I really enjoyed this debut, and I'm thrilled to see a book by a Native author with Native main characters being published by a major romance imprint. Despite all of lying and the messes her lies got her into (I was STRESSED in the second half of this book), Ember was so easy to root for as a protagonist. I love a workplace romance, and this one between Ember and Danuwoa was excellently done. It was tropey in the best way. I also thought all of the side characters, especially Ember's friends and family, were fleshed out and contributed something to the story as opposed to just being there to move the main plot along. All in all, I'm glad this book exists and I definitely think it's worth picking up!

thank you to the publisher for sending a digital review copy my way via Netgalley!

The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava
Release Date: 8/6/24
Format: ebook/audio hybrid
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a cute debut novel by Danica Nava! This book is very lighthearted and has a very comical tone, but still addresses some deeper issues of being an Indigenous and trying to be treated equally or with respect in the US. There are also great themes of the weight of familial responsibility despite being young for both of our main characters which added great depth.

The romance in this novel is adorable and I really loved the MMC Danuwoa especially. His character felt incredibly genuine and real. Our FMC Ember had the best of intentions but her decisions and fibs continued to make me anxious! Despite this, I was constantly rooting for them anyway! There is a little steam in this one but nothing crazy!

If you are looking for a charming and quick read with a good dose of humor, I highly recommend checking this book out! Big thank you to @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

Ember has big dreams of lviing and working in Okalhoma City, she wants to distance herself from her hometown of Ada. She starts stretching the truth and suddenly everything starts going her way. But lying in hard…especically when you meet and work with the most handsome man you have ever seen.

I absolutely loved this indigenous romance…we need more!!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for a copy. This was on my MUST READ list since the day I saw Danica post about it on twiiter

Thank you @BerkleyRomance #Berkley #BerkleyPartner for the free book and to @PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

When Ember keeps getting passed over in her job search, she decides to lie on her application and resume. She denies her native heritage and pretends to more education and experience than she has.

I knew the general set-up of the book would feature Ember lying. It's even clear from the title. However, I was still taken aback by just how frequently she lied and about how many aspects of her life. It didn't bug me as miscommunication because her love interest, Danuwoa, seemed in on many of the lies. He typically could tell she wasn't honest. But I still cringed as the lies continued. Potentially because of all the dishonesty, she seemed younger and less serious than him, making it tough for me to see them as compatible. But they had good chemistry, and the book was steamy.

The book was beautifully written. I was thrilled to read a book with such good native representation. Ember is part of the Chickasaw tribe, and Danuwoa is Cherokee. The book differentiated them clearly from those who pretend to and appropriate native heritage and culture. And the microaggressions were horrifying while also being completely believable.

The audiobook narrator, Siena East, sounded quite young. That might have contributed to my sense that Ember seemed especially young. That sense lessened when I switched from the audio format.

*3.75

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the Free E-Arc!

I am so happy to see that Native Romances are being written, this is so incredibly important and I only hope that this genre continues to grow and flourish .

This book serves as a great romcom with some of our favorite romance tropes, forbidden romance + office romance.

I think this book is not only a great romcom but one that is also not afraid to be real. Ember, the FMC of this novel experiences several micro and macro aggressions in a work office setting. We see Ember struggle in her work at first and trying to find her own voice but as the book continues we see her confidence grow not only in her work but in her own personal life as well.

Danuwoa, the mmc of this book isn't afraid to love loudly. Which I found really endearing, my favorite thing about his character was how he loved Ember regardless of what anyone said. He truly could see her for who she was and her worth which was so special to see.

I did enjoy this book but there were a couple things that didn't really hit the mark for me, mostly revolving around Ember and her lying habit. She would sometimes lie over the tiniest things such as loving cats when in reality she has a cat allergy and not a fan of them at all. Ember even expresses confusion behind lying about the smallest of things which to me didn't really make sense.

I understand that all human are flawed and sometimes we use white lies to hide things about ourselves that we are insecure about. But Ember's lying thru the book was a bit of a anxiety inducing reaction on my end. (This does get cleared up in the end and talked about which is a win of sorts).

regardless of that, I do believe this to be a good book and def one worth reading!

I chose this book solely on the cover and the fact it was about a Native American couple written by a. Active American author. I haven’t read an Indigenous RomCom before (more like fantasy, YA, and literary fiction). This is the author’s debut and it was a decent but not perfect first novel. I adored the Native American representation, language, and the references to micro aggressions as well as blatant racism. I felt the book was trying to do too much at once and could have been more focused. And as someone with extreme anxiety, I had great difficulty with parts of the storyline. I didn’t quite feel the romance between the main characters. That said, I adored the character growth and it was satisfying to get to a happy ending.

This is a cute and fun rom com from from a debut author. Some of the physical humor didn’t appeal to me, but I’m sure other readers will enjoy it..

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

4.5 ⭐️ I loved this so much and I couldn’t put this one down! Did I have major anxiety and some second hand embarrassment any time Ember lied? 100%. But I was on the edge of my seat and had to know what happened next. There was so much humor and little things between Ember and Joanna had me laughing so much and I found myself relating to their antics a lot.

