Summary from Goodreads:
“All I can say is that I never thought it would come to this. I never thought I would run away. For some reason I thought you, of all people, would see and know.
Sheree has always been a tough girl, able to take care of herself. Then she finds herself in a situation where she can’t. She needs help. She needs answers. But she can’t get either from the people she turns to — her parents, her friends, and especially, her boyfriend, who calls her Baby Girl and treats her like she’s disposable.
So who can Sheree turn to? Maybe the answer lies deep within herself, and it’s truly time for her to grow up.
In a voice that rings strong and true, debut novelist Lenora Adams tells a story that is rich, complex, and achingly real.”
So, I had a hard time getting into this book at first. Most of the beginning was just backstory/slice of life with no real plot. I guess we call that character-driven, which I apparently don’t enjoy so much.
Beyond that, there were no chapters. This book is one loooong letter from Sheree to her mom, and then two shorter letters near the end. I like to set goals for myself when I start to read, usually something like “read to chapter X.” Not having that with this epistolary novel, I struggled a little.
Still, somewhere around page 147, I didn’t want to stop reading. I cried. Several times.
This book is important for young girls and boys alike. It shines a light on one life and on those around her too–friends, family, and family…friends. It also shows how some people can change no matter what age they are, while others may never change. Baby Girl shares the differences and similarities between two best friends, one poor Black girl and one rich Italian girl as well as how their families react to similar situations from their teen daughters’ choices. It teaches what being strong and responsible really look like and what real personality change looks like. I also loved how it portrayed the mother-daughter relationship as messy, but full of misunderstood and confused love.
This book can also serve as a comfort and a warning to teens who are searching for love in all the wrong places.
Side note: Ugh, how much I just wanted Sheree to get with Austin!
Writing:
This book is written in letter format with some time breaks through out and near the end, you find that it is broken into three different letters.
Sheree is writing a letter to her mom about how and why she got to where she is. For most of the book, we don’t know what any if that is. All we really get is speculation–is she hiding with a new boyfriend somewhere? Is she homeless on the streets? Was she abused? No clue where she is or why until much later.
Even though I struggled with the beginning due to this, I think this is a useful tactic because it does keep you wondering what will happen, which can make the reveal more impactful.
However, trade that for the con of the beginning and middle being a little boring or pointless (and sometimes frustrating—I started to skim some parts where I knew what was gonna happen and I wished the girl would figure it out herself and move on, but c’est la vie, right? Humans do these things). I think this could have been written with more “plot” and still be great, but that’s just my personal opinion because I seem to dislike character-driven stories.
I did like the letter format in the end. Having no chapters was daunting at first, but you get the hang of it. I just started reading to section breaks instead. It made some sense, but at the same time, I was a little baffled that this was really being considered a…letter.
Sheree’s first letter was a book. No way around that fact. How the heck did she mail that thing and with what money? And her mom and a spoiler character actually read the whole thing? Her mom, I understand, but the other person?? I just imagined that person got a basic summary from the mom and then read the parts that concerned them.
Other times the “letters” were too much like prose for me to consider this is being written to a loved one as a letter. There were some scenes that I was a little skeptical would be written that way in a letter (dialogue and scenework), but I looked past that because the scene was still interesting. XD Still, that could just be personal bias about how I think people realistically write letters. Maybe Sheree was just a natural at creative writing?
That’s all I have to say for now. Oh! I was really happy to see this Black perspective written by a Black woman. The Author’s Note at the end was really neat, talking about how she also based many of the characters off stories and people she’d met at Milagro House in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (a location also used in the book). I’ll end this with a quote from that:
“If you are ever in a difficult situation and need help, please check [Yell.com] or the Internet for an agency to help you.”
As always, have a good and try to be a light for yourself. ❤ Bye!
N. K. Valek: Author 