I confess to requesting this book because I thought it was by a favourite author of mine, Phoebe McLeod. But when I dove into this book, which was not what I was expecting, but I'm so glad it found its way to me. Watching Layla struggle with the secret revealed about her fiance Andy's family history made me think, and I'm so glad I read it.

Unfortunately I could not make it through this one. I found our main character's motivations to be weak, her thought process to be overly simple, and the premise not strong enough to support an entire novel.

I loved this novel about identity, race, friendship, and ultimately love.
Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this book.

I had a hard time with this book as I couldn't resonate with the characters, you have a main mixed women who choses to associte with only one heritage. Her best friend doesn't seem like a great best friend. THey decide to research the British slave trade and its history.
It took me a long time to read this.

This was a fascinating story about a woman named Layla McKinnon who has just discovered the secret of her fiancé Andy’s family. His ancestors were owners of a plantation in Jamaica who owned slaves,

As Layla begins to unpack the past of her own family, and own her Black heritage, she begins to question her relationship with Andy.

*many thanks to PRH and PRH audio, and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

A young woman finds herself choosing between her heritage and the man she loves in Dominoes by Phoebe McIntosh. Layla, the product of a mixed relationship between her Black mother whose family hails from Jamaica and a white father whom she never knew, meets Andy who is white. He's nothing like she expected and everything she hoped he would be. In fact, he shares the same last name as she does. Oddly enough, this is where the trouble starts.

Layla's best friend Sera who happens to be Black never seemed to gel with Andy yet they tolerated each other. Sera happens to watch a documentary and urges Layla to watch it and research her and Andy's roots. There is a chance that Layla's ancestors may have been enslaved by Andy's family, which opens a can of worms. Layla doesn't know what to do because she's only months away from being married to Andy and cannot imagine whether she should take the leap or not.

I thought this was a unique book as far as the premise goes. It's handled delicately, and there's no easy solution. I found the struggle Layla goes through to feel real. I do think she stumbles many times and doesn't necessarily handle it as well as she could have with both her best friend and fiancé. It almost feels like this puts her relationships with both people in jeopardy. It's hard to believe that she seems to lack as much empathy for what Sera feels as she could.

Despite the somewhat challenging subject, the book is entertaining, and you grow to like Layla. Some of the chapters in the beginning recall her original meeting with Andy and how they became a couple. Andy seems a little lackluster, though, and sort of clueless. I felt that his character could have been imbued with more depth and complexity. Sera is written that way, and I could understand how she felt in this scenario. The friendship was depicted in a realistic manner, and it's hard to know what could happen between the two women.

The title felt a little misleading, too, because the game of dominoes isn't really brought up until the end of the book. It's not really a big deal, but I thought there would be a little more of a relationship between the game, her family, and the whole story. Of course, it points to the delicate balance of marrying Andy and staying friends with Sera, but it's not mentioned until her Granddad plays it, and she talks about it.

I liked this debut book and would like to see what else this author can bring to the table. The subject of the story intrigued me, and I liked most of the characters except Andy, who could have been more fully drawn.

There was a lot of potential here, but it fell flat. The concept was thought-provoking but the execution was not there. The characters can be very annoying, and it is hard to truly like them.

I want to thank Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Random House Trade Paperbacks for an ARC of this book.

As our world gets smaller, in that we have the ability to connect and learn about people around the globe, situations will continue to emerge where we find out information that will impact or affect us personally. In Dominoes, Layla faces tough decisions after learning some facts about her fiancee’s past that had apparent negative implications for her ancestors. An insightful book about race, culture, friendship, family, and identity, Dominoes is a compelling and interesting novel that left me thinking long after I finished it..

What I loved about the book:

1. The writing skillfully portrayed the intricate dynamics of friendships evolving amidst life changes
2. It started with a simple love story and expanded into an exploration of racism, slavery, heritage and identity.
3. It challenges your thinking and makes you uncomfortable, but the exploration is needed and well done.

What I wished was different:
1. It had parts which didn't seem congruent with the rest of the book/theme - as in "is the wedding still going to happen"?
2. Layla was aggravating at many points in the book - wasn't sure if I liked her or not??

Thank You Net Galley and Random House for this e-galley.

I loved this book, and thought the entire premise was so creative and offered an incredibly thought provoking discourse on the modern day implications of the slavery of the past. Andy and Layla are both very compelling and written in depth, so I found myself caring for both of them and their situation.

Excellent contemporary novel exploring contemporary class, race relations, and Britain’s colonial history. Great for fans of Girl, Woman, Other.

