I really want to love this book after all the hype and being a formal nanny myself. But it just didn’t click with me. Although I could relate to the feelings of the girl loving the girl she nannied for, I just couldn’t get behind her relationship with the mom.

I want to start off by saying thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book, it was a very good read easy to follow along with storyline and characters. This was a new author for me but I very much enjoyed it, thank you for the opportunity and I look forward to reading more by this author again. I highly recommend this book to everybody.

This is a good story and a very complex story. The juxtaposition of the racial viewpoints makes the storyline even better.

I could not finish. Thank you for the ARC. I didn't do a star rating on Goodreads since I didnt get beyond 50%
I didn't like the main character and the supporting characters were worse. I wouldn't want any kids that I know around them. I worked with children for many years. I just felt uncomfortable.
I've heard heard read things about this book.
I might go back and try again another time..

Such a Fun Age is a beautiful conversation of race and how it’s depicted in our current cultural climate in America. As a white woman, this book answered many questions in a way I have always wanted to have an inside look into. Emira was strong and kind and stood up for herself in so many quiet and loud ways. I can’t wait to give this book recommendation to so many people!

Such a Fun Age is an amazing debut by an exciting new author Kiley Reid. The buzz on this book has been deserved, loud, and of differing opinions. I am not going to summarize the book, it’s done by the publisher, and other reviews. Assuming you’re going into the book knowing something about it, with some expectation (whatever that may be), be prepared for the nuance and subtlety of Reid’s storytelling. The way she builds each character by layers, their connections, changing point of view. It’s quiet but extremely effective. It comes off as a ‘quick, easy, read’. I think the depth of what is conveyed in such a style speaks volumes of Reid’s talents. I find the further I am from finishing the book the more I reflect on it, more fully appreciate something. I highly recommend, 4.5⭐️‘s. I’ll be waiting anxiously for what Kiley Reid does next.
I will also add here, if you have the opportunity to listen on audio absolutely do! After reading I listened to the audiobook. It is fantastic. I honestly thought some of this was laugh out loud funny, minutes later I was talking back “Ohhh, he did NOT just say that!”. For me, it really brought home the difference in where each of these characters were coming from. As I mentioned earlier, I believe this is the strength of Reid’s delivery here. Is this a strong message if I’m laughing, if it’s woven subtly? Yes, you bet it is. Frankly, in my opinion that’s the entire point.
Thank you to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the ARC and the opportunity to review Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. All opinions are my own.

This was a fun read, that covered some heavy subject matter with a light touch. Despite some of my quibbles (which I'll describe below) I enjoyed it, mostly because of how the author examined the peculiarly intimate, yet still distant relationship between some white women and the Black women who care for their children. It's an intriguing and under-examined facet of America--how legions of women of color help raise the very same white children who often go on to adulthood and mindlessly benefit from a system that often operates to keep many people of color in positions of service, or even subservience. There were several excellent moments of insight and humor that made me appreciate the novel, and which definitely kept me reading and wanting to know what happened next. And I especially liked the inclusion of the relationship between the protagonist Emira (who is Black), and her boyfriend, Kelley (who is white), which provided great opportunities for the author to show the complications that can ensue when sexual and racial politics intertwine. Through Emira and Kelley, we start to wonder: where is the line between a preference for dating (and socializing with) people of a different race than your own, and fetishization? And through the relationship between Emira and Alix (the mother of the child Emira babysits for) we see how Black women can be objectified and commoditized in many ways, not just sexually.

I did, however, think the themes were much more interesting than the characters. Emira was, I imagine, supposed to be an Every Girl kind of character: young, somewhat directionless, figuring out who she was. But she wasn't particularly endearing, and I didn't really care if she got what she wanted, or changed, or grew. Likewise, her multicultural group of friends, who for the most part seemed like caricatures of young women of color. I cringed at the dialogue a few times, and often wondered whether the book might be satire, even though not billed as such because the way they were portrayed was occasionally a little over-the-top. There were some authentic moments, but often, it felt like an amplification or over-concentration of "Black-Girl-isms" peppering the dialogue to remind the reader that, 'psst! They're not white!'

