I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Ida and JJ could have been the ultimate power couple of Banneker High. As the VP and president of their Black Student Union, the two seemed destined to be yearbook legends. But that was before JJ learned Ida was equally attracted to girls. JJ is already deep in a new relationship, which infuriates Ida—almost as much as when a sexist "hot list' starts circulating the school. It's bad enough anyone rated the girls on their looks, but the list has only white students. Seriously?

There has never been any racial diversity among the prom queen candidates at Banneker, so the BSU decides to make their own statement on beauty and run a candidate. Now Ida and JJ's new girlfriend are both competing for the title. Ida wants to make a point more than win the crown, but having smart, savvy Amayah as her campaign manager might just help her do both. She's already winning Ida's heart.

Competition is fierce. Suddenly the prom queen candidates start getting picked off one by one…dropping out and dropping dead. Forget winning

a tiara. Who will live to see prom?

Short and Sweet Review

Black Girls Don’t Cry follows Ida, the vice president of her high school’s Black Student Union, as she decides to run for prom queen after a racist “hot list” excludes every girl of color from the school. What begins as a campaign to challenge beauty standards and advocate for representation quickly spirals into something much darker when prom queen candidates begin dropping out and then turning up dead. As tensions rise, Ida must navigate complicated relationships, activism, and a dangerous mystery before it’s too late.

I really liked the premise of this book, and it tackled a lot of important topics, including racism, sexism, biphobia, toxic masculinity, slut-shaming, and the dangers of AI-generated explicit images. The conversations surrounding these issues felt timely and relevant, and I appreciated the representation throughout the story. Ida’s supportive family was also one of my favorite parts of the book, and I enjoyed seeing her navigate both her identity and the complicated dynamics within the Black Student Union. The mystery itself kept me interested, and I enjoyed trying to piece together who was behind the attacks. However, I found the pacing to be slower than I expected for a thriller. There were moments where the tension seemed to disappear, and I never felt as much suspense as I wanted. At times, it also felt like the story was trying to tackle so many different themes that the characters and emotional development took a backseat. My biggest disappointment was the ending. It felt like the story was building toward a huge reveal and meaningful consequences, only for the conclusion to fall flat. So many serious events occur throughout the book, yet there is very little accountability or resolution by the end. I understand that this may have been intended to reflect real life, but as a reader it left me feeling unsatisfied. I wanted to see more justice for what happened and a stronger payoff after everything the characters endured.

Overall, Black Girls Don’t Cry had a compelling concept, meaningful representation, and important discussions that made it worth reading. Unfortunately, the slow pacing and especially the lack of resolution at the end kept it from reaching its full potential for me. It had all the ingredients for a standout YA thriller, but the execution didn’t quite deliver.