booktribe's Reviews (603)

    People have been disappearing in the Bronx for over a year. But when things get personal for sixteen year old Raquel and her crush, Charlize, Raquel must do everything in her power to figure out what’s going on and put a stop to it.

     This book hooked me from the beginning! By the time I finished the prologue, I already needed to know more! It was a very fast paced read. I really cared about (most of) the characters! Especially Raquel and Charlize! I loved them individually and together. And another thing I loved about this book was that I could feel the author’s love for the Bronx in their writing! 

     The only thing I had a problem with in the story was that there was a male character who, during an argument with Raquel, jerked her up like he was going to hit her, and then proceeded to tell a lot of people about her kissing another girl, therefore, outing her. And everything he did went unchecked. He didn’t even apologize and Raquel didn’t require him to. The awful things he did were never challenged. I had a huge problem with that.

     I really enjoyed this book! It was a very quick read. It had the perfect amount of horror for a young adult novel. And the characters were people you rooted for, except of course the character I had that problem with. I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a YA horror with substance that features BIPOC and queer characters!

Rep: Afro-Latine and sapphic rep, MC with asthma

TW: racism, burning, outing, police brutality, rats and insect horror (none of these TWs were particularly graphic in my opinion)

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this arc. All opinions are my own.

3.5 ⭐️’s  

The first half of this book really dragged for me. I feel like the first 50% of the book could’ve been reduced to 20% of the book and it could’ve just been shorter. There were too many unnecessary scenes. BUT the second half redeemed the first half! I LOVE the way this book ended! And I’ll definitely pick up book 2 to see what happened.

Other things I liked about the book:
• The characters! 
• The awful, yet entertaining, trials they had to go through while training. 
• The morally grey-ness of Sloane. (I always love morally grey characters, but it hit different when it’s a morally grey Black girl🥰)
• And most importantly, every single time the Orishas were talked about❤️

Carefree Black Girls explores what it’s like to be a Black woman in this society. It analyzes a variety of topics from fatphobia to police brutality. It’s a love letter to Black Women everywhere!

     I love that this book was written for Black Women by a Black Woman. It touched on topics that the average person needs to be introduced to. One of the things that I was glad the author addressed was how social media turned Breonna Taylor into a meme. I don’t hear many people speak on this issue and it was refreshing to have someone finally discuss it. 

     This novel wasn’t about what I thought it was going to be about. I expected a celebration of Black Women who have paved the way for us or a book about our liberation and joy. Instead, it was a critiquing of how society treats Black Women. Discussing how society treats Black Women is a very important topic to write about, it’s just not what I thought I’d be reading.

     My main complaint about this novel was the inclusion and importance of Cardi B. There has been lots of debate over whether or not Cardi B is Black. I have never seen her want to be referred to as Black or identify as Black. So, I don’t agree with her being included in a book that’s meant to celebrate Black Women, let alone having an entire essay dedicated to her when there are so many other deserving Black Women who are proud of their Blackness. I was pleased to see Blay address the discourse about Cardi’s Blackness, however, I would’ve been more pleased if Cardi hadn’t been given such importance at all.

     Overall, I love how unapologetically Black this book was. I was ecstatic see Tiffany “New York” Pollard mentioned because she is a staple in Black culture. I really just love books that celebrate US! I’d recommend this book to anyone who’s in the beginning stages of learning about Black Women’s issues and any Black Woman out there who wants to feel seen.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.

TW: racism; racial slurs; sexual assault (mentioned); suicide attempt (mentioned); suicidal thoughts; and police brutality.