Lucky Girl brings to head and highlights some of the discord and discussions between Africans that were born in Africa and migrated to america, and those of us born here due to our ancestors being trafficked during the transatlantic slave trade. The way the characters were developed was so real and genuine. It has a scene of 9/11 so if that's a big trigger for you, then you might want to skip this one. I have been having such a hard time trying to put into words how much i truly enjoyed this book. Thankfully, the day I read it, i didn't have much other things to do, so i was able to devote all the time to this book. Even if i had something to do, I probably would have missed it, that's how good this book was.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions.

Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu is about a woman who is really the opposite of naturally lucky-- she works hard and perseveres in getting what she wants for her own life. Soila is from Kenya with a dream to go to America for college, doing so despite her mother's wishes and without the support of her late father. With a wide variety of characters and cultural differences, Muchemi-Ndiritu writes about African culture, a complex mother-daughter relationship, the idea of freedom, racism, coming-of-age, and much more. An amazing read!

Beautiful story, that will leave you thinking long after the last page. Soila is a young Kenyan women who is assaulted by a family friend and flees to New York to go to college. In college in the 1990's she gets a real education on what it is like to be Black in America, what is like to be an immigrant to America. Lots of decisions will be made for her to determine who she actually is and what she stands for. Inspirational.

A beautifully written debut, LUCKY GIRL tells the story of a young Kenyan woman, Soila, who is determined to carve her own path in life while managing the burden of expectation placed on her by her mother. Upon leaving Kenya, Soila begins college in New York City and must adapt to a new country and culture, while figuring out her own identity.

LUCKY GIRL is a story about familial bonds, culture, and identity. It’s about a young woman navigating life amidst trauma and expectation, while also opening herself up to friendship and love.

I loved the writing in this novel and the way the author portrayed Soila. Throughout the novel you’re able to see Soila’s growth as a woman and how her views of the world continue to evolve. While living in New York you’re able to see the cultural differences Soila experiences and how her views are sometimes challenged. I thought the author did an excellent job of highlighting these difficult conversations and how they affected Soila. Her friendships and love interests were a vital part of the story.

While the story centers on Soila as she enters adulthood, her relationship with her mother continued to have a strong presence throughout the novel. There were so many emotions stirred up by tense interactions and Soila’s constant worry of her mother’s disapproval. It really illustrated the pressures placed on young adults and how that can shape their decisions.

LUCKY GIRL is a beautifully powerful novel that I would highly recommend reading if you enjoyed MAAME or BLACK CAKE.

Another great cover! 2023 is really upping the ante on beautiful covers. I loved this story for its takes on identity, finding yourself, and relationships. As a white woman I also appreciated the discussion on race, poverty, and privilege. All things myself and I'm sure many other readers need to check in on at some point. I thought the parts about not fitting into certain identities and looking at the different issues surrounding Africans and African Americans was also particularly eye opening. I really think a lot of people will not only appreciate this novel, but will get a lot out of it as well. And I love when that happens with fiction books. Run, don't walk to pick up Lucky Girl this summer.

This book was amazing! I loved reading about the narrator's conflicts between cultures and her traditional mother's wishes. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is on my Top Favourite Reads of 2023 for sure. It's a captivating book about a young Kenyan woman who was quite privileged in her home country. Despite this, she yearns to attend college in America though her own mother is opposed to the idea. Race is a main topic of this book as well as societal, parental, and cultural expectations. A MUST READ especially if you are a fan of coming of age stories. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

Longing for independence, a young sheltered Kenyan woman flees the expectations of her mother for a life in New York City that challenges all her beliefs about race, love, and family.

I had trouble with this one - I ended up putting it down. A lot of narration was used to describe interactions between characters and I would have preferred a more dialogue driven text. Felt slow and laborious for me.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a great story and had great pace. I look forward to reading more from this author.

A fascinating and intriguing read about a young woman growing up in Kenya. It explores her hardships and trauma, conflicts and revelations." This cultural fiction book gave me an insight I didn't previously have and I found myself truly immersed in the story.

I was not prepared to love Lucky Girl as much as I did. It is a beautiful coming-of-age story of Soila, who grows up in Kenya and is raised by her extremely religious mother and four aunts. She is incredibly sheltered as a young girl and instead of giving in to her mother's wishes for her to stay in Kenya and go to college in Nairobi, she decides to pursue her education in New York City, where she really comes out of her shell and learns about life, love, and everything in between.

