Review: Braids Take A Day by Zainab Boladale (Young Adult, 10E/10E)

 

Stunning cover by Grace Enemaku

August 2024, The O'Brien Press, 240 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Summary from The O'Brien Press

 Uncovering secrets is like undoing braids, one at a time… 

Abidemi can’t wait for summer. She’s ready to spend some time learning new hairstyles and see where things go with her friend Jack.

But when she meets an intriguing woman from Nigeria, secrets start to unravel…

Nayu's thoughts

I have little to know experience in the trials of non-caucasian hair. The little I do know is gleaned from TV shows, movies and books such as this one. I learned so much about haircare from Abi, I'm in awe of how much time and effort goes into creating braids. Her passion for creating cute hairstyles felt infectious (I don't have energy for hairstyles, but if i did I would have learned a few new ones from youtube after reading this book. Not braids, but I'd have learned how to do a french plait for sure)

I also learned a lot about her life. I really liked the relationship she has with her father, who is a single parent. That included when everything went wrong and he made some big mistakes which majorly affected his daughter. True to life, it wasn't just her family that had issues: due to some misunderstanding Abi had friendship issues too. It's the summer after her exams and there are a lot of changes on the horizon because she is at that stage  of life when change is inevitable. I loved how close she is to her best friend, who it turns out is also having issues. Of course there is some potential romance too so Abi has a lot on her plate, there is little that is steady apart from her hair.

The myseterious Nigerian lady added a lot of drama to her life. I liked how it shows families are complicated, there isn't an easy guide for dealing with parental loss and the ensuing grief. I struggled to put down the book to get on with my life because I just wanted to know what happened next. Abi's life at the end of the book is quite different to at the start, and I really hope there is a sequel one day to see how she is doing, as I suspect life will get more complicated in the future too. She has a lot of emotions to deal with about several topics, and she does not always handle them in the best way, but they are her way and she muddles through with help (and without it). I really loved this book and definitely will reread it one day. 

Find out more about Zainab on her website. 

Suggested read

If you like books that make you think try Piglettes by Clementine Beauvais (Young Adult, 10/10E)