But that treatment was not limited to the women of color. Alix Chamberlain (the women Emira works for) seemed to be an amalgamation of every terrible suspicion that Black women harbor about white women, their motives, and their modus operandi for getting ahead and getting what they want in the world. Still, one of the most interesting things about this book for me was that Alix seemed centered in a way I did not expect. It's unfair, I admit, but given that the author is a Black woman, I was surprised to feel that she (the author) knew and explored the main white character with more depth and intimacy than she did the Black main protagonist. Though the book begins and ends with her point-of-view, giving the impression that this is primarily Emira's story, Emira felt to me, in some ways, like an object lesson for the folks at whom this book felt directed, which I keep seeing as predominantly white women.

Ultimately, this was an enjoyable read. It presents issues and raises questions that--for those who don't already know--will make the book enlightening. And those who do know will be certainly be entertained. Recommended.

I liked this book for the most part. Wasn't a fan of the ending - seemed like something was missing. It seems everything ended so abruptly without the characters really talking about what all happened. They just all went their separate ways. I liked the authors style and approach to sensitive matters. I liked the character development and their dynamics with each other. It was a thought provoking read.

Thank you to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the free advance copy of Such a Fun Age. All opinions are my own.

In Such a Fun Age, Reid gives the readers a unique spin on racism and prejudice, while providing a fun and multidimensional story. It is the day-to-day interpersonal issues that Reid focuses on that make this book so interesting. It’s easy for white people in America to see the bigotry present during the grocery store scene in the opening pages of the story, but perhaps not so easy to see the other types of racism presented that are a daily occurrence for BIPOC. It definitely inspired some personal introspection.

I really enjoyed this relevant and thought provoking book! It is plot driven and dialogue heavy but still manages to explore complex themes such as white savior complex, racism, motherhood, class, and privilege. This is a great choice for contemporary fiction lovers but also for people interested in reading diversely and about topics that push you out of your comfort zone.

Such a Fun Age is so well-written and broaches so many topics while also being a "light" read. This is everything we could hope for in a poignant book written from two very different perspectives. I would recommend this book to anyone. Even the most closed-minded person could find something to enjoy in this novel. Five stars!

WOW where do i start..... i had so much fun reading this book, it was incredibly easy to fall in love with emira and briar and see their unique relationship grow throughout. this book was unflinchingly honest and real about the relationships it depicted. EVERYONE (and i mean everyone) was called out properly and criticized for the things they’d done, NO ONE was off the hook in this story. i thought it was really interesting how the novel was formatted in two pespectives. it was necessary to see alix’s point of view and how well-meaning but grossly inappropriate she was at handling things. emira is one of my all time favorite characters in a book and i related to her so much... I JUST LOVE THIS BOOK. there’s so much to unpack about racism and classism and it feels so freshly modern and fun and wholesome. I cannot recommend this book enough...... so good.

I received a free e-copy of Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid from NetGalley for my honest review.

Emira Tucker is trying to figure out her life. Emira gets a call late one night from the Chamberlain's and ask her to babysit their two year old, Briar. They asked her to take Briar out of the house for a while because they have something they need to deal with. She takes the babysitting job and while Emira, a black woman is out with Brian, who is a white child, she is accused of kidnapping the child.

A thought provoking and shockingly emotional read!

I loved Briar's character. She was such a sweet girl and I understand why Emira loved her. I had a love/hate relationship with both Emira and Alix at times, but I kept reading to find out more and more about their relationship. This book was not at all what I expected from the blurb and I am so glad that there were other struggles involved and not just the initial incident. Lots of good character development as well. Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group (G.P. Putnam Son's) for the opportunity to read this book! I wish I would have read it sooner!