While it's incredibly written and powerful, I also learned a lot about Kenyan culture and found that fascinating too. Soila experiences a lot of highs and lows, and through the story, the reader will really witness her grow and become who she wants to be in life.

It's certainly one to add to your list.
Thank you Random House/Dial Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

Wow. This book left me speechless (and often searching for a tissue). This book was also fierce and tender at the same time. An amazing coming of age story based in the 1990s of a young woman from Kenya who moves to the US and quickly sees a different country than she expected. The author did a great job of characterization and I absolutely loved Soila and her journey. This book will shatter your heart, but you will be so happy you’ve read it because it gets you in every way possible. This was my first book by this author and it definitely will not be the last!

A coming of age story of a Kenyan girl who finds herself once she moves to the US for university. Themes of molestation, racism, finding your self and finding your voice are all prevalent in this thought provoking novel. I enjoyed the different perspectives given throughout which lent to a well rounded story. Definitely a worthwhile read.

Lucky Girl follows Soila, a young girl in Kenya who wants to grow up and live her life the way she wants to. As a child, her father commits suicide and her mother raises her on her own with several aunts and her grandmother. When she is a teenager, she js molested by a priest, which gives her such guilt and fear. However, she makes a deal with him before he does this that he’ll help her get to America by convincing her mother it’s a good idea. We follow Soila as she moves to the US, goes to college, and meets friends, lovers, and coworkers.

I did not expect to be choked up so much reading this book! It started a little slowly for me but about 20% of the way in, I was completely hooked. It’s told in parts, and each one is significant in its own way. By part III, I was holding back tears. I kept forgetting how young she was in the book until her age was mentioned. Soila is a fierce character, with flaws, beautiful character traits, and an incredible story.

Definitely pick this one up! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A moving and heartfelt #ownvoices debut that follows a young Kenyan woman as she immigrates to NYC for school to escape her conservative mother and make a life of her own choosing.

I really enjoyed Soila's immigration story and her experience adjusting to life in 1990s America, confronting her complicated relationship with racism and navigating what she wants out of life and love versus what she knows her mother would expect.

Good on audio narrated by Musu-Kulla Massaquoi and recommended for fans of books like The god of good looks by Breanne McIvor, Daughter in exile by Bisi Adjapon or Maame by Jessica George. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Well done debut! Love getting the perspective of America from someone who wasn’t born here/indoctrinated. Also enjoyed the 90s timeline!

A coming of age story of Soila, born in Africa and living a privileged life in Nairobi. After her father commits suicide, her mother becomes more controlling and demanding.

Soila has always wanted to live in America. She applies to American universities without telling her mother.

She moves to New York, and ends up an investment banker. She falls in love with an artist, and she knows her mother would never approve. But she is happy.

Then a terrible tragedy happens, causing her to have to chose between the happiness she has found or doing what is expected of her.

This is a beautifully written book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu is a thought provoking story of a woman trying to forge her own path despite her familial, cultural, and race challenges.

I'm having trouble finding the words to do this book justice. Soila is a young woman with big dreams who decides to leave Kenya for NYC to escape from her overbearing mother. Leaving your family behind is easier said than done. Soila struggles with whether to pursue her passions or respect her family and culture. All the while, she develops excellent friendships that challenge her views on race.

There are so many things to love about this book. Soila is a beautifully and brilliantly written character. She is real and conflicted. I loved that her relationships were respectful enough to have open and informative conversations that were thought provoking for readers. She surrounds herself with people who help her grow while also learning how to move on from relationships that aren't serving her.

The biggest and most complex relationship Soila struggles with is the one with her mother. She fiercely loves and respects her mom but also wants to determine her own path. I loved how this relationship played out even when it broke my heart at times.

I would absolutely recommend Lucky Girl and look forward to reading more from this author!

I’m still having trouble believing this is a debut! From the gorgeous writing to the vivid storytelling, Lucky Girl absolutely shines on every level. Soila has such huge growth throughout the novel, and the author struck the perfect balance between intensely developing her as a character while not sacrificing the plot. I loved following Soila’s journey from a young girl, scared to disappoint her family to a woman able to make her own choices. It was fascinating to learn about Kenyan traditions, and see how Soila struggled to reconcile her culture with her new life in America. I was truly blown away by this stunning novel, and I think this would be an amazing book club pick!

Wow! I consider myself a LUCKY GIRL that I got the opportunity to read this book. This story and its characters were so compelling I kept thinking about them when I was not reading.

Magnificent debut!