Wow. Phenomenal. Such A Fun Age is such a timely book. It nails so many important issues that POC are facing in this current day. Kiley Reid's style of writing kept me coming back for more. I can't wait to see what Kiley Reid comes up with next. It will, for sure, be a must read.

Such a Fun Age is a debut novel that follows 25 year old Emira, a black babysitter for the wealthy Chamberlain family. Emira loves babysitting the inquisitive and precocious three-year-old Briar Chamberlain & this job is perfect for this chapter of her life. While babysitting one night, she is confronted by a security guard in a local supermarket, and is accused of kidnapping the child. When Alix Chamberlain, Briar’s mother, gets wind of the situation she becomes obsessed with making Emira feel like part of the family. When a video of that night comes to light and ends up going public, it unearths someone from Alix’s past and makes Emira question if Alix truly has her best interests at heart. review: This book is written with a lighthearted and empathetic tone, but it carries a lot of heavy topics – including race relations, class, wealth & friendship. I found this book to be very thought-provoking and I liked learning about both Emira & Alix’s past and what they thought of each other, although I didn’t particularly care for either character. This story is well written, compelling & the character development is fantastic. I really enjoyed this story but wish the ending had been different. This would make a fantastic book club pick and would provide a lot of discussion. rating: 4 out of 5 ⭐️

The plot mostly centers on Alix and Emira. Alix is painted as a typical white, wealthy woman who employs Emira, a young African-American girl to care for her young daughter. Chapters alternated between these two women and I enjoyed reading both points of view. Emira's chapters read like a YA novel but the author made it work (I don't particularly enjoy YAs so the fact that I enjoyed Emira's chapters tell you something). Emira has a college degree but hasn't found her career calling and she surprisingly enjoys her job as a babysitter. Race issues permeate this book but it's not a book ONLY about race. It also hits on motherhood, employer/employee dynamics, and cultural differences. Loved this book!

Sadly this one was a disappointment.
I found none of the characters relatable and at times super annoying. I felt the whole premise and the reason for the book was done within 25% and the rest was just not necessary. Maybe I'll pick this one up again, but for now not a winner.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

I didn’t do much research before picking up this book both because I received it from @netgalley and it was then selected for #reesesbookclub. Emira is a young black woman in her early 20s, who, after graduating college, isn’t sure about her life’s direction. To make ends meet, she’s both a typist and a babysitter. She babysits for a precocious 3 year old, Briar, from an affluent white family, the Chamberlains.

This novel is full of race and class tensions. I was hooked from the beginning when Emira was accused of kidnapping Briar in a local grocery store, because it was late and she was dressed inappropriately. The book is fast-paced, and yet I was left feeling like some thing was missing. I loved the relationship between Emira and Briar, but several other characters, including Briar’s mom, Alix Chamberlain, seemed like a bad parody. Curious to know your take - have you read?

I finished this book a few days ago and decided to take some time before I wrote a review.

I liked Such A Fun Age very much, it just was kind of a lot to process. Kiley Reid's writing was so easy to get absorbed into, which made the book a very quick read. The characters were well thought out and the subject matter quite timely.

Most of the book was pretty light but the beginning and end were heavy and deep. I think this book is going to be a big seller and can definitely see being turned into a movie. Pick it up and see for yourself, it definitely makes you think. 4 stars.

Thank you to #Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Son's for an advanced reader's copy of #SuchAFunAge.

Emira and Alix are brought together by a babysitting job, and are from very different worlds. I found there to be unique twists and turns, and although at times I found myself cringing, I felt compelled to find out how things would work out. I enjoyed their story and would recommend!

Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgally for review purposes.

This book took me on a wild ride of thoughts and emotions and I loved it. I would've given it the full five stars but the ending seemed almost rushed and like it didn't fully fit with the rest of the book - but I'm still not unhappy with the resolution/conclusion of it all.
As others have said it's incredibly thought-provoking and it kind of makes you wonder whose right and whose wrong, but the real gut punch is that it's more complicated than that. These people felt incredibly fleshed out and human, and they all had human flaws which made it so impossible to fully root for someone or despise someone. I went from relating to Alix to hating Alix all in the span of a couple pages and now that I'm done I still don't know my feelings on her.
This book also doesn't get suckered into the 'white savior' role/trope which is so refreshing. Again, the whole thing felt realistic and like this could be something that's really happening - because things like this happen every damn day.
Couldn't put it down, absolutely loved it and would recommend it.

I’m not sure what I expected of this book considering all the hype around it. But to be honest I did enjoy this book. However I’m not someone who sees people as the color of their skin but this book definitely wants you to do that which at times was hard. Overall I give this book 4⭐️!, I loved the way it was written and the way we got to know each of the characters in this fantastic novel.

The Page-Turner to Pre-Order:
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

This anticipated debut centers around Emira Tucker, a 25-year-old babysitter struggling to make ends meet, and Alix, the wealthy woman she works for. One night while Emira, who is black, is watching Alix’s young daughter, who is white, a security guard accuses her of kidnapping the child. Emira acts quickly to diffuse the misunderstanding—but not before a bystander catches the confrontation on his phone. Though Emira is eager to forget what happened, the dramatic event sparks a change in Alix and Emira’s working relationship. Reflecting on themes of race, class, friendship, and romance, Reid has written a page-turner for our time, one that you can speed through in a day but will likely mull over for much longer.

HERE MAGAZINE

I can see why this is a Reese Book Club pick with other book clubs all over America joining suit. This was an intriguing premise. So much juiciness to unpack here. The secrets that were begging to be set free had me on the edge of my seat. But then, it felt like the peak of a rollercoaster with a quick descent so we can wrap this up. The characters that had so much depth and careful construction became one-dimensional. A lot of the conversation and drawn out party scenes could've been scaled back. And I say this as someone in their early thirties so not some old curmudgeon. And some characters were grossly stereotyped. I wont get all American Dirt but I was starting to give this some side eye as an African-American myself. Overall, this was a decent read. But, I was disappointed with the rushed ending.

