The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava is a story based on a lie, well many lies, all snowballing out of Ember’s mouth and into existence. Ember is a Chickasaw woman who has struggled to work her way out of a dead-end job and build a better life for herself and with the check of a box, Caucasian, all of the rejections past that sting her are left behind because she is finally offered an interview at a corporate office where she meets Danuwoa, who is also Indigenous and extremely hot, and happens to work for the company she is interviewing at. Once she gets the job she continues to tell little white lies to cover up other lies and hide part of herself, all while sparks fly between her and Danuwoa. As the lies unwind and truths revealed will Ember save a relationship with Danuwoa and have the life she dreamed of? You will just have to find out. (Note this review does have some spoilers!)

I really enjoyed this book, a true rom-com that had me laughing out loud all while feeling emotionally drawn to Ember and her journey. I am so glad that Danica’s book exists because it is the first indigenous romance to be published by a major publishing house. I hope her work is only the beginning of it, opening the door for more Indigenous stories to be told, ones of love, family, and happily ever afters. I loved Ember’s journey in this story and her lies made sense as she was trying to just piece together a life she wanted the only way she knew how. Her struggle as an Indigenous woman is front and center of this story, as she deals with racism in the job hunt and workplace and has to face it end on, issues that are still so prevalent today. Nava did such a great job balancing the harsh reality of Ember’s world with funny moments, with witty banter, with sexy situations, all of these pieces came together to craft a great rom-com, a story dealing in hardships but also abundant in laughter, in joy. And, Danuwoa is so hot, so caring, so understanding of her and her journey, I find that their relationship is perfect.

I also really loved the story outside the romance, Ember’s family and friends play a huge role in this book all of which really struck me -  her family dynamics, and her relationship with her brother, these are things that hit home for me. I feel like these struggles are universal despite feeling so isolating, we have relationships within our families that are strained, and can only hope they work out like Sage and Ember’s do. I appreciated how real it was, that dynamic, how Danica portrayed a family strained, it felt real, it felt relatable. 

All of this to say I also loved the message at the end of the story, asking for help when you need it doesn’t make you lesser than, it only lifts that pressure off you, I know a lot of us can relate to that feeling when the world is pushing down on your shoulders and it feels like no one else is there to shoulder that burden. In this story, I love how Ember found help within her Chickasaw community, which is what she was running away from initially with the check of a box. That full-circle feeling really warmed my heart. 

We all deserve stories to be told, stories of all kinds, from tragic to romantic, sad to joyful. I loved how Danica weaved Ember's struggles with hysterical threads, often laughing at the various situations and banter, especially between Ember and Danuwoa, laced with the realties of her situation and her struggles at home. 

I’m so glad this story exists, this happily ever after tale in all senses of the word, liar liar heart on fire but once come clean all that’s left is the love they have and the relationships that have been built and mended.

Scarf Rating: 🧣🧣🧣🧣🧣 (5/5)

Taylor Swift songs I associate with this book: I Can See You, Sparks Fly, Afterglow, False God, Everything Has Changed, betty, gold rush, Labyrinth, The Man

Thank you Berkley and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the book that really appealed to me, and I will admit that I was interested in the fact that there is diversity in this romance. Seeing a main character of an indigenous background, navigating the world and how they sometimes need to suppress who they are was both, interesting and heartbreaking at times. I did love the romance between the characters and I thought the banter was excellent. I thought it was a thoughtful fully written book that is highly entertaining at the same time.

This story had such unique promise - a Native American love story!!!! - but it kind of fell flat for me. All of Ember's lying gave me so much anxiety that I had to put this book down for a month and come back to it. I would read more from this author, though!!

-Debut Rom Com novel
-Indigenous representation
-Strong love interest

Ember Lee Cardinal is struggling landing a job. All she wants is to find a stable accountant job, but her ethnicity has often become a barrier in her landing the dream job. Frustrated Ember decides to omit her Chickasaw half and checks the white box on the next application and bam job is landed. Not only is her career started but a love interest may be next up for Ember. Does Ember pursue a relationship with her fellow coworker or does the no dating policy hinder her? Will the little white lies she tells along the way to keep everything under wraps slowly start to come to light? If she comes clean, she just may lose everything.

I enjoyed this fun and sassy rom com. I loved the Native American representation and hope to see more diverse rom com novels, in addition other genres come out in the near future. One thing that frustrated me was the lies that Ember kept telling, at one point it felt like every time she opened her mouth a lie came out, I guess maybe because you just know it all will come out at some point. The love interest is a breath of fresh air and I loved his character. I would have liked to have more of his story, maybe even his point of view sprinkled throughout the novel. Overall, a great debut. Highly recommend for those that like workplace romance, sweet characters and diverse reading.

I read and reviewed honestly an arc provided to me by the publisher and netgalley.

3.5 stars.

I liked "The Truth According to Ember" by Danica Nava, but sadly, I didn't LOVE love it like I hoped I would. That doesn't mean it's bad, though! We NEED more Native stories, especially in the romance genre! I am so happy this book exists! I will say, this book is laugh-out-loud funny. Nava clearly has a vibrant sense of humor and utilizes it to the max here. I laughed throughout this story! Besides its humor, this book's biggest strength is its exploration of racism, microaggressions, outward aggressions, and how Indigenous Americans are still treated as less than by some people in society and corporate America. It feels like all characters in books lie at least once or twice, little white lies, you know? But Ember... Ember lies about literally *everything* going on in her life or anything having to do with her, even tangentially. Some people will enjoy reading about a character who can't tell the truth to save her life, watching how little white lies snowball and become her entire personality, but I felt pretty stressed the entire time I read this book. I will admit, it was frequently fun to see how Ember would dig herself out of the next hole she dug herself in, but fun in a "wow, I am glad that's not me!" kind of way, which is still nerve-wracking. Ember's first lies are completely justified. Everyone lies on their resume, everyone beefs up their qualifications, and since she was not getting any snags on her resume and needed a job to better her situation, can anyone blame her for exploiting racists and clicking "white" on her job applications? Despite her mounting lies, Ember is a good person who just wants people to look at her differently. She is fiercely loyal, fastidious in her beliefs, funny, sassy, smart. The romance between Ember and the equally sweet, kind and cute Danuwoa is a slow, slow, sloooooow burning office romance I enjoyed exploring. There is a good balance of steamy, sweet, and important here. Great debut by Danica Nava!

Thank you to NetGalley, Danica Nava, and Berkley Publishing Group for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Thank you to Berkley for the ARC

3.5 stars

Oh man. I REALLY wanted to like this book more. It has all the makings of a really good romcom (and yes, it's actually funny!!!), but there were a few too many things that I didn't like about it and that kind of made the whole experience a little...bleh for me.

First off, the writing/editing throughout is a little clunky. I know this is an ARC, but I also know that most of the major editing has been done at this point. There were a few too many places where there were odd word choices and some phrases that just weren't even correct, and it was distracting.

Second, the sheer number of times Ember's orthopedic flats are mentioned 💀 You'd think they sponsored the book or something. I get it, they're probably comfortable, but I think we were nearing double digit mentions by the time I stopped counting.

Third, the constant lying! I get why, at the beginning, Ember lies about a few things: getting a job as an Indigenous person means the cards are stacked against her, so honestly good for her for gaming the system and using it to her advantage. But then as the story progressed she just. Kept lying?? And so many times I couldn't even see a reason for her to need to lie. Especially when it involved Danuwoa. At so many times over the course of the book he had already shown that he wasn't the kind of guy who cared about material things or honestly ANY of the things that Ember chose to lie about, and yet he was the person she lied to the most. It honestly got out of control and took a lot of the enjoyment away from reading the book for me. There were enough other conflicts happening (secret dating, asshole coworkers, learning a new job) that Ember's constant lying just seemed like an unnecessary addition to all of that.

I don't want this review to be completely negative, though, so I will mention the things I liked: the chemistry and relationship between Ember and Danuwoa was really good. It was palpable, and even though it was very love at first sight, it was believable and not weird (to me). The "forbidden romance" aspect of it was also fun since, as coworkers, they were not allowed to be together (although that rule was never fully explained and seemed a little flimsy).

I also really liked Ember's relationship with her bff/roommate Joanna. They had a really fun dynamic together, and were definitely written like they'd been best friends for a long time. Ember's relationship with her auntie was also very sweet, and I also liked the dynamics between Ember and Sage, even though they had a rough relationship.

Also Danuwoa's relationship with his little sister was super sweet, and I wish she had been in the book a little more often.

To summarize all of that, the characters were all really well developed and I liked their dynamics with each other and with Ember. They felt like fully realized people and all had their own personalities outside of being supporting characters in Ember's story.

Overall, I'm disappointed I didn't like this more since it's, as far as I know, the only romance book by a Native author that's published by a major publisher. I wouldn't expect it to be perfect, especially coming from a first-time author, but there were just too many negatives for me to fully enjoy the book. I do look forward to whatever the author writes next and I hope she has a successful career, because the potential is definitely there. This one just didn't do it for me.

The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava is a great debut novel! It's a cute romcom about Ember, and account, and Danuwoa. I love the native American piece to this story as we don't have a lot of maim characters with this background. They have such great chemistry and I love when an author can make me laugh out loud when reading. While the book tackled a lot of heavy issues, the author did a great job of keeping it light and keeping the reader wanting to know more. Overall, this is a great book and I look forward to more from this author!

Overall a nice read, but I definitely liked the second half more than the first. So many of the lies Ember told initially felt a bit ridiculous and I think it made the pacing drag in the beginning.

Ember and Danuwoa were sweet together. They were well matched. I also liked the growth Ember exhibited as she realized that her life wasn't moving in the right direction after the choices she made.

I hope to try another book from this author again in the future.

This book was so cute, and I loved that it also dealt with some heavier pieces as well. It dealt with racism and discrimination against the indigenous community while also being a fun romantic comedy. I think Ember learns a lot through the trials she goes through in this book, but I wanted to see more from her in terms of growth. I am definitely excited to see what Danica Nava will write next. This was such a great debut that had the perfect amount of humor, sweetness and fun while also tackling heavier themes.

I was so excited to read this book. I’ve been looking out for a contemporary romance written by a Native American and we finally have one!
Ember is spunky, hard working, ambitious, and funny, but she also has a lying problem. (This STRESSED me out!). She’s had a hard life and is determined to change something so she lies on her resume to get a better paying job. I really enjoyed her character arc throughout the book.

If you’ve ever read the blog “Ask a Manager” and you like reading about juicy office drama and politics, this book is probably for you. Usually I get bored about the character’s job details, (just get me to the love story part) but I actually found the office dynamics really interesting.

My main complaint was the love interest, Danuwoa. He was, dare I say it, too perfect and dreamy. I just never felt like I really got to know him, and he didn’t seem to have any character growth himself. This story was really about Ember more than anything else.

The Truth According to Ember is funny, steamy, and highly relatable. It is hard to figure out what you want to do with your life and how to get there. I think a lot of people in their early twenties can relate to applying to jobs and never hearing back and not knowing what to do. I liked that she wasn't a perfect character but she learns from her mistakes.

Danuwoa on the other hand is a pretty perfect romance hero. He's my favorite kind of cinnamon roll hero, which is one that cares a lot about the heroine but still stands up for what he needs. I would have loved to see his POV but I also think it made sense for it to be from Ember's POV as it was very much her story.

I really enjoyed getting to learn a bit about being Chickasaw and seeing how that affected Ember's experiences. One of my favorite things about reading romance is getting to learn about different lived experiences and I love seeing the genre becoming more diverse!

If you like a romcom or a workplace romance this is a must-read! I can't wait to see what Danica Nava has up her sleeve next!

This book was so great! I loved Nava's humor throughout. Her characters shined distinctly. Ember is a fascinating and a relatable character. This book touches on important issues, without being too heavy handed

DNF @ 5%. While I whole heartedly agree that there is a bias when it comes to hiring, the author made it seem like checking the “white” box magically got Ember an interview when it was more likely the fact they lied about the job history and education. Just rubbed me the wrong way and not my thing at the moment.

