wordsofclover's profile picture

wordsofclover 's review for:

Braids Take a Day by Zainab Boladale
4.0
inspiring lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Abi has just finished her school exams and is now entering that summer between secondary school and college life - and with dad working away for three weeks, she has the house to herself and the freedom to make some choices to step out of her sheltered upbringing like going to the local underage disco, and finally talking to the cute local boy who works in the chipper.

This was a very sweet story about a sweet girl and there's so much in it that I think would really resonate with another teen reader from Abi's journey with learning more about her Afro hair texture and styling, make-up for her skin and her loneliness at not having a lot of Black female role models in her life and how much she yearns for one. There's also just the normal teen dilemmas from first crushes, uncertainty about the future and friendship that everyone can relate to as well.

I do think some of the writing is very simple and there were times I felt the characters, particularly Abi, read a lot younger - 15 more so than 18 - but I actually found the story as a whole so heartwarming I didn't mind and at the end of the day I'm also not the target audience for this story anyway so I think teen readers won't mind this. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings