Lucky Girl is about a young lady growing up in a single mother household, trying to spread her wings. Soila leaves behind her strict upbringing and goes as far away as she can for college. But her mother's control extends beyond the ocean. She slowly sheds her naivete about racism as well as the ultimate rebuke of falling in love with a man who would be unacceptable to her mother. How Soila navigates her Kenyan identity contrasts dramatically with her NY identity.

Well done! You won't want to put it down!!

I enjoyed Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu. It was a different view on what it means to black in America. Soila grew up in Kenya and eventually came to the United States for college. Soila's mom was pretty set in her ways and her religious views. Soila was assaulted in Kenya by a trusted person to the family and community. It is not graphic in the book but could trigger some. While in Kenya Soila lives a life of privilege's however, poverty is all over the country. Poverty, family, and race are very different in Africa compared to the U.S. The descriptions of the culture was informative and interesting.

Once Soila is in the U.S. she meets a friend in college and her experiences with race and the legacy of slavery, Soila sees Americans as entitled and so much better off from what she left behind in Kenya. Eventually, she sees the differences and the struggles that are here in America. Also, the differences in family values between the two countries.

This book can be uncomfortable at times with the frank words and descriptions. As a white person, I feel I learned more about growing up black in America and the life of a Kenyan I would recommend this book to those that are willing to have an open mind and want to learn more about cultures and race issues.

I would like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of Lucky Girl in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley, #LuckyGirl, # IreneMuchemi-Ndiritu

An interesting coming of age story about a young woman from Nairobi, Kenya who moves to New York City to attend university. The novel spans several years of Soila's life with themes relating to female friendship, relationships, religion, family ties and responsibilities and the ongoing conflict with her strict, demanding mother. There's also a thought-provoking examination of how the perspective and experience of racial issues as a black African immigrant to the U.S. differs from that of Black Americans. While the story itself is insightful, I found the writing style to be a bit dry which made it difficult for me to get emotionally invested in the narrative - however, still a very worthwhile read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Such a wonderful read - I really enjoyed this book. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book

I didn't really connect to the characters (except for Soila's mother, she immediately leapt off the page), but I still appreciate the book for its conversations exploring cultural differences between Black Americans and Africans, specifically Kenyans,

Lucky Girl follows a girl from Kenya as she moves to the USA for college. She overcomes many obstacles to find happiness and a fulfilling life. She has to face the differences between African American and Africans differing views on race. I really enjoyed this book and it’s sight into an immigrants view of the world. I would definitely recommend.

Soila comes from a big, close-knit family. She is the only child of an overbearing mother. She wants to leave home after graduation and attend college in America. Naturally, her mother objects strenuously. A compromise is finally reached and Soila sets off to college in New York. Her mother wishes for her to study business so that she can return home and help run the family business. New York is where she feels the freedom to make her own choices and experience life.

Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu has created characters that are very authentic and fascinating. They love, laugh, have flaws, and perfectly represent the many aspects of life. In her naivete, Soila believes that everyone is treated the same in America. She sadly learns that America still struggles with racism and sees the inconsistent treatment of people of color. There is so much to learn, and Soila enjoys soaking up the experiences. Another life event for Soila is falling in love. Does she fall in love because it will upset her mother? Post-graduation, Soila will work on Wall Street but the events of 9/11 refocus her feelings about family. Will her opinion of her mother change?

I enjoyed reading this book. The author portrayed the views and opinions that many people have about America. Through Soila's eyes, we were able to see her confusion as she encountered racism and indifferent treatment. Her romanticized view of America slowly changes. It was interesting to see the author's portrayal of the 9/11 tragedy and especially how it affected Soila. The conclusion of the book was very satisfying and the author me interested throughout. If you like stories about coming of age, family dynamics, or strong female characters, this is a book to read.

Lucky Girl is a debut novel about a young woman, Soila who is by all means very blessed with her way of life in Kenya. The one thing that holds her back is her overprotective mother that seems to preside over her entire being. She sees the way it has affected her aunts and wants to explore a different way of life by attending college in America. After much convincing, Soila's mother allows her to go to America to study business.

While attending college in New York, Soila's mother still has a hand in controlling her life by making her study business when it's photography that calls to her. Even from oceans away, Soila's mother will always be connected to her. But Soila has the freedom of space and who she befriends and who she falls in love with. She feels like she can breathe, if only while she is NYC. But with those relationships, those people help her see the differences in their culture and the way racism and poverty is seen very differently in the US as opposed to Kenya. It opens up Soila's eyes and has her questioning what she thought she knew about these views. I liked the way the author delved into these serious subject matters from Soila's point of view. Even if she was naive when it came to racism here in the US, it was nice to see that Soila was open to listening to her friends and was able to see how different it was.

Lucky Girl is told in 4 parts. The first 3 parts are slow building and we get to know Soila, her family and friends. The chapters are kind of long, but I felt like I got to know each character and how they changed and influenced Soila's life. The 4th part seemed to be the most important and pivotal one for Soila. But it went by so quickly and we did a couple "fast forwards" all within that one part. If all the parts were written this way, I wouldn't have had as much of an issue, but I wanted more details, more connection in that part.

Overall, Lucky Girl was a solid debut that focused on culture, race and poverty and did it in a way that was relatable and easy to read. I wish the pacing was a little more consistent from beginning to end, but it still was a good read with characters that grew and developed over the course of the story. I will definitely be on the lookout for what comes next from this author.

Lucky Girl is a coming of age story about a young woman named Solia who lives with her overbearing and conservative mother plus several aunts in a town called Nairobi in Kenya. She's desperate to break free from her controlling mother and goes to the United States to study business. She befriends a Black American and witnesses what it's like to be black in America. When she meets the love of her life, a man her mother would never approve of, she must decide if she should honor her Kenyan upbringing or forge herself a new path.

I love a good coming of age story and this one did not disappoint. The story is touching while also shedding light to some difficult themes like racism, poverty, and adjusting to a new culture. It's a story about friendship, loyalty, love, acceptance and family. I loved the characters and while Solia comes from a different background than me I still found her relatable. Overall a really great read!

First of all, let me just say I am obsessed with this cover. The lemons, the skyline, the bold colors- it all works so well together and is the main reason I looked at the synopsis for this book. I also loved the author’s writing style and this completely unique take on a coming of age immigrant story. I really felt for Soila, even though her naïveté was frustrating at times. My only complaint was the pacing of the story. I wish the plot was a bit more propulsive, and the chapters a bit shorter. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this advance copy.

(4.5/5.0) Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu was such a captivating read, I was in Soila’s corner from the start and felt like she was my friend until the end. If you enjoy coming-of-age stories that weave in familial and cultural expectations balanced against personal desires, then this is an excellent choice.

The story follows Soila, born and raised in Kenya, as she embarks on college in New York City. She navigates friendships, romantic relationships, and her career while trying to heal from the loss of her father and uncovering new information about her family. It’s her journey of personal identity and how she sees herself, and how others see her, in both Kenya and the U.S.

I found myself attached to Soila and her best friend from NYC, Leticia, feeling very into their journeys. I got mildly attached to her romantic interests and her family, but never fully sank into those characters. For me, part four (the last part) was a little rushed compared to the first three parts, but overall the story and where it landed felt good.

If you enjoy coming-of-age and immigration stories that weave in cross-cultural relationships and navigating parental expectations, this should be on your TBR.

Thank you so much to Dial Press and NetGalley, I was so thankful for the advanced copy - I appreciate you!

Content warnings: grief, racism, dementia, September 11th (first-hand perspective)

Took me a while to get into this one. Overall I liked the coming of age story but the story development was poor. It felt like we were just skipping from one event to another with little detail. I really like to support debut authors but this one misses the mark a bit.

A powerful and fresh coming of age debut that follows Soila from Kenya to New York in the 90s and explores racism, SA, privilege, and identity as she navigates life in the US.

“I was lucky. I had a mother whose life revolved around me since I could remember.”

This debut novel has a lot to unpack and it starts and ends with the quote above!

What I loved:
1. Opened my eyes to different cultures and experiences.
2. It was about adult friendship, love, family ties, tradition and all the joys and struggles that come with them.
3. Would be a great book club book because there is so much to discuss and dive into!

What I wished were different:
1. There were a lot of subjects introduced for such a short book and many were not fully fleshed out or fully explored.
2. The first half of the book is a slow start wished the pacing had been more consistent.

My thanks to Netgalley and Random House -Dial Press for an advance copy of this book.
Expected publish date: 5/2/23

Thanks to Dial Press, NetGalley, and the author for the chance to read an early copy of this novel.

Full disclosure, I am probably not the best person to be offering a review of Lucky Girl because it is so far removed from what I know and what I have lived. That being said, it is, I think, an important book on the immigrant experience in America.

The main character, Soila, is a Kenyan immigrant to New York City in the 1990s. She arrives to attend college, studying business because that has been prescribed by her businesswoman mother and for no other reason. And with that, almost immediately, the stark contrasts between culture and country are laid bare.

