Last month I had the luck to pick some books out I wanted to read and getting preapproved – I know, it’s nothing special when they open the ARCs for everyone that wants to read them, but for me it still is.

First of all, the cover for this book is very gripping, so for girls like me who made reading decisions based on the cover – yes! Through the title you’ll get what the book will be about, which was a plus. Black girls don’t cry by Alex Travis will be released at the end of July and is a very good and quick read.

We are Ida – or at least, it’s her POV and you’ll know rather quick that Ida is a very smart, well spoken black teenager. At the age of seventeen and in her last year of high school, newly single but still very much in the present of her ex since he’s the president of BSU which stands for Black Students Unite – in a school where people of color are the minority and the divide is very visible. People of color are very unpopular, no type of relationship of whatever sort with white people. When a list is being released of a top 10 of girls and their pros and cons appearance wise there is some kind of unrest within the school. No member of BSU is on there but still a poster has to be made; this type of breach in privacy for those girls that are victimized is just not done.

Pictures of the girls are circulating on discord groups where only the boys from Banneker are invited into. Private pictures the girls have sent to their boyfriends or dates; explicit texts are no saver. The top 3 haven’t been released yet but it soon comes to light that Ida’s text to her then boyfriend is also in that group chat which means JJ, president of BSU is in that group. JJ who is very strict has been participating? Wh…

Prom season is well underway and BSU wants to nominate someone to run for prom queen, change is imminent; in this time and age a lady of color should definitely be able to win. Ida has been nominated by some of the female members – also by her best friend but the idea has been denied by JJ because he wants to nominate his new girlfriend, Ashley, also a woman of color but someone that doesn’t want to mingle or doesn’t say her piece when speaking up for people of color matters.

Running for prom queen; something Ida might even do to be deviant of what her ex wants but running for PQ has shown to be dangerous. One of the girls has been attacked, girls that are in the running are saying they are being stalked by someone but they can’t seem to describe that person. When a girl that is participating dies does everything spiral. Lauren, one of the girls that was attacked asks Ida to help, help find the person responsible for these attacks. Ida being a non-popular person that can do things without a spotlight following her.

The revelations that come to light, the pieces of the puzzle that were lost but are being found piece by piece. It’s only a matter of time for the puzzle to take shape and for everything to fall in place.

I’m giving this book a ⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating, loved reading this and can imagine a topic like this could still hold true for people of color.