The Accidental Diva ~ Tia Williams
 
From Publishers Weekly
Word? Diva-licious Set in New York City in 1999, Williams’s sparkling debut in the overcrowded and almost bitched-out chick-lit genre stars Billie Burke, a young African-American beauty editor who hasn’t had sex in five years and is “wound tighter than 400-thread count sheets.” Billie, along with close pals Renee, a hip book editor, and Vida, a hotshot publicist (with a rapper boyfriend named Git TaSteppin), inject a black Sex and the City vibe while invoking cultural clashes with caustic glee: “She no longer tried to understand the particular brand of white girl who felt compelled to use late-eighties ‘homegirl’ slang…. As if she might feel disoriented and at a cultural loss without a ‘you go girl’ in every exchange.” Burke lives for her glam job with Du Jour, a top women’s magazine with a predominantly white staff, when her uptown world is dizzily disrupted by downtown Jay Lane, an up-and-coming writer/performance artist and former street hustler. Lane’s impoverished, complicated Fort Greene past collides with Burke’s happy family history as they try to build a lasting relationship. Williams’s gift for sexy if sometimes purple prose (“They were ravenous love junkies”) and insider ear (” ‘Moment’ and ’situation’ were industry speak for what was happening at that very second”) save this energetic romance from being just another uptown girl meets downtown boy tale and signals the arrival of a sharp new talent.

 
Let me begin by telling you that I love Tia Williams. I read her blog on a regular basis and love the beauty tips that she shares.  I have even passed some of them on to my readers here. 
 
I picked this book up because I needed some light, fluffy dribble to read this weekend. I never put it down. Tia had me hooked from page one with her real life characters. I have always said that I am sick and tired of the new Urban Fiction genre and want more books that speak to me. I want to read a story about a black woman going to work every day (a normal type of job in my eyes) and has normal friends who aren’t surrounded by drama. I found that in this book. The funny thing is that at the end I had convinced myself that the characters weren’t “believable”….but who was I kidding. They sounded just like me…with a few exceptions.  I find it extremely hard to believe that someone as professional, introverted, and nerdy would get naked and buck wild in the back of a taxi after one date.  That threw me.  My other issue with the story was the ending.  I personally would have preferred to see Billie take the job in London and move on and away from her new found love that had broken her heart.  This was one of those times when I didn’t require a “everyone ends up together and in love” happy ending.  Especially the scene with her boss boo hooing over how much that man loves her and insisting that she “go get her man”, followed by Billie running up and down a NY city street searching for “her man.”  That simply didn’t sit well with me. 
 
Overall I liked Tia’s first entry into the world of fiction and I am anticipating her next novel.  I would rate this book a 3.5 out of 5 on the Original Diva scale.