6 Black British books with powerful female main characters

Possibility by Sareeta Domingo

When Anika Lapo wakes up in hospital on her thirtieth birthday, it's not dying she's afraid of: her real fear is how much of her life she has wasted. After a successful operation, she vows not to lose another second.

Every night she writes in her diary about the person she wants to be and, the next day, her words come true. How she's going to land her dream job as a radio producer, DJ to a crowd instead of her bedroom - and that she'll finally, blissfully connect with breakfast show host Cam Aseidu, the guy with the sexy smirk and jet-black eyes she's lusted after from afar...

Thanks to her diary manifestations, Anika is finally living up to her potential. But what if she's trying so hard to be in control that she loses herself along the way? What if, after everything, she was enough all along?

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

After a messy break up from her long-term white boyfriend, twenty-five-year-old Londoner Queenie finds herself seeking comfort in all the wrong places. As she veers from one regrettable decision to another, she finds herself wondering, What are you doing? Why are you doing it? Who do you want to be? Questions that every woman today must face in a world that keeps trying to provide the answers for them.

My Name is Maame by Jessica George

Maddie Maame Wright is a young adult navigating the difficulties of modern life, dating and the workplace, frantically googling her woes and trying to become the woman her family have always wanted her to be. You’ll absolutely fall for this heartfelt story.

Allow Me to Introduce Myself by Onyi Nwabineli

Every second of Anuri's childhood was documented by her successful influencer stepmother, Ophelia. Picture-perfect, beautifully curated shots of their family life are everywhere on social media. There's only one problem: it's all fake. And when Anuri sees her little sister being dragged into Ophelia's online world, Anuri decides it's time to take back control in this smart, zeitgeist-engaging novel.

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

Yinka wants to find love, but her mum wants to find it for her, as do all the aunties who frequently pray for her delivery from singledom. But she prefers chicken and chips over traditional Nigerian food, she's thirty-one, and the fact she doesn't believe in sex before marriage might be an obstacle. But when her cousin gets engaged, Yinka sets out on a mission to find a date. Will Yinka in fact find herself a husband? And the real question is – does she need one?

Symona’s Still Single by Lisa Bent

Symona Brown is a Jamaican British South Londoner looking for her Mr. Right whilst her biological clock loudly ticks on, as she announces to her close girlfriends after a boozy Sunday brunch. After being consciously single for a number of years, this time around Symona knows who she is and what she wants. But what does it mean to be a Black woman trying to exist, date and find love when you’re pushing forty?