ARC Review: The Truth According to Ember
Pub Date: August 6, 2024
Thank you to @berkleyromance for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Truth According to Ember by debut author Danica Nava is a romcom following Ember, a Chicksaw woman trying to find her path. She's having trouble finding a job and decides to tell some white lies on her resume and application. And low and behold, she does get an interview! Her white lies continue as she starts succeeding at her job and even finds a potential love interest in the IT guy, Danuwoa.

I loved so much about this book! I thought that the representation of poverty that Ember experiences felt really realistic - she had to drop out of community college to bail her brother out of jail. It's not often that you see a main character in a romance struggle for money in this way and I really appreciated seeing that. I thought the indigenous representation was wonderful to see in a traditionally published book and I truly do think I learned some things.

I liked the relationship between Ember and Danuwoa, even though if it did come a little bit out of nowhere for me. The spice was well done too!

My main issue with this book is totally a *me thing* in that it really stresses me out when characters lie! I spent a good portion of the book just being generally stressed and wondering how it would all work out. I did end up liking the conclusion but I just don't love feeling that way through a lot of the book. There was also some slightly clunky dialogue at times that maybe could have been polished a little more.

All in all, a really strong debut that makes me excited to see what this author will do next!

This is such a great romcom, though it certainly has stakes (and if you get anxious when characters lie/there's miscommunication, buckle up). It's so cool to see an Indigenous couple centered in a trad. published romance, and it's also cool to see a MC who comes from a working-class/non 4-year-college background. The plot is solid and gives great, albeit difficult to read, commentary on white overt and covert racism, while the romance itself is fully swoon-worthy.

This book may be the beginning of rom com books with Indigenous representation and I certainly know it won’t be the end. While this story had me laughing and kicking my feet, it was had strong topics about stereotypes, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, racism, and microaggressions in the workplace. Ember’s character was relatable and endured so many trials both in her family, working, and personal life. I think she is going to be a trailblazer for all the deserving and worthy Indigenous women in romance to come. I think this book is importantly, entertaining, and messy in the best way.

This book had a lot of laugh out loud moments, fueled by Ember's inner dialogue and ever growing lies. I truly enjoyed reading her story and seeing her growth. But the romance with Danuwoa was the best part! He was such a great male love interest. Some of the racism and painting all white men as such, was too heavy handed. Overall, I liked this debut very much!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for access to this arc!

I really enjoyed this debut book by Nava. I thought the situations she described were realistic and based on her own experiences.
However, I was very tense as I read because Ember created a fine kettle of fish she had to climb out of due to her fabrications.
I winced as I saw where Ember’s decisions were taking her and felt helpless because I knew what would happen.
What I particularly admired about Ember was her ability to pick herself up and learn from her mistakes.
As for Danuwoa I would engineer lots of computer problems if he was the IT guy!

When her job search doesn’t go well Ember may have padded her resume with some little lies. Also no one needs to know she’s Native so she checks Caucasian on her application. It works! She starts her new office job with the big paycheque and the hot native IT guy and things are starting to look up! But Ember learns all lies catch up with you eventually…

This is a fun, and steamy rom com! Ember is very endearing but also you will be yelling at the pages for her to make better choices! She is very naive in the corporate world and encounters racism and misogyny.

I really liked the side character of Ember’s best friend and the story line with her brother. This is a great debut and I’m excited for more from Danica Nava!

Thank you very much to Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an advanced reader copy!

The Truth According to Ember is a debut novel that features a Chickasaw woman named Ember. She has dreams of pursuing a career in Accounting, but the job search is proving to be difficult. With no success, she decides to tell a small lie and secures her dream job. This one small white lie transforms into multiple lies, and soon she finds herself trapped in a web of deceit. Adding to her complications is a handsome coworker named Danuwao Colson, who seems to be the perfect man but is off-limits. And thus ensues a forbidden romance with him. I truly enjoyed Ember's goofy voice, and I loved seeing her relationship with her best friend develop. The chemistry between her and Danuwao was electric. I was blushing and giggling reading about their encounters. I could deeply relate to Ember's struggles and empathized with the difficulties she faced. The casual racism and stereotypes that she and Danuwoa encounter in the book are unfortunately all too real. I found it inspiring to read about how Ember grew into herself and learned to confront her truths, no matter how challenging they may be. Danuwao was an incredibly supportive and loving partner to her. My only regret is that I did not get to read the story from his perspective as well. Nevertheless, this book was a lot of fun to read, and I am eagerly looking forward to reading more works by this author!

Ember is such a relatable character. She gets in he er own way a lot and some things start to spiral out of control. I really enjoyed this book can’t wait to read more.

The Truth According to Ember was my first book by Danica Nava, and I loved every second of it. The banter, the relatability, the representation, and the romance all worked for.

Ember was a very relatable character in her sense of wanting to help everyone, get ahead in life, and ultimately put herself in situations that didn't need to happen and that had me laughing and tearing up. She has a fierce love for her family and her culture, but it took going through what she did in this story to really truely understand herself and where she fits in in those two areas.

Danuwoa was dream worthy. He really is up there as a book boyfriend for me. The way that he was unashamed of his heritage was a great juxtaposition to Ember. He challenged her, was patient with her (too a point), and ultimately showed her that being herself was the best version she could be. He also showed her that she didn't have to do it alone.

There was some predicatblity in the story and some areas dragged on a little bit, but overall this was a quick and fun read. This story is the perfect romcom to close out the summer with and I can't wait until other people have the chance to read it.

Ember's journey to understanding herself was enjoyable to read. The use of Oklahoma as a setting was great and helped to frame the larger story.

This is such a good debut! I liked Ember a lot and Danuwoa was the perfect love interest! (I wish we'd gotten to see his POV but I always want to hear from both members of the relationship so that's entirely a me thing 😂) I also want to go home and make Ember's fried bean burritos because those sounded so good!

I really like that the story is somehow lighthearted and romantic while also tackling serious topics with care.

I can’t wait to see what this author does next!

The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava is an entertaining contemporary romance that I truly enjoyed.

I really liked this contemporary romcom from this debut author. What a talent she has!

I loved that this was presented from the MC that is Native American. I honestly am not sure if I have ever read a book that was a romance involving characters that were NA. Ms. Nava is tapping into such an underrepresented population full of history, culture, and beauty.

Mistaken identity, comedy, romance, passion, figuring out how to grow up…all of those concepts are present within this novel.

I look forward to more from this author in the future.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Berkley Publishing Group for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 8/6/24.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book before publication! The review will be live on my blog on 7/25/24. I will also feature the review on Instagram that same day and post my review to Goodreads, The Storygraph, Fable, and retail sites.

Review:

Okay, all you rom-com lovers, I have a book recommendation for you! Get ready to dive into the hilarious, touching, and sometimes steamy world of Ember, a Native American woman so desperate to land her dream career that she pushes her little white lie game a tad too far.

The story follows Ember Lee Cardinal, a Chickasaw woman who really wants a career in accounting. She was taking classes toward an accounting degree, but thanks to her younger brother landing himself in jail, her tuition money went out the window. She's confident that if she could manage to land an entry-level job, she could get plenty of on-the-job experience and a nice salary to help pay for her education. Faced with rejection after rejection, Ember decides to get a little creative with her resumé. She also decides not to select Native American as her race and instead picks Caucasian (not a total lie - her dad was White), and before she knows it, she has landed a dream accounting job - albeit under a false pretense. As Ember tries to navigate her new life as a corporate accountant, she also finds herself falling for Danuwoa Colson, the sexy, charming IT guy who also just happens to be Native American.

The chemistry between Ember and Danuwoa is electric, and their secret office romance adds a juicy layer of drama to the story. But when Ember's lies start to catch up with her, she must choose between keeping up the facade or coming clean, risking everything she has worked so hard for. As the stakes get higher and the tension rises, Ember finds herself unable to dig her way out of a pile of white lies, forcing her to face the consequences of her actions.

Nava's writing is a breath of fresh air, brimming with humor and heart. The author's talent for fashioning characters you can't help but connect with and crafting clever dialogue that will have you chuckling one moment and cringing the next really make the book shine. Ember, with all her flaws, is a protagonist you'll find yourself rooting for, even when she's making questionable choices. The diverse supporting cast - from the charming and sexy Danuwoa to Ember's privileged and racist colleagues, her larger-than-life best friend, and her supportive family - all contribute to the story's depth and authenticity, making it a truly engaging read.

While the tropes are predictable, it was refreshing to see Native American characters take the lead for once. The struggles Ember faces at work and the casual racism thrown at both Ember and Danuowa are sickening but, sadly, all too real in a world built and run by privileged old white men. That said, the struggles Ember and Dan faced made their victories along the way all the more sweet.

Overall, I found this to be a fun and easy read. If you're in the mood for a feel-good rom-com that will make you laugh and swoon in equal measure, then this is the perfect book for you. Danica Nava has crafted a gem of a novel full of characters that will work their way into your heart. If you are a rom-com lover, then trust me when I say you won't want to miss out on this one!

I really did enjoy this rom-com. The main character was believable and well thought out. I do wish we could have gotten the POV of the MMC. I would definitely read more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this funny, sexy, sad and sweet story from Danica Nava. As it is a debut, I'm looking forward to a lot more stories to come from Nava.

Ember is doing all she can to get her foot in the door to a better life. So maybe she tells a few lies on her resume, who hasn't? But when Dan, the hot IT guy in her office, starts to get closer, she starts to wonder if the lying is going to keep her from having the relationship of her dreams. Although Ember may tell a few fibs but it's clear her heart is in the right place. Dan is an open book, so it's no wonder he struggles with her once the funny lies turn more serious. When Ember gets stuck in a bad work situation, she thinks she is doing what she has to. For the record, Kyle is an asshole.

After some hard days at work, I knew I had this book to relax and escape into at night before bed and it made the week better. I laughed. I rooted for the underdog. I had my eyes opened to some Native language and lifestyle. And, I fell for the romance.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I highly anticipated The Truth According to Ember because it’s apparently the first romance from a big publisher written by a Native American author, which is saying a lot, given how Indigenous people were often the source of racist fetishization in books from some of these same publishers a few decades ago. With this in mind, I very much want this book to succeed, and hopefully pave the way for other books by Indigenous authors in the mainstream. However, I also feel like that makes this book’s rather tepid story (on the romance front, anyway) even more of a disappointment.
That said, Ember as a character and her struggles with anti-Indigenous racism were well done. While the lies do get out of hand and some are a tad ridiculous, I can understand her initial motivations when she chooses to check off “White” on job applications, and the struggle to keep all the lies straight is pure chaos. She’s a great example of a well-intentioned protagonist who has her heart in the right place, but doesn’t go about things in the right way.
But given that work is such a large part of her narrative, it really dominates over other elements. The corporate issues were incredibly overbearing, and while some that were relevant to the overall message intrigued me, others bogged down the story and contributed to my general disinterest, prompting me to start skimming.
And unfortunately, this is yet another “romance” that suffers from not fleshing out the love interest. Danuwoa is sweet, and I understand why Ember likes him, but their relationship development is often swept to the side in favor of either Ember’s personal arc or the aforementioned corporate stuff.
While this book let me down, I’m mostly not surprised, as this style of contemporary “romcom” is very hit-or-miss for me (not to mention I’ve been in the most bizarre reading mood lately). I am interested in following Danica Nava to see what she might write next, however, and would still encourage anyone interested in this book because of the Native rep to give it a shot, especially if you enjoy a single POV tradpub “romcom.”

I loved the characters and set up of this book and the issues Nava is exploring within and around the romance. The writing is a little clunky. But this book reminded me of early Kate Clayborn novels -- good bones and talent to be developed. I'll read more.

I loved the representation and concept for this Native romance, while the plot was a little over the top, I think it had good bones.

Ember was a bit of a firecracker, she was driven and took a chance to get a job she wasn’t exactly qualified for. Danuwoa was sweet and charming, okay and maybe a little hot! Their meet-cute and banter was enjoyable, but the forbidden romance theme got tiresome too quickly.

There were a few scenes between Ember and her family that were heartwarming and real. I appreciated their history and various financial and emotional struggles. Similarly, her connection to Danuwoa was instant and they had good chemistry.

What I struggled with were all of Ember’s lies. Little lies, stuff that seemed silly to lie about. Like having severe allergies to cats? I felt that was very irresponsible. She was very naive and gullible at times and it just annoyed me to bits. Do not expect anything but corporate office work for the first 60% of the book. That’s where the subplot and romance pick up, so I understand if that might not work for everyone. The climax of the story was underwhelming, happening without too much fanfare. Overall I liked the idea, the characters, and the very minor low stakes romance, but it might be a little forgettable.

Thanks to Berkley for the giveaway ARC to review.

Soooooo......many thoughts on this:
1. As a visual minority myself, I find it ridiculous that Ember has to lie about being white. She clearly looks white and no one will no she's indigenous unless she proclaims it. So this entire setup felt hokey and tells me this author has no idea what it means to be singled out unfairly as a minority.
2. Danuwoa was just not developed at all. He felt more like a prop - hello, cue in the in the second minority character. If she's all about pretending to be white, why not date a WHITE guy.
3. Danuwoa and Ember had zero chemistry. Unless Ember tells us there is chemistry, there wasn't actually any on the page.
4. Ember's lies were completely unnecessary - so it felt ridiculous that she kept up the false pretense after a while. Like, no one even cared so why did she.
5. The racist points were a little heavy handed and totally unbelievable.
But overall, I was super disappointed that this book did so much pandering to be a racist exposure book and not only did it fail in proving that but it also fell flat as a romance on its own.

The first thing that caught my eye about this book was its cover - I love it! The next thing was the description and the author. I can be bad at reading diverse books, but I love rom-coms and was a perfect way for me to read a more diverse book.

It was a really cute story. I really liked Danuwoa's character, though Ember made me groan with all her lies. Overall, a 4 star book for me and I'm excited to see what this author does next!