Layla and Andy are about to get married, but as the wedding approaches, her best friend tells her that she needs to do some searching as to her ancestry to answer questions before she get married. When she uncovers a shocking truth about her and Andy's families, can the relationship survive the new information?

The truth of history is shocking to the core, and this novel encapsulates just that! What would you do if you found out your fiance's family likely enslaved your ancestors? This novel delves deep into this topic examining the lives of Layla and Andy. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for a copy of this book for an honest review.

First I want to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

I absolutely loved the idea of this story and was interested to see how it would end up. I kept thinking...could you imagine realizing that the family you are marrying into could have a dark past.

It took me a while to really get into the story. I think it was because I didn't care for Layla or her friend Sera at the beginning. About 40% into the book I was getting more interested in the history. I enjoyed the story, but there were alot of times were it seemed to drag. And sadly, by the end I still did not care for Sera.

3.5/5 stars - a thought-provoking novel that questions just how much of our generational history impacts our present day.

In present-day London, Layla McKinnon is preparing her upcoming marriage to Andy McKinnon; the fact she their last names are the same has always been a point of humor for her, and nothing more. However, as the the date gets closer and Layla's best friend and maid-of-honor Sera starts behaving unexpectedly, Layla comes to question if she should dig further into her family's genealogy - something she's avoided doing as a mixed-race woman who's primarily been raised by her black mother, only hearing in passing about her white father. As she continues looking, she comes to realize the very real possibility that her fiance's ancestors may have enslaved her own family several centuries back - and it calls into question their entire future.

I think the novel does a good job framing a complex problem in a plot that many readers can grasp, and also sheds light on portion of history that often gets overlooked when slavery was rampant; growing up in the US, I wasn't aware of how this was also widespread in other parts of the world like the UK. Layla's journey to Jamaica to reconnect with her extended family and seeing the place her grandfather considers home was also one of my favorite parts of the novel, as it put stories and faces to the people she had only heard about. However, much of the plot felt circular and roundabout and I personally didn't like how Sera's behavior was ultimately overlooked and forgiven in the end.

A fast read that pulled me in, but one that didn't feel fully tied together at the end.

Thank you Random House for the advance copy of the novel!

When Layla's best friend Sera sends Layla a video explaining that Layla's White fiance's racist family might have owned her Black family, Layla is thrown into doubt about race and relationships and what it means to be Black (but sometimes passing as White). Layla agonizes, Sera ends their decades-long friendship, Layla goes to visit her family in Jamaica. There, Layla learns that even Black families had slaves, and that despite them having the same surname, a professional genealogist can't find proof that Layla's fiance owned hers. Layla begins to recognize the microaggressions Sera has been exposed to all her life, and realizes that she needs to do a lot of thinking about how the world treats Black and mixed-race folks. She returns her engagement ring, likely bought with slave trade money, to her fiance, and they buy a new one and get married and everyone who needed to gets a little more woke.

Some of the characters are annoying--Layla, for one--but others are people you'd want to play dominoes with, like her Grandpa. The character development isn't as dramatic as it might have been, and the wedding scenes in which Layla's mother dances with the White father of the groom is a little bit pat. The scenes with Layla teaching are painfully awkward and cringeworthy, but the first person narration of the rest of the book works well and is easy to follow, although as a protagonist, Layla remains a bit vague and blurry.

Finally. the author chose to set the story during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, and because of that and the way certain characters react to the lockdowns and recommended safety precautions, the story is also about ableism and disability. I was pretty angry that characters who readers are supposed to like were so thoughtless when it came to keeping others safe. It changed how I viewed some of the characters and made me less sympathetic to Layla and others.

This book had me hooked from the beginning. It is a quick, thought provoking read. This is a debut book from Phoebe McIntosh and I look forward to reading more from her.

Layla is days away from her wedding to Andy. Funny thing about Layla and Andy, they share a surname, McKinnon. Luckily they are not related but do they share a past? What happens when you find out that it is possible the ancestors of the man you are marrying might have owned your ancestors as slaves?

