A wonderful, raw narrative about a young black woman growing up in Oakland who has to go to massive lengths to keep hersefl and those she loves safe and protected. I really enjoyed the commentary on the justice system and the role privilege plays in it as well as the reflections that the main character has about love, life, happiness or lackthereof, and more.

Tough and honest, tender beneath the pain of a life where the only constant is being held back by the circumstances of your life. This was a difficult but necessary read, and Mottley’s gift of prose rings clear through the novel, reverberating long past the final pages.

Hold onto your edges because Nightcrawling will have you clutching your pearls and biting your fingernails. Raw and heartbreaking, filled with generational trauma, family and community dysfunction. Leila Mottley penned a hell of a debut novel ~ Nightcrawling. Although this is listed under the Literary Fiction - Urban Life genre, there is absolutely nothing in this story that's fictional. Kiara, the main character is a young, vulnerable but invincible Black teenager that clearly experienced an insurmountable amount of trauma that was unrelenting. She inherited a generational curse - poverty that led her by happenstance into Nightcrawling. Struggling to survive what seemed to be abject poverty she did what she did not want to do simply to survive. Despite all the turmoil, Kiara had moments to experience love and joy. She possessed a tenacious spirit that kept her motivated. The author shared the inspiration for this story stemmed from a true story of several members of the Oakland Police Department and law enforcement aided and abetted in the sexual exploitation and violence of underage girls and young women. It's abhorring to think about the prevalence of police sexual brutality inflicted upon Black women. It's disheartening to think about all the unreported cases and the physical and emotional lifelong trauma as a result of these incidents. Thank you, Leila Mottley, for being boldly fierce via Kiara's character, addressing the impact of fear and danger that Black women and the adultification of young Black girls' experience.

Many thanks to @netgalley and @aaknopf for gifting me an uncorrected copy of such a lit~fantabulous read, Nightcrawling.

This book was read by one of my students. She doesn't usually read this type of genre and is more drawn to fantasy, however she really loved the book. She said the writing was phenomenal and the character was gritty and easy to connect to.

Nightcrawling is a heart-wrenching, powerful story. It definitely wasn't a pretty read, as it touches themes such as poverty, survival, exploitation, and injustice. The novel was quite intriguing, but I found myself distracted by the incohesive writing throughout it. The prose had a beautiful rhythm, yet the dialogues were filled with slang and terrible grammar. I understand that the point of the dialogues were to portray how real teenagers speak, but it made it really hard for me to follow, and really get into the story.

This is a difficult book to read, one I had to put down mid-way through and come back to finish. It’s a story you wish never happened but one you know is real and happens more often that we want to know in cities across America.

Kiara is left to raise herself when her father dies and her mother is incarcerated. Her older brother is chasing his dream of becoming a rapper meanwhile leaving Kiara to struggle with rent money for their Oakland dilapidated apartment. She’s also trying to take care of a child living across the hall with a drug addict mother. She has a big heart but no skills and no adults to guide her. Kiara stumbles into becoming a street hooker which eventually leads to her involvement with a corrupt police department.

It’s amazing that Leila Mottley began writing this book at the age of 17. She has talent that over time I’m sure will continue to grow. The writing is less sophisticated --a mix of raw emotion that is appropriate for this story but at times hard to get through. This story will stay with you as you ponder the plight of a young, vulnerable and unprotected girl forced to use her body to survive and the society that allows this to happen.

60% of young women who age out of foster care end up in the sex industry.

As someone who aged out of foster care it is not lost on me how this could have easily become my story. It’s also not lost on me that due to, and only to, academic privilege and great mentorship it isn’t.

In Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley we read the story of Kiara aka Kia whose mother is in a halfway house and father is dead. As an unassisted youth she navigates her own survival by engaging in sex work though she doesn’t want to lose herself in this world and fights hard to hold onto the shattered pieces of herself - who she knows herself to be before being forced to adjust to dire circumstances.

“I learned that life won’t give you reasons for none of it, that sometimes fathers disappear and little girls don’t make it to another birthday and mothers forget to be mothers.”

When placed in the care of Uncle Ty, he abandons Kia and her brother when an opportunity presents itself for him to move from Oakland to LA. He justifies abandoning his sister’s kids by telling himself Kiara is 18 and can figure it out.

I knew that despite the danger of her circumstances Kia was going to figure it out. Kia is reflective, tough as nails, and determined.

