Diva Diaries

July 3, 2006
Long-time best friends Jordan, Dakota and Chrasey are three New York African-American career women in their 30s who appear to have it all, but don't: Jordan struggles to balance her law career and her marriage, much to her husband Omar's displeasure; Dakota wants to settle down with Tony, but the bad boy music executive may not feel the same way about her; and Chrasey, overweight and ignored by husband Keith, is attracted to Trevor, the younger man she meets at a bus stop-who then shows up at same club where she and her girlfriends are partying. Morris, making her debut, sets things up nicely, but delivers a tale that's less diary than desultory, and isn't even in the first person. Too often, an intriguing scene concludes with a paraphrase, or begins with a rote set of character descriptions. All three primary male love interests are cheaters, all three women cheat on the men they love (more than once with the attendant complications for women). The result is more melodrama than drama.

July 10, 2006
Long-time best friends Jordan, Dakota and Chrasey are three New York African-American career women in their 30s who appear to have it all, but don't: Jordan struggles to balance her law career and her marriage, much to her husband Omar's displeasure; Dakota wants to settle down with Tony, but the bad boy music executive may not feel the same way about her; and Chrasey, overweight and ignored by husband Keith, is attracted to Trevor, the younger man she meets at a bus stop-who then shows up at same club where she and her girlfriends are partying. Morris, making her debut, sets things up nicely, but delivers a tale that's less diary than desultory, and isn't even in the first person. Too often, an intriguing scene concludes with a paraphrase, or begins with a rote set of character descriptions. All three primary male love interests are cheaters, all three women cheat on the men they love (more than once with the attendant complications for women). The result is more melodrama than drama.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2006
Reminiscent of " Waiting to Exhale," this novel features three women, Jordan, Chrasey, and Dakota, who have been friends for many years. Jordan is a successful attorney struggling to balance work and family. Chrasey is married to Keith, her first and only partner, and Dakota is the single publicist not looking for a serious commitment and not trying to make one. Jordan's world begins to fall apart when her husband of six years, Omar, insists that she spend more time at home with their son and demands that she end her friendship with male friend Jayon. Chrasey's life becomes complicated when she begins an affair with Trevor, a younger man who shows the kind of interest her husband no longer does. Dakota's lifestyle changes when she becomes pregnant by former NFL player Tony, who is unwilling to make a commitment. Through all of their personal trials, the women are always supportive and honest with one another. They each discover the error of their ways and are forced to reevaluate their lives, partners, and futures.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)