Thank you Penguin Group and Netgalley for this ARC.
I really enjoyed this book, it was a quick read but not necessarily easy to read at times. It made me realise how many things in life I take for granted due to my appearance that others can’t. I enjoyed the characters and look forward to the next book Ms Reid creates.

Kiley Reid's "Such a Fun Age" was such a fun read! I loved the nanny character; thought she was charming and a bit oblivious. Overall, and interesting comment on race and class, particularly interesting from the female perspective.

I found the plot of this debut novel engaging enough to see it through to the end, but I never really connected or empathized with any of the characters. I wanted a little more from almost every aspect of Such a Fun Age: more scandal, more miscommunications, more romance, more love for the Philadelphia setting, and more depth from the cast of characters. An interesting book to discuss, despite my mixed feelings!

This book explores race and white privilege by telling the story of Emira Tucker a babysitter for the Chamberlains who experience racism while she’s taking care of their toddler during a last minute emergency, While i appreciate the messages the author was trying to convey, i found Mrs Chamberlain despicable and found it hard to relate or sympathize with her character. Overall the book was just okay for me. I like its originality but wish that some themes were more fleshed out.

I loved this book until the ending - I felt is just sort of took the easy way out. I read that Reid toyed around with a few different endings and ultimately went with the one published (of course). But I find myself wondering what she toying around with instead.
One thing I loved most about the book that I hope all the book clubs that featured it are talking about is that it's set in 2015 -- a deliberate move that shows that the issues presented in the book aren't a results of "post-Trump America", but that are deeply rooted in our country regardless of who was leading.
A 3.5 star read that I'm bumping to 4 stars, mostly because I think Kiley Reid is one to watch. I'll happily read whatever she writes next. (And am excited to see what they do with Such a Fun Age on the screen, as I believe it was optioned even before its pub date!)

Such a fun age was a lighthearted read that tackled so many relevant topics: race, privilege, social status and friendship. Emira is a relatable struggling young adult that is facing realistic problems while trying to “adult”. When she is called upon by Alix Chamberlin to babysit her two-year-old Briar she complies not knowing what a simple favor would thrust them both into a whirlwind of racial and community divide. I appreciated that even though this book dealt with issues of racial injustices, it did so with candor and honest dialog.

Possibly, for me, more of a 3.5-star read. While this genre isn't my typical, I liked the writing, tone, and perspective, and would definitely recommend it to people who prefer contemporary fiction. The characters were well formed, and situations and relationships make you think, which I appreciated. I would read more from this author.

This book didn’t capture my attention at all, though initially, I anticipated reading it. Maybe I wasn’t in the right frame of mind, or it’s just not my style. Hard pass.

Kiley Reid’s debut novel is a hit! An important novel about race and relationships and how small actions can be life changing. The story begins as the Chamberlain’s black baby sitter is accused of kidnapping a child while inside a grocery store. A video of that encounter plays a pivotal role throughout the novel as we see how two characters knew each other in high school and how their paths come to across years later.

I enjoyed the characters in this novel. I really appreciated the strong female friendships, for both Emira and Alix. I liked how everything tied up at the end and it reminded me of a quote from a movie “that maybe the happy ending doesn’t involve a guy, but you on your own, moving on”.

By debut author, Kiley Reid, Such a Fun Age was an enjoyable, engrossing read, with a very 'of the moment' social commentary, I'm looking forward to reading additional books she writes in the future.

[3.5/5 stars]

SUCH A FUN AGE is a novel which Reid does a sharp social commentary on racism. We get to see plenty of performative alliance, white privilege and using Black people as an excuse.
Alix's odd obsession with Emira and trying to validate herself while also acting like white savior was uncomfortable at times.

The story addresses fetishizing African American people and culture in a smart way. Some of the dialogues (especially between Emira and Kelley) had me thinking for awhile and I thought that they were portrayed realistically.

The writing flows effortlessly and the light take on racism (filled with humor) didn't feel heavy-handed, even though discussing serious topics.
One quote that I found thought-provoking: "viral video made Emira more qualified than reference letters or her degree". Finally, I found the bond between Emira and Briar precious. Moreover, the ending felt satisfying and down-to-earth. This is a debut novel that I do recommend!

I'm glad I picked up Such a Fun Age. It is an interesting exploration of priveledge and race, written from a perspective I hadn't really considered before.

An amazing look at race and class in an easy to read, approachable novel. This is a fast paced, fun read that tackles some pretty serious issues. I think it will open up interesting dialogue among people that might not usually discuss these issues.

This is an impressive debut! The writing is sharp and easy to read, while delivering strong social commentary.

Emira is a great character and I loved following her throughout the book. Alix was more than a little cringeworthy, as were some of the scenarios (purposely I believe). Reid does a great job showing social, race and class issues in real life scenarios, demonstrating how every day these issues are in our society are in personal, professional and societal interactions. It draws attention to white privilege and may make some readers uncomfortable, but it should.

I look forward to reading more from Reid!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc. All comments are my own.

This novel was thought provoking and oh so well written. While reading it I was caught deep in reflection for racial biases that I might even unintentionally exhibit. I appreciate the opportunity to learn even through fiction on this subject.

Twenty-five-year-old Emira Tucker has a bachelor’s degree from Temple University but still no strong feeling about what she’d like to do as a career, unlike her siblings or her close friends. Until she can figure that out, she’s staying afloat by doing some transcription work and babysitting three days a week for the Chamberlain family. When she gets a call late on a Saturday night while out with her friends from Mrs. Chamberlain asking her to take her preschooler out of the house for an hour or so because of an emergency, she does so because she’s promised double pay.

At Alix Chamberlain’s request, Emira takes little Briar to the pricey grocery store near their house to peruse for a while. It’s fine until the security guard suspects this Black babysitter of kidnapping the white child. Another shopper finds the accusation ridiculous and records the humiliating exchange, until Mr. Chamberlain comes and vouches for his sitter. Emira tells the white man who recorded video that she really doesn’t want to do anything about the situation, nor does she even want the video, but he insists on emailing it to her just in case.

Alix Chamberlain is a 30-something white mom who has earned some money and attention for letter writing. She created an Instagram account and blog explaining how to write letters and how to request free items — which has helped her score lots of free swag over a decade or so. She’s trying to revive her career after having a second daughter, but she’s not gaining much traction. But after her sitter’s embarrassing treatment at the Market Depot, she becomes almost obsessed with making it up to Emira and becoming friends, proving to the younger woman how empathetic and not-racist she is.

When Emira runs into Kelley, the 30-something white man who took video the night of the situation, and begins dating him, it introduces a whole other level of racial discussion into the story. Kelley surrounds himself with Black friends, and as time goes on, Alix, in trying to be a good influence and support for the babysitter she keeps saying is “one of the family,” wonders to her younger employee about his motives.

The story goes back and forth between Emira’s and Alix’s viewpoints and goes some interesting, if oddly coincidental, places. It came to a pretty wild conclusion, too, which was particularly fascinating in the runup.

All of the book’s characters seem to be more caricatures or placeholders than true characters, and I’m about 80 percent convinced that generally seems to be the point. The depiction of their habits and opinions are sly and spot-on. Even the young Black woman who is the focal point around which the two white characters of Alix Chamberlain and Kelley Copeland revolve doesn’t get to be a truly fleshed-out character, either, even though half of the book is from her point of view. And this could very well be intentional as well: It seems that Alix and Kelley project their feelings and expectations onto her as they both try to prove to her (but truly, more to themselves) their “awareness” and not-racism. So Emira as a character in Kiley Reid’s book is sacrificed just as Emira Tucker the fictional person is flattened into two dimensions.

The story exists, clearly, to highlight various attitudes and acts of racism and then the “opposite” behaviors or attitudes (but truly not opposite, simply a different shade of ignorance and disconnectedness) that some whites who are either trying to be not-racist or who simply want to look like it can have toward people of color. And it does it pretty well. Again, in the stereotype vein, I think some of them are low-hanging fruit, too obvious or easy, but then others are illuminating, even teaching moments, giving white readers some things to ponder on and consider more in depth, which is always a good thing. Overall, glad I read the book, but it wasn’t the excellent read I was expecting from some reviews or hype.

I had a great time reading Such a Fun Age. I loved the quick pace and dissection of performative activism. I think this would make a great film, the ending was perfect for the story and I think would transfer well to the screen. I look forward to Kiley Reid's next work!

Poor, trivial silly, not interesting at all.
I kept hoping that it would improve and it did not. The premise could have been interesting but descended into nonsense.

This book had such a lot of hype, I think I was expecting more from it. I was left a little underwhelmed. I think the author did a good job at showing the nuances of each of the characters and their racial attitudes, as well as the challenges they were facing in each of their lives. There are some very squirmy parts with characters that are so unconscious to their behaviors and how they're affecting others in their lives. Ultimately, I didn't really care much for any of the characters, and that made it hard for me to get into the story as much as I would have liked to.

While I appreciate the themes and messages within this novel, I did not enjoy the story itself. For a Goodreads Choice winner, I expected more. The characters weren't likable, there didn't seem to be a clear organized plot, and the ending was extremely disappointing and felt rushed. The beginning hooked me and then the rest of the book was just meh.