The Grass Ain't Always Greener

Rating:
Summary: The same old cycle, over and over again
Review: The same old cycle, over and over again

Two friends find themselves amidst situations that are not only bad for them, but are also endless cycles of self-deprivation. Daryl-
Lynn Davis, known as Darlin to her family and friends, is intelligent, street-savvy, and an entrepreneur. She has her own business and knows how to handle herself in the myriad of situations that cross her path. Nakaiya "Kai" Smith is a bit younger, yet with
her own set of attributes that make her stand out in the crowd.

Kai is from Indiana and accustomed to being surrounded by her loving family. She's been sheltered much of her life, but after her aunt's death, she takes flight and heads to Chicago to study art. Kai moves into Darlin's building and Darlin immediately takes her under her wings, schooling her on the ways of life in the big city.

The two women start a friendship and pop into each other's lives occasionally, but during the other times, they are each dealing with
their relationships with men. Darlin is in love with her boyfriend of quite a few years and has invested her complete being into her
relationship. She's gone so far as to center her world around him and help him in all his endeavors because she sees the potential he has to do great things in his life. When she's sure they're getting ready to commit to one another for life, he announces that he's
involved with someone else and is no longer interested in the relationship with Darlin. He then goes on to marry the other women.
She completely shuts down, has a mental breakdown and through the help of a friend, finally brings herself out of the prison she's
locked herself into. And, just when things are looking better for her...the ex pops back into her life claiming his mistake and love
for her, but get this: he's not willing to leave his wife (nor the child on the way). Surprisingly, Darlin falls for his claims of love and
resorts to having any little piece of him she can have to keep him in her life.

Kai on the other hand has other issues. She has never been in a real relationship, so when she meets someone who catches her interest, she falls quickly, gives up the goods and puts up with things from the beginning that many naive women have fallen for. However, when things get rocky, she immediately hops in bed with the next guy and once her conscience kicks in, she goes back to her boyfriend, positive that she can work things out. This cycle continues over and over throughout the book and both women suffer not only heartache, but also the inability to break the cycle and move on...or do they? Once you've grown accustomed to doing something the same way repetitively, can you indeed break the cycle? Can you look in the mirror and really like who you see?

I tried to understand these characters and their actions, but in all honestly, I was sickened and in total disbelief over their antics to
keep their "men." The abundance of Kai's hopping from bed to bed (without even the hint of protection), to Darlin's motto of knowing it all, yet she seemed pretty inexperienced when all the cards were laid on the table. I had no connection whatsoever with these characters. Perhaps if more time had been spent toward developing them a bit more, as well as beefing up the dialogue (which seemed repetitive from man to man), I possibly could've enjoyed the book a bit more. There were also a few grammatical errors throughout the book.

In spite of my disappointment, I could appreciate the theme of friends sticking beside each other through the rough times. Also, as the title implies, the grass really isn't always greener on the other side. Instead, it all depends on where you're standing and what you're willing to do for your version of happiness. In the case of our two main characters, they really needed to spend some time working on themselves and understanding their self-worth versus relying on a man to complete them or validate their existence. Either that or get some fertilizer or something for their own grass.

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers