I jumped into this book without knowing much about it! Based on the cover I thought it would be light & bright easy-read. Boy, was I wrong! The writing was very easy-to-read, but the story and content were deep and beautiful.

Narratives about race, white privilege and being a bystander to these issues are needed now more than ever! I found myself at different points of the book feeling embarrassed about times that I may have been someone in the grocery store seeing the events happen and made false judgments about the situation. It has made me take a look at how I see these situations as a white woman and how I can change my actions in the future.

The most interesting part of this book was that you saw racial issues from both sides - both Alix & Emira's. Both characters offered a deeply personal, inside look at how they struggled with seeing each other. The idea of "saviorism" was a new one for me. After reflecting I believe both characters struggled to truly see the others' side and both fell into their own trap of racial misunderstandings.

The ending felt a bit aburpt to me. I was so invested in the story and it felt as if the author built up to this big moment in Alix's house and then from there the ending was just thrown together. I felt a little empty as I finished hoping there was more to the ending.

All in all I believe this book is a great debut for the author. This book would make an excellent choice for a book club discussion!

Amazing book for a debut. It was so well paced - I could not put it down. The nuance with which it deals with heavy topics of race, entitlement and relationships was noteworthy. This is sure to be a book club favorite. I finished it in two days and began recommending it immediately.

Alix Chamberlain is a mother of two girls. She hires Emira Tucker to babysit her girls so she could work on writing her book. Emira Tucker gets called by Alix for an emergence babysitting to take her out of the house. Emria who is African American with a white child gets questioned by the security guard when a customer finds this suspicious. Emira finds herself humiliated calling her Alix husband as a bystander is recording the whole thing. The book goes back and forth between Emira and Alix, and these two girls may have more in common than they realize. This book is a slow burn with a lot of different topics, especially covering right from wrong, and race.

Emira is lost. She’s at that age where her friends are starting real careers, making grown up purchases, and getting started on life as an adult. But Emira’s lost. She doesn’t have the passion or an interest the way her more successful friends do, and she’s more or less going along with the flow of her life. Working as a babysitter for an affluential white family, Emira enjoys looking after her young charge, and has no issue with her employers. And there are no issues with race differences…until there is. Although I’m always reading suspense books, I do enjoy a good contemporary lit novel as well, although those are trickier for me to find for some reason. This was a good one – lots of themes that could be unpacked if you have this for a book club. Lots to just think about, even if you don’t. I recommend.

Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A black young woman is accused of kidnapping the young white girl she babysits. Racism is indeed alive in this day and age and this novel proves it. The situation is one you can totally believe could happen (and probably has happened).

I waffled back and forth about my thoughts on this book. I finished days ago and am just now sitting down to write this review, but I'm still not exactly sure of what I think! There were parts I absolutely loved, that felt so important. It's definitely readable and enthralling... But I found the characters were for the most part hard to love. As others have said, the dialog was not always the best. Nearly nothing went the way I had hoped or expected and in this case it impacted my views of the book as a whole somewhat negatively.

One of my favorite things to read about are life experiences that are completely different from my own (this must be why I'm really into memoirs these days), so I definitely appreciated the chapters written from Emira's viewpoint. Overall, this was a likeable book and one I'll probably think about for a while.

Great novel about race relations and fitting in. I love any story that involves white guilt over hiring a nanny. Told from various perspectives, it shows more of the story than you would get from just one.

“All this was for you!”

“We wanted to help you clear your name and you turn around and do this?…Everything we’ve done was for you. Everything.”

Who is the villain and who is the hero in Kiley Reid’s smart and often painfully funny debut novel? Your thoughts might veer back and forth just as mine did. Is Alix the villain, the smart and pretty writer who escapes her children several times a week for some alone time? While this book is often cringe-worthy, the author does not make judgments about her characters but instead leaves that up to the reader.

Right up front, Alix's babysitter Emira is accused of a crime while caring for her young charge Briar. It is the fall-out from this late-night incident in a grocery store that makes up the story of the well-intentioned Chamberlin family and their complex relationship with their babysitter. The chapters switch back and forth between the points of view of the main protagonists, which adds a layer of compassion and empathy to what might otherwise be very cliched characters.

The author writes an extremely timely and relevant story about class and privilege. Emira does not want any fame or notoriety from the incident, while at the same time the intertwining storylines of the main protagonists race toward a clever conclusion that I did not see coming. This book is funny, satirical, thrilling and even tender, especially when dealing with Emira's close bond with the young Briar. Emira knows in her heart that their relationship will not last forever and she is determined to make the best of every minute they have together.

"One day, when Emira would say goodbye to Briar, she’d also leave the joy of having somewhere to be, the satisfaction of understanding the rules, the comfort of knowing what’s coming next, and the privilege of finding a home within yourself.”

The plot twist is stunning and I applaud Kiley Reid for this spectacular and witty debut novel. This woman is keenly observant and I cannot wait to see what she tackles next. 'Such a Fun Age' teaches the reader some invaluable lessons without ever getting too preachy. I couldn't help but think while reading this book what a great movie or miniseries it would make!

Messy, poignant and real, this book shows real compassion for each of the characters, even when some of them might be very un-likeable. The author lets the reader draw their own conclusions. This book wowed me and I think it is a must-read!! No matter how compassionate you think you might be, the author shows how racism creeps into our everyday life in very unexpected ways. Don't miss this very surprising and witty novel.

Did not want to put down // read until I finished it at 11 pm.

As a white person who works with both parents and caregivers of all stripes, this one hit close to home. A fast and compelling read about all of the insidious ways that ingrained cultural racism and self interest/self promotion afflict [white] people, even well-meaning [white] people. Pair with The Farm for an exploration of the normalization of outsourcing child care and caregiving to POCs in American culture.

A note: The characters were drawn in such well-done shades of grey that [ I did think at first that she was going to make Alix sympathetic by the end and have Emira stay in the home. That was NOT the case. Was that my belief that when you put someone in a place to love a child, the optimal ending is that they should stay and love the child in spite of everything else? Or my white lady privilege?

This book started out really good for me and there was so much hype about it that I was excited to get to read it. The writing style and word usage is keeps you intrigued and moving on to the next page. However, I did start to lose interest and personally have stalled in reading it. I hope to finish it at some point and find it as exciting and wonderful as I first felt about it.

It's 11pm when you're pulled from a girls' night out to babysit your employer's child. You accept: you need the money & taking this particular 2 year old to an all night grocery store is a more financially sensible way to spend the evening than indulging in $20 entreés & shots with your friends. At the grocery store, a woman smiles in your face & then proceeds to tell the security guard that you have kidnapped the child you are babysitting because the child is white & you are Black. And yes, *she* is. This is the situation that Kiley Reid's protagonist, Emira, finds herself in at the start of her novel, SUCH A FUN AGE.

The novel is funny on two levels: firstly there's a hilarity in the way Reid paints certain characters, let's call them "well-meaning"; but the second layer of humour exists in the plane of "I had to laugh," that survival laughter we develop to combat the nonsense we experience on a daily basis. This reminded me of how I felt when reading MY SISTER THE SERIAL KILLER, not because they are at all similar in plot (they aren't), but because they have the same *can you believe this foolishness?*, *run to the group chat with snacks*, *girl I YELLED* energy.

Emira is a frustrating character & I can't decide if she's young enough to be excused for the choices she makes. However, she lacks money as well as direction & this leaves her vulnerable to the contrived machinations of a host of white characters who range from "willfully ignorant" to "woke". Her boss, Alex/Alix (yup) is a White Feminist™️ blogger; her boss' husband is a news anchor who accidentally uses "racially-charged" language on air; her boyfriend is... smh. This is about more than just privilege, this novel also showcases how racism & capitalism are inextricably linked & how these structures impact Black women.

As for the end of chapter 27 - Alex is mad. MAD.

A thought provoking novel that looks at class, race, privilege and complex relationships. I was invested in the characters and plot from the beginning. I really enjoyed the book and felt it was a page-turner. This is a wonderful debut novel that I highly recommend.

I’ve waited to write a review of this book because I’ve been waiting to understand the perfect “all tied up in a pretty bow” lessons I was expecting. That was not my experience with Such a Fun Age. Kiley Reid presents you with a young African American female that you quickly grow to care for and love, Emira. Emira is a common young woman who is feeling lost and confused in her 20’s. That is one of Reid’s character decisions that I appreciated the most. I feel like I know Emira and have women in my life experiencing the same confusion your 20’s bring. She is not so uncommon that you’re thinking of how she’s just a character and she’s just common enough that she could easily be a part of each reader’s reality. However, as a woman with white skin, Reid forced me to compare my reality to Emira’s. Even if Emira were to walk off the page, and into my every day, the differences would still be present. Reid presents those differences and makes readers acknowledge them in a way that isn’t bashing you over the head but in a way that just presents them as fact because they simply are. Finally, white people motivations is another theme addressed from the start until the end. Again, it can make for an uncomfortable yet important moment of confrontation for every reader. I don’t know how I feel after this book and I know the lessons I’ll gain from it are only beginning to form. I won’t forget Elmira and I know I’ll continue to think of her for months to come.

I found this book to have so much pertinent information about different hot topics in today's society. It makes you stop and realize how big of a problem it is in our world when what Kiley Reid has put on paper just makes you agree immediately and it doesn't seem far fetched at all.

As a white female, I will never know the hardships that Emira and all women of color go through, however with this book, I learned from Emira's point of view and I can continue to educate myself to do better.

Thank you Netgalley and Putnam Books for the review copy of Such a fun Age.

I had seen this novel all over Instagram, Reese Witherspoon Book Club and in bookstores but had no idea what it was about when I picked it up. From the cover art, it looked lighthearted and fun but I was pleasantly surprised!

Such a Fun Age is about Emira, an African American 26 year old babysitter for a wealthy white woman, Alix. Emira obviously loves Alix's daughter, Briar, very much. The story takes off when Alix has a family emergency late one night and calls Emira to come take Briar away from the house for an hour or so. Briar likes the grocery store (she is 3) so that's where they go. This quickly becomes an embarrassing and shocking mistake when a security guard stops Emira and Briar because it's too late to be out with a child...especially when you are black with a white child. This simple task quickly becomes a huge situation when a crowd gathers including one man with a cell phone rolling video on the whole thing,

This story gave me so much to think about...race, privilege and class. How people of color are forced to think about how they are seen and perceived out in public far above and beyond the worries of a white person. How unfortunate but absolutely the world we live in. It blew me away that Kiley Reid could write such a thought provoking, insightful book in such an entertaining way. The big themes of this novel surprised we as I was happily reading about Emira, her friends, the fun she had with Briar and trying to find herself a career path. I dare everyone to read this novel. It will stick with you weeks later and make you miss the characters. It was a solid 4 stars for me.

''Such a Fun Age'' was a good surprise and an enjoyable read!

We have two main female characters, Emira and Alix. While Emira is a young black woman struggling to get through life, Alix is a white woman who seems to have a prosperous self-made career as well as a loving husband and two young girls. Emira works for Alix by taking care of her eldest daughter, Briar.
I liked the way the two characters were intricately linked to each other in more than one way. I also liked how the two were flawed and multi-layered, even though Alix was far more complex than Emira.
I liked Emira but I thought that something was missing about her development. I could easily identify with her about the part of her struggling to find her passion. She's 26 at the beginning of the novel and she still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. I think that's a very relatable issue that most of young adult encounter nowadays, myself included.
On the other hand, I had a hard time connecting with Alix. I immediately thought that something was off with her and the further I got into the story, the more I was convinced that her actions were not as altruistic as she might want others to think. Her character was definitely the most complicated of all, she had many depths to her thoughts and behaviour.

''Such a Fun Age'' is an incredibly fast read considering that it's not an action-packed book but rather a character-based plot. Still, you are captivated by the author's writing and how she manages to develop her characters' behaviours.

The plot focuses mainly on Emira and Alix's interactions, a disturbing, obsessive and toxic relationship. Kiley Reid also explores the ordinary racism we face in our daily life. Those acts or words that might seem meaningless to some, especially for the white community, but is deeply misplaced and hurting other ethnicities. By meaning well, and sometimes unintentionally, we still behave with superiority and protectiveness towards the black community just to ease our conscience. This is still wrong and borderline racist.

I had a few issues with the constant opposition between white and black people but I guess it was the author's intent, to make us uncomfortable and cringe during some scenes.

Overall, I pretty much enjoyed my reading even though the ending was a little bit disappointing. I feel like some issues were not addressed properly and some people got away with their actions way too easily. I would have loved to see a real confrontation between Emira and Alix and open a discussion about ordinary racism.
Still, I'd like to recommend this contemporary. In my humble opinion, this novel is more than essential to open some consciences and think back on our behaviours towards others.

A character-driven novel that offers a unique and compelling look at racism. I enjoyed the simple writing style and was quickly sucked in to main character Emira's world. It was interesting to see Alix's and Kelley's actions from Emira's perspective.

First off, the cover is amazingly beautiful It grabs you in with the colors immediately. As far as the writing goes, there were a lot of times that I felt like certain sentences were out of place. It was missing a really solid flow throughout. I also wasn't a huge fan of the literary differences between the white/black people in the book. I know that it was done purposely to show a difference in character/culture but it felt too forced to me. I did really enjoy the character development between all the characters, Briar, Emira, Kelley and Alix. It was very interesting to see everything play out. In the beginning scene in the grocery store, my heart was pounding. The author did a great job of making that scene real and placing the reader there with the same fear and emotions as Emira.

This book was soooo good! I’ll be honest, I read the blurb about this book and had absolutely no interest in requesting it on netgalley. Black woman taking care of a white child and is accused of abducting her in a grocery store. Not my kind of book. Even after hearing all the hype about it I just could not muster the energy to request it. Then it became a ‘read now’ availability on netgalley and so I downloaded it thinking I’d probably not read it.
On a whim, I decided to give it a chance and read it and I’m so glad I did!!!! The blurb sets the scene for this book but it is about so much more than that! I loved the characters. I could empathize with each one. This book made me want to keep on reading to find out what happens. Even if you don’t think this book is for you, give it a shot. I’m so glad I did!!!
Thanks you #netgalley and #G.P.Putnam'sSons for and advanced copy of this book! #suchafunage

I was really excited about this book because I thought the premise was great. But, I didn't really like any of the characters and I don't feel that the book really focused on the main event like I thought it would. I thought it would be dealing with the racial struggles but really the mom just became weirdly obsessed with the nanny? And I don't understand why the love interest "twist" was needed?

I had high expectations for this book, but it did not live up to the hype. I loved the relationship between Emira and Briar, but I didn’t like any of the characters in the story. I found parts of the plot completely implausible. There was a lot going on, the story jumped around, and I felt no connection to the characters. I wasn’t cheering for any of them because I disliked them all (Emira, Alix, and Kelley).