Wow! This book is a stand-out book of 2019 and will be for most in 2020. I not only loved the book, it gave me so many feelings! I went in not even knowing the plot just that people liked it and I was not only shocked and surprised but then found it it was her debut novel- well just give Kiley all the stars! It's brilliant!! It covers race, privileges (in many forms, childhood, motherhood, your past coming back that can definitely hurt or help your future. So many important topics in one books and just all written to beautiful!
Its a must read!

Everything you could want in a book for a great vacation read, that has some teeth! I read this in 2 days. The author develops characters and plot twists, and a lot of what if's. The premise is simple. What if your nanny/babysitter, who you need to like you because of your own insecurities about your sensitivity towards race and bias, bring a man to Thanksgiving dinner, who you actually dated in HS, but with horrible consequences. It is a juicy but also provocative story. ENJOY!

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

I struggled to get into this one due to the writing style, but I'm happy to announce that I stuck with it, and I ended up really enjoying it.

The writing style almost didn't suit the topic, but that thought subsided the more I continued. There is a lot of information about specific characters sort of dumped on the reader all at once. I'm not the biggest fan of that, but I did love getting to know them outside of the drama.

The story was one I've never read before. It focused more on Alix Chamberlain and her obsession with making sure Emira was comfortable. She changed how she acted toward/treated Emira, which shouldn't be the case. Yes, what happened to her was idiotic and ignorant, but she should've treated her like a human being. Emira is the babysitter of Alix's two-year old little girl, Briar, and that's how it should be treated. If you want to make friends with her, then do it under appropriate terms. I'm sure it was meant to get under your skin, and I think that's why I enjoyed it so much in the end.

The only character I like from the book is Emira. She actually held her own throughout everything that happened to her. She ran into some wild people, but she knew how to deal with each individual. She was still flawed. She cared for Kelley when they started dating. She didn't expect him to become so obsessive over what race he is dating. Emira didn't know he dated Alix in high school. There are so many curve balls thrown at Emira in this novel, and I'm happy with her decision in the end. She really sticks it to Kelley and Alix. The bond she cuts with Briar is heartbreaking but understandable. I would wish her the best in that situation too.

Overall, I would recommend this book. I don't think I'll ever reread it in the future, but I'm happy I have at least read it once. I'm glad it exists for people to read/study. It's an important topic, and it's in the point of view of an honorable woman. Go pick it up! It comes out today—12/31! End the decade with a bang.

The review will be up on blog later today.

4.5 Stars

Emira, a young African American woman, is confronted in a grocery store by a security guard while babysitting the daughter of a wealthy white woman, Alix Chamberlain, and accused of kidnapping the toddler. A crowd gathers, a bystander films the altercation and after the toddlers father comes to clear the mess up, Emira is angry and humiliated and Alix vows to make this right by doing whatever she can for her babysitter.

This story tackles social issues of racism and privilege but presents them in a lighter, entertaining way. You’ll fly through this engrossing story but want to pause and reflect on the issues you’re sure to relate to personally or have seen second hand in your own life. The story also touches on tricky relationships, figuring out life as an adult, and the downsides of doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. It’s really a book full of important topics told in an easy to read way.

Aside from the plot, the characters really bring the story to life. They are flawed and some are very relatable and likable, like Emira and Brair, but all are trying to find their place in their own lives as well as figuring out how they fit within each others lives. The relationships were complicated, real, and will make you cringe at times.

Overall, this story is full of characters you’ll really connect to and a story that will entertain you as well as make you stop and think. The reason I knocked off half a star is because there was part of the story line in the last half I wasn't crazy about and felt it was kind of distracting to the main issues the author was trying to talk about. Still, I highly recommend this one for everyone!



Thank you to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for gifting me an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my unbiased review!

I really enjoyed this debut novel, and flew through it in just a couple of days. The writing is compelling and engaging, and the characters are wonderfully flawed people. The novel brings issues of both race and class to the forefront in a unique relationship, and will certainly spark a lot of conversation. I suspect this will be a book club favorite in 2020, and for good reason!

Happy last day of 2019 and happy Pub Day to this book! Thanks to NetGalley & G.P. Putnam's Sons for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Emira Tucker is a twenty-five-year-old African American who is struggling to find a "normal" employment. She's turning twenty-six soon and that means she has to find a job that will cover her own health insurance because she can't depend on her parents anymore. She applies as a part-time babysitter for Alix and Peter Chamberlain's eldest daughter, Briar. One night, the Chamberlains get one of their windows busted due to a racist comment made by Peter on national television. Filled with panic, Alix calls Emira, who's in the middle of a friend's party, to distract Briar for a while as they deal with the police. What Emira doesn't know is that this night will have a huge impact on her life. This particular night, at Market Depot, Emira will encounter a racist guard, come to know her future boyfriend Kelley Copeland, and soon learn about the connection of Kelley and Alix.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid is masterfully written. It is both feminist and diverse. Initially, the story was kind of slow for me but in the middle up 'til the end, everything got more exciting. I love how the friendships in this book were so relatable. I also love how adorable Emira is with Briar.

The conflict was so intriguing that I couldn't wait until everything was explained and resolved. This book has got me scrutinizing Kelley and Alix page after page, looking for clues as to who is really telling the truth. I was also questioning and constantly checking-in with myself because this book made me realize that sometimes, privilege seems too mundane in our daily lives that we forget that there are people who don't get to enjoy these things as much as we do.

***Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!***
This book was definitely not what I expected, but overall, I would have to say I liked it. It was an interesting story and we really got to see all kinds of different perspectives and stories behind all of the characters. The plot was interesting, albeit slightly busy. This is definitely a book I would recommend it to anybody who likes a quick contemporary story.

I could not put this book down! The story is layered and complex, yet easy to read. The book explores race, privilege, agency and how the past can inform our biases and choices we make. I loved the modern, realistic and smart millennial characters and how they interacted with each other. Because the story is so dynamic, I will continue to peel back the layers over time. This is a great book choice for a book club and I would definitely read it again along side others!

Thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced Copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

This book is very easily readable. So easy to read, that you might not even realize how serious the content is. The book will make you think about relationships between different sexes, races, and social classes, but it's very easy to read and just a great story. Really enjoyed this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam Books for the advanced copy.

I didn't know too much about this book going into it, but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't a light and fluffy read. The race and class issues parallel real world issues we see every day. The rich white lady with the POC babysitter...babysitter Emira gets questioned for having the child with her late at night, and white lady tries to be "helpful" to fix issues in Emira's life - but really, do they need to be fixed?

Neither of the main characters were particularly likable, which is normally a negative for me in a book - but in this case, it worked and almost seemed necessary. I absolutely loved Briar though, and understand how Emira was so attached to her.

The ending surprised me too. Based on the way the "drama" was handled throughout the book, I was a bit surprised at how Emira left things with Alix after the interview. Again, it worked for me though!

What seemed to start as an interesting novel covering the domestic life of a well-to-do family unfurled as a commentary on race and class. This will sure to be a best-of 2020, sparking conversation and reflection

This was such an interesting look at how we perceive ourselves and people in today's society - whether it be by race, status, gender, etc. It is one of those books that will stick with you for a long time after reading!

Thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

This book took me a while to digest. On the surface, it's witty contemporary fiction with a scintillating plot and flawed characters. But simmering beneath the surface is a fascinating commentary on real race issues that still live in our society today. Reid explores the topic of "white saviours", and the modern racism they exude by thinking they're the "opposite of racist" 

The plot centres around Emira, a young woman working as a babysitter while she struggles to find her way into an adulthood she feels she's late to join. When one night, the family she works for, the Chamberlains, ask her to come in to watch their child due to an emergency at home, it sets into motion a series of events that ends in Emira being the victim of horrific racial profiling. Over the next few months, Mrs Chamberlain tries to develop a deeper relationship with Emira, while simultaneously dealing with some remarkable coincidences in their personal lives. 

This book left me feeling seriously introspective. I had a lot of feelings upon completing it, which made it hard to determine how I felt about the book itself. As a white mother of two, I have a natural inclination to identify with the mother in this book, who becomes more and more vilified as the plot goes on, and although there are some moments where its clear that Alix Chamberlain is a truly sub-par person, there were certainly some other moments where I felt offended on her behalf. There was one quote from Emira's point of view describing how she had witnessed Alix being an exceptional mother so it made her angry seeing her be anything less than that. It might just be because I know how difficult and challenging motherhood can be, but I didn't appreciate the way it was written about in this novel, as though this 25- year-old babysitter who spent 18 hours a week with a three year old could have ANY true understanding of the love, commitment, sacrifice and utter consumption that is parenthood and motherhood specifically. I have another critique on this theme, but won't give away the ending.

Now that I've mentioned that thorn in my side, I think the racial commentary of this novel is extremely important. Outside of the motherhood angle, there was a lot to unpack surrounding white men and women trying to make themselves feel better about being white by fetishizing or cozying up to black people and black culture. It explored the way that "white saviours" use black people today or exploit them in ways that are much more subtle than years past, but certainly still qualify as modern racism. Reid achieved all of this while still delivering a witty, fresh read with sharp and snappy dialogue. I think all in all, this was an excellent first novel and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

I absolutely flew through this novel, and it was one that I actually missed when I had to put it down. What a fun, easy read for a book with so much depth! This book had a lot of nuances, and really gets you thinking about how the perception of a single event can vary from one person to the next. The highlighting of racial relations here is extremely timely for today’s world, and I thought did a good job of offering an understandable and believable view from both perspectives. They say that sometimes books can be a window or a mirror – this novel was a bit of both. I absolutely loved the characters in this book – they were extremely well developed and multi-dimensional, and there were things to root for and things to dislike in each. Beyond the big picture of the novel, it’s also just a wonderful story of two women and a great read. I highly recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, GP Putnam’s Sons and Kiley Reid for the opportunity to read this book early!

