Thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons and to NetGalley for a review copy.

This is a lighthearted read, but with a serious look at race, power and growing up. Reid does an excellent job characterizing the two main characters, Emira- the babysitter and Alix, the "mom". You can easily empathize with both characters, despite their vast socioeconomic differences, age, and race. After finishing the novel, I still wonder- what would I do if I were Emira? If I were Alix? What's the "right" thing to do? Which lens do I see the world through?

3.5 stars... I was pretty engrossed in this book for the first 3/4 but wasn’t a fan of the ending. The character of Emira, the babysitter, is pretty consistent throughout, and I thought her ending was true to her. On the other hand, I felt that the majority of the book painted Alix, Emira’s employer, in one light and then really changed everything you thought was true about her at the end. While I love a good twist, I didn’t see the point of this one. I felt like the parts of the book written from her perspective were designed to elicit empathy toward Alix (while I cringed at some of her antics), until the very end, at which point I couldn’t empathize or understand her anymore.

Such a Fun Age is a very engaging debut novel from Kiley Reid. It's a quick and easy read but unexpectedly thought provoking. Writing from the point of view of two very different women, Reid explores the themes of race, privilege, feminism, and economic status. Contrary to the cute book cover, this one was not a light and fun read for me and the bad behavior of some of these characters left me feeling uncomfortable. That being said, I couldn't put this book down and read it in a couple of days.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Starts off as just a really well written story but this is absolutely the kind of book that sticks with you and you’ll reference often. This book was graciously provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book does a great job of using fiction to illuminate social topics - this one investigates class and white privilege through multiple narrators. What comes across on the surface as what might be termed "chic lit" becomes a thoughtful treatise on race and class. A really great book club read, and something to recommend readers who might be intimidated by non-fiction on these topics.

Wow! I love this book, it's one I can safely recommend to anybody looking for "just a good book." If you like psychological fiction, this book has got it all -- fully fleshed out, multifaceted characters; all kinds of taut, exciting & page-turning tension (racial, socioeconomic, sexual); traumatic secrets from the past; and explosive interpersonal dynamics.

Passion drives the page here. The love that the main character feels for her little charge, Briar, is touching and sweet -- but very strong. Alix's desires -- to be perceived as authentic, to be admired and approved of by Emira, and to impose her version of the past on those who wronged her -- are perverse, and also very strong. Then there's the boyfriend. He has passions too, but what is behind them? Is there a subconscious racially charged agenda behind his involvement with Emira? Behind his relationships and actions in the past? And at the center of the story is Emira, who feels trapped inside the narratives that others are trying to create about her and about the fateful night that brought all these characters (back) together. She's stuck because she depends on the people writing these stories.

I loved analyzing these characters as they struggled toward the ending, which was perfect. Just desserts are served, and then there's even an epilogue taking place a few years in the future, depicting that the adages "time heals all wounds" and "older is wiser" are not always true. Thank you!

25 year old Emira is stopped in a grocery store and accused of kidnapping the child she is babysitting.
This book focuses on relationships, race and privilege, an ambitious subject for a debut novel. 
And while the first two chapters are great, this is unfortunately the best part of the book.

My biggest issue with this book was that none of the characters were likable.
I am all for a good unlikable character, but all the characters in this book seemed to sit on the fence between good and bad.

The protagonist Emira, is boring, and the star of the book is the child she looks after who only pops in with random one-liners. 

This book started out strong, and I had high hopes, while elements of a 5 star book were scattered throughout, in the end it was anti climactic.

What a fantastic book. I absolutely loved each of the characters, and the nuances in each of their relationships. This was a fast read, but tackled some pretty large issues that are very relevant today. Highly recommend!

The book’s synopsis really appealed to me: ‘’ Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both.’’
Sadly, apart from the relationship between Briar and Emira (Briar’s constant chatter is a delight to be fair), there was nothing big hearted about this story.
I found the characters one dimensional, unlikable and hard to root for. None of them experienced character growth, they seem to be set in their ways until the end of the book. The main character did not evolve much either, apart from a mild adolescent tantrum at the end, as a result I am still confused as to what the lesson of the book is.
Any other time, I probably would have DNF’d this book, but due to the hype around it, I picked it as my first read of the year, and did not want to start 2020 with a DNF! I’m glad I gave it a go, but this was not for me.

