Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. This is a really good debut novel and I will definitely keep an eye out for anything else McIntosh writes in the future.

Phoebe Mcintosh's debut novel Dominoes finds Layla, a mixed-race young woman of Jamaican and British descent residing in London, just finishing up a school term as a teacher. She is eagerly anticipating her upcoming nuptials to Andy, a white man of Scottish descent. As the wedding approaches in less than a month she finds her long-term friend Sera pulling away from her, and she is confused and hurt. She rationalizes Sera's coldness at first, and she is pretty caught up in wedding planning. Her and Andy are deeply in love and they are amused that they share the last name (McKinnon)- no need to update once married!

Much of the early third or so of the novel sets the groundwork for Layla's relationships with Andy, her mother, and her grandfather and is told through Layla's voice. Just a couple of weeks out from the wedding, Layla receives a text with a video from Seda. It is about England's history with the slave trade in their colonies, and how once the slave trade was banned, the country spent an obscene amount of money compensating slave owners for their "loss." In fact, England was still paying off this debt up until the 2010s. Sera's off-handed comments now begin to make more sense to Layla. Sera says cannot support a marriage where Layla is marrying a man who comes from a family who may have owned Layla's relatives. How can she be so white?

Layla finds herself at a loss, and on a trip to Jamaica to better discover her roots, as well as learn about history that she did not learn much about in school. Is the plot line of "is my future husband from a family who enslaved my relatives?" a weird choice for a book? I would say so. I found the push and pull of almost a romance book at times (some of the writing is reminiscent of) and the topic of enslavement to be dissonant. The atonement for our family's sins and moving forward is an interesting topic to explore, and this really could have worked. I just don't know if the avenue of a "will they or won't they" resonants well with it. I did really enjoy some of the secondary characters, especially Layla's grandfather and mother. Seda and Andy were challenging as they came off as a bit one-note, but we also were seeing them through Layla's eyes. When reading about the backstory of this book, I found out it was a one-woman play beforehand, and I wonder if that avenue for this story was better.

Thank you to Random House via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

I found it very difficult to keep the characters and storyline straight- there was just too much of everything. It was a struggle to complete and I do not recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley, and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the copy of Dominoes by Phoebe McIntosh. This provocative, mesmerizing book is so beautifully written I couldn't put it down. The beginning established the relationships of the characters and the rest of the book was about Layla’s journey to come to grips with her life and family history. I loved how Layla realized her experiences were different from her best friend Sera’s were, and how she went in search of answers when she was confronted with news of Andy’s ancestors. This is an eye-opening book and I recommend it to everyone!

I enjoyed this book. I never really knew that racial slurs happened in mixed coloured relationships. The author made me feel like i was right there with the characters. An absolute gem of a book

Thanks Netgalley and publisher.all thoughts are my own

I love a thought provoking plot like this one and it definitely made me think. The beginning is mostly setting up the relationships and preparing for the intensity of the drama that comes up. The writing was slow at times, but I was able to skim around parts that were slow without losing the plot.

Layla is a mixed woman twenty-nine days from her wedding to Andy, a white man, when her best friend sends her a documentary. It is about Jamaican slaves and the money slave owners received when the slaves were emancipated. The hitch to the story is that Layla’s relatives may have been slaves to Andy’s relatives.
Layla is torn as to how this information affects her marrying Andy and decides to travel to Jamaica to the land of her ancestors and dig deep into the slavery story.
I did not quite like the book until one-third in. I felt for Layla and the tremendous dilemma she felt. Her friend Sera was so unlikeable and awful to Layla. There is a true love of family and of the roots evident in the work.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

For me, this book would’ve worked much better without the best friend character playing such a prominent (and frankly, manipulative) role

It was a unique and compelling plot but too detailed in some areas, and not detailed enough in others. I had a hard time rooting for the best friendship… it just made me sad. Miscommunication in romance books is irritating AF, but miscommunication this bad between two adult women who grew up together felt truly unbelievable.

If you can look past this, then give it a read. It was well-written and engaging.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc!
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This one took me a bit to get into, but I ultimately liked it a lot. I thought the premise was strong — a mixed race woman (Layla) discovering that her fiancé's (Andy) family may have owned her ancestors — certainly involves some thought provoking questions.

As the wedding approaches, Sera, Layla long time best friend, begins pulling away from Layla and makes her question her choice to marry Andy and (to her mind) betray her race.

This was the kind of book where I really didn't know where it would go. I could see a thread where Layla calls off the wedding just as easily as I could see one where she didn't -- no spoilers to which way it went.

I thought the novel was well written and addressed some tough questions -- it shares some DNA with of Acts of Forgiveness which I read recently too.

I struggled with how Sera treated Layla and wondered if I agreed with her behavior. Flashbacks painted a picture of how long and deep their friendship was which made be more upset for how Sera was acting. I think one minor issue I had was that I felt like I didn't really have a grasp on Andy and if I should be rooting for him or not, but maybe that was the point.

Dominoes by Phoebe McIntosh

288 Pages
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Random House, Random House Trade Paperbacks
Release Date: March 12, 2024

Fiction (Adult), General Fiction (Adult), Literary Fiction (Adult), OwnVoices, Multicultural

Layla McKinnon and her best friend Sera are teachers. It is the end of term, and they are looking forward to the summer in London. Layla met her fiancé, Any McKinnon, at his sister’s birthday party. Layla is mixed race but can pass as White. Her friend Sera is darker and feels discrimination that Layla has never experienced. After hearing about Black people being abused by police, Sera tells Layla she just does not understand. Her message is “You are not Black enough.”

Watching a documentary about slavery in the United Kingdom, Layla begins to question her relationship with Andy, who is White. She needs to find herself before she can move forward with her life and goes to the Islands where her people came from.

The book has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. This is a touchy subject when a Black or mixed-race person is judged because they are not enough. If you enjoy reading multicultural books, you will enjoy this book.

A story of love, friendship, self-discovery, and heritage.
As Layla's wedding date nears, her best friend Sera reveals some concerns about Layla's fiance Andy, and his family's connection to the British slave trade. Layla must dig into her own past to see how their two families may have been connected and decide if she can live with Andy's heritage.
This novel raises some interesting questions, especially for mixed-race couples. For me, it is a window into some considerations I wouldn't have thought about.
Overall, this is a good story of some contemporary issues that we should all be aware of.

Dominoes

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was so thought provoking. I was so intrigued by the premise, and glad I picked up a copy on @netgalley.

Layla and Andy immediately hit it off when they first meet, and find it amusing that they have the same last name. Layla’s best friend Sera keeps cautioning her about Andy, until a documentary pushes Layla toward some research that leads her to believe Andy’s family owned her ancestors as slaves. Layla digs into her family history and finds what is important for her future as she gets closer and closer to their wedding date.

This book was so heavy but I really enjoyed it. The decisions that Layla had to make were so hard, and I loved watching the intention she put into them. I also loved how she surrounded herself with her family in the process.

4 🌟

This was such a thought provoking read.

This book dealt with a really tough, complex subject but I felt like it was dealt with really well. It was honestly really eye opening how racism exists outside our country and things happening here impacts others.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

This is a thought provoking story about a woman who finds out her fiancé's ancestors might have owned her ancestors as slaves. This is not a plot heavy book and most of the content is devoted to her thoughts and feelings about this discovery. Overall, an interesting read.

Dominoes, by Phoebe McIntosh is an absolutely beautiful story of family, generational love, commitment and loyalty. The symbolism of the domino blew me away. The author’s art of storytelling was so clear that I could feel all of the characters’ emotions genuinely. I felt the discomfort, the doubt, the fear and the undeniable love throughout, making me love this book even more. An absolute gem.

The premise of this book was what drew me to it. About a month before her wedding, a mixed race woman of Jamaican descent finds out that her white fiancé’s family might have been slave owners of her ancestors.

This book makes you think about racism, reparations, privilege and what the present owes to the past. The author does an outstanding job of pointing out how prevalent racism still is: not just the casual but the bold in your face types.

There are no easy answers here but Phoebe McIntosh does a fantastic job. I love books that make you stop, think and question everything you think you know and believe.

You've finally met the man of your dreams. He's everything one could want in a husband and more. But along comes your best friend with earth shaking news that could ruin everything for you. What is a person to do? Especially when your friend tells you in no uncertain terms, it's either me or him. That is the premise of this wonderful novel by playwright, Paula McIntosh.

The story unfolds in England and Jamaica. It makes you think very hard about the million choices one must make when choosing a mate. Especially when you are both members of a different race.

I loved this book. And I highly recommend it

Layla discovers that her finance’s ancestors enslaved her ancestors through the prompting of her best friend, a social justice advocate. Fascinating story of love and pain, friendship and the loss of friendship, and history that isn’t fully in the past. McIntosh successfully brings her one-woman play to the written word.

This book has layers. I almost bailed on it (because some of the descriptions can get a bit tedious...), but I could not stop thinking about it. I'm glad I went back and finished it.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advance copy!

I found this book well written. It was an interesting story observing Layla’s thoughts and feelings when discovering the history behind her fiancé and her families, but it was also fascinating seeing how her loved ones reacted.