I just finished this book and am still processing. It was so engrossing that I know I will find myself thinking about these characters for a very long time. This book felt important and paradigm shifting without feeling as though there was an agenda to push. The author does a fantastic job of asking the reader to look at situations through different lenses as well as make you feel very connected to the characters and their line of thinking. I absolutely adored the relationship between Emira and Briar. Do yourself a favor and read!

On one hand, this is a quick and easy read. The events are engaging and dramatic and the story moves along quickly. But beneath the surface, there is a lot to unpack and examine in this novel. The main character, Emira, is a twenty-five year old black woman who has worked as babysitter since graduating college. At the beginning of the novel, Emira takes the three year old she watches to the grocery store and is accused of kidnapping the child by a hostile security guard. Emira's relationship with her white boyfriend, Kelley, and with her employer, Alix, are also defined by her skin color. Her whole world revolves around people's assumptions of her worth, intelligence, and potential, based solely on the color of her skin. Such a Fun Age explores how Emira learns to turn the tables and take her life into her own hands. I enjoyed the story and appreciated the way it spurred me to think about the assumptions I make about people before I've gotten to know them. A truly worthwhile read to end the year.

Kiley Reid writes of what she knows, that of being not quite a nanny, but more of a babysitter, since she performed that function for a number of years while in her twenties and, like her heroine, Emira. Emira, an African American Temple grad, takes care of an amazingly prescient three-year-old named, cleverly enough, Briar. Alix and Peter, her clients, are an upwardly mobile couple in Philadelphia, not that much older than she. On a night in which she's called in for help, she has an encounter with a security guard in a high end grocery store, and meets a person from Alix's past, a set up that sets in motion events that upset the status quo. What makes this novel so readable is how Reid handles the relationships between her characters, how although a person is in a home they are not necessarily of the home, and once boundaries are breached, they can't be reassembled. I liked in particular the separate scenarios between Alix and her girlie clique in NYC and Emira and her besties. Their connections rang true, the dialogue, authentic.

This is an important book. It will not be appreciated by vast audiences but it says something about racism and all its manifestations that rarely is dealt with in novels. It does so with wit and intelligence and will be a milestone for the author. It explores all the nuances of black and white relationships and the subtleties of the types of racism people do not realize they are manifesting. The author says she is not the main character but her life choices mirror her protagonist. She certainly must have experienced some of her life choices. A terrific book by a soon 9 be lauded new author.

Many thanks to NetGalley, GP Putnam's Sons, and Kiley Reid for the opportunity to read this wonderful debut novel - 4.5 stars rounded up and a hope that Ms. Reid is busily working on her next book!

This is a very multi-faceted book - it would be a wonderful book club selection. On the surface, it is the story of a young woman, trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life, and the little girl she babysits. Emira loves spending days with young Briar, who will definitely steal your heart as well. Briar's mom, Alix, moved to Philadelphia from NYC for her husband's job, changing her career as a blogger and influencer of other women to stand up for themselves. When Alix calls Emira late one evening to take Briar out of the house because there was an incident where Alix and her husband needed to call the police, Emira takes Briar to the neighborhood grocery store where only wealthy white people typically shop. A security guard stops Emira, thinking that she kidnapped Briar, and someone videotapes the interaction. Emira wants to put the situation behind her, but Alix decides to take on Emira as her latest cause. The race/privilege divide is so well portrayed. When we are trying to avoid being racist, are we really just being racist and contributing to the issue? How do we view those we pay to help us - are they servants or family?

A beautifully written book that will have you thinking deeply beyond the wonderful story presented. Highly recommended!

This is a thought-provoking book that would be perfect for a book club discussion. Some of the themes include transactional relationships (can someone really be part of your family of you are paying them to provide a service), race, self-perception, and social class, There's a lot of reflection on how one both perceives others and is perceived by those same others and judgement that comes along with those perceptions. What is true and what is a perception and are they really different? Based on how much I am thinking about this book, I am giving it 5 stars. While reading it, I was leaning more towards 4 stars.

Alix Chamberlain (white) has made a name for herself by writing letters and asking for free items. She encourages women to ask for what they want unapologetically. She and her family have recently moved from Manhattan to Philadelphia (two young children) and she is finding her identity in this new place. She needs help with childcare and hires Emira Tucker, a 25 year old black woman. The book starts with an incident at a grocery store where Emira is accused of kidnapping Alix's daughter. This incident begins a course of events that impacts both Emira and Alix. I look forward to talking to others about this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.