritization.
Yinka Where Is Your Huzband?
by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
We’ve all heard the question: When are you going to find a man?
Yinka is in the same boat. She concocts a plan to get her man—a complete makeover. Will it work? Yinka Where Iz Your Husband is a different kind of coming of age story. Although she’s in her mid-late twenties, you can relate to this new shift in life where it stops being about your career and starts being about becoming who you think you should be—and who your family thinks you should be.
I really loved this one!
Stay With Me
By Ayobámi Adébáyo
I’ll be honest—this book moved a little slow for me in the beginning. It was one of the first books where I really had to take a deep dive into a culture and customs I didn’t quite understand. It is set in Africa, and while the couple has a westernized, made-for-movie love story, they begin to lean into cultural traditions as the main character struggles to conceive.
Not only does she struggle to conceive, but when she does give birth, the child doesn’t live for long. Eventually, her husband decides to take on another wife who can give him a child. And considering their love story, the wife is not happy.
Pick up a copy and get ready for all the plot twists.
In Every Mirror She’s Black / Everything is Not Enough
By Lola Akinmade Akerstrom
Black women are not a monolith by any means, but when it boils down to it, don’t we all deal with similar experiences?
The first book follows three women in Sweden, all uniquely tied to one of the area’s most influential white men. Brittany, an American love interest. Kemi, a high-powered executive, scouted to repair his company’s racial faux-pas. She’s plucked from the States where finding love felt near impossible, and dropped in a place where it seems even harder. And Muna, a Somali refugee, who gets a job cleaning the office and can’t seem to catch a break.
As you read, you begin to connect the pieces. Subtle and overt racism unfolds in love, career, and everyday interactions, coming to a head in a shocking scene. To me, this book was fabulous. I really loved the characters. I enjoyed the storylines and I ate it up.
Now, I will say… reading just one of these books will leave so much to be desired. They are really meant to be taken in as a set. Book One leaves so many unanswered questions, and so little character development. But in Book Two, we get back into it. We pick up essentially where we left off, in the lives of Brittany and Kemi and add in a new secondary character from the first book.
Wahala
By Nikki May
If you ever needed a reason to stick beside the phrase “No new friends,” then check out Wahala. A longtime trio is disrupted when a new friend enters the fray. Some love her, others aren’t quite sold. But as relationships are tested, marriages fall apart, and history resurfaces, all roads point back to the new girl. Bet they wished they never met her now.
Wahala means trouble, and you will find a lot of it in this book. I LOVEDDDD the intricacies of the characters, the dynamics within each relationship, and the overall story. Definitely worth the read.
Grab your copy here.
You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty
By Akwaeke Emezi
#TikTokmademereadit and I’m happy they did. There were mixed reviews on this one, but baby if you like MESS, this is for you. It’s essentially a love story, about finding love after great loss. But what happens if that love interest is your current boo’s DAD!! Much of the book, I’m like omg girl are you forreal?? I only wish there were a sequel.
Honorable Mentions:
Homebodies a.k.a. situationship final boss
Honey & Spice, a college love story
Ties That Tether — oof, pregnant by a one night stand??
The Other Black Girl (a career-focused story about the price of fitting in.)