Lived up to the hype! This book was everything that I hoped it would be. A quick read full of complex characters and relationships that sucked me in from the start. I was rooting for Emira as her strength was inspiring, and I couldn’t tell if I loved or hated Alix for the first half of the book. I decided by the end that it’s possible to be utterly confused about your feelings for the characters and still LOVE the story. Topics like race, feminism, privilege and romance flowed seamlessly throughout. I couldn’t put this one down and I think it will be one of the most talked about novels of 2020!

Emira is 25 years old. She has no career, no boyfriend, and her life doesn't seem hopeful. She's a babysitter. An incident happens late one night at a primarily white grocery store that will alter her life forever, although she doesn't realize it at first.

There was a lot of hype surrounding this book, not only on bookstagram but Reese Witherspoon endorses it as well. For me, the hype is not real.

It was a quick read but just ok at best. I found myself asking "ok, where is this going" the whole time I was reading.

I also feel like this book was more about race but no real issues or conversation was brought up regarding race. The main character could care less about race while the others are infatuated with it. I felt like this book could have been so much deeper.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me an e-version in exchange for my honest review.

I love the way this was an easy read but had a deeper message. I would love to read more from this author

I really, really liked this book. I was impressed with how complex Reid's characterization and plotting were. Emira and Alix were some of the most realistic characters I've ever read, and the situation they find themselves in could have been pulled straight out of today's news headlines. This is a really well-written piece of social commentary as well as just a good story, both enlightening and engaging. I could have gone to 5 stars, but there was one major plot element that nearly ruined the experience for me. Despite that, I highly recommend this book overall and feel safe calling it a must-read for all fiction readers. I look forward to Reid's future work.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

A big thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC of Such a Fun Age! It was a quick read for me and I felt the message and the way it was delivered was extremely relevant for today's world. It touches on the struggles of millennials post-grad as well as privilege certain groups have that you may not think of.

Overall, it was a good book, but I wasn't absolutely in love, must-buy. I do acknowledge it's Kiley Reid's first book so it may just be that her writing style doesn't gel with me. I would probably still pick up her next book to give it a try though given I enjoyed the message.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. I thought this novel was incredibly thought provoking. I breezed through it and thought her writing was very fluent. It tackled many important issues including race, and social classes. The best part of this book In my opinion was the opportunity to see into the minds of each of the main characters: Alix, Emira and Kelley. This book was both heavy and light which was nice surprise considering it broached some uncomfortable (but necessary) subjects. You see Emira grow into a successful young professional finding her place in the world. The incident in the grocery store was a pivotal moment in her life, but it did not define her. The character development and complicated workplace relationships were done eloquently. Kiley Reid is one of my new fav authors!

5 enthusiastic stars!! I enjoyed this novel from the very beginning and honestly didn’t want it to end. The writing is fresh and delivers a look at racial issues while never feeling angry or preachy. Reid is just taking you along for a ride with Emira and you will be forced to think about life choices, race, motherhood and obsessions. I loved every bit of this messy story. I highly recommend!!

I’m afraid this book didn’t really work for me. The premise—what happens when a black babysitter tending her almost 3-year-old white charge on a late night grocery store trip is suspected of abducting the child—is certainly interesting and of-the-moment, but the main characters were never believable to me (particularly Alix, the mother, who seems to be loosely stitched together from every current cliche of the progressive white millennial career woman); the occasional attempts to mimic vernacular (“holup, holup”) were jarring and unnecessary; and the plot devolved into more of a strange love triangle (which again strained credulity) than the insightful social commentary the book’s opening led me to hope for. Truthfully, I may just be too old for “Such a Fun Age”—I have little patience for the whole influencer culture that Alix personifies—because the book is on bestseller lists and is getting good press and some strong reviews. Just not from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Such a Fun Age appeared on so many lists as a ‘Hot Read’ for winter 2020 and let me assure you, it deserved each accolade. FYI: It was on my list too! The premise is oh, so simple, yet it’s a punch in the gut in regards to racism, affluence and decency.

