Title: It’s Elementary by Elise Bryant
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery, Comedy
Culture: Black culture
Themes: Motherhood, Racism, Interracial love, Working moms vs stay at home moms,

Supermom, DEI, and missing persons

Funny, witty, and down to earth, It’s Elementary by Elise Bryant jumps headfirst into what it’s like to be a black woman and mother navigating all the drama and mysteries of elementary school. From stay at home moms, working moms, and moms who do the most, It’s Elementary is a classic tale of whodunit completely wrapped up in PTA drama for the ages.

There are so many interesting and complex characters to navigate in this story. They each have their own ‘hang ups’ and habits that make simple and normal tasks so complicated. Luckily, Mavis, the strong black female lead keeps us grounded with her down to earth thoughts and perspectives on everything that is happening in It’s Elementary. I love Mavis not only for who she is but who and what she represents – strong black women trying to do it all not only in her daughter’s life but also at work and in romantic relationships. There is a lot of Mavis that I see in myself and my friends which makes her such a lovable character. And the stream of consciousness she has as she navigates every situation – racism, romance, missing persons, and judgmental moms provides comedy and lightheartedness in these tough situations.

Speaking of characters, Bryant does an excellent job at developing each characterfully which helped me see into their true nature. Some characters I loved, (Jasmine) and others could NOT stand (Trisha, Divya, Ruth)! I kept saying to myself, ‘Can they be trusted?’ every time a scene played out. Who can you really trust when everyone seems to have their own agenda and that agenda is shrouded in mystery and secrets. This is what makes It’s Elementary a great story; the character development keeps the reader engaged and invested not only in the characters but the plot as well. As a writer, Bryant has some of the best physical descriptions of characters I have seen in a long time. These descriptions are not surface level such as black, white, Indian, etc. but more in depth. She paints a dreamy picture of the men in this story.

Although the plot of It’s Elementary is simple (find the missing person, I know the perfect mom to head the DEI committee) there are plenty of twists throughout that keeps you guessing. When one mystery gets solved, another mystery pops up that is intertwined with the previous mystery when you least expect it. I can say that I was not prepared for the ending, the disappearance of Principal Smith. It wasn’t what or who I thought it would be, so I was delightfully surprised but also was empathetic to the cause of the situation. As you read, pay attention….the clues were there the whole time!

If you’re looking for funny, mystery that takes a deep dive into black motherhood, parenting, and surviving life, then It’s Elementary by Elise Bryant is a must read.