A thought-provoking book about race, privilege, motherhood. I was hooked from the beginning! The plot twist mid-story was intriguing. I appreciated that this was not a standard story about race, but explored the “white savior” complex.

Reid writes in such a breezy tone that I was swept into the story with such comfort that the bigger issues seemed to gather around my ankles, swiftly rising, before I knew it. Such gorgeous voices in this important work, and Reid masterfully paints scenes and settings worthy of the deeper issues she's about to drop on you. Beautifully-written, moving, thought-provoking. A sure talker for book clubs and reading duos. You'll find other race-issue books popping up in your discussions. You're in good hands with this author.

I have been sitting on my review for this much loved debut book. There are no words to correctly describe the way it made me feel. I absolutely loved this book.
"If you didn't cringe during certain scenes, you missed the point." - Rachel Epstein.
And that's exactly my feelings.
Emira Tucker, a black woman is Briar's babysitter, who is a white toddler and Alix Chambers, Briar's mother called one night to see if Emira could help with Briar after they had a bad evening. Emira takes Briar to the grocery store down the street and I just love the way it describes the girls dancing and Briar dancing with them, only to be embarrassed and harassed by the security guard there after a woman thinks Briar was kidnapped. A patron Kelly, who is white films the whole thing and gives a copy to Emira. And that's how she meets Kelly and soon they are dating.
Emira is a girl trying to figure out what she really wants in life and realizes she's about to be off her parents health insurance. Her family and friends tell her she needs a job(adult job) with benefits, and she just likes taking care of Briar.

"For the rest of her life and for zero dollars an hour, Emira would always be Briar's sitter."
Get this book. You won't regret it all! Kiley Reid is a fantastic writer! I couldn't believe this was her debut novel!
It was Reese Witherspoon's first book club pick of 2020!

Thank you to Publisher, author, Kiley Reid, and NetGalley for the eARC

#SuchaFunAge #NetGalley

Wow. Wow wow wow wow. I needed this book. So fantastic, so relevant, everyone needs to read it. Only dent in it was Emira telling Mrs Chamberlin to appreciate her daughter which rang too close to the ending of The Nanny Diaries for me. But outside of that blip this is an amazing book.

Emira Tucker is 25, on the verge of losing her health insurance, working casual jobs and still doesn't know what she wants to do with her life.
Alix (Aah-lix) Chamberlain is the epitome of upper middle class basic white blogger, living in the burbs with 2 kids and a newscaster husband.
Their paths converge when Alix hires Emira as a part-time babysitter for her eldest daughter Briar. But when a store security guard accuses Emira of kidnapping Briar, she is vindicated by a video of the event filmed by Kelley Copeland. Kelley has history with Alix and all three lives are thrown into a tailspin when their tangled relationships come to light.

This was a page turner. Well written and engaging, Such a Fun Age explores themes of privilege, racism, the broad reach of online content and modern parenting. Emira and Briar were great characters, but I couldn't warm to Alix, Kelley and the peripheral cast. Emira finally finds her feet in a bittersweet ending, which left the reader with the final theme of truth and perspective and the grey areas therein.

This was a fascinating storyline - easy to read, but great depth. The character of Emira was so sympathetic and I felt bad for her with all the people she was caught between. Sometimes uncomfortable, but very eye-opening.

I enjoyed so much about this book! Not only is Reid’s writing engaging, the story she tells in Such a Fun Age is one I’m still thinking about. We need more non-white people telling their stories, and Reid delivers. I want more from her as soon as possible.

What first struck me after starting this novel is that it’s difficult to categorize. Is it women’s fiction? Literary? New adult? Reid’s cute cover is a bit deceiving of the hard-hitting story within the pages, but I appreciate that she crosses genre lines and offers a character or plot line for many types of readers.

Reid’s protagonists are Alix Chamberlain, an affluent, successful white woman and mother who runs a blog aiming to empower women, and Emira Tucker, an African American college graduate who nannies for Alix’s elder daughter, Briar, who’s three, while she tries to decide what she wants to do with her life.

One night, in a moment of panic, Alix asks Emira to get Briar out of the townhouse while she and her husband deal with a situation (*spoiler alert* we learn later that Alix’s husband, who is a newscaster, made a racist remark on the news and their home has been egged as a result). Emira shows up after a night out, having had a few drinks and wearing a tight dress, and takes Briar to the store, where the security guard questions her association with the child and generally harasses her. She’s aided by a man who takes a video of the interaction — whom she later begins to date (*spoiler alert* and who dated Alix in high school only to break up with her rather dramatically).

What ensues is a thought-provoking, necessary story about white privilege, classism, racism, white savior complex, deception, and trust. The third-person omniscient point of view shifts between Emira and Alex, and Reid paints both characters incredibly well. At various points in the story, my empathy shifted between the two, and the complexity of both characters’ thoughts and actions are ripe for discussion.

I gave this one four stars because the ending was a bit of a letdown, but it remains well worth a read. Highly recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've read this is supposed to be a commentary on race and white privilege but I see it as a story of a woman faced with motherhood and career issues and her younger babysitter who she wants to establish a relationship with. I think Alix comes from a place of loneliness and lost youth not an attempt to cross a racial divide and Emira is trying to find herself in the world. My opinion is mixed.but the story is interesting. (Rounding up to 4 stars)

This book was an easy read and incredibly enjoyable. I loved the characters and I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. It's the perfect book club or vacation read! It will leave you wanting to talk about it with your friends!