Daaimah S. Poole

I won a copy of What’s His is Mine through Goodreads. At first, I wasn’t sure if I would like it. Most of the books I read are speculative fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, horror) or non-fiction. However, I am very glad now that I got the opportunity to read this book.

What’s His is Mine is a moderate-to-fast pace novel that follows the lives of four very different women with one thing in common: their lives are intertwined with various pro athletes, as well as each other. Zakiya and Cherise start off with clean slates, their lives are just beginning, their stories just starting. Adrienne and Tanisha have pasts they have to deal with, that cause problems in their life (I wasn’t surprised to find out that they were featured in a past book, A Rich Man’s Baby). The book’s chapters alternate between the four women.

I was surprised and pleased to find that most of these women are fairly savvy and tough. So many books I’ve read with female main characters that just act dumb or don’t seem to have a spine. Well I don’t think this book is guilty of that!

One minor complaint I have is that the male characters aren’t developed enough. It would be nice to see more of their motivations and thoughts. DeCarious is one of the most fleshed out and I can understand his interactions with and relationships with the women in the book. Some of the other male characters, especially Jebril and Tanisha‘s men, could have used a little more development if I was going to be invested in what happened to them. If there is a sequel then I think they will probably get more developed, since the backstory Adrienne and Tanisha had really built up their characters so much more than the other female lead characters.

One thing I really appreciated about this book was how the author seemed to say and show exactly what was needed. I hate books that waste a bunch of time describing the curtains and the dresser and the clouds and all kinds of boring crap that is irrelevant to the story and doesn’t even give you a proper sense of place. This author gives descriptions that are interesting and that you actually care about, and knows that we’re here for the story and the characters, not for descriptions of the scenery.

All in all, I recommend anyone give this book a try. The story is good, fast, and suspenseful a lot of the time. Something is always happening. And if you don’t love all the characters, you can at least love to hate them.… (meer)

I am not a young black woman, but could still enjoy reading about the ups and downs of Nikki, who struggles with life (father who she never knew dies, contractor's scam forces her to move back in with mom), love (sneaking around with a married man, then meets handsome stranger who seems too good to be true), and work (hotel management) in Philadelphia. It seemed real enough until a twist at the end made me go, "Oh, come on." Still, it's fiction. The book jacket confused me by mentioning her friend "Kia" who was actually "Tia."… (meer)

I received this book as part of early reviewers. It was pretty obvious that this book was written for a certain reader demographic and I do not fit that demographic. However, the storyline did keep me interested although I found that I could not relate to the desperation these women felt. Their struggle to hang onto the 'best option' and to settle for any type of companionship painted a sad portrait of a single black woman's life. I found this to be a quick read although the blantent lack of correct grammar was irksome to me.… (meer)