This is a difficult book to rate and review. It seems to be very personal to the author, especially the audio version, which is narrated by the author. i do generally enjoy novels in verse and this was no exception. It started off really strong, with the main character struggling to find her own way through expectations that have always been put on her. With her sudden freedom, she finds it difficult to navigate between her own wants and what everyone else wants for her. There were some elements in the middle of the book that threw me off a bit. There was a moment that seem very significant, but it never was revisited in the rest of the book. I wish it would have been explored. I also feel like the dance theme wasn't given as much time and explanation as I expected. Overall, however, this was an interesting book. I think readers that enjoy realistic books written in verse will enjoy this one. I especially recommend the audio, since the reader can hear the words as the author intended them.

Ada was a character that I saw myself in, which made the reading experience feel so real. books written in verse hit in such a different way, a way that i am incapable of describing. It feels other worldly.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

As a first born African daughter, this story hit close to home. Some of the best reading experiences come from seeing yourself represented in the story especially in a society where similar stories are often silenced.

We're just going to pretend as though I haven't been sitting on this arc for going on two years... Yeah? Yeah... let's do that.

I would also like to say that I don't really know how to judge this. Objectively novels in verse are really shaping up to be not my jam, I don't think that I've ever read one and felt it hit as intimately as hard as other readers have.

There were elements of this that I enjoyed more? Though that might simply be because I waited for two years to pick this up I was able to get the audiobook from my library and for once I had the author giving the words the rhythm they were intended to have when written. So on that front I thought that the work was successful. On the other hand there were a couple of plot elements that I wanted more of? It's wild that this book is over four hundred pages because I think we could have definitely been a little longer, could have spent more time in the college section of her life? I feel like we got a lot of Ada's childhood and history but I really liked what was happening in the present and wanted more of that.

If you were a fan of The Poet X I think that you could appreciate this. In part because of them both being in verse, but also centering main characters raised in very religious homes and what that means for them as they come of age and come into themselves.

Past Monte clearly wanted to read this, and I think Present Monte definitely got something out of it, and would recommend to others... just don't know how to quantify any of that on a five point scale.

This book...
Having grown up in a conservative Christian home, the feelings and experiences Ada struggles with felt very real. The author perfectly describes the confusion and awakening of those first months of being away from home and no longer watched, for the first time able to make choices that are just your own. Bad choices and good choices and choices that just happen to you rather than being deliberate, all as a part of learning and figuring out who you are and what it is you actually want.
Beautifully written, I was happy to just keep reading and reading until it was over.
Thanks to Netgalley for a digital advanced review copy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is written in verse, which I don’t really enjoy. Regardless, I loved this book and it was quick…good for reading slumps.

My copy of this didn’t work so I couldn’t read it at this time. Definitely plan to buy a copy later.

A fantastic novel-in-verse from a new auto-buy author, Candice Iloh. The hype and awards it's received is 100% deserving -- I can't wait to see what this author writes next!

Every Body Looking is one of those books that reads quickly but packs a hell of a punch and makes you feel everything in your body and soul for the main character. This is also one of those books that is so traumatic that I can't say that I "enjoyed" it, but it is a story that needed to be told.

Every Body Looking is a hard look at the ways in which people and trauma makes self-identity complicated. Told in verse from the present and through a series of flashbacks, this book focuses on Ada as she is about to enter college. She comes from a traditional Nigerian household where her father expects her to maintain her faith and study hard in school. Ada is constantly smothered by his need to recreate and maintain the same environment that he was raised in. In addition, Ada is burdened by her mother's descent into drug addiction. Even on her graduation day, Ada knew that it was better to make it more about her mother than herself to maintain the peace. The flashbacks of Ada's life are particularly hard to adjust to due to the descriptions of abuse; however, they are important to the narrative as they inform Ada's behavior in college. While there she questions her sexuality, loses herself in an attempt to maintain the attention of a boy, and falls further in love with dancing. For a lot of young Black women and young Black children of immigrants, this story will illicit feelings of understanding/"being seen." It's about attempting to fulfill the wants and needs for everyone else while neglecting yourself. It's about learning and growing from those mistakes and finally doing what makes you happy. It was hard to see Ada take certain things from people, including her father, because she wanted to please them. It was even harder to see how much she questioned why she didn’t receive the love from her mother that she deserved. It made her question a lot of things about herself and the relationships that she held with those around her. Eventually, she had to realize that in order to figure out who she was and what made her happy it was necessary for her to live her own life and not for others.

