I loved this graphic novel! It is a beautiful portrait of friendship, sisterhood and joy .The art in this novel is vibrant and beautiful, most of all I loved how haircare is portrayed and how the hair itself connects the whole story.

Wash Day Diaries follows four friends in a short snippet of time, talking about different issues, experiences, and activities each of them goes through.

This is the first graphic novel I've ever left a review on, and there's honestly not much I can say other than I loved it! It takes raw talent to turn a story idea into art, let alone a novel. The art is amazing, the storyline is interesting and explores several different issues, and is layered with nuance. ALL WITHIN A GRAPHIC NOVEL! Even within the short amount of time the story seems to take place, I get to know each of the girls.

Thank you for this, I really enjoyed it!

I am so glad NetGalley approved my request to read Wash Day Diaries. I've read books where they mention wash day but don't go into detail. Rowser goes into detail and really shows you how important hair is to Black women. Smith did a wonderful job with her illustrations. Loved how much attention she gave to the hair panels. Rowser did not only highlight how hair can bring happiness, but also showed the downside. Davene's story hit hard. Not only was she going through a rocky time in her life, but the fact she had to worry about her hair was insane. I ended up really liking how the short stories connected and how their hair routine was just a part of their life. So I liked how the author showcased that. It was a very quick read, which was actually kind of a bummer. I really think it should have been longer. Overall, I liked this one! Many thanks to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an enjoyable and quick read. It follows four women navigating issues such as mental health, romantic relationships, and troubling family dynamics while they do their own or another person’s hair. I really enjoyed how hair is interwoven through the storyline highlighting its importance in the community. Having a story follow Black women as they care for their hair was very beautiful. That was part of what drew me into picking this book up. 
 
I did wish that we got more information about each women’s struggles after being introduced to them their respective narratives. Some characters are struggling a lot, but we don’t really see anything regarding how they are doing or how their friends are reflecting on the issue. 
 
I loved the artwork and the character design of this graphic novel. The friendship between the women is highlighted very well, and we see them empower and stand up for one another. Though some issues were handled better than others, I did enjoy this graphic novel.

It was cute story, and the visuals were nice but I felt like it was a little lacking in some aspects.

Note: I received an advance copy from the publisher. #WashDayDiaries #NetGalley

I loved this book! The art is beautiful and the writing is top notch. Every character feels like a real person. And, maybe most surprising to me (a white dude), I connected with so much in this book that deals with subjects as diverse as depression and dementia. The book is broken up into 5 sections. All of them are good, but my favorites were Group Chat and La Bendición. Group Chat is wonderful in the way it realistically captures how storytelling occurs through text messaging with friends. La Bendición is just lovely and I don't want to say much more to avoid spoilers.

A sweet, quick read about the tightly-knit friendships between four Black girls, supporting one another as they each go through their own personal life struggles (whether it's an ailing grandparent, a love triangle, an abusive ex, or depression).

I wouldn't have minded seeing a little more support in certain avenues, specifically when one character is very obviously struggling with severe depression and confides in another character, only to have her experiences totally erased with "you look fine!" and "you don't need medications!" The treatment of that character in general felt clunky to me, but I enjoyed the rest of the book overall. The art was cute and I enjoyed it for the chill, slice-of-life read that it was.

This was incredibly beautiful with stunning artwork and I'll be thinking about it for so long. This was not only about this group of black women and their hair but also friendship, family, mental health, sexuality, and watching them all deal with it together. Their friendship is enviable, how they love each other so unconditionally and are there for their friends when they need them. Watching each of them go through a different situation with their hair while also dealing with their everyday problems was something I didn't know I needed.

A quick graphic novel of friendship, sisterhood, a glimpse into their lives as they go through the beautiful process of loving their hair. It warmed my heart and found the characters personable, like they were familiar friends.

I really love how real this is, you don’t see a lot of comics that highlight black women & their different hair types. Let alone independent black women that aren’t phased by sly remarks by men that don’t have a chance, or women that aren’t ready for steady commitment at the moment. We need more of this with what’s going on in the world right now, & I believe it’s so important that women of all color understand & can grasp our different cultures so that we stand together, unified. The art style is perfect, I even laughed at how similar the conversations & texts are because my besties & I talk exactly the same way. It’s so great seeing this, I love this.

As someone who is a part of the Black Community, I saw so much of the community perfectly entailed in this story. I got to see many hairstyles that my cousins wear and what my mother and sister have to go through each morning just for their hair. In the Black community, hair is an essential; part of their intimate time with someone's mother or friends which can be shown in this graphic novel. I also found that with this graphic novel we were able to see that everyone can have a great time with friends and this story also showed everyone the harsh realities of being an adult, especially with mental health. This graphic novel portrayed a great way of how we each deal with it in our own ways and that it's okay.

