DATE NIGHT - Carmen Green
BET/Sepia
September 2004
SYNOPSIS: Three single and successful girlfriends are ready to invest more than just money. In their quest for good men, they make a pact to go on at least one date a week--and share all the gory details.
MAINSTREAM FICTION: (3) Dee Stewart
REVIEW: Quita, BJ and Ebony’s friendships have grown stronger as their profits from their investment club have increased. But
just as sure as the market strains during a volatile market, so does their friendships when their personal lives turn chaotic.
Ex-WNBA pro Beverly Jason “BJ’s” life has slowed down from its once world wind pace. She’s nestled into the home of her dreams that includes a
custom-built basketball court and a high profile gig as VP of PR for the Atlanta Hawks. Yet she wants more. She wants a husband, and
affordable senior living arrangements for her grandmother without exhausting her income, ergo her investment fund shares.
Restaurateur and Club Owner Marquita Snell can have any man she wants. However, Quita doesn’t want a man. She wants a baby; something that her
gorgeous body may not provide unless she takes some funds out of her share from the investment club for fertility treatment.
And odd woman out, Ebony Manchester has a dead end job as Office Manager for Braeden Construction and an even deader living situation with her
overbearing mother and leaching aunt. All Ebony wants is her life and good looks back. When the three get together to discuss their dating
diatribes Quita devises a different kind of investment, Date Night. BJ, Quita and Ebony agree to attend at least one date a week and meet on
Sunday night- AKA Date Night- to discuss their weekly dating activities.
Will DATE NIGHT prove profitable? Will money or men destroy their friendships? Or will it take a huge investment on their parts to keep
them together?
The concept is cute, but commonplace--girlfriend pact, career and men. Nothing new and a few things borrowed; homely friend with a less than
stellar career, diva power broker man heart breaker, and the average girl gone good. Their love interests were just as predictable as their
names, and the passion that I wanted to happen for them never made it past a slow sizzle. The other issues that the book could carry:
Alzheimers, fertility, and abuse were just thrown in to create a sense of timeliness, but not further developed to discuss even greater issues
of family responsibility and self-reliance. Green is such a great writer that I wanted her signature blend of Southern Cosmopolitan and well
thought out characters to brand this book just like she did in ATLANTA LIVE. But this book was a bit of a disappointment for me.
On the other hand, it is a light and fairly entertaining read. It’s not depressing and too deep to read during the holidays. And if you’re a
Hotlantan like myself you’ll enjoy the name drops and fictional hot spots.
So if you’re a little nostalgic for black chick lit and have exhausted your collection of Terry MacMillan, Trisha R. Thomas, or Jacqueline
Powell than DATE NIGHT is the book for you.
dee@romanceincolor.com (27th December 2004)