This was my first time reading Nicola Yoon, and I received One of Our Kind as an ARC from NetGalley. The novel presents an intriguing premise with its exploration of a seemingly perfect community hiding dark secrets. The plot is engaging, with a slow build-up of tension that keeps the reader invested. One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon is a dystopian horror novel set in the fictional, all-Black gated community of Liberty, California. The story follows Jasmyn Williams, a public defender, and her husband King, a venture capitalist, as they move to Liberty with their young son, hoping to find a safe and supportive environment. However, Jasmyn quickly realizes that the community's focus on luxury and wellness masks deeper, more sinister secrets. As she uncovers the truth about Liberty and its founders, Jasmyn's initial frustration turns to dread, and she must confront the reality that their new home may not be the utopia they envisioned. The character development, particularly of Jasmyn, is well-executed. Her journey from hopeful newcomer to determined truth-seeker is compelling. However, some of the secondary characters felt underdeveloped, which made it harder to fully connect with the broader narrative. The twists and turns throughout the story are effective in maintaining suspense, but some plot developments felt a bit forced and could have been more seamlessly integrated. The ending, while surprising, left a few questions unanswered, which might be frustrating for some readers. Overall, One of Our Kind is a decent read with a unique premise and strong central character. Despite its flaws, it shows promise for Nicola Yoon as a writer in the dystopian horror genre. I'm curious to see how her storytelling evolves in future works. #netgalley #oneofourkind

This was quite a departure for Nicola Yoon—both in age category and narrative tone—so I was excited to see how she handled it. I am so impressed with how confidently she stepped into these discussions of race and class, etc., but unfortunately the execution wasn't my favorite. But I'll always give Nicola another read or ten, and can't wait to see what she does next in this Adult space.

This was a tough read. I thought the story was boring and many events didn't make sense to me.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC which I agreed to read in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very strange. Jasmyn, the main character, is very intense about being Black. I understand it's a race I don't understand completely because I don't share it but I've read other books with black MC's and were not as intense as this. Jasmyn is hypervigilant about racism and very judgemental about how people decide to wear their hair that are traditionally black or not. It was pretty exhausting. I could empathize with their struggles but was very disappointed with the ending. I understand it had a lot of shock value but didn't feel like any redemption to these people who suffer a lot in real life. Writing was good, I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and the author for the ARC of this book.

I don’t even know where to start with this book. I’ve been putting off reviewing it for a long time now because there were so many things problematic about this novel. And I was SO excited to read it because I love Nicola Yoon.

I disliked this pretty early into my reading and honestly, had a very difficult time understanding that Yoon actually wrote this. I’m also confused as to who Yoon’s target audience was.

The whole plot felt very judgey and spent a large amount of the story attacking the blackness of other black females based on their appearance (how they choose to style their hair or what their complexion looks like). And then at the same time promoting an ideal where there are no races and everyone is white? Racism much?

I know I am a white reader, but this read like the author has some internal hatred for herself- which I hope isn’t true because differences are beautiful. I sure hope the message that readers where given when reading this was not what she was aiming for as it came across as promoting racism. Right now, we desperately need blackness and differences to celebrated in society and still have a lot of work to do because we have not reached equality.

I would recommend one of Yoon’s previous books, but I would not recommend this one to anyone.

I did not finish this book, let's get that out from the start. I didn't even make it halfway. I tried. I even tried to switch from the book to the audiobook to get through it. But alas, I could not.

The reason? I spent the entire time trying to figure out if the book was mocking black people. It was obviously mocking. But the question was whom? White people and their elitist culture? Black people who pretend to be white people? Or was it elitists generally? Was is black people who act like white people? Or is there no mocking at all?

I believe I have read every Nicola Yoon book thus far, and this felt like a different voice. A petty and angry voice almost. Like someone who is smiling and sitting pretty but would really rather flip the table. Her other books approach race issues with tact, but this one felt uncomfortable at times. I have no idea if it was intentional or not but I felt like walking on eggshells that entire time I was.

I usually love Nicola Yoon’s books, but this one left me with a bad taste in my mouth to be quite frank. I could see where she was trying to accomplish a “Get Out” vibe, but our main character was so insufferable and felt like she was colorist and internalized racist. She had strong feelings and opinions on what black women should do and be, and I didn’t not appreciate it. I’m very disappointed in this story.

This may be the best example of all the ways social horror learned the wrong lessons from the success of GET OUT.

Nicola Yoon didn’t tiptoe lightly into the waters of adult fiction with her first novel for the grown-up set, One of Our Kind, but rather dove headfirst into a sea of controversy. One of Our Kind is horror fiction sourced from race and racism, and I am just not sure that now is the time or place for such a book. It’s not just that the novel is influenced by the current social climate in America, but that Yoon has a very contentious take on the subject - one that is sure to sit uncomfortably with readers of all races. But perhaps that’s what makes it horror.

As a white woman, I can experience the horrors of this novel more as an observer than a potential participant, and yes, I can attest that the terrors described in this book are frightening … primarily for the message that they convey, which I will not spoil. To be frank, One of Our Kind is pretty insulting and dismissive to both blacks and whites, and will likely stir up plenty of negative feelings on both sides. Black readers will dislike what this book implies about being black, while whites will not like being painted with such a broad brush.

If it can be believed, One of Our Kind takes a problem and makes it more problematic. A true horror story in the sense that you cannot believe that this would actually be someone’s solution to issues regarding race in our country, One of Our Kind should be read only by those who can keep a very open mind.

While at first I thought this book had a good premise, I found myself questioning the book and its content several times. I think the book was trying very hard to be Get Out, or The Other Black Girl, and ultimately have something profound to say, but it fell short and that ultimately was a massive detriment.

✨Book Review✨
One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon
⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I will start off by saying that I love Nicola Yoon. I see the social commentary she was trying to make with this book, but it was not executed well. The main character’s entire personality was “social justice warrior.” There was so little Black joy in this book and there were so many anti-Black stereotypes.
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Also, why are we not talking about the fact that this book was an almost exact replica of The Other Black Girl? I basically knew what the ending would be because I had read it before.
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I did really enjoy the narrator of the audiobook, and I read this in one day so it was an engaging read, but it is not something I would recommend

Jasmyn and King Williams move their family to the planned Black utopia of Liberty, California and hope to find a place where their family can grow with community. While King seems to settle in right away, Jasmyn struggles with the fact that residents seem much more concerned with personal consumption than they do with solving the world’s problems. Then she uncovers a secret that makes her question everything about the way of life in Liberty.

Yoon's first novel for adults was a miss for this reader. The writing felt overly simplistic and the characterization was thin. While it tries to capitalize on the same social horror that Get Out and The Other Black Girl did so well, the story here never gelled. From the jump, the plot and its twists feel exceedingly obvious, too far-fetched, and the ending doesn't work at all. The mere logistics of a town like Liberty existing were never explained in a way that made the rest of the book or its characters feel real or even the slightest bit plausible. A great premise, though.

I had heard of some hate for this book, so I tried going into it blind and without prejudice, but I quickly understood where the negative reviews stemmed from. (I also had a NetGalley arc and wanted to finish for that purpose as well). While I love reading diverse books to hear about different perspectives, there was absolutely no joy in this book which made it quite insufferable. It started off good, thinking I was going to get a twilight zone/Get Out mash up but the whole of it was nothing at all like either and ended up being quite tragic and bleak. I’m left really disappointed after this one, and won’t be recommending.

I had a lot of uncomfortable feelings about this one. The way the main character judged other black women for not watching police violence, for how they wear their hair, and even for going to the spa. It just feels wrong. Caring for yourself and your psychological well-being is never a bad thing. I enjoy Yoon’s YA books and will probably stick to those from now on.

One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon was a great summer reads with great character development and plot points. Loved it!

This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph on September 14th, 2024. Links provided.

When Jasmyn and King Williams move to Liberty, California - a supposedly ideal Black utopia - they hope to find a community where their family can flourish. While King quickly embraces the town’s luxurious wellness center and the carefree lifestyle, Jasmyn is discouraged by the residents’ focus on their personal gratification rather than social justice. Expecting a place full of activists, she instead finds a community more interested in spa treatments than tackling the world’s problems. As Jasmyn bonds with a few of her neighbors who share her opinions, she uncovers a dark secret about Liberty’s origins. As time goes on, her friends’ personalities seemingly start to change around her, becoming more engrossed in Liberty’s shallow culture. In the end, Jasmyn must come face to face with a truth that could shatter everything she holds dear.

To be completely honest, this is going to be a difficult book for me to review. I am not a Black woman and I want to make sure that my opinions do not come off uninformed or ignorant. As far as the plot goes (family moves to idyllic utopian community meant just for them and yet something is amiss), I was definitely intrigued. I enjoyed the mysteriousness of the book and, even though I suspected the overall twist/ending, I still thought it was interesting. I’m not sure I am the target audience for this book, but then I am also not sure who is. The FMC is insufferable and I really felt uncomfortable most of the time reading this book because of how much I disliked her and how she treated other people in her actions and thoughts (I’m assuming making me uncomfortable was the author’s goal, but I don’t think it was achieved in the desired way). I don’t really think I can say I liked this book overall and I’d be curious to understand the author’s purpose in writing it.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read to an ARC of One of Our Kind in return for my honest review.

I have loved all of Yoon's YA novels, but this was not a good start into her adult novel world. Just wasn't my jam and was cringe in places. DNF.

What have I just read?
I do not have words. There is a lot of pain and grief and unfairness. It has sensitive issues that is actually happening everywhere. I strongly would say, read with caution, and kindness and open minds.
I feel like Nicola Yoon was just as confused as me reading her writing. Even the character Jasmyn is very confused and lost. I could see more potential to this book, maybe get a deeper dive to the pains, struggles and uncertainty of black population and the difference of what they say Black Elite and the poor black communities.
It is a good read over all!

Nicola Yoon's "One of Our Kind" follows Jasmyn and her family as they move to Liberty, an all-Black gated community in California that promises escape from societal racism. As Jasmyn grows suspicious of the residents' unusual behavior, she uncovers a shocking secret about Liberty's true nature. While the premise is intriguing, the execution falls short, with heavy-handed social commentary and a predictable plot. Yoon's attempt to blend psychological thriller with racial themes often feels reductive, focusing heavily on trauma at the expense of a fuller Black experience. It's an ambitious but ultimately unsatisfying exploration of identity and assimilation that lacks the nuance of Yoon's previous YA works.

I've liked Nicola Yoon's books in the past, but this was a miss for me. The premise of a kind of Stepford Wives community is the main focus of the book, the characters are paper thin and uninteresting. The whole concept and the ending were very confusing to me. I don't understand what the author was trying to say. I've read much better horror novels with similar themes.