This starts with a mistaken report that the nanny, dark-skinned Emira, has kidnapped her light-skinned charge, when they show up at an upscale market, late at night. An innocent bystander films the incident, because well, that’s what people do now. Emira has no interest in the video; sadly, she is used to the scrutiny and just wants to move on. This incident shifts Emira’s relationship with her employers, especially with Alix, the mother. Alix was just awful as she broke privacies numerous times in the vain of trying to get to know Emira better. Watching her try to befriend this 25-year-old girl made for stellar reading. Pure dysfunction.

This novel is incredibly thought-provoking. So many nuggets to sit with and think about regarding race and class. Do white people become friends with black people just to say they have black friends? Does the opposite ring true? Can your feelings about race truly change over time? What happens when your past doesn’t just haunt you but appears in your present? These are just a few of the questions brought to mind while reading this book.

The author spoke millennial like nobody’s business. She used pitch perfect dialogue and implemented trending words with precision. I loved the toddler that Emira babysat and could feel the closeness of their relationship. Emira felt noticed and needed while little Briar felt protected and loved. They adored each other equally and most importantly, their connection felt real.

Definitely check this one out. I look forward for what’s next from this author.

Almost all of the characters in this book were infuriating. The character of Emira, the 25-year old college graduate with no real future, comes across as undeveloped. She’s written with three different personas: the sweet and seemingly only woman to understand and cherish three-year-old Briar (who’s complex personality is confusing for such a little person but okay); the quiet and almost uneducated employee of Alix (some of the interactions had me wondering about Temple’s degree program); and a partying, mid-twenties friend and girlfriend that is depicted as the “real” Emira. The problem is, none of the personas are written well – they all felt like underdeveloped caricatures that needed more complexity.

*Huge thanks to PRH International/NetGalley for my free e-galley. This did not affect my overall opinion of the book.

In this book we have Emira and Alix. Emira is an African-American woman in her mid-twenties who works as a part-time babysitter to Alix's eldest daughter Briar. Alix is a wealthy and successful woman but she still wants more and she will do everything to have it. Briar is being accused of kidnapping Briar by a security guard while they're at the grocery store late at night. Emira is willing to forget all about the incident but not Alix and one of the bystanders who has filmed everything.

The characters in this book are all very interesting. Most of them are not likeable but I had a great time reading it. I related to Emira's "not sure what I want to do with my life" situation. People are pressuring you or trying to control your life. I know they mean well and they probably think that they're doing you a favor but it's not really helpful. I admire Emira's character in this book and I loved her relationship with Briar. These two were my favorites. I actually liked Alix in the beginning but she does so many things that easily made me dislike her.

The writing was straightforward and easy to read but this book deals with important issues such as racism, white-saviorism, feminism, and privilege. The author approached these issues very effectively, in my opinion. I only had some mixed-feelings about the ending. This was such a thought-provoking read so I definitely get why this is a perfect book club read.

I adored this book. I love a book that begins with a big event and explores the fallout and this is done so deftly. I felt immediately connected to the characters and, as a white woman, saw a lot of my own unconscious biases in Alix. Such a Fun Age made me deeply uncomfortable in all the right ways while also being entertaining, thought-provoking, and an absolute delight to read. This will definitely go in my top books of 2020.

Emira, a young, black baby-sitter, is detained in an affluent grocery store for having a white child with her. The story weaves it's way through the event and how that event leads to changes in her relationship with people in her life.