What fun! There wasn’t a single page where I was bored of the writing. Alix (rhymes with ‘leeks’) Chaberlain is high up on the social ladder. She is white, a kind-of famous blogger who asks for a lot of freebies (wine needed for an event? Write an email), a tight group of friends and money. Emira, her babysitter, is black, struggling for money but loves her job. When Emira is harassed in a super-white-grocery store because she is with two-year-old Briar. Emira’s boyfriend, Kelly, who is in fact Alix’s (a time when she was plain Alex Murphy) high school boyfriend who destroyed her heart adds to the drama.

I love how Reid kept all the grey in her characters, so by the end of the read, you don’t know who to root for, the information you have gorged on till then about every character might be unreliable and you really don’t know which side, or any side that is, is speaking the truth. You stan a character and then go uh-uh-no-no. You feel as if you don’t know the characters at all. Alex and Kelly are so right about one another, and it isn’t a pretty picture. I loved how Reid is so effective in doing this. Also I am just so glad to see a book set in the present world where social media, internet and viral videos are so much a part of our lives.

Most of the scenes are eye-rolling, ‘oh-no-what-is-she doing’ kind. By mid-book, I was completely sucked into the mess that Emira and Alix are in. There’s a white-saviour situation happening, lots of phone snooping and convincing themselves that they are in the right. Add in secret videos, leaked videos and publicity stunts. There’s a fair amount to reflect on—How society views black and white people? Does Emira have a uniform or is it only a shirt that was kindly passed on to her by her employer, why do white people want to save everyone? Are black people friends kept for societal status or are they really close to their heart? How easy is it for white people to get away with racism?

Fantastic debut. This was the first book I wanted to talk about in 2020 because a year that starts well is always gonna end well (I hope?)

It’s hard to write a review about a book that left me so undecided. I think the biggest issue I had with this novel was trying to connect with any of the characters. Besides the relationship between Emira, and her charge, which was genuine and heartwarming, the story itself failed to draw me in deeply enough to become passionate about it.

The writing was acceptable for a debut novel, but I felt the execution was choppy at times. The way the plot was structured and told, especially the backstory, sounded too clinical, and dispassionate and sometimes even disjointed. But besides that the novel was easy to read, and it had some compelling and definitely thought provoking moments.

Emira’s voice felt genuine and authentic. And her relationship with her charge was the soul and heart of this story. Whereas the relationship between mother and caregiver was unhealthy, thanks to a strange obsession from the mother's side, and brought with it a slew of other issues. Also, besides Emira and Blair (the child) none of the other characters were relatable, likable, or felt authentic. It's hard to feel passionate about a book if I feel so indifferent about the cast of characters.

Oh and the ending left much to desire.

But even though this book wasn’t as compelling for me as it was for many others. The topics and relationships depicted in this book will make for great book club material.


ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review.

First book of the year and what a thought-provoking read. My emotions were running in so many directions, as the stories of each of the main characters played out and their histories revealed.

On the surface it is a story of a young black girl trying to find herself as she navigates her life with 2 part time jobs and a strong group of women she calls friends. But if you read a little slower and deeper it is a social commentary about race, privilege, and the choices we make to be true to ourselves.

The opening "incident" of the book just sucks you in. Emira, the 25 year-old black babysitter of a very privileged white couple, is accused of kidnapping their daughter when she takes the little girl into an upscale market late at night. Words are exchanged, things happen, a bystander films it and as I feverishly read the pages because I wanted to find out how it ends I am thinking that this is what the book is about. This incident. But it's not. Deceptively this incident really isn't the story at all, it just serves as a catalyst for everything else.

Mother of the little girl, Alex, feels guilty over the incident and decides to try and become friends with Emira. Try to treat her like an "equal", which doesn't really work out too well because they really live in two very different worlds. And we see this as the book navigates the two women's lives separately and together. Emira doesn't really want to be friends and she doesn't want her "help" either.

But when something from Alex's past connects the two women, it causes an explosion of emotions from both women, and the story really takes off. OMG... Any façade that these characters had just got burned off in the fire.

The writing is fresh. The story is complex and interesting. The characters are awesome. The author really develops their personalities, lives and back stories. Once you start reading Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, you won't want to put it down. There is so much more to talk about, but if I did, it would reveal all sorts of spoilers. That being said, this would make a great book club selection, because believe me, there is plenty to discuss. I definitely give it a solid 4 stars.

I want to thank Penguin Group Putnam for sending along a digital copy for me to review.

Such a Fun Age is a story of Alix Chamberlain and her babysitter Emira Tucker. One night totally changed their relationship.

