Oof this was NOT what I was expecting. I am genuinely confused by what the author was trying to do with this story? If I am suppose to feel this way then maybe it’s a four star? 🫠 the writing and storytelling is good, it’s the execution that didn’t work for me.

there were many things that bothered me while reading and the ending?! 😳🫠 the ending just felt icky.

Thank you Knopf for the digital advance readers copy.

This is the first adult novel by Nicola Yoon and it did not disappoint. Jasmyn and King Williams move to the Black Utopia of Liberty community, hoping to find a safe place for their family. Jasmine is a public defender who knows too well what can happen to Black boys who encounter the police and King will always feel the loss of his brother who was killed by the police.

King settles in right away but Jasmyn has trouble connecting with the women in the community who seem more concerned with booking treatments at the Wellness Center than the world's troubles. Jasmyn cannot find anyone to join a community chapter of Black Lives Matter. When Jasmyn discovers the truth about the community, she wonders if it will destroy her.

Why I Like This Book: This book is a commentary about the world that we live in and the dichotomy between those who care about social issues and those who prefer to believe things are not happening. This is a thought-provoking book that will leave you with questions at the end. #gifted

This book floored me. There is so much to unpack. Yoon is a brilliant author and her ability to deconstruct racism and put it on paper is a gift. I recommend reading this book with others, because you are going to want to talk about it. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced digital copy.

*2.75 stars rounded up to 3*

This one centers on a Black family relocating to an all-Black community, where the female main character (FMC) swiftly realizes that something is profoundly amiss. It is meant to be dystopian and mysterious.

As a white woman, I initially felt uncertainty regarding my interpretations. After reading various reviews from Black readers on Goodreads, it seems there is a general consensus: while the book’s intentions were commendable, its execution fell short.

One of the major issues was the FMC. She appeared excessively over-the-top and judgmental toward her own friends and community members. Her characterization seemed to lack depth, as if her entire personality was consumed entirely by social justice themes. This one-dimensional portrayal did not effectively support the message Yoon intended to convey.

The most impactful part of the book, for me, was the epilogue, which was particularly unsettling. While the story’s overarching message was clear, its delivery was unfortunately lacking, leading to a disconnect between intention and execution.

I do not know what I expected out of this story, but it wasn't definitely what I read. This story delved into the complexities of activism and what it means to be Black in America. Jazmin has dedicated her whole career to making a difference in the Black community and is passionate about uplifting young black men and woman. Her husband King was also on the same page as her until they move to Liberty - a community made up of 100% Black population. Everything is not as it seems as no one there seems to care about anything else then spending all of their time at the town's wellness center. Everything is not as it seems in this Utopia. While this story did not leave me feeling the suspense of normal mystery/thrillers, I was still disturbed by the towns people and the way they moved. Everyone of Nicola Yoon's book will leave you with a message and the motivation to do what you can in your own community. Very interesting read and look forward to more adult books by this author in the future.

This book had potential but I don't think it quite lived up to the potential; it honestly just kind of fell flat. I loved the idea behind it and the premise of it but I just don't think that it did what it was set up to do. This was definitely a stepford wives' vibe but overall the plot was predictable. I found the main character to be unlikeable and it just was overall disappointing for me.

This book was one I was shocked at how much I did not like it. I have enjoyed previous books from this author, so I was excited to start this one. From the beginning, something didn’t connect for me. The main character seemed to equate Blackness with trauma and pain. The main character also judged people based off of their appearances in the most stereotypical of ways. It was a book I was so excited for that quickly turned into what am
I reading. I hate that I had such an unpleasant time reading this one.

This book was everything I wanted in a Suburban Horror/Thriller! Creepy, spooky, and laughable at parts!!! One of my top favorite books of the year! This was such a wonderful adult debut of this author and I cant wait to see what is to come!

Thank you to Knopf Books for the review copy!

Personally, I did not enjoy this book and wouldn't recommend it to others as a readers advisory. But I would certainly consider it for the collection especially because this is her first adult fiction novel.

I was unable to finish this book, I stopped reading at 50%. I found the prose to be heavy handed and the characters were very one dimensional. The main characters understanding of their identity was limited to trauma. I did read spoilers regarding the ending of the book in other readers GoodReads reviews and I don't think finishing the book would have changed my impressions of the characters and writing.

Intrigued by the social component to this thriller, I embraced it immediately. Sometimes life is easier if we ignore the difficult parts, although that is not realistic. Liberty is doing more than ignoring reality though and Jasmyn is right in the thick of it by the time she figures it out.

The author does a great job of setting the scene and pulling the reader in. I really enjoyed the characters as well.

Beloved YA author Nicola Yoon makes a compelling splash in the adult thriller space. While this thematic territory has been tread in quite a few novels in the last five years, Yoon offers an emotional depth to her lead character that justifies its place in the thriller canon.

The premise of this book is really interesting & timely. I’ve read all of Yoon’s other books & loved them, so I was excited to read her first book specifically for adults. I was somewhat disappointed, though. The characters seemed flat, and it took too long to get to the twist with not enough follow up. I’m not upset that I read the book, but it was just okay for me.

I ate this up. This is how you tell a story that leaves your audience impacted for the long haul 10/10 rec.

I’ve been seeing reviews of how harmful the anti-blackness is in this book and can’t support that so I won’t be publishing a review for this book. It’s unfortunate as I loved the author’s YA books

I was so excited to receive a copy of this book as I’ve enjoyed Yoon’s previous works, but this one was deeply uncomfortable. I don’t mean the good uncomfortable that educates you and makes you a better human, just uncomfortable. Jasmyn is not a person I would want to know, much less spend this much time with. She’s incredibly judge mental and cruel in her feeling toward other members of her community. Maybe she’s meant to be unlikeable, but I know so little about her character that I’m left lost. Did you know she’s pregnant? Because I think that was only mentioned once.
I had to put this book down halfway through. The victim hood, the rage, the trauma, and the pointlessness of it all. I learned nothing and it wasn’t enough to continue the journey. Two stars bc it’s written well, but the story is not one I’d want to revisit.

Thank you Knopf for the review copy of One of Our Kind; I also had access to the audio from PRH influencer program. (both free copies)
I liked the idea of this story a lot, the plot and themes reminded me in different ways of The Other Black Girl and the movie Get Out and I valued the examination of race, privilege, social class, power and intersections of these themes. For me at times the execution of these themes was a little flat and slow paced but the goals of the story and the ideas are well developed. So strong plot and ideas but a little less then enthusiastic about the sense of "i can't put this down" that I was looking for with this book and how the story was executed, it made it harder to appreciate the powerful themes and social horror motif at the heart of the story

Gratitude to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

"In One of Our Kind," Jasmyn Williams and her family move to an all-Black neighborhood known for community and safety. While Nicola Yoon is typically a favorite, this book missed the mark for me. The protagonist, Jasmyn, primarily defines Black identity through trauma, which can come off as judgmental towards those who don't engage the same way. The narrative, while emphasizing the trauma within the Black community, lacked nuanced exploration beyond this theme. The final twist, though offering potential, failed to delve deep into the broader aspects of Black experiences and joys, leaving thematic gaps. While the book's premise is promising and Yoon's talent is evident, it falls short in fully addressing the complexity of the themes it touches upon.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had very high expectations for this after the blurb said that this is a "thrilling [story] with insightful social commentary", and compared this title to The Stepford Wives, Rosemary's Baby, and Get Out. These comparisons provide a lot to live up to, as they are classics of the speculative fiction genre. Speculative fiction books with social commentary are big right now and I was ready for this to be a standout, especially considering Nicola Yoon's successful YA books that deal with racial prejudice.

First off, I want to clarify that I am a white woman. This book is not written to reflect my experiences and I am not supposed to be able to relate to the Black main character, although I do make an effort to educate myself on racism/antiracism by reading POC authors. So take what you will from my opinion but read other reviews but Black readers, too.

I had yucky feelings about this main character right from the beginning. The MC Jasmyn immediately makes it clear that she has strong opinions on what it means to be an "enlightened" or "authentic" Black person. Yes, these words are literally used in this context in the book-

"Jasmyn studies the woman's hairline. It's funny how much hair can tell you about the kind of person you're dealing with. To Jasmyn's mind, using creamy crack is a sure sign of being an unenlightened Black woman."

"Jasmyn studies Keisha. One of the necessary skills of her job is the ability to spot a liar. This woman doesn't seem like one. With her big Afro, her loud clothes, and her louder laugh, she seems a damn sight more authentic than Catherine Vail did."

At this point I thought that this book was supposed to be satirical and/or Jasmyn is meant to be an unlikable MC. But reading on, it also seemed like the reader is meant to sympathize with Jasmyn, a feeling that didn't support my hypothesis. One minute we see her being a loving wife and mother, and caring about the Black community even more than her own health (another point I take issue with), and the next minute she's judging other Black people for their clothing, hair, and the way that they interact with the Black community; in other words, gatekeeping. Here's a passage that explains what Jasmyn thinks about a woman who feels that watching videos of police brutality are too much for her-

"Of course Jasmyn has met her type before. She's one of *those* Black people, too delicate to face up to the world we live in. The kind that looks away and pretends that if she can't see the world's violence against Black people, it isn't happpening. Jasmyn has never understood, or agreed with, that way of being. She always clicks the headlines. She always watches the videos. Why should she feel safe and comfortable when yet another Black man is dead? No. It isn't OK to look away. She always watches. Bears witness."

The police brutality case going on in the background of this book takes up much of the MC's thoughts and colors the tone of the entire book. If I was reading this book without any context of who Black people are and their culture, I wouldn't have any choice but to assume that Black culture doesn't include anything but trauma, victimhood (and some various types of food) because that is all that Yoon describes in this book. There are no instances of Black joy. Any interaction that Jasmyn has ends up with her talking about racism and police brutality. And to be clear, police brutality and racism are EXTREMELY problematic and relevant issues to Black people in real life, but there is more to Black culture than that, and Yoon doesn't make that clear in this book.

I also have to mention the hypocrisy of the MC and her strange sense of social justice, which eclipses her own sense of self. She's offended by an invitation to the Wellness Center because a spa visit would take away from her time serving the Black community. I reacted strongly to this because this is such a toxic mindset for an activist. Caring for yourself is part of caring for the community. This made Jasmyn was unlikable in a way that didn't make sense in context with the rest of the story.

After all this, I don't understand what we are supposed to feel about the MC, or what message the author is trying to send with this book. Is she saying that Black culture is being whitewashed? And possibly something about not giving up? It's not very clear.

The writing style also feels very surface level and Young Adult. This book makes me think that Yoon should stick to the YA genre.

I have been a fan of Yoon but this book was a disappointment.

One of Our Kind lacked depth. Yoon wrote this book for White readers. If you want to be hit over the head with racial discourse the book could be for you. The book gets a star simply because it was a finished product. I would have put this book down but saw it through to the end because my friend had vented to me about it. I thought 'surely not Yoon!' I was wrong.

One of Our Kind follows the Williams, a Black family, moving into the wealthy Black neighbourhood, Liberty. The wife, Jasmyn, is pro-Black. PRO-BLACK. By the end of the book, the rhetoric is almost Black-Israelite Black. She's so pro-black, she is anti-Black. Jasmyn is searching for like-minded people inside the neighbourhood and finds a small community (which was slowly chipped away at in the book). She has a bad feeling about Liberty which cannot be shaken though her husband, King LOVES it.

Jasmyn and King argue back and forth about their neighbours and living in the neighbourhood. They also argue about how Black or not-Black they are being. Jasmyn believes Black people should only have natural hair, be of darker skin colour, talk about racism and racial trauma constantly, and give unhealthy portions of time to giving back to the community. If you do not fall into (and all) of these categories you're a coon! Hair is the thing Jasmyn comments on the most when she meets someone. She can tell if you're One of Her Kind or not by it. Nicola Yoon has Jasmyn focus on the hardest aspects of the Black experience, it is pounded time and time again into the reader. There is no Black joy or love in this book. It is probably shocking to the White reader, but tiring for a Black one.

Yoon brings in details about the Williams family once for the plot and never mentions them again. I honestly forgot Jasmyn was pregnant because it was NEVER mentioned again. Side characters are not fleshed out. They are only there for the plot. King - THE FREAKIN HUSBAND - is not developed as a character at all.

A Black woman writing this type of novel is sad. What makes it worse is all the people who read this book before publication and let it happen. No one stopped to think critically about the message, the narration, or the characterization. Let me say, White people it is okay to say "Hey this doesn't seem right to me," even when talking about Black characters. At least it will bring some discussion, and one or both conversation parties can be enlightened.

Do not just read my review about it. Other Black women say the same thing.