Anyways, the chemistry and teasing between Ember and Danuwoa was EVERYTHING. I’d click on scam emails if it meant he would be the one to fix my computer 🥴 I love a good forbidden workplace romance and couldn’t stop giggling over them.

This is full of banter and tension, but also focuses on societal issues in the work field and every day life for the indigenous community. I am so excited for this one to come out in August and can’t wait for more people to pick this one up! Such a beautiful, tender and witty debut from Danica Nava and I highly recommend this one!! Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book.... THIS BOOK! I loved it from the start! This is the first romance I've read with an Indigenous main character and it was worth the wait. The banter and language was relatable and enjoyable for the entire book. Danica Nava made Ember modern but relatable to readers that are Indigenous or not. Ember is super interesting from the start with her feelings of "not being successful" and needing to create big change in a world that doesn't really make it easy. By adding some white lies to her resume, Ember quickly lands herself in a coveted role at her new job. Add in the forbidden co-worker romance and this book had me sold. The tension between Ember and Danuwoa is beautifully written- you will not be disappointed! I'd like to say that this book reads like a rom-com. LOTS of romance and comedy. It's also a very fast read because of how enjoyable it is. There are some cringey parts, but that's mostly secondhand embarrassment. In the end I found myself laughing (and blushing) more than I have in awhile. I really hope this turns into a series or that Danica Nava writes more books because we need more of this representation in romance literature and she has done a fantastic job! #NetGalley #NetGalleyARC #ARC #IndigenousAuthors #IndigenousRomance

Workplace romance/friends-to-lovers story of an Indigenous woman working her first corporate job at a tech startup with a very, very attractive IT co-worker. When the lies she told to get her role start to pile up, though, the truth becomes harder and harder to escape. While the lies were a central part of the character and plot arc, the repeated unnecessary small lies did start to grate after a while. Interesting peek at corporate culture for a twenty-something new hire and wonderful to see an Indigenous romance character written by an Indigenous writer!

Thank you to Berkley, for the free copy for review.

From the very first page, I was completely hooked. Ember is such a captivating character - hilarious and with a good heart, despite her consistent tendency to lie. I found myself invested in the progression of her lies, watching them evolve from harmless white lies into something much more complex and difficult to come back from. It had me pondering the nuances of dishonesty, the conundrum of when it might be "okay" to bend the truth.

The office romance between Ember and Danuwoa was another highlight for me. There's a palpable chemistry between them, although I have to admit that some of their dialogue did come across as a bit corny at times.

At its core, this book tackles some really heavy themes - family, racism, societal stereotypes, both in the workplace and beyond. Yet it manages to balance those weightier elements with a healthy dose of humor and a genuinely heartfelt love story. It's a delicate balance that the author pulls off remarkably well.

Overall, I found this to be a captivating, multi-layered read that kept me engaged from start to finish. Ember is such a vividly drawn protagonist, and watching her navigate the complexities of her relationships and personal struggles was truly immersive. I'd recommend this book to anyone who appreciates character-driven narratives that aren't afraid to tackle tough subject matter with both humor and heart.

I have read several books lately by Indigenous authors and focused on Indigenous characters that were all about murder, addiction, and terror. I love that this is a romcom and shows more of a realistic, normal side of life (although it also shows the reality of the hardships the characters have experienced.)

For personal reasons, I hated the corporate setting. I’ve spent too much of my life in that kind of setting, and though I have been blessed to never be in as nasty a situation as Ember found herself, it was still a little triggering (can we add corporate narcissism to the standard list of content warnings)?

Danuwoa was an awesome book boyfriend and I loved their relationship. Ember could be a little frustrating with her bad choices, but she was also young (25). I would recommend this fun and spicy romcom!

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Truth According to Ember is the slow burn forbidden workplace romance of my dreams. It centers on Ember, a Chickasaw woman whose little white lies are adding up by the minute and her totally off limits coworker, Danuwoa. Importantly, this is a Native American romance, which is something that we shamefully do not see in mainstream media. I want more!

I loved this so much!! The writing is clever and captivating. The story is laugh out loud funny but it is also very heartfelt. The chemistry and banter between Ember and Danuwoa is so well done. I also loved the dynamic between Ember and her best friend and roommate, Joanna. And Walela!! I cannot forget Danuwoa’s younger sister, Walela!

On top of being a swoony romance and a story about self-growth, this book has a lot of important things to say. The story starts with Ember not getting any interviews until she identifies herself as white on her application and throughout Ember and Danuwoa (who everyone at work calls Dan because they cannot be bothered to learn how to pronounce his name) have to regularly deal with microaggressions at their corporate job. You can feel pieces of Danica’s own, very true story throughout this work of fiction, which she briefly shares in her author’s note. A really powerful read in the context of a beautiful love story. One of my favorites of the year!

I don’t know what Danica has planned next (I will buy it, whatever it is) but I am hopeful we get more of these characters with a Joanna and/or Sage (Ember’s brother) book(s)!

Thank you to Berkley & NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really horrified to learn that this is apparently the first Native American romance that was picked up by a big publisher? If so, shame on the whole institution, because this was really sweet and funny. I will say that I personally got a lot of secondhand anxiety reading about Ember.

The whole premise of the story is that she tells a lie to get her somewhere, and then has to keep lying and it all snowballs. It all gets progressively worse to the point where I got genuinely upset at every single choice she made. But, many a 90's rom-com's meat was this premise, and I guess if this is your jam, you will laugh it off rather than have to walk off in a huff in 97% humidity just to get away from the book like I did.

You see where the story is going, there is a third-act break-up, family drama, a moment of questionable work messaging on Teams (minor spoiler, the romantic interest changes his name to 'Native Daddy' on HIS WORK TEAMS and I SCREAMED out loud ''WHERE IS YOUR HR DEPARTMENT, SIR?") there is representation of the inanity of corporate America, a chunk on imposter syndrome, and plenty of idiotic white men executives. Though I was hoping for a bit of a redemption arc, it's more of a forced slide when Ember finds herself. She has little choice in the matter, since all her lies have come home to roost, and we're back where we started on page 1.

It's a typical rom-com with nothing surprising...But I will say I loved the representation in this, and while the characters weren't my favorite (the poor romantic interest deserves so much better), I loved seeing the family dynamics and the world through Ember's (lying) eyes.

The Truth According to Ember begins in an extremely relatable way as Ember Cardinal is looking for a job. She desperately wants to be an accountant but without a degree and being Native American, no one seems to pay attention to her. On a whim, she decides to throw caution to the wind and apply for a job but identity as white since her father is white.

Ember ends up getting a call from a company about doing an interview. While on the way to the interview, she runs into an incredibly handsome man but then a baby spits up on her. Come to find out that the handsome man is Danuwoa who is the company’s IT guy. It’s clear from the start that Ember and Dan have a connection.

Ember ends up getting hired and quickly gets promoted but it leads to more and more lies. In the meantime, she’s getting closer to Dan. As he starts to get closer to her, Ember continues to lie and things eventually do blow up in her face. While Danica Nava does take us on a ride for a majority of this book, the last 25% really blew me away as she went for it and I feel like most debut authors wouldn’t have done that.

Aside from loving the relationship between Ember and Dan, I adored Ember and Dan’s familial relationships. Dan was incredibly close to his sister and seeing them interact was so fun. On the flip side, Ember was dealing with a strained relationship with her brother and honestly, it was refreshing to see. Ember also had a best friend named Joanna who was more like a sister to her and I just loved seeing their friendship on the page.

The Truth According to Ember was such a fun debut with an incredible romance, loads of great character moments and frankly, has one of my favorite covers of the year. Let the cover convince you to buy and from there, you’ll be in for an even bigger treat.

Quick synopsis:
Ember feels tired. Tired of getting turned down for jobs and tired of bailing out her brother, her dishonesty snowballs when she lies on an application for an accountant position and gets the job.

Overall thoughts:
I loved The Truth According to Ember. As the title hints, Ember constantly stretches the truth. I wasn’t sure going into this book that I’d love the story for that reason. I’m not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope, so I worried it might consume the plot. The miscommunication trope is there, but it worked for me. I think Danica Nava’s characterizations made that aspect of the story less of an issue. Ember’s dishonesty is maddening, but her personality is genuine. Danuwoa comes across as a gentle giant who sees through Ember’s facade. Ember and Danuwoa’s backstories captivated me and had me flipping pages rooting for their romance. I couldn’t believe this was a debut. I will be searching for more from Danica Nava.

Recommended to readers who love:
📚 Chickasaw and Cherokee representation & own voices romance
📚 forbidden romance
📚 Katherine Center, Abby Jimenez, Sophie Cousens

Rating: 4.0

Disclosure:
Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley
for the Digital Review Copy of The Truth According to Ember. All opinions are my own.

Reviews will be posted on IG, Blog and X on pub day.

This was a lot of fun! I was afraid Ember's lies would stress me out - and they did! - but it's because she's such a relatable and easy to like heroine that I was rooting for her the whole time. Danuwoa is also an A+ romance hero, and I loved that this story had authentic Native rep. Looking forward to more books from Nava.

“Learning life’s lessons.”

Desperation makes people do stupid things, especially when you’re young. In this book when life seems completely against her, Ember fights back and lies her way into an executive position at a tech startup. Only the truth eventually finds a way into the light and the real heart of the story is when she finds out what truly matters to her in this solid debut outing.

I enjoyed this fun romance that included some of the issues of just existing as a native american in a start up space. This was closer to 4.5 for me, I wish it had been a little bit shorter but other than that I really enjoyed it and cant wait to read more from this author.

I don't usually go for books that hinge on a main character lying - too much anxiety for my poor nerves! But the charm, warmth, and specificity of this story and these characters won me over. They're complicated, messy, prickly, and real. And the steam is top notch! The book perfectly balances the seriousness of the racism, classism, and microaggressions that Ember and Danuwao encounter with the giddy, electrifying romance blooming between them. Highly recommend!