Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Dream Count is a luminous exploration of identity, love, and resilience. Through the intertwined lives of four remarkable women—Chia, Zikora, Omegolor, and Kadiatou—Adichie masterfully weaves a narrative that is both intimate and expansive. Set against the backdrop of the pandemic, the novel explores universal themes of self-discovery, cultural identity, and the courage to live authentically. Chia, a Nigerian travel writer, serves as a vibrant anchor to the story, her reflections on love and personal growth suffused with humor and poignancy. Her journey, alongside those of her friends and family, unfolds with tenderness and depth, making each character feel palpably real.

Adichie’s nuanced storytelling shines in her exploration of cultural tensions and personal sacrifices. From Omegolor’s candid clashes with academic orthodoxy to Kadiatou’s harrowing struggles as an immigrant, each narrative thread is a testament to the complexity of modern life and identity. The author’s signature prose—lyrical, incisive, and imbued with empathy—renders even the heaviest themes approachable and deeply affecting. The book’s conclusion is both surprising and profoundly satisfying, leaving readers with a renewed sense of hope. Dream Count is a tour de force that captures the essence of humanity with wisdom and grace, cementing Adichie’s place as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary literature.

Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for a preview copy of Chimanmanda Ngozi Adichie's new novel.

As always, Adichie's novel dives deep into African culture, heritage and customs. At times very dark, the characters are both depressed and hopeful. The four women are all African, three living in the US currently, the other back in Nigeria after grad school in the US. Culture differences play into all women's expectations of themselves, and the identity they struggle to develop. The book takes place over the time of just before, during, and after the pandemic, when things are beginning to reopen- and show how each woman changed during this time of lockdown and sameness.

The book to me seems as four short stories, and as the book progresses, each character becomes more entwined with the other's lives. Chia's story is first, and actually the one I liked least. But it is also the last, and most shows the relationship and support between all the women and ties all the stories together. The title is based on Chia's walk down memory lane of her previous boyfriends and potential boyfriends, and gives her insight to herself and future wants. The stories of Omelogor and Kadiatou were my favorite though Kadi's is so tragic. Interesting and insightful author's notes in the back of Kadi's story. I wanted more of Omelogor, her history of justified crime. Zikora and Omelogor's friendship is a bit fuzzy, their main tie is both being friends of Chia. I thought this part of the book could have been explained deeper, but also know this is many real life relationships- people in the same room because of a common relationship. Also, Kadi was much supported by Chia and her other friends, but they seemed to be in her business more than Kadi asked them too.

I liked the side characters of the mothers, the aunties, and the daughters that played a part in the main characters identities and self reflection. Lots of deep relationships and interactions throughout the whole book.

I think I will be in the minority that I did not love this. I had read Americanah and was educated about living in Africa and being an African living in the US and dealing with other cultures opinions of each other. This book was no different, and educational in the same way (this book has a strong European setting as well). But I found the book very heavy, slow, and it took me being done with the book for several days to reflect on it to get the point of it. Maybe that is a sign of good writing- that I had to think about it for a while to form and opinion. I liked the book, but did not enjoy it if that makes sense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for this ARC! *Dream Count* by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a breathtaking exploration of love, identity, and the complex intersections of personal and cultural expectations. Through the interconnected lives of four women, Adichie masterfully delves into themes of heartbreak, resilience, and self-discovery, painting each character with unflinching honesty and nuance. Her prose is luminous and compelling, capturing both the intimate and universal struggles of navigating love and ambition in a rapidly changing world. *Dream Count* is a stunning testament to Adichie’s unparalleled ability to dissect the human condition with insight and grace, leaving readers deeply moved.

4.5 stars

New book by the author of AMERICANAH. Four Nigerian women reach major turning points in their lives in this look at love, power and sisterhood. Chiamaka is a travel writer who was raised in wealth and is living in the U.S. During the pandemic she recalls her past lovers and the ending of each relationship.

Zikora is Chiamaka’s best friend. She is a lawyer who has always been a success, but she is betrayed by a man and she turns to her mother in a time of need. Omelogor is Chiamaka’s cousin and lives in Nigeria. She is a very successful banker and an anonymous do-gooder to alleviate some of the shame for the corruption in her work. Kadiatou is Chiamaka’s housekeeper and she is proud to be raising her teenage daughter in America. The book traces her life from childhood in Nigeria to present day when she’s faced with a situation where she might lose everything she’s worked so hard for.

Really loved this book, which offers a nuanced picture of Nigerian women. Omelogor resonated with me the most, and I think most women who read this will find they relate best to one of the four women. Highly recommended.

I loved Adiche's book Americanah and was very much looking forward to this title. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The book featured four African women and how they coped with their lives. All seemed inordinantly preoccupied with their relationships with men except for one who suffered a sexual abuse crisis. Although I've read many novels that were virtually character studies, they usually had some kind of plot and story arc. Dream Count meanders around the women's lives (Chia was a romantic, Zikora wanted marriage and children, Omelogor was a financial wiz who figured out how to skim off the profits of ill-gotten gains) as they all try to aid Kadiatou in her attempt to hold a rapist accountable. This stab at a plot, which is based around the true case of a hotel maid who was assaulted by the French IMF chief in 2011, was gripping but tossed away in the last three pages, which made it as haphazard as the rest of the book.
I did finish it because Adiche is such a fantastic author, but she might as well have written a nice long essay, perhaps entitled "Men who Disappoint."

Dream Count was one of the books I was most excited to read in this New Year.It lived up to my expectations the story of these four women there intertwined lives a beautifully written emotional moving novel.The author writes so beautifully so lyrically will be recommending this gem #netgalley #DreamCount

“Dream Count” is an enthralling novel that blends imagination with emotional depth. The author’s descriptions and compelling characters pull you into a story that is thought-provoking. Each twist kept me on the edge of my seat, and the themes of resilience and self-discovery resonated deeply. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a read that is both entertaining and meaningful. A true gem!

I found this book to be very enthralling, and I loved the separate but intertwining plot lines between all of the different characters. This was the first book by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that I've read, and it definitely made me want to check out the other books.

At first I didn't really like the disjointed way that each part was basically a different story and we didn't go back to the other character's point of view, but I grew to kind of like that, and I especially liked that they were all kind of connected, so I kind of already knew all the characters by the time I got to their point of view.

If you're looking for a plot-driven story, I would say this is not the book for you, but if you're interested in character studies, I highly recommend!

Chiamaka (Chia), one of the four main characters in this novel, aches to be fully known by another person--and as her cousin and best friend Omelogor points out, within a heterosexual relationship. It struck me as I was reading that exchange that this novel is structured and written in such a way that it feels very much like I know Chia to her core. She is as real a person to me as anyone could be, because I felt like I met the innermost self of this fictional but complex and fully realized character.

Dream Count feels more like an immersive experience than a traditional novel. The book is broken into sections, each dedicated to one of the four main characters--Chia, Omelogor, Kadiatou (Kadi), and Zikora. As their lives intersect, so do elements of their stories; for instance, we first learn of one of Chia's boyfriends in passing in Omelogor's section, and later are introduced to that relationship in a later section as we more deeply explore Chia's life.

There is no central narrative as such, just intersecting lives, but if there is an event that anchors the latter half of the book, it's Kadi's story. Relationships--platonic, familial, romantic, business, and adversarial, both past and present--are the central features of and links between each of the sections. Chia's section focuses primarily on romantic relationships, which she calls her dream count as they reflect her dream to be known so completely. Zikora's initially focuses on her romantic partners, but widens (to her story's benefit) to include her newborn and mother. Kadi's strongest relationships are with her sister and daughter, both named Binda; her story and section are the most compelling of the four. Omelogor, notable amongst the group for her more transitory sexual relationships, seems most driven by the bonds of friendship and community.

If you are looking for a plot-driven book, or one with a clear "point," this is not the book for you. But if you are looking for richly depicted characters and superb writing, I'd highly suggest this book. I will be thinking about it, and the women within, for a long time to come.

4.5/5 stars

Four Nigerian women, whose lives are interwoven, are on different paths yet share the same longing for happiness. Chimaka, a travel writer living in the United States, starts recalling her journey amidst the pandemic, engaging in deep introspection about her past relationships. Her best friend Zikora, a lawyer also living in the U.S., is successful but single, yearning for something more. Omelogor, thriving in her career as a Nigerian banker, has a wide social circle but is rethinking her life now that she is past her childbearing years. Kadiatou, Chimaka’s housekeeper, has faced many challenges. As a young widow, she moved to the U.S. with her daughter to start a new life.

In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Dream Count, the lives of these four women are vividly portrayed through her beautiful prose. Despite their differences, they share common concerns and challenges, such as love, family, and friendship, as each encounters pivotal moments in their lives. They experience both joy and profound sorrow. The pandemic's emergence as a backdrop added an intriguing element to the unfolding story. Each character is multi-layered and vulnerable, with Omelogor standing out as the most complex and Kadiatou being the one I cared the most about. This is a deeply moving book that requires the right mindset before delving into it.

4.25 stars.

A sweeping and emotional novel of four women from Nigeria who recount their present and past lives and lives. During the pandemic Chia, a travel writer with wealthy parents, remembers her past loves and recounts life with each. Zikora, a successful lawyer, becomes a single mother after what she thinks is her true love abandons her. Onelogore becomes a successful though unscrupulous banker who has a change of heart and becomes a blog writer. Each of these women are privileged and lead lives that, while outwardly successful, lead to inner turmoil. Kadiatou is a maid who brings her daughter to America to have a better life but troubles upset her dreams.
This novel is exceptionally well-written and provides insight into the Igbo culture. After a somewhat slow start, Kadiatou’s story crashes into the plot and takes away your breath.
Recommended for readers of feminist literature.

“Novels are never really about what they are about.”—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Adichie has never let me down. After reading her novel of the Biafran War, Half of a Yellow Sun, and then Purple Hibiscus, I wanted her to have my babies. Her novels are particularly stunning and intimate, with fully fleshed-out characters who could walk off the pages into my life. I find it really difficult to read ebooks, but I was too eager to wait, and Net Galley offered this digital copy. As ever, Adichie breaks my heart and somehow manages to put it back together with hope and heft. I plan to read it again when the paper copy is published. I'll admit, I have a hard time reviewing ebooks, so excuse all my broad reductions.

