In the sequel to the celebrated novel Black Girls Must Die Exhausted, we find Tabitha Walker standing at the crossroads of significant life changes that will test her resilience and redefine her understanding of love and community. Set against the vibrant backdrop of 2025, this narrative delves into the complexities of life for a young Black woman as she navigates the multifaceted challenges of motherhood, career, and identity. One of the most profound changes Tabitha faces is the discovery that she is pregnant. This news comes as a joyous surprise, especially since she had been told numerous times that having children was unlikely for her. Embracing this unexpected adventure, Tabitha is determined to enjoy every moment of motherhood. However, she soon realizes that the journey is not as easy or joyful as she had anticipated. In this time of adjusting and remembering her grandmother’s sayings, “Black girls must die exhausted,” she realizes she need love, help and community.

I know it's a series but at least some of the strings need to be tied up before ending the book. I was left with so many questions.

My Reaction: I loved the first installment but this second book was so cohesive and a complete page-turner. Talk about SISTERHOOD on display!

I was so happy to receive an ARC of Black Girls Must Be Magic. Especially after having read Black Girls Must Die Exhausted. If I were at first a bit leery to get in to it for fear that it wouldn't be as good as the first installment, I was pleasantly surprised to know that Jayne Allen does not disappoint! This sequel was better executed, in my opinion, and a true continuation of Tabby's journey without the redundancy and regurgitation of the first novel taking up a large portion of the book.

In this second installment Tabby has secured the senior reporter role at the news station and is up for promotion when she learns that she is pregnant. And to her surprise, she plans to become a "single mom by choice". But when a very unexpected turn of events leads her back to her most recent ex-boyfriend Marc, she has to make some really rough decisions about herself, her relationship and her baby on the way. She quickly learns that it will take a village to raise a child and leans heavily on the women in her life for guidance and support. Of course, while all of this is going on, she is forced to confront complaints at her job as she begins her natural hair journey. Your girl is worn out.

What I love most about this series is the strength and encouragement from her sister circle that Tabby is surrounded by at a most critical time in her life. We're reintroduced to a cast of women who help her to harness her own power and determine who she truly wants to be.

Usually in a series such as this, a new character is the focus for each novel, so I was so happy to see that Tabby’s story continued instead of shifting to one of the other girls. At the start of this novel Tabby is at a pivotal point in her life and career. She navigates her pregnancy with fierce determination. She doesn’t let the setback that is Marc dictate what she knows is best for her and her baby. Her professional situation is tenuous because she doesn’t know how hard to push back and still be guaranteed the job she needs to take care of herself and her baby.

I was very interested to learn a little about California’s Natural Hair (CROWN) Act. I actually did some research on it after it was mentioned in the book. I love how the author ties real issues into the story.

Marcella Cox’s narration is spot-on once again. I love listening to her, although now I feel like she will forever be Tabitha to me. I am actually excited I finished this one right as the third book is releasing so I don’t have to wait to see how Tabitha’s story continues.

Black Girls Must Be Magic was a highly anticipated read for me. However, it took me so long to start and finish it. It was good, but, it started slower than I expected. The author touches on a lot of topics: the crown act, growing a family as an unwed couple, the challenges women face during pregnancy, amongst other things. It was well documented and I appreciated the author shining awareness on so many things. I am looking forward to the third installment of the series.

OH MY GOD I need more Jayne Allen in my life! A wonderful sequel to Black Girls Must Die Exhausted, this book follows Tabitha Walker's journey. Love to witness her character development and am already looking forward to book 3 of the series. Thank you, Harper Perennial for the gifted eARC. Y'all are the best.

This was a super solid piece of fiction! First round purchase for collections looking to support diverse stories

In this solid sequel to Black Girls Must Die Exhausted, broadcast journalist Tabitha Walker is dealing with a whole bunch of new challenges including an unexpected pregnancy that she's managing on her own, competition at work, and an off again relationship with her frustrating long term boyfriend. Just as she did in her debut, Allen spins a socially relevant and compelling story about professional Black women navigating the vagaries of life and love in the 21st century.

For Tabitha Walker, her grandmother’s old adage, “Black girls must die exhausted” is becoming all too true. Discovering she’s pregnant—after she was told she may not be able to have biological children—Tabitha throws herself headfirst into the world of “single mothers by choice.”

When an unexpected turn of events draws Marc—her on and off-again ex-boyfriend—back into her world with surprising demands, and the situation at work begins to threaten her livelihood and her identity, Tabitha must make some tough decisions about her and her baby’s future. It takes a village to raise a child, and Tabitha turns to the women who have always been there for her.

Tabitha balancing her life, career, relationship, and friendships makes me respect her more. In the first book, I was warming up to her as a character but now I am more drawn to her and her ambition to handle things in her own way. The support she still has from her best friends and Ms. Gretchen is so heartwarming; especially Ms. Gretchen since Tabitha’s grandmother is no longer with them. I think having an elder guide you through life as much as they can, but still give you the room to figure things out to be your best self is important.

One issue I have with this book is the on-and-off again relationship Tabitha has with Mark. I’m not a fan of him. He’s so childlike, inconsistent and self-centered and in all the scenes with both of them I kept thinking to myself “cut him lose!” Tabitha could do so much better. Granted, I wasn’t surprise about his reaction to Tabitha being pregnant with his child. News like that can be taken by surprised but his reaction was a bit over dramatic.

The series, overall, is moving along so well and I can’t wait for the third book to release! Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I spotlighted Black Girls Must Be Magic as book of the day and included it in my weekly and monthly roundups of new releases on my Black Fiction Addiction platforms.

I really enjoyed both books in the Black Girls Must Die Exhausted series. It was fun to see Tabitha grow and change and really come into her own in the second novel. I’m excited for the next one!