I really enjoyed this book. The depth of the characters and their actions in regards to race was very interesting. It brings up many discussion topics relevant to current day happenings. I think the author did a great job of portraying Emira's feelings in all that was going on versus the actions of the white people.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I seem to be on a roll with reading books that are then picked by celebrity book groups. I read this one last month, and it is now it is Reese Witherspoon’s book club pick for this month. It’s a good selection for a book group with things to talk about.
Alix Chamberlain is one of the haves, married to a TV newscaster and owner of a blog website business. She has hired Emira Tucker, a twenty-six-year-old African American, to take care of her children. While Emira is out with her girlfriends late one night, she receives a phone call from Alix asking her to come over and take her toddler to the grocery down the street. Someone has thrown a rock through their window, and Alix doesn’t want her daughter, Briar, to be upset when the police arrive. While at the grocery store, a white woman notifies the security guard at the store that she thinks Emira is kidnapping the child. Although Emira tried to explain the situation, it quickly escalates until a white by-stander starts recording the whole situation on his cell phone. He seeks to encourage Emira that she should use his video and take action. She refuses. Their paths cross again, and they begin a relationship that upturns both Alix and Emira’s lives.

This book has a lot in it regarding race, problems sometimes created by well-intentioned white people, what it means to be family, social commentary, life choices, and finding direction. The characters are interesting and well-developed, and the storyline is compelling.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy to review for an honest opinion.

I'm so glad this was my first read of the decade! Kiley Reid writes a compulsively readable tale of race, class, saviorism, and caring for other people's children. She intertwines weaves the relationships of two women and makes you sit with the discomfort, while also inserting biting sarcasm and so much heart. This is an excellent, fast, timely and, important read.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC. I loved this book. I read it in one sitting. I thought the author did a good job supplying different views of racism. I highly recommend.

You ever read a book and don't know how to feel about it? I don't mean like it was meh, but when you finish it, you wonder how you would have handled the situation?


I finally finished Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. At first, I didn't want to read it. The blurb talked about a woman named Emira in her mid-twenties who had an BBQ Becky moment in a grocery store. A woman saw Emira in this grocery store with a small white child she was babysitting and called the security officer for the store. He wouldn't let her leave the store with the child because he thought the child had been kidnapped. It's a small chapter in the book but it starts a chain of events.


The book is about the chain of events; the aftermath and the relationship Emira finds herself in with the man who recorded the incident.


I didn't want to read it.


But I did. There is a much more complicated story behind that incident with the child's mother and how she handles herself in the aftermath. I wanted to applaud Reid for making it about race, but making it about the implications as well. There was so much depth and I read it in one sitting. Even though I could see the twists coming from a mile away (I believe this was intentional), I wanted to see how it unfolded.


When I looked up the book, it said it was a coming of age story. I don't very often read books with protagonists in their mid-twenties still trying to find themselves. Usually, I would get frustrated and just DNF the title, like much of Sophie Kinsella's titles.


I felt all the things Emira was feeling; the way she carried herself with dignity but stood up for herself when necessary. I believed in her and her story.

I really enjoyed Such a Fun Age! Reid did a great job of writing about a very relevant topic in a way that is very real and relatable. It was also a fun read that felt really juicy! I enjoyed the alternating perspectives, and how Reid tied the lives of Emira, Alix, and Brian together was a perfect way to highlight the takeaways of this book. It's a great story to spark necessary conversations about race, class, and privilege among other things, while also causing the reader to reflect on their own behaviors. Definitely would recommend!

This is such a fast read, which is interesting, because the events that happen are never these big huge things, but generally fairly subtle.

Emira is a 25-year-old college graduate who is at a party when the woman she babysits for calls her at eleven p.m. on a weekend night, saying that something dire has come up and she needs Emira to pick up the almost three-year-old Briar and just get her away from the house for a while. Emira needs the money, so she leaves the party and takes Briar to a local upscale market, where Briar enjoys things like smelling teas and nuts.

Partially because Emira is dressed for a party and not for a night of babysitting, but mostly because she’s black and the child she’s caring for is white, an older white woman decides that Emira might well have kidnapped this child. So, the security guard confronts Emira and tells her she can’t leave.

This novel is about race and privilege. It’s about Emira, who doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life but has to figure it out soon because she’s about to be kicked off her parents’ insurance, and her struggles of feeling like she’s falling behind her friends’ career advancements and whether her white boyfriend judges her for still being a babysitter despite her age and degree. I really enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel.