“Rebecca, Not Becky'' is told from the perspective of two upper middle-class women living in Northern Virginia. Rebecca Myland is a stay-at-home mom living in a multimillion-dollar home with her husband and two daughters. She is a white woman leading the diversity committee at her daughter's very non-diverse private school. De'Andrea Whitman and her husband and daughter move from Atlanta into the same gated community as the Myland and their daughter attends the same school but is one of the only Black children there.
I found most of this book to be an uncomfortable read, and not because the topic of race, racism, and diversity are uncomfortable, but because so many of the characteristics of both families and the host of supporting players, felt so stereotypically based on their races.

I found the middle of the story to be the best part of it, but did not like the beginning, or the ending, at all. It is hard to feel sympathetic towards Rebecca, living with all of the privileges of her wealth and status (I don't care that she feels stressed about managing all of the contractors coming in and out of her house to do things like build a koi fish pond to help with her mediation journey, or that she has a hard time relaxing in her fancy meditation room in her big house.

I found De'Andrea much more palatable but hated that the experience she and her husband had near the very end of the book was rushed through and glossed over. It should have been one of if not the, most important parts of the book, and throwing it in at the end felt wrong.

There were a few laughs to be had here and there and some moments that many moms will be able to relate to, but overall, I found this book to be poorly executed, and I would not recommend it to other readers.

“Rebecca, Not Becky'' is told from the perspective of two upper middle class women living in Northern Virginia. Rebecca Myland is a stay-at-home mom living in a multimillion dollar home with her husband and two daughters. She is a white woman leading the diversity committee at her daughter's very non-diverse private school. De'Andrea Whitman and her husband and daughter move from Atlanta into the same gated community as the Myland's, and their daughter attends the same school, but is one of the only Black children there.
I found most of this book to be an uncomfortable read, and not because the topic of race, racism, and diversity are uncomfortable, but because so many of the characteristics of both families, and the host of supporting players, felt so stereotypically based on their races.

I found the middle of the story to be the best part of it, but did not like the beginning, or the ending, at all. It is hard to feel sympathetic towards Rebecca, living with all of the privileges of her wealth and status (I don't care that she feels stressed about managing all of the contractors coming in and out of her house to do things like build a koi fish pond to help with her mediation journey, or that she has a hard time relaxing in her fancy meditation room in her big house.

I found De'Andrea much more palatable, but hated that the experience she and her husband had near the very end of the book was rushed through and glossed over. It should have been one of, if not the, most important parts of the book, and throwing it in at the end felt wrong.

There were a few laughs to be had here and there, and some moments that many mom's will be able to relate to, but overall, I found this book to be poorly executed, and I would not recommend it to other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amistad for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

I had a hard time with this one. I love suburban dramas and I was excited to read a book that managed to take a look at racism and microaggressions at the same time. I appreciated the two authors bringing two perspectives, however, I had trouble with De'Andrea's character. Her chapters tended to drag over the most menial tasks and she spoke almost exclusively in AAVE. Both took me out of the story and slowed it down. I bet that this book will be great for bookclubs and I'm glad that it's been written.

De'Andrea and family are moving from long time friends and community in Atlanta to a very white neighborhood in Virginia. It is a huge change in every way but she is determined to make the best of it for their daughter who is starting kindergarten at the posh private school. Rebecca considers herself well educated and aware and can't wait to welcome De'Andrea and her daughter to the school and neighborhood. Good intentions can lead to miscommunication and missteps and both of them will learn to adapt and accept each other. With every difference we see a great deal of similarities as true friendship takes hold. A dramatic fight over a confederate statue being taken down will draw battle lines throughout the community and will bring some together and test all of them. A side story is of memory care facilities and the emotional toll the disease takes on the families involved. All of this is handled between the two authors with grace, care and humor. There is much to discuss here making this a prime candidate for book clubs. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. I loved reading something from the point of views of two very different people with very different lives. It’s incredibly eye opening! The author did a great job with the world and plot building, along with the character developments! So good!

When De'Andrea and her family are move from their safe community in Atlanta, they are worried that they will not fit in their new Virginian home. It's clear that as the only black family in the community, there will be a lot to acclimate to. Rebecca, a neighbor is doing her best and learns that being a friend and and ally is a lot more than just reading some articles. I loved the story line and some of the speeches, but found it a little flat or two dimensional. The issues are complex and so are people :)

It is a good read for a book discussion, but I am afraid that the real Becky's won't recognize themselves in the story!

I found this is an interesting, if somewhat slow read. I like what the author is trying to explore here, but it did feel a little forced at times. The characters were a little two-dimensional but overall it was a worthwhile read with an interesting concept.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for allowing me to review. Opinions are my own.

I haven't lived through anything like this, but it felt very authentic. I really enjoyed how everything didn't go smoothly and even through the end De'Andrea was still working on having Rebecca as her friend. It was a process that seemed like it would be IRL. I also appreciated how they dealt with the trauma of Malik's potential arrest.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced ecopy of Rebecca, Not Becky.

Rebecca, Not Becky is what I like to call Chick-Lit, but with some meat to it. It reads like chick-lit, but has the difficult and important topic of racial issues at its core. This book certainly has an audience.

This story of two mothers--one Black, one white--who form an uneasy relationship when their daughters becomes friends at their exclusive but "progressive" private school is a must read for anyone wanting contemporary fiction that addresses important issues (white saviorism, the hollowness of some diversity initiatives, and more) but maintains a brisk plotline and relatable characters.

Book clubs looking for entertaining contemporary fiction that is both funny and compelling should definitely consider this one.

Many thanks to Amistad and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had to force myself to finish this. Lots of telling rather than showing, constant brand-name dropping, loads of slang that may or may not date well. The characters are all conceited, passive-aggressive, and unpleasant. They're also not real characters, but two-dimensional stereotypes that think and talk in ways and phrases that are so tired they should be dead. Give this one a miss.

Thank you NetGalley and Christine Platt for this ARC.

This book was unfortunately not for me. I did finish it but it was just not for me. The storyline was good and I understood what the author was trying to do but it did fall a bit flat for my taste.

I did like this book but the writing style was not my favorite. I definitely understood what the Authors were trying to do, but it kind of fell flat for me. I still will recommend this book for purchase when it is published for my library.

I could not get into this. The writing seemed to be aimed at middle grade readers despite the subject matter. The characters seemed flat and underdeveloped.