In the sequel to Black Girls Must Die Exhausted, Tabitha Walker is dealing with new challenges including an unexpected pregnancy.

After being told she would be unable to have children, Tabatha embraces being a single mother. Between doctors appointments, stress at her job over her appearance, and the return of her ex boyfriend Marc, her life is turned upside down. Exhausted beyond belief Tabitha turns to the people she loves most for support and guidance regarding her baby’s future. She must find her own voice in this sea of chaos.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Black Girls Must Be Magic is the second book in the Black Girls Must Die Exhausted series. It was just as wonderful as the first and I can't wait to see where Tabitha's life goes from here. Jayne Allen does such a great job of presenting real-life issues in a fiction format. I would love to see these turned into movies to reach an even larger audience. I hesitate to say too much about this one as I don't want to spoil anything from the first book (or this one). I'll just say that this picks up not long after the first book ends.
4.5 stars

This is why I rarely read a series until it is completely published. I need to know what happens next!

Black Girls Must Be Magic by Jayne Allen is the second book in the trilogy that follows Tabitha Walker. Coming off of a year of heartache and loss, Tabitha is finally on her way to where she wants to be. But then a rapid turn of events threatens to make it all come crashing down.

Tabitha is experiencing trials from all directions. Her relationship with her on-again-off-again boyfriend has become complicated by a pregnancy. Her dad's family is experiencing all too familiar strain. Her friends are struggling in their own lives. She's now running into trouble at work as a TV News journalist when her supervisor starts to receive complaints because she chose to wear her hair in a natural style. It takes a village to raise a child and Tabitha is learning that it's okay to rely on your village sometimes.

This book is phenomenally written. I flew through it, completely sucked in. There's a bit of "second book in a trilogy slump" where there is a ton of set up for future storylines without resolution by the end, but it just left me more anxious to read the third installment.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @harperperennial for my gifted copy and my NetGalley ARC.

Pub date: February 1, 2022 (out now!)

In one sentence (from publisher): In the second installment in the Black Girls Must Die Exhausted series, Tabitha Walker copes with more of life’s challenges and a happy surprise—a baby—with a little help and lots of love from friends old and new.

Do I have to read book 1 first?: You don't have to, but you should!

This book was a quick, easy read - I was rooting for Tabby the whole time! Having a baby is no easy task - and couple that with workplace discrimination, and it's easy to see why #BlackGirlsMustDieExhausted. I think would-be allies should read the workplace sections carefully - author Jayne Allen does a great job showing that good intentions are not enough. Lucky for Tabby, she has some great women to lean on, and I loved her relationships with Ms. Gretchen, her grandmother's BFF, as well as with her BFFs Laila and Alexis.

I think book one is my favorite of the two, simply because I love Tabby's friends, and I wanted more of their stories here! But I still enjoyed this one, and I am excited to read the last book in the trilogy and see how this all shakes out! If you're looking for a series to read with your book besties, this is a great pick! 3.5 stars.

Another great title in the Blacks Girls series. Allen writes with compassion and humor, and I love spending time with her wonderful characters.

BLACK GIRLS MUST BE MAGIC is the second installment in a candid series that follows Tabitha Walker and her life as a Black woman. Author Jayne Allen describes her writing as “chocolate chick lit with a conscience” and it was fun to jump back into Tabitha’s world as she navigates her first pregnancy.

Jayne Allen’s writing is refreshing and relatable and I appreciate her perspectives on modern womanhood and Black joy. I love that she highlights specific challenges Black women face as well as broader women’s issues. As a currently pregnant woman, Tabitha’s pregnancy ailments resonated deeply with me!

I’m excited to see what lies ahead for Tabby in the final book slated to be released early 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so happy to have this on NetGalley as soon as I finished the first book in the series; I needed to know how Tabby's journey continued! Overall, I thought this was a really good second installment, but a lot of the same issues I had with the first book rolled over to this.

I just didn't see it with Marc! I didn't get why Tabby was so insistent on having him as a partner; I would've loved this to be about her journey and building her own family. ALSO, the timeline didn't make sense.

Her career journey and rebuilding her relationships with her dad and his family were what kept me going. Both of those storylines were nuanced and layered and were overall really well-rounded.

But that ending, though. It was just SO abrupt. I know there'll be another book in the series, but the ending could've been a bit smoother than what we were given.

Loved the next installment of Tabitha’s story —- navigating the world as a pregnant, single, Black woman who feels the weight of societal expectations at every turn. In this book she deals with the implications of being an unwed expectant mother and backlash from wearing her hair natural at work. You really see her come into her own throughout the pages of this second book. The writing is so talented you truly feel like a member of Tabby’s “village” from start to finish!

I cannot wait for the final book of this trilogy!

Black Girls Must Be Magic picks up right where Black Girls Must Die Exhausted left off. Tabitha is still trying to navigate all aspects of her life: friendship, her career, relationships and of course understanding her own identity, only this time she also has a surprise pregnancy on top of it all. 

So much of this book felt like watching or reading a soap opera - there was so much drama and so many things happening all at once. As in the first book, the female friendships are a highlight of the book. Seeing the women support each other through all the ups and downs of life is beautiful. The ways these books are written, you feel like you actually know the characters and are part of the friend group and I love that! I didn’t love Tabitha’s relationship with Mark but I can understand how complicated it is and why she keeps going back. I cannot wait to see where book 3 takes Tabitha and her friends!

Thanks to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I read. Black girls ,it’s die exhausted when it came out as an indie . So i was so glad to see the follow up (with a new name) pick up where we left off. I enjoyed the character development and seeing how Tab balances everything.. i thought it reminded me of Being Mary Jane and the anxiety around childbirth, career and obligations.