Fantastic book that touches upon issues of class and race. It gave me a lot to think about. Reid's style is fantastic, light and witty, but still managing to get the point across in an easy to understand way. I enjoyed reading about Emira and Briar and quickly noticed the issues that surrounded Alix's character. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future!

At this point, it has taken me two days to REALLY figure out how I want to rate this book. So I am just going to go with three stars. Because in the end, I think my three stars are perfect for this one. Because I didn't hate it and I didn't love it. Such a Fun Age was just one of those books that has SO much going on (be careful-- it's easy to miss some things) but the author's light and flow-y writing made it so entertaining that I couldn't put it down. 

There are some great characters in this book, especially Briar and Emira and I loved the relationship between them. But other than that, most all of the characters were lack luster and dull. The roles they played in the story just made things really awkward and boring. This, however was good writing on the author's part. Because although I had a hard time with the characters, I didn't have a hard time with the story she was telling.


While I did enjoy the story of the two female protagonists and how all of the topics (race, friendships, social class, etc.) were approached in this debut novel by this author I didn't LOVE it like I wanted to. Such a Fun Age was a thought provoking and even at times funny novel but I think I was expecting more. I think where my problem lies with this one is that I expected more. Of everything. I liked it, but did not find it as hard hitting and compelling as many other reviewers, maybe because of the lighter tone and flow-y writing the author decided to use.

Expectations for this book were so high due to the hype and publicity.
The storyline was a timely and interesting one and started off quite strong. However, as the story progressed I was disappointed to where it was taking the reader.

Very interesting story, very fast paced. Loved stories direction even after it went crazy! Overall great book!!! Glad I read this.

LOVED THIS BOOK!! Kiley did such an amazing job covering topics most people are afraid to talk about let alone write about!! I thought both pov's were written extremely well and loved that she took stereotypes of what we believe and brought them to life for us to face.

Well, this book was not at all what I was expecting (in a good way!). I thought it would be a big reflexion on racial issues due to the event in the grocery shop, but it's more subtle, and from two interesting perspectives. Emira finds herself in two toxic relationships: with her boss, Alix Chamberlain, who seems obsessed with having the 'good amount' of black people in her life, and who wants Emira to be her friend. And Emira's boyfriend, Kelley Copeland, idolizes black people. He wants to be surrounded by them, dating only black woman, and is a fervent advocate of their rights.

The book explores the complexity of relationships, and how well-intentioned gestures can backfire real quick when it was not for the good reasons.

One major thing that bothered me is that everyone seemed to know more than Emira what to do with her life, like if she was a child. If the girl doesn't know what to do, don't try to push her into a mold that she won't fit in. Let her experience life and eventually she will know what she wants to do with her life. And being a nanny is NOT a bad job. Being a nanny with a hypocrite and obsessive boss is. Working anywhere with that kind of person is. We need to love what we do for a living, because we spend so much time working... and right now, I am not sure that Emira's life will be as fulfilling as it would be if she listened to her heart and became a nanny.

Many thanks to Penguin Group Putnam for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I read Such a Fun Age (what a great title, BTW) in two big gulps on consecutive nights, but it took me another day to realize how much it affected me—I was reflecting on the characters and their conflicts as I drove to work.

The book reminded me of Brit Bennett's essay "I Don't Know What to Do About Good White People," in that the two white protagonists, Kelley and Alix—both of whom would be horrified to be described as prejudiced, let alone racist—each seemed to think they knew what was best for Emira, but they sometimes had trouble seeing her for an independently-minded person. Yet each of them was richly drawn, so that the reader was forced to consider them and possibly empathize with them.

Emira was also multidimensional, and I thought Kiley Reid especially did a great job showing her as she switched from one role in her life to the next. And Reid must know a lot about toddlers and little kids, because I found her depiction of Briar to be incredibly true to life. In general, her observational skills are on point—I found myself nodding along with lots of things that I'd seen myself in real life.

I did feel like the ending was slightly abrupt, but it might just be because I wanted to spend more time with the characters, especially Emira.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!