There were a few things that I wanted explored a little bit more in detail especially some aspects of the trauma that would eventually influence her life as an adult. The time jumps really tie the story together to give a complete picture of the pain and heartbreak that Ada experiences; however, I can see how a non-linear story may not appeal to every reader. Overall, this was a good read and I appreciate Iloh for sharing it with us.

I absolutely was blown away by this one. I love a book in verse, but this was something truly spectacular. What Candice does with this story is take readers through a sheltered life that leads to confusion and a lack of identity and power. When our narrator gets to college, she learns over time that she can let go, just like she’s encouraged to do on the dance floor, and stand in her own power. Could not recommend more.

I ended up listening to this as an audiobook and it definitely enhanced the experience. The story is okay was just okay.

Every Body Looking is intense and thought-provoking. The trauma of sexual assault is life-changing and the author does an excellent job of portraying the effects while giving us hope.

When I first read this book I was still trying to figure out this site. Apparently in doing so my feedback never was sent. I did how ever post a review on my TikTok @torireadsthings. I really enjoyed this book, and would definingly recommend it to others.

An excellent story of a young black woman breaking free from her stifled life when she goes off to college. Ada was raised in a strict Christian home by her Nigerian immigrant father. She was raised to respect her elders, to suppress her opinions, and to suppress herself, especially her love to dance. When Ada goes off to college she is allowed the freedom to begin to break free from her strict upbringing, and finally gives her the opportunity to explore her love of dance.

Absolutely fantastic. The writing style draws you in and Ada's story feels real and immediate. I love a good coming-of-age story and this one, with its multi-cultural basis, does it very well.

The story line was very strong in places, but lacking in others. Ada's story is important, but I didn't feel as I got the whole of it. I wish that some of the plot lines would have been flushed out more. There were times when the poetry felt forced. I think it is a topic that is important overall, and hope to see more books by this author in the future as she has a unique voice. There are not a lot of stories about Black girls who have immigrant parents. It should still have a place on shelves. Overall, a good story that could have used more work.

3.5 stars?
Mixed with flashbacks between childhood and college, EVERY BODY LOOKING explores sexual assault, toxic/difficult family relationships, the expectations and pressures of black women and their bodies, addiction, divorce, and immigrant families. Ada is going through a difficult time in her life and slowly finds herself in a world where she's not sure she fits in.

This went by much faster than I expected and left me wishing there was more. It did feel short and somewhat unfinished in comparison to other books written in verse. I don't always enjoy books written in verse but this one was done in a way that I didn't mind, could understand the story, and still enjoyed.

Everybody Looking by Candice Iloh a compelling novel told in verse. A coming of age story as well as coming into yourself while trying to love up to the pressures of family and culture expectations. I really loved and enjoyed the journey of this story of Ada finding herself in her culture through the pressures of meeting her fathers expectations especially with her mother who is an addict. I also connected and missed the freedom at Ada age of getting lost in yourself or in dance like she did and hot being scared to be yourself in that moment. It was a beautiful story even through the rough and tough times the characters faced. It brought a level of realness and reliability that others can connect to to have dealt with during their upbringing

Ada is the daughter of an immigrant father and an African-American mother. Her mother suffers from addiction and her father has placed heavy expectations on his first born daughter. When she goes away to college and explores more of herself and her personal interests, her conservative father attempts to reel her away from these interests. Every Body Looking is a hard-hitting coming of age story told in verse that creeps up on you and kind of rips your heart out. Please use caution and check trigger/content warnings if needed because this was much more intense than I had anticipated, but I think this will strike a chord with a lot of people. #netgalley #everybodylooking