Layla was so easy to like. She is a sweet caring woman. She loves her family and friends. Andy was even easy to like. I appreciated that he may have been clueless but he was willing to listen and learn and try to understand. My biggest issued was with Sera. I felt that while she is trying to fight the wrongs that black people face, she didn't give Layla grace. Sera also didn't really give Andy a chance. My heart hurt for Layla as she navigated her way through what she should do. Of course she really should have talked to Andy and her mother sooner but when faced with life changing decisions, it can be hard to have the hard talks.

I feel like I learned a lot reading this book. I think everyone should read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Layla and Andrew are getting married. It has been a quick decision and they are twenty-nine days away. There have been bumps; her best friend Sera’s reluctance to be involved in the preparations and the reactions of Andrew’s white family. The fact that they share the same last name is unique and becomes pivotal in whether they make it to the altar after the revelation that his ancestors had received compensation for lost “property” when England abolished slavery. When Layla finds her surname is that of the slave owner of her ancestors, she hires a researcher and makes a family trip to Jamaica to find answers. Phoebe McIntosh’s characters are real; their storylines, intriguing and the reader is engaged from page one.

I read this book fairly quickly. It explores race and racism in an interesting way. Layla, a mixed-race woman, and Andy, a white man, meet at a party. Coincidentally, they have the same last name. They hit it off and eventually get engaged. Everyone is thrilled—except for Layla’s best friend Sera. The upcoming nuptials put a strain on their relationship, and Sera sends a video that leads Layla to research her family history and the possibility that Andy’s family owned hers. The story alternates between the lead-up to the wedding and “before.”

This was a good 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!

4 stars

Prospective readers looking for intriguing characters, a clearly defined narrative, and a series of circumstances that will make them think, incessantly, about the characters' respective plights will find exactly what they're looking for in this compelling novel from McIntosh.

Layla and Andy have a meet cute that turns into a bit of a potential meet creep when they discover each other at a party and connect, just a little, over their shared last name. It's not THAT kind of book, so don't worry; there's nothing overtly untoward about this coincidence. Instead, the reveal is much more sinister and complicated. When their relationship enters a more serious stage of commitment (readers need to be prepared for some time jumping but know that it's well defined and easily followed), a critical detail about Layla's and Andy's shared past comes to light.

McIntosh introduces compelling characters and does an excellent job of helping readers connect with several ancillary characters in a manner that is more successful than most authors can pull off even with their protagonists. This attention to developed characters makes what these folks have to grapple with even more breathtaking.

For me, this was just the right amount of answers and remaining questions, which is not easy to pull off with this subject matter. I'm grateful that this book and author were brought to my attention and will encourage others to take a chance on this one, too. One should expect to have a whole new respect for "It's complicated" while and after reading. I can't wait to read more from this author.

thought provoking and well written book that discusses allyship, the results of slavery and racism today. thanks for the arc.

Dominoes follows a mixed raced British woman as she delves into the history of her and her fiancé’s families. While she originally thought their same last names was a fun coincidence, it might signify a darker relationship between their families. I thought this book was very interesting and though provoking. How much should our family histories affect our current life and who we should choose to spend our lives with. It also touches on what decisions have to be made when your best friend doesn’t understand or support your decisions. I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend.

Dominoes
Layla is a mixed race woman of Jamaican origin less than a month away from her wedding to a white man, Andy. Sera her best friend who is black, is questioning their relationship and brings to Layla’s attention that possibly Andy’s ancestors owned Layla’s ancestors as slaves. This definitely gets Layla’s attention and she goes to Jamaica to research both her and Andy’s background. It is a very interesting premise and I was curious how it all ends up. Can you hold the current generation responsible of their ancestor’s past? Does it matter? Why or why not? These were questions that I raised in my mind reading the book. I liked that Layla listened to her friend and started looking at her family’s history. I did not like how she didn’t share her thoughts with Andy or how she felt she needed to choose between Andy and her best friend. Andy’s character as a happy go lucky guy who didn’t seem to have a care in the world didn’t appeal to me.
I wish there was more openness and communication between both Sera and Layla and Andy and Layla. I am not sure what motivated Sera to warn Layla? Was it jealousy or her racism against white people? The end kind of made me hanging, not all the relationships were resolved. As others mentioned, the book was tedious and boring at times. Overall, three stars.
I received a complimentary copy, opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher, Random House, and Netgalley for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

I really liked this book and read it in two ish sittings. I thought the story was really interesting and original. The exploration of complex dynamics of race, power, colonialism and the likes were really well described and integrated in ways that both made sense and were compelling. I found myself really taken by the plot and just needed to keep reading to see what would happen next.

I have very little complaints (if you could even call them that) with this book, but my main one would be the lack of closure with Sera. I understand that it's probably indicative of real life and did allude to them maybe kind of coming back together eventually, but I would have liked to see that conversation play out.

All in all, I thought this was a really beautiful and thought provoking story and would highly reccomened.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Layla is excited about her upcoming wedding. I liked the characters in this book.

A thought provoking book about Layla, who discovers before her wedding that her fiancé's family may have owned her ancestors. As if that wasn't enough, she has to choose between him and her best friend.

The author did a good job of portraying this scenario and how someone like Layla would respond to it. Thank goodness for Granddad and his wisdom.

This is a poignant story about race and identity. Layla has always struggled as a young woman of mixed race and getting engaged to Andy a white man raises even more issues. The story takes a look at the many layers a relationship can take. Layla and Andy have to dig deep and discover how much they have together. It is well written and easy to read.

The premise of Dominoes really drew me in. Just a month before her wedding, a mixed race woman of Jamaican descent is confronted with the fact that her white fiancé’s family might have been slave owners of her ancestors.
The beginning of the book came across as something else though. I was starting to wonder if I’d somehow gotten a romantic women’s lit book instead. All about their meet cute and her bride’s maid’s delay in scheduling the hen do. But stick with it, about the 30% mark it gets to the meat of the issue and it gets more intense. There’s one scene that will have everyone thinking of Harry and Meghan.
It’s a book that really makes you think. And it’s not that there are easy answers here. Because it’s not just about the question of race, reparations, privilege and what the present owes to the past. There’s also the ability to honestly communicate. The book is told solely from Layla’s PoV and her anguish was extremely well done. But there was a part of me that would have loved to have heard more from Andy and Sera.
Macintosh does a great job of throwing in small scenes with a large impact that do a great job of pointing out how prevalent racism still is, both the casual and in your face types.
I had read an historical fiction that dealt with how England paid reparations to the slave holders (and also required the slaves to stay on the plantations as “apprentices”), but this was the first book I’ve read that dealt with the modern take on it.
I liked that McIntosh doesn’t try to settle for the easy answers and that there’s an acknowledged open end to some of the issues. Layla comes to things slowly and many people are forced to think hard. This would make for a very interesting book club selection.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

This novel has such a clever premise. It really makes you realize for historical traumas of the past inform so much of our current lives, in a personal and intimate way.

In my opinion, the key to a good book is the emotions it evokes. I felt so deeply after every page I turned, my emotions were raw by the time I finished the book.

Layla was a wonderful character. She seemed sweet, but strong. At times her emotions got the best of her, but it made the her feel real and relatable. Sera frustrated me from almost the very beginning, but that's what created tension throughout the story. I wanted to slap her, but at the same time hug her. She had unhealed trauma that spilled over into her relationship with Layla.

I think where the story really came together for me was the trip to Jamaica. Layla really wanted to know her roots. Painful roots, but part of her DNA. Her character really came full circle here. She grew into a full, complete person and she was able to move forward.

Final Quote:
“Shouldn’t throw you too much,” I added. “Same spelling. Different person."

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I couldn't put this read down. read it from start to finish in one sitting. There's so much to unpack between these covers, but worth every word.