A gem of a novel and an exciting debut. Dominoes is a warm, quiet story about identity, love, and family.

Layla is getting married to Andy in 29 days. She is excited until her best friend starts dropping hints about how disappointed she is that Layla is marrying a white man. And not just any white man, but one whose family owned slaves - possibly including Layla’s ancestors. As Layla begins investigating her family tree, she wonders if she can marry Andy with all she has discovered.

The story moves back and forth through time, covering Layla’s early adulthood, the day she meets Andy, and the present day as we get closer to the wedding date. The writing is lovely and sharp, and the countdown to the wedding date creates a sense of dynamism and tension as we follow Layla and wonder what she will decide to do. Layla is an easy character to love. She has a beautiful relationship with her mother and grandfather and their interactions were touching. Recommended to any reader looking for a thought-provoking story of modern life and love and how identities and family history shape our stories.

Thank you very much to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

phoebe mcintosh's "dominoes" is a story of intergenerational trauma, the problem of white allyship, and self discovery. layla meets well-to-do andy, a white man from a rich family and they quickly fall for each other. however, they have the same last name. leading up to their meticulously planned, lavish wedding, her best friend sera starts having doubts about andy and his allyship. a documentary comes out describing how many old british families owned jamaican slaves, and sera sends it to layla, which causes her to wonder if her fiancé's family owned her ancestors as slaves.

while sera is layla's foil, confident in her black femme identity, layla feels lost. without knowing much about her ancestry, she starts researching her past, trying to find out who she is. this novel is not a love story, though a love story is within it; this novel is about friendship, family, and identity. carefully written and heavily researched, "dominoes" is a wonderful read that questions whether anger regarding the past is worth ruining present relationships, as well as examining white allyship and casual racism. it was wonderful, truly, and if you have ever wondered where your family comes from, i'd recommend giving it a read. my only complaint is that the end feels a bit rushed in terms of pacing. other than that, it's a stellar read.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review!