“Nightcrawling”
Night as the darkest part of the day. Crawling as a developmental prerequisite to walking. Crawling as a survival mechanism when your knees have been kicked in and your feet trip leaving you to find a way to dodge the inevitable bullets life will send your way as an unprotected and unsupervised Black girl. I felt like I was ducking for cover while reading each chapter both for Kia and for all of the events she encounters along the way. For all of the losses she will have to accept and learn to forge a path for herself in spite of.

5/5 
Fiction, 288 pages
No Spoilers Review

While this book deals with very serious, dark and unfortunate subject matter, it is extremely well written. I am so happy I was given an advanced copy to read. I honestly couldn’t believe this was her debut novel, and she was only 17 at the time that she wrote this. I’m looking forward to any future reads from this promising young author.

While the story is about a fictional character named Kiara, it is firmly rooted in reality. The vulnerability, the corruption, the brutality, the indifference and the blind eye are all too real in today's world.

While the author is still in her teens, the quality of the book is second to none. She definitely shines a bright light on this distasteful aspect of society that most of us would rather be ignorant about. She makes you feel what Kiara feels; she makes you see those things which get ignored; she makes you feel the outrage that this type of thing is allowed to go on.

Without spoiling anything, I will say that I enjoyed the ending quite a bit.

Things I liked: 
* The writing itself - extremely well written. Beautiful and poetic.
* The way the author was able to put me in the main character's shoes, so to speak.
* That the author took on this story at such a young age, and did an excellent job with it.
* The ending was just over the top for me.
Things I didn’t like: 
* I can't say anything negative about this book. I was amazed, even shocked at some of its content, but it has been an eye-opening experience for me. The only negative is knowing that some of the stuff in the book actually takes place in the world.

I would recommend this book to anyone in a heartbeat. This isn’t a light read and one for the faint at heart, the contents can be depressing to read but very much real.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! Wow. This is such an emotional, heartbreaking story. A young girl having to grow up too soon and face incredible hardship. Making the tough choices, to take care of herself and those around her. This one is going to stick with me for s while. Please review trigger warnings before reading.

Nightcrawling
by Leila Mottley
Picked this up as an extension of my Black History Month book. The book is very explicated showing the personal problems and violence in the poor black community in East Oakland California. After the loss of her baby sister, death of her father , and imprisonment of mother, young Marcus and his sister Kiara struggle to pay the rent on their dilapidated apartment. Kiara is caught in a struggle of rising rent and the abandonment of all adult figures in her life. She is forced with her brother Marcus' abandonment of his responsibility to commit crimes, including but not limited to prostitution. She is trapped by the local police department, as corrupt members of the force use her for their own entertainment and pleasure. Its is a dark look at the poverty, and social problems of inner city situations in California. The suicide of one of the officers throws every part of her life in question.

4.5 stars. Firstly, let me say how impressed I am that that Mottley began to write this book at 17 years old. She handles such an intense, harrowing topic with maturity and poise. It is abhorrent to read a story inspired by the complete abuse of power by OPD and several other departments in the Bay Area, as well as the sexual exploitation of young women and attempts to cover it up. Although a work of fiction, Kiara’s story of Nightcrawling is marked by desperation and vulnerability. Mottley’s descriptions during Kiara’s encounters with these men is graphic and uncomfortable (appropriately so). There were some moments where I felt the plot was a little slow; however, if you’re in the right mood, this is an impressive debut from a young writer.

This book, is the poetry of pain, the power of love and the strong will to survive, the power of blood and the families we create. My heart hurts with her as she deals with loss, with violence, with injustice, with people missing and my heart heals with her despite it all 4.5

Thank you to NetGalley.com for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. It has taken me weeks to put my thoughts together. The book was written by a 17 year old girl about a 17 year old girl, though I am fairly certain this is not the author’s own story. Set in Oakland California in poor neighborhoods where drugs, alcohol, poverty, homelessness and single (if any) parent families are the norm, seventeen year old Kiara lives moment to moment in chaos. Her father is dead, her mother is in jail. Her older brother who was supposed to look out for her is chasing a pipe dream. She has taken on caring for Trevor, a child whose own mother is on the verge of being evicted and has disappeared. There is no money let alone food. Kiara has left school because she sees no future in an education. Kiara turns to prostitution to earn some money. Yet another rough ride in her already hard life. She becomes a pawn for the local police department after the suicide of one of its own. She is abused by the men physically and then emotionally. She is a victim seen as a villain.

The book weaves together so many people in Kiara’s life, most of whom have never known anything except misery, most of whom cannot escape their circumstances, and leaves nothing unexplored. Kiara is vulnerable, lost, without guidance and so young. She is seeking answers, but there are no reliable sources. The story is raw, it left me drained. It is a massive undertaking and the author has written a powerful story.

Kiara's mother is in jail, her father is dead and her brother doesn't help with their living situation, he just wants to be a successful rapper like their uncle. Kiara is having a hard time keeping up with the rent increases of their apartment in Oakland. She also has the neighbor's kid to look after.

While out looking for a job one night Kiara runs into her brothers ex and stumbles into being a prostitute. While trying to avoid getting evicted the members of the local police department decide to employ (in a sense) Kiara as their own personal play-thing, at their after work parties.

This is a story of a young woman who due to her circumstances is vulnerable, has no-one to protect her. She is left with very little and has to turn to using her body in order to survive.

The author demonstrates her skill throughout the narrative in constructing not only a compelling and gripping story, but also gives you a stunning view into a part of America that is broken. Nightcrawling is a tale of emotion that will make you grind your teeth at the injustices that it shows. But it is also a story of love and hope in the face of an impossible wall of pain and bureaucracy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Knopf for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Leila Mottley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book, in exchange for an honest review!

I was absolutely engrossed in this book from the very beginning. It is heartbreakingly beautiful, and the fact that it's Leila Mottley's debut novel at only 17 makes it even more amazing! I'm excited to see what else she releases in the future!

Nightcrawling is the first novel by Leila Mottley but hopefully not the last. Leila Mottley writes with vibrant, rich descriptions and has an engaging writing style. I also like reading books set in places I am familiar with.

While Kiara is a fictional character, the things that she endures are all too familiar in today's (and yesterday's) society.

Nightcrawling is a great debut novel with powerful writing and storytelling about an often overlooked segment of society.

#Nightcrawling #NetGalley

This is a powerful, important story and absolutely worth reading.

This book is such an honest, raw look at the life, struggles and danger that Black and POC women face in our world. As a result of this, it took me a little longer to read it because it was often just so hard to absorb; imagine how hard it must be to live.

The author has such a casual but powerful cadence to her writing, a voice that is blunt but poetic. I was transported into the world of Kiara effortlessly and felt everything deeply.

While I’ve never lived these exact experiences AND I have the added privilege that comes with having white skin, I connected with Kiara and her loss, longing, frustration when the family that is meant to care for you lets you down.

I was excited to start reading this novel based on the description and the preface from the editor. It started off well, But after a while, the pace slowed to a crawl. Even more disturbing is that this novel really depressed me. I nearly stopped reading it at 62%, but I persevered and managed to finish it.

I wasn't too thrilled about the content, especially since I was rooting for the protagonist only to be disappointed at the outcome.

I certainly do appreciate the fact that the author was merely 17 when the novel was written, and I am impressed with her literary prowess. However, this particular novel did not resonate with me and just left me feeling like there was an ominous cloud over my head. One unfortunate star.

I received a digital ARC from Knopf Publishing Group through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Thank you Netgalley for an E-ARC of Nightcrawling in exchange for my honest review.

Nightcrawling is the first five star read I've read in over a month. The writing was captivating and the author's voice is so poignant yet strong throughout the story. It blows my mind that Mottley wrote this book at the young age of seventeen! I will def keep an eye out for her future books.

Nightcrawling is compelling, but difficult to read. Major content warnings for the following: sexual harassment, police brutality, neglect, abandonment, death of child, suicide, foster care, imprisonment and death of parent.

I would highly recommend this book (just remember the content warnings above). Even though Nightcrawling is fiction, it's based on real events that happened in Oakland, California in 2015. The author's note at the end touches on this (don't skip it!). I'm grateful I received an advanced copy of this book that is sure to be a top read of 2022!

NIGHTCRAWLING |

You want to scream. For help, from anyone.

You want to scream for so many reasons, for all the people who won't help, who can't help because they are broken themselves. You want to scream for them because you want to help them see that they need to dive back into reality, live in the now and wake up. But really, sometimes waking up to reality is not good if we're being honest. Sometimes you do have to numb yourself and talk yourself up to live through certain moments.

You want to scream on behalf of this child, this girl, who needs protection, love, and care.

The writing in this is absolutely fantastic. It is already one of my favorite reads of the year. Stunning and profound.

Mottley began writing this at the age of 17. I can't wrap my brain around this.