Sometimes, you don't need a long, complicated plot to tell deep stories. (This is to my family lol. I still love a good short story anthology!) Sometimes you need a slice of life, rather than an epic drama.

And that's what this is. Wash Day Diaries is a short graphic novel about, well, wash day. More specifically, it is about four friends and hair.

I know, I know, that sounds a little lame. Four friends and ... hair? But I left out an important detail: these are black women. And with black hair, you have a culture, community, and identity.

There are five chapters, with four focusing on one woman each and the fifth on them all. Hair is interwoven through the story, sometimes as the main plot point and sometimes just as a vehicle. It is all lovingly rendered and you can tell that this is a love letter to black women.

The book eases you in with two fairly easily consumed stories before hitting you with the mental health issues and intergenerational conflict. And it makes sense. At the same time, it is also the biggest gripe I have with it. I care more about the latter two than the first two. But since that's the biggest problem I have with it, I still heartily recommend it. And I recommend it to everyone. I'm sure the target audience is young black women so that they see themselves. But everyone else should read it so that they can see that black women are human. It's sad to have to put that out there, but that is the reality of the US.

As we head toward the anniversary of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence, let's be better and put people about a piece of paper.

Wash Day Diaries written by Jamila Rowser and with art by Robyn Smith comes out July 5, 2022. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked this graphic novel. It was a fun read that also hit on topics of mental health, teaching black women to love and embrace their natural hair, and adult friendships.

I absolutely loved and devoured this graphic novel in one sitting (and may have to reread it soon)!! This is a must read for all. The writer and the artist do a phenomenal job of weaving together a story about 4 Black women, their friendship, and the things they have to do to take care of their hair. I loved how they were there for one another throughout each story. I would definitely love to see this as a series and read more about these women. I highly recommend picking this one up!

*I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was so good. I loved it.

It all started on a wash day. Four best friends from different walks of life, cultures, and professions. We get to follow them as they do life and how hair is interwoven into everything they do. Wash day became a day of vulnerability in instances where several besties in the friend group came to realizations and made peace with decisions made. Wearing a wig allowed one bestie to do life a little easier especially when she was having a rough time of it but also this notion that natural hair is unprofessional added unneeded stress in her life. Getting braids installed allowed another bestie to ground herself and come to terms with what she wanted and what she did not.

Another highlight was the half Puerto Rican/Dominican bestie and all the little cultural nuggets dropped throughout. We are more similar than different, and I felt seen.

This drops July 5th. I have already pre-ordered it.

This comic has me crying in the club. I've never read anything like it. This is a celebration of Blackness, of Caribbeanness, of complicated family relationships and the relationship we have with oneself, and people around us. I really love the various topics tackled in this short and sweet story. I love the representation of sex positive Black women characters, and friendships. The art was beautiful, I really liked the color theme and different textures used throughout the progression of the story. I cried, I gasped, I laughed along with these amazing characters. The dialogue was hilarious. I do think the ending didn't give us any type of closure, a lot of things we left unresolved. The ending could've been tighter in my opinion. Especially regarding serious topics like mental health. I wanted to see the development of that. I still enjoyed it though.


I give this a solid 3.5 stars

Thank you to netgalley for letting me review this book!

This graphic novel is an ode to black girls and black hair, told through small stories in which the reader follows each of the four ride-or-die best friends. They support each other in any situation, from bad break-ups to mental health issues. The illustrations are beautifully drawn in a very fun and colourful style. The sequences featuring hair care are also very detailed with multiple panels dedicated towards the process of caring for and styling different kinds of black hair. A wonderful, light read I'd definetly recommend!

I. COULD. NOT. PUT. THIS. DOWN!!

I loved it!! As a Black woman myself, this book made me feel seen! The art was beautiful. The stories made me both laugh and tear up. I read it all in one sitting and I would read 3000 more pages of this if I could. Huge props to everybody involved with the writing and the art. These women's stories shone in the most beautiful light.

"Wash Day Diaries" it's a cute and fun graphic novel that follows the day-to-day life of four best friends in five connected short stories.

I liked the "slice of life" aspect of the book but I felt that all the topics were on treated at a surface level.

It's refreshing to see a group of female friends being good friends and supporting each other. Also, the level of love and care in everything hair-related it's incredible.

It's a good book and I really wish it could be longer.

TW: depression, abusive relationship, recreational drug use.

First, this is a graphic novel and the artwork is some of the best artwork that I have ever seen! The attention to detail was superb and truly helped the story progress. In this graphic novel, you follow 4 friends where there is a section designated for each one where you see them individually and then meeting up with the friend group. It was absolutely a wonderful read that I highly recommend to people who like graphic novels. In a way, this was like reading an episode of a TV series! I hope there are more editions following these friends and maybe even a TV show someday.