2.25 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I truly wish I enjoyed this book more than I did. I do think representation is important (that is the definite pro of this book). However, I feel that this book could've been executed a bit differently. I had to suspend my disbelief a LOT. I had many issues with the way the book portrayed situations in the workplace. I read the whole book waiting for the other shoe to drop. I think the story was written to lean more towards a YA sound but the FMC was 25 years old. I think this is good for representation but I definitely struggled to finish the book.

Closed door mods for other people like me: Chapter 25,27,28

I mostly picked this up because of the accounting aspect and in that regard, I was very pleased. All the corporate accounting nonsense is very accurate. As for the rest of it, something about the writing style didn't quite work for me, and while the romance was cute, they were a bit too horny at work for my tastes.

Oh Ember, one little white lie turned into a web of lies and honestly it felt like it became natural to do it. I was hoping that she would fess up but it just kept getting worse. I'm not sure if this was romance or a rom com but I do think passing and make decisions to survive makes people make thse types of decisions.

Fun read! I enjoyed getting to know Ember and watching her find her footing and thriving in her new environment and roles. The chemistry between her and Danuwoa was evident from the start and their fun banter made me fly through this book. Her lies, big and small, however, seemed unnecessary and, while a crucial part of the novel, made me so anxious for her throughout. Otherwise, I loved the story, the representation of Native Americans, and the ending, which was perfect for the situation.

I was absolutely thrilled to have the first indigenous romance traditionally published and pick it for my HYPE bookclub at the bookstore. This books was so much fun, and very real. Ember is fueled by her frustration of being denied, itching to take back what was taken from her by using the system against it. It was more than her just checking Caucasian off on her application. That was the least of her problems, she just wasn't qualified for the job at all, but she was more than willing to figure it out as she went. I loved that she was flawed and a little chaotic, and Danuowa was of course the sweet and spicy MMC of our dreams.

Ember Lee Cardinal had plans to finish her accounting degree at a community college. When she paid her younger brother's bail and he was a "no show" for his hearing, she lost all that money. Now she has to try to find a good job so she can save up again and finis her education. Her job hunt is now going well. Every time she marks the box for Native American being her ethnicity, she doesn't even get a chance for an interview. She is part White so she marks that on her next application. That little lie leads to another one when she claims to have a background in accounting. She does get the job.
The first day Ember starts her new job she meets Danuwoa Colton. He isn't afraid to show his Native background, even with his hair. He is a fabulous IT guy and is in hot demand with everyone in the company. She is instantly attracted to her. There is a no dating policy at work. Despite this, the two start to see each other in secret. Will a work trip bring Ember and Dan closer together or will a work colleague cause their world to come crashing down?
The setting is Oklahoma City where bigotry and prejudice seem to be alive in corporate workplaces despite laws and EEOC. The author even shared in her notes she was often looked over when she checked Native American. There are some obvious "villains" in this story. They ring all too true with the way modern society is even today.
Ember makes some decisions that aren't truthful, but you can see how she only wants to move ahead. She shows love for her brother even though he has dashed her dreams.
Danuwoa has to use the name Dan at work to fit in with his white co-workers, even though they depend on him so much. He feels a certain affinity to Ember beyond their Indigenous link. The romance brewing between them was fun to read.
This is Danica Nava's debut novel. I was thrilled to read a novel about Indigenous people written by an Indigenous woman. I read have a good many books and seen a fair number of movies and series regarding Native Americans. They were well done, but ultimately sad. This rom-com is really overall uplifting and a joy to read. The copy I read had an excerpt from the author's next novel. I'm looking forward to reading that in the future.
@berkleyromance#Berkleybesties

As an okie and a Native American (Choctaw + Cherokee), I was excited to read a debut romance so entwined with my roots. Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me. The FMC was supremely unlikable, to the point I didn’t even want to root for her. Lying for lying’s sake then claiming you’re “a good person overall” doesn’t work for me. I also think the premise of changing your race on job applications to increase your prospects was heavily watered down by all the other lies she told to get a job. And (mild spoiler below) ending with celebrating Thanksgiving felt bizarre, knowing Native American history. Overall, I didn’t hate the book but also won’t be adding this author to my “ones to watch” list.