*OwnVoices
*Native American leads
*romcom
*little white lies lead to bigger lies
*workplace romance
*third act breakup

I have a no-lying policy that works well for me in my own life. I also had no trouble understanding why Ember chose to lie in the first place. Nor did I fault her for it. Reading all of it did stress me out though (it’s a veritable mountain of lies). Miscommunication and lies are typically not tropes I enjoy, but the synopsis lured me in.

The characters read very realistically - they’re flawed and fleshed out.

I adored Ember and was rooting for her through the entire story. She’s relatable (even in spite of all the lying) and her character growth in this was terrific.

An terrific debut from Ms Nava - recommended!



Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the DRC

Read if you like books with:
🤥 Cascading Lies
🦅 Native American Rep
🧮 Workplace Romances
👨🏻‍🦳 Racist White Guys
🎭 Workplace Drama

This debut gives lol moments, romance, workplace drama, racist white guys, and so much more all stemming from our FMC telling lie after lie as she is frustrated by her lack of career opportunities and ability to gain skills and advance her life.

I really loved how the authors note tied in the plot and how much of this story was based upon her life experiences and struggles with gaining a good job, and how the ethnicity question on job applications has negatively impacted her through Ember’s story.

For a romance, I really wanted more depth in the story from this aspect, but there was so much else going on into the story, that I can see why the romance took a backseat at different points during the story, as it was much more about Ember’s journey and felt more like a coming of age with a romance side plot.

Thank you to Berkley and PRHA for my gifted ARC and ALC in exchange for my review!

I love the Native representation and this gorgeous cover! This was the first romcom I've read with two Native main characters and I hope this is just the start. My main gripe about this book is unfortunately with Ember. Ember lies about, well, everything. I fear I am too anxious for Ember and her nonstop lies. I was constantly having to take breaks or cringing from secondhand embarrassment. I love the supporting characters but Ember was not a fun time for me. If you are looking for an office romance with lots of shenanigans and villains, this may be the book for you!

Many thanks to Netgalley & Berkley for the ARC.

The synopsis of this book really drew me in. A workplace romance about two Native characters? Sounds great! Ember Lee Cardinal really wants a better job and to be able to start her career as an accountant. The only trouble is she wasn’t able to finish college after she had to use her tuition money to help out her family. So maybe she tells a few lies on her resume and in an interview to get her foot in the door. Working at Technix she meets Danuwoa, he’s gorgeous, funny, and kind. Too bad the company has a no dating policy.

I thought this book really excelled when it was focused on Ember’s journey at her new job and exploring her background and relationships with different family members. But because so much time was spent developing those parts of the book, I felt like the romance was a little bit lackluster. Ember and Danuwoa did have some cute and steamy moments, but I never felt like I was fully invested in their romance. Also, because of some of the ways that the plot progresses I didn’t feel totally sold on them having a happily ever after at the end of the book. It seemed more like a starting point rather than being at a completely secure point.

I did still mostly enjoy the book and I would recommend it to others. I think if you go in knowing that the romance isn’t the largest focus of the book, then you’ll probably have a good time with it. Ember and Danuwoa’s experiences with racism and microaggressions in the workplace, exploring their cultures, and seeing the ways that Ember learns to accept help in the end were all great aspects of the book.

Ember, a Chickasaw woman, tells a few white lies to land an entry level job and ends up meeting a very handsome IT guy at the office. Their chemistry is off the charts! 😍💻

This novel is funny and light but also addresses the realities of racism the author faced in her life and career. The romance was absolutely adorable, and though Ember's lying stressed me out a bit, I still thoroughly enjoyed this Own Voices romance! 📖✨

Whenever I see a Native author with a mainstream published book, I go out of my way to read it. The fact that this time it's a Rom Com?! My favorite genre?! Score. I'm so lucky that I could read an early copy of Nava's debut novel. The book was funny, hit all the romance beats nicely, and even though it was a tad predictable, was a very enjoyable read.

Ember wants to be an accountant and to bring herself out of poverty, so she tells a few lies to get a well-paying job. At her new job, she meets sexy IT Guy Danuwoa. The two instantly hit it off, but Ember can't seem to stop telling little white lies. As their romance blooms, and she advances at her job, Ember has to juggle the lies she told with the truth she wants to live.

The romance in this book was top-notch. You could feel the chemistry between Danuwoa and Ember immediately. Rooting for them was easy. The tension at Ember's work as she navigated the lies she told in order to get the job was uncomfortable, and I think it was meant that way. The side characters were great, and I actually wish we got to see a few of them more than we did. I would have liked more interactions between Joanna and Ember and even between Sage and Ember. Native culture was prominent and Nava really could give social commentary almost subtly. I loved the way she wove in the racism and misogyny into the storyline.

The book has a lot of miscommunication between Danuwoa and Ember, which is my least favorite romance trope, which is the reason my rating was brought down a little. Plus, I was able to call out some of the book's end game fairly early on. But really, if you don't mind the miscommunication trope, this book was nearly perfect. This was a spectacular debut novel. I look forward to reading more from Nava in the future.

This debut rom-com was a fun read. I liked the characters a lot, even if Ember stressed me out with all of her lies. The writing was good and while it was easy to predict what would happen, isn’t that how it is supposed to be with rom-coms? Ember is a young indigenous person tired of not ever getting job interviews so she decided to check the “white” box and embellish some of her experience a little bit. On the next application she submits it seems to work, she gets an interview and a job offer. She also meets a very cute man, Danuwoa, and while the interest is clearly mutual the company has a no dating policy. Soon Ember lies catch up to her and she doesn’t know how to keep it all straight. This was a fun read and I will definitely keep an eye out for more by this author. I liked the writing and definitely enjoyed a more diverse cast of characters.

The bones of the story here were a lot of fun — a flawed, impulsive main character, a handsome, competent love interest, and romantic tension tripled amidst the backdrop of a forbidden office romance — but I struggled a bit with the nature of the plot over the course of the story.

Where this book truly shines is in its writing (fun, fresh, and zingy!), in the love interest (Danuwoa is handsome and kind and endlessly patient with Ember's many transgressions), in the dynamic cast of side characters (Walela is an angel and I hope she gets her own book!), and most significantly in the context of the story itself, bringing with it some much needed Native American representation in the traditionally-published romance space.

Where I struggled is in the mess of it all, as Ember — our main character — lies endlessly, impulsively, and with little regard for future consequence over the course of the story. And while there’s a lot of value added from those lies in the beginning — lying as a way to level the inequitable professional playing field — those lies multiply in both volume and egregiousness over the course of the book, making it a deeply stressful read from start to finish.

Though a realistic portrayal of a reckless, imperfect, chronically-bad-decision-making main character was refreshing, it was difficult to push through as that impulsivity snowballed into elevated-heart-rate stress levels.

This might be a good pick for you if you're on the hunt for a fun, fast read that'll keep you hooked, anxious, and invested, and if you're able to fully appreciate the complicated, delicate architecture of a house of cards that could come crashing down at any moment.

At first, I really liked our main character Ember. She is doing all she can to get ahead but cannot. Ember decides to lie on a job application about her ethnicity and low and behold she gets an interview! Honestly, this lie I didn't have any problems with this, once she got the job she was able to "fake it till you make it" learning as she went, and actually did a good job. The other lies, of which there were many, served no purpose. So that made it hard at times to root for her and her relationship with Danuwoa and his sister whom I loved.
While Ember did make it hard to like her at times, I did enjoy watching her growth and realizing she is good enough with who she is, and it's okay to ask for help.

After nearly 40 job rejections, Ember Lee Cardinal decides to get a little “creative” by listing her qualifications and answering the ethnicity question on applications with a lie—a half-lie, technically. Since no one wants to hire Native American Ember, she goes with white Ember and lands her dream accounting job.

Her new job brings the financial security she’s been looking for and a forbidden workplace romance. Unfortunately, the lies keep coming and growing. Ember eventually gets blackmailed by a colleague and has to decide on trying to continue to lie or finally tell the truth.

“I was not always a liar. I mean, sure, white lies were inevitable.” These are the book's first lines, and they absolutely did not prepare me for the lies ahead. Ember is the type of character you will root for, but also want to shake a bit. As a reader, you may actually groan out loud because of the tales she’s spinning. I even felt myself getting a little anxious. Ember makes a lot of mistakes (I’m talking huge and they snowball), but her character does show growth.

I loved this book. The representation is amazing. I, like others, have seen people in the book community complain about not being able to relate to diverse characters (get over it, please). While Ember’s heritage is integral to the character and how the world perceives her - there is a takeaway for everyone. The microaggressions and truly blatant racism are things folks navigate daily. Even if this isn’t your experience, you should understand and empathize.

Now, let’s talk about the romance. Ember’s relationship with Danuwoa Colson, the hot IT guy, and fellow Native at her job, is a slow burn, but it’s so charming. However, when it burns, it’s HOT! I wish the book told us more about him, but I enjoyed their banter and every page he appeared on.

I would love to see an on-screen adaptation. Overall, this was a fabulous debut for Danica Nava and I can’t wait to support her next project.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced copy. The Truth According to Ember will be published on August 6, 2024.

I was very excited to dig into this romcom from Danica Nava - I don’t think I’ve ever seen a traditionally published contemporary romcom from a Native author with two Native main characters. Ember is our main character, she’s working at a bowling alley cleaning toilets and serving nachos, desperate to get a job as an accountant but no one wants to hire her.

She makes a few creative adjustments to her resume, which leads to a new career based on a bunch of lies. She starts at her new office and runs into Danuwoa, the IT guy who she’s immediately attracted to but the office has a no-dating policy so the two start off as just friends which turns into more, though she has to keep lying to him to uphold her original lies.

I love that we get a book about Native joy. I enjoyed the exploration of microaggressions Native people face in a mostly white workforce, though not pleasant to read, it is so important.

I’m not always a fan of books where the central plot is based on lies, and there were certainly times where I just wished Ember would be honest. So many of her lies were pointless, but I did understand the desperation that led to the first lie and how it can easily snowball from there. I spent most of the time worrying about when the other shoe would drop and all her lies would be found out (because they always are!)

Overall though it was a cute romcom from a fresh new voice and I love that I got to read a different perspective than I ever have before!

A standout debut featuring a light-skinned Indigenous woman trying to break into the corporate accounting world who lies about her ethnicity in order to get a job. While this was a bit over the top in terms of drama (lots of lies), overall it was an utterly relatable, relavant and swoony workplace romance and I can't wait to read more from this talented new author!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!!

The Truth According to Ember is an impressive debut. It's a workplace romance with amazing Native American representation.

Ember takes extreme measures to secure a job, namely falsifying information on her resume. The lies continue and spiral put of control. It's like a train wreck, I'm grimacing but couldn't look away.

There are many LOL moments and a couple sexy scenes that are 🔥

4.5 stars. This was great, it lives up to the amazing cover art. A fun rom-com with a lot of heart, a lot of funny moments, and a really sweet romance, plus social commentary about struggling against white supremacy and racism as an Indigenous, Chickasaw, woman in Oklahoma and in the corporate world. This was a really fun read that I couldn't put down, I smiled and laughed a lot. I love Danuwoa and Ember and I loved their connection and growth. And I loved all the side characters, everyone had their own story that made them feel real too. I would have loved more Danuwoa, but it was single POV, he was just such a great character I wanted to know even more. There were a few uneven moments with the flow of the story and few moments I really had to suspend my disbelief- mostly inconsequential to my overall enjoyment of the novel and knowing it was a debut. I really look forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to Net Galley and Berkley for the advanced reader e-copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

This book started out fairly strong, but to me, it dragged somewhere around the middle and I had a hard time staying engaged. Ember's lying had gotten her into a lot of really sticky situations and honestly just really made me nervous and made her somewhat unlikeable as a character. A lot of the situations where she lied, it didn't make sense. Telling the truth would have had no effect, but lying destroys any relationship, especially if you can't keep your lies straight.

It's a fun book, and people will definitely enjoy it. I really appreciated the indigenous representation in this book, with Nava drawing on her own experiences.

This was a delightful romcom, full of heart, anxiety inducing lies and laughs. I found Ember frustrating at times, in much the same way I’ve found myself frustrated by cinematic romcom heroines.

Ember doesn't consider herself a liar. However, she decides to stretch the truth a little to land her dream job, and it works! She becomes an assistant accountant at a startup, and bonus: the really hot guy she met on the first day seems to share her feelings. Unfortunately, their workplace has a strict no-dating policy, but Danuwoa and Ember decide to start seeing each other in secret anyway. When a co-worker catches them, Ember has to decide if she wants to come clean about ALL of her untruths, potentially risking her job and her relationship.

I got a LOT of secondhand embarrassment from Ember - watching her lies snowball was agonizing, which points to what a good writer Danica Nava is. The vibes of this book were immaculate, despite my personal constant cringing because of Ember's behavior - Danuwoa and Ember's interactions were adorable and fun to read, and the messy family subplot was intriguing. I'm excited to see more from Danica Nava in the future. My library has already purchased two copies of The Truth According to Ember.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit I LOVED this romcom!

THE TRUTH ACCORDING TO EMBER is simultaneously complex, honest, and super sexy. The messy family drama, imperfect (and sometimes embellished) resume, and the desperation of being in a situation where twenty dollars could make or break you was completely relatable. Ember's little lies snowball out of control even as everything she's ever wanted starts to click into place - but eventuall, her lies catch up to her.

The two indigenous main characters navigate microaggressions to blatant racism, shoulder tough responsibilities, and manage other familiar complications to carve out a sweet spot for each other, despite their inter-office romance relationship being completely off-limits. With compelling, realistic characters and the relatable challenges they need to overcome (not to mention the sweet, smart, sexy love interest) THE TRUTH ACCORDING TO EMBER is a fun, fresh read!

I loved the premise of this book so much and was so excitedly to dive into it! This book did not disappoint at all!

Their love story was a cute romcom that you can't help but fall in love with them as I read. It was so much fun and I loved diving into a genre that featured Indigenous characters in it! Danica did a great job at giving a sneak peak into their love story and making us feel for the characters throughout it. I loved getting to see Ember's growth in this book and how she grows as a person.

I cannot wait to see what Danica writes next!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and PRH Audio for the advance copies.

Ember doesn’t mean to be a liar, but her little white lies accidentally get a bit out of hand. She needs money and when her application keeps getting rejected, she decides to enhance her resume a bit and list that she is white instead of Native American. She quickly secures her dream job and finds herself moving up in the company faster than she could have ever imagined. What is even more surprising is the very attractive Native American in IT that she is instantly attracted to. They start to spend time together, but between her web of white lies, the company’s no dating policy, and the fact that she is being blackmailed by a coworker, things get very complicated very quickly.
Wow. What an incredible debut. This book needs to be at the top of every romance reader’s list. I loved Ember, and while she was a bit of a hot mess at times, her quirkiness was endearing and her heart was in the right place. The situations her lies got her into had me laughing at times. Her chemistry with Danuwoa was palpable. And the Native American history and culture woven throughout was beautiful. There was also a common theme of the racism Native Americans often face that added a lot of depth to the story and is such an important perspective to see. I can’t wait to read more from Danica Nava.

I listened to the audiobook for the majority of my reading experience and I really appreciated being able to hear the correct pronunciation of Chickasaw rods. Siena East was a phenomenal narrator and really brought Ember to life.