When you found someone with same surname as you have (unless it's an extremely common one), you would think if you two are related. Your curiosity would be doubled, when you learnt that you were both from same area. When it's a white man and a bi-racial woman sharing a surname, there might be other hidden implications of it

Layla and Andy fell in love quickly and deeply. Their relationship went from hanging out to wedding bells in short amount of time. Layla had some reservations about families meeting but it was not about anything specific until her best friend started to tell her about her heritage and potential reaches into slavery in Scotland. After that this marriage for Layla turned into a mean to learn about her heritage, herself, and how she processes some news.

I really liked the way race and how impacts of slavery flow from one generation to another were explained. The anger, will to take action, strength to find forgiveness, and courage to change the narrative were masterfully weaved into this story. I cannot experience the exact feelings, but it helped me understand how heavy the burden could be

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would because at first I wasn't really feeling it. The characters were cool and the plot so I'm glad I read it.

“Dominoes”, by Phoebe McIntosh was an interesting and thought provoking book. Based in England, Ms McIntosh tackles complicated and unique quandary of a bride to be.

I was looking forward to reading this as it sounded such an interesting premise, and I wasn’t disappointed. I learned a lot but didn’t ever feel the author was shoving her research in my face. I also felt love rising from the page in the creation of some characters such as the grandfather and Andy.

Layla met the man of her dreams at a party. It was like fate wanted them to be together. She is Layla McKinnon and he is Andy McKinnon - no relation. Problems arise when her best friend Sera sends her a documentary, revealing that Andy’s ancestors were plantation owners in Jamaica who owned slaves. While they have moved in together and they are planning their wedding, Layla is descended from slaves in Jamaica. She questions whether she can get past his family’s history. She has been welcomed by Andy’s family, but at a family gathering she is aware of words that are thoughtlessly used that are offensive. Andy is aware of how hurtful the words are and supports Layla while attempting to correct his family, but is that enough? She and Sera have been best friends for years, but Sera is against the marriage and refuses to participate as maid of honor. She feels that Layla is denying her own heritage by tying herself to a family of former slave owners. Layla’s mother and grandfather have become fond of Andy. With the wedding quickly approaching, Layla plans a quick trip to Jamaica with her family to learn more of the family’s history. There she is welcomed by distant relatives and is surprised by some of what she learns.

Layla has never shown concern for her Black heritage, but she is becoming more aware as she begins to learn more about her own history. Even as she questions her relationship with Andy she never expresses her uncertainty or opens up about what is worrying her. While it leads to some tensions in the relationship, he remains supportive and understanding. As time grows short, Layla must decide what is most important in her life and whether she can repair her relationship with Sera. Phoebe McIntosh’s Dominoes is a love story and a family history that I could not put down and is highly recommended. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House for providing this book.

I found Dominoes to be a quick easy read with interesting characters and a captivating storyline. The writing style helped this one flow nicely. I must keep my eyes open for more from this author.

Dominoes by Phoebe McIntosh is an incredibly thought provoking read that would be wonderful for a book club.

In Dominoes, the main character Layla is a mixed-race woman preparing for her wedding to a white man. Just weeks before her wedding she comes across information that leads her to believe that her ancestors may have been enslaved by her future in law's ancestors. This prompts a deep dive into her past, her identity, and her current relationships.

Phoebe McIntosh does a wonderful job of navigating the complexity of the emotions Layla experiences as she explores her past to determine her future. In the husband-to-be Andy I could see how well meaning white people are ignorant to the complexities and depth of systemic racism and white guilt. That being said, Phoebe McIntosh writes the book in a relatable way for readers no matter what their backgrounds are.

What I didn't necessarily enjoy was the relationship between Layla and her friend Sera. Sera felt one dimensional. While she helps Phoebe make some serious revelations, she does it in an abrupt and sometimes unforgiving way. At the same time, Layla could come off as incredibly self involved in these conversations. Their relationship seemed unhealthy and was full of miscommunication.

Overall I enjoyed this read both in print with the early ARC and the audio. The audio is narrated by McIntosh herself which always enhances the experience in my opinion.

Layla is set to marry the man of her dreams when she finds out that his family may possibly have owned her enslaved relatives many years ago. Andy and Layla thought it was kismet that they shared the same last name, McKinnon, but when Layla finds out that the name was taken by a relative from their slave owner she questions not only her decision to marry Andy, but her life as a light skinned black woman. Dominoes takes what is a heavy, thought provoking subject and tells it with humor and grace. The emotions Layla feels are relatable and her actions are realistic. This would make a wonderful book club read.

thank you netgalley for the free e-arc. the complexity that is actually between layla and andy is where i liked the story best. you get to see them first meeting and everything between then and the wedding. the conversations they have, how they fight and make up. what i didn't like is sera being racist in a way that is not often shown. sera in general was an awful friend to layla.