Through the course of Soila’s college years and on through a successful career working on Wall Street when 9/11 happened, Soila struggles to find the balance between who she is told she should be and who she wants to be. And she isn’t only pulled be her Kenyan family.

She is also forced to confront the differences between being an African in America and being African-American.

It is a stark story, full of longing and unfulfilled desires that are often simply accepted rather than challenged or questioned out of duty, of debt, and of weariness at fighting for that new, unknown thing without any guarantees that it will be the thing that completes your life.

For me, the story lagged in a couple places and seemed more repetitive than necessary to make the points that the author wanted to make. On the whole, though, Lucky Girl is a powerful story of a young woman fighting against the currents of many different lives to find her own way in the world.

***In addition to vivid descriptions of the events of September 11, 2001, there are also frank discussions of abortion, sexual assault, adultery, mental health issues, and drug use.

4 stars

'Tis the season for some fantastic debut novels, and this one deserves a place in that group!

Soila, the m.c., grows up in Kenya with her incredibly challenging mother and then begins - as so many do - to discover herself when she gets some space from said guardian by heading to New York for college. Soila's the titular "lucky girl," and while she does experience some real bouts of luck, including financial privilege and some initial shielding from the darker parts of society and humanity, her life is also marked by some epic struggles.

Readers who have (or have had) challenging relationships with their parents will find this one close to home. Soila's relationship with her mother is so difficult to read. While it's clear they love each other, their interactions are filled with strife, and some readers may find their respective stubbornness and kowtowing borderline infuriating at times. Of course, that kind of reaction sometimes comes from incredibly well drawn characters, and that is the case here. Muchemi-Ndiritu really brings readers into the thick of a challenging connection, so it is all the more rewarding and painful as both characters and observers experience highs and lows together.

I enjoyed this novel overall but did experience the pacing as somewhat inconsistent. At times, the movement feels slow, and then a particular revelation or incident appears abruptly. The ending, especially, reflected this feeling for me (and may be why I'm so focused on it throughout the book as a whole, having just read that part). While I'll hope for a more consistently engaged feel from future reads, I still recommend this one to folks who enjoy coming of age stories, complicated family relationships, and distinct ways in which characters face and process trauma.

Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu gives readers a look at Soila, a young Kenyan woman’s life and trials. As an African woman in America, Soila faces a number of challenges. Because she seeks independence, Soila comes to the US thinking she can escape her mother’s demands and make a new life for herself.

Little does Soila expect to face problems of race, religion, and culture. This warm story will charm readers as well as anger them when Soila faces difficulties not of her own making.

Lucky Girl is Muchemi-Ndiritu’s debut novel. Readers should expect more from her. Muchemi-Ndiritu grew up in Nairobi, but she came to the US to attend college. With an MA in journalism, Muchemi-Ndiritu has worked as a journalist in NYC, Washington D.C., and Boston. Her writing in Lucky Girl shows her talents.

Lucky Girl is a coming of age story of Soila, a young Kenyon woman. After her father took his own life when Soila was 5 years old she was raised by a strong, uncompromising, Catholic mother. With the help of her aunts and her grandmother and a promise to pursue the degree and profession that her mother insists on, Soila convinces her mother to allow her to leave her home to attend college in the United States. While living in the US Soila finds a dramatic difference in the acceptance and prejudices of a black student from Nairobi and black students from the United States. As Soila matures, falls in love and makes choices that are opposed to her upbringing, she must come to terms with who she wants to be in the world. Great character development. Debut author scores an impressive read!

"Lucky Girl", is the story of family; the one we're born into and the family we choose along the way. Soila is born into a Kenyan family with many aunties and a grandmother who all love her. Her Mom though, is overbearing and domineering and shares not a bit of affection while Soila is growing up.

When she has the opportunity to go to college in America, Soila jumps at the chance and finally convinces her mother that that is where she needs to go. Surprisingly, her mother agrees and Souls is off to New York and Barnard College, where she studies business and economics, as per her mother's wishes. Pushed aside is her love of photography, to appease her mother, and make good on her promise before leaving Kenya.

This is also the story of how we make our way in a world that is different from the one we are born into. And how, with the help of others we meet along the way, we learn to navigate in this new world. And also how we can eventually find love.

This is the first book by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu. And one can only hope that there will be many others to come. Her writing is lovely and this story was wonderful. I highly recommend it.

I loved this story. The characters are well defined and the writing is quietly moving.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest feedback.