I finished this book close to the end of 2019. I absolutely fell in love with the storyline due to the fact that it covers racial and political issues that happens today. Emira Tucker was a superstar in my eyes! She was trying figure her place in life but was very observant of her surroundings. Emira just didn't realize how strong she was until later in the story.

Alix Chamberlain is one of those characters that develops a love hate relationship with the reader. She is self made blogger but in many ways a narcissist. There was a point I had so much anger toward because of how she treated her oldest daughter.

This book was a short read with a huge impact. It would make a great read for a book discussion whether it's in a book club or a classroom.

I was given an advanced of this book from G.P. Putnam's Sons and Netgalley. Thank you for the wonderful book!

I wanted to love this book but it was just so-so for me. The writing was good and I could relate to Emira but she also really irritated me. Her friends were so cliche and annoying, and then don’t get me started with Alix. She was terrible, and I sensed it from the beginning. Her older husband...boring. Poor rich white lady? No thanks. The ending wasn’t predictable, so I give points for that, but otherwise, I’m bummed about this one.

This is the best book I’ve read all year. Everything about it is perfect - the writing, the way the story unfolds, the masterful jump between the past and the present, the way it captures the inherent flaws of human nature, the ending...
All of it is just perfect. Every person should read this book.

“...and the one thing she still had was the freedom to follow the narrative that suited her best.”

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid is the story of 25 year old Emira, a babysitter who is accused of kidnapping the child in her care while in the grocery store one night. The incident is filmed by another customer, which then sets off a chain of events that leaves the reader grappling with the issues of race, privilege, and bias.

Conflicted. That is the word I would use to describe my feelings about this book, and here’s why: On the one hand, there were several five star elements to it. Parts of the book that challenged my thinking and nearly brought me to tears. For example, I LOVED the relationship between Emira and Briar. It was so endearing and pure. But then there were things that almost made me DNF this one (and I rarely consider that). The biggest issue I had was with Briar’s mom, Alix. She just made me so angry and I had a hard time pushing through the chapters told from her perspective.

It has taken me a full 24 hours to digest and think about my rating for this one, but I think I’ve finally settled on ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 since it’s right in the middle. What I will say is this- I have a feeling that this is going to be a book that I’ll be thinking about for a while. There was so much to unpack and it would make for a fantastic book club discussion. As a matter of fact, I saw that it’s been chosen for Reese’s Book Club this month! I have also seen a ton of five star reviews it lately, so I think it just may not have been the perfect fit for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Penguin Group/Putnam for the ARC of Such a Fun Age! The cover initially drew me in, but the content is so compulsively readable and timely.

Alix Chamberlain owns LetHerSpeak and is a writer and influencer focused on empowering women to get what they want in the business world. She hires Emira Tucker as a babysitter for her young daughter Briar. An incident takes place while Briar is in the care of Emira, which sets up the protagonists for reflection upon their own circumstances; spanning individual privilege and racial inequalities, while allowing the reader to become entrenched in their internal dialogue as they deal with the fallout from the event.

The tone is somewhat light, but expertly dissects current social issues and how they impact individuals across various ages and socioeconomic groups. This book is full of conversational topics, and would be perfect for any book club. As I finished reading, I learned that it was chosen as a Reese's Book Club pick, which is so fitting! I devoured Such a Fun Age in a few days, and can't wait to discuss it with other readers. I highly recommend picking up this book!

This debut novel has a lot to say about friendship, race, family and careers as well as learning to mind your own business. When Emira, a black graduate of Temple University can’t seem to find a goal for her future, she takes a job as a nanny for a wealthy couple. Carrying for the three-year old, Briar, who’s mom, Alix, is so busy with her own career and the baby sister, Emira falls in love with the chatty young girl. When confronted by a security guard in an upscale market, Emira stands up for herself when the guard accuses her of kidnapping Briar. The video taken by a white guy who later becomes her boyfriend is supposed to be deleted but becomes crucial in the ending of the book. When Emira’s boyfriend, Kelley and her boss, Alix, discover they had a bad love relationship in high school, both Kelley and Alix try to convince Emira how despicable the other is. I found the ending of this novel very satisfying.

I loved this book! The rich, beautifully flawed characters bring themes of racism, the search for self actualization and acceptance of the messiness that it is to be human.

I wanted to enjoy this because I felt it meant to bring a powerful message about racism to the readers, but this book failed to do that for me. There were a lot of times when the book felt preachy, and the plot was choppy. It went from being about one thing to another without a cohesive transition. Overall, I didn’t really care about Emira or any of the other characters at any point and was just looking forward to being done with this. This book was just not for me unfortunately and that was so disappointing.