This is a story about four interconnected women (by blood or friendship), the pandemic cutting through the setting or fading in the background, and the women's hopes and dreams in the foreground. It’s also about love, of course, relationships, and dignity and self-care, a sense of identity and also courage to live your life with purpose and confidence. And finding the right people who support you.

Each woman has her own long section in the book that focuses on their attachments, their ambitions, and their introspections. Chia (Chiamaka) is the first narrator, and perhaps the main character in this ensemble cast. (You decide when you are finished). She is a Nigerian travel writer, a determined beauty still looking for love in some of the wrong places. She’s lived in America long enough to amass a lot of our euphemistic verbiage, which adds a comic flair at well-timed moments. The title of the book refers to Chia’s musings about her exes, which her friends called her body count but she insists are her “dream count.” She often reflected on the men that shaped the landscape of her life.

Zikora, Chia’s good friend, is a successful lawyer with a boyfriend that she adores. She is not exactly estranged from her mother but maintains a cool distance. When something happens to upset the balance of her current relationship, she has to decide whether to let her mother back into her closely guarded life.

Omegolor is Chia’s cousin, and a fiercely independent woman working in the banking industry in Nigeria. She comes to America for graduate school, probably the oldest in her class. This is where the reader will come full force into the culture wars that are dividing us. Adichie explores this without putting her own thumb on the scale. She’s so nuanced that you won’t feel lectured by the narrative, but rather heightened. It’s about identity and finding your own voice. Omegolor often pushed back on the other students with their talking points. She starts to realize the hollowness of these naïve students and their tailored points of view.

Kadiatou is Chia’s housekeeper, an immigrant who was reluctant to come to the U.S. She gave in primarily to give her daughter more options. What happens to Kadiatou is a representation of immigrant women everywhere—class struggles, misogyny, the judicial system, and who can buy justice. An incident leaves her powerless and afraid. The way she finally takes back her power---well, you won’t see it coming, but it is authentic. I was deeply satisfied with the ending.

Adichie’s author’s note at the end is one of the most beautiful I have ever read. I won’t spoil it, but it flawlessly ties together her own life and grief (of her mother’s death) with the themes of the story, especially with one particular character. Dream Count is a deep exploration of human desires, the search for love and identity, and the struggle of integration in America. Captivating, and never heavy-handed. Ms. Adichie covers serious and topical themes with lightness and original content. Generous and wise, lyrical and memorable.

“I wanted love, old-fashioned love. I wanted my dreams afloat with his…to share our truest selves, to fight and be briefly bereft…But it was pedestrian, he said, this idea of love, bourgeois juvenilia that Hollywood has been feeding people for years.”

“…I dreamed not of marriage but of how we might become truly intertwined…More than marriage, I was looking for what I then did not know as the resplendence of being truly known.”

Thank you to Net Galley and Knopf for providing me a digital copy for review.

My heart ached and soared as I immersed myself in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Dream Count, a soul-stirring masterpiece that left me breathless. This isn't just a novel – it's a mirror reflecting the raw, beautiful complexity of women's lives, told with such tender insight that I found myself wiping away tears more than once.

The four Nigerian women at the heart of this story became my constant companions, their struggles and triumphs echoing in my mind long after I turned the last page. Chiamaka's lonely pandemic isolation in America pierced me deeply – her desperate search for meaning in past relationships felt like a conversation with my own memories. Zikora's story of betrayal and resilience made my chest tight with recognition; how many of us have built gleaming professional facades while our hearts crumbled in silence?

I fell deeply in love with Omelogor's fierce spirit, even as my heart broke watching her realize that her corporate armor couldn't protect her innermost self. But it was Kadiatou, the housekeeper, who truly captured my soul – her quiet dignity in the face of crushing systemic inequality left me both inspired and angry at the world's persistent injustices.

What moved me most profoundly was Adichie's extraordinary ability to make me feel the weight of every choice these women face. The pandemic backdrop amplifies their isolation and vulnerability with devastating precision. Through their intertwined stories, I found myself questioning everything I thought I knew about privilege, resilience, and the true nature of fulfillment.

The prose itself is a thing of devastating beauty – there were passages so piercing I had to pause and catch my breath. Adichie doesn't just tell these stories; she makes you live them, feel them in your bones. Her observations about identity, ambition, and cultural expectations aren't just insightful – they're transformative.

This isn't a book you simply read and set aside. It's an experience that changes you, challenges you, and ultimately enriches your understanding of what it means to be human. Dream Count is more than a masterpiece – it's a gift that reminds us why literature has the power to heal, unite, and illuminate the deepest corners of our shared humanity.

A very huge thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf for sharing this amazing book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is another remarkable novel from a writer who never fails to captivate. The book delves into the interconnected lives of three main characters, each navigating their dreams and the often stark reality that attempts to crush them. Adichie excels in drawing deep, authentic portraits of her characters and the social and political settings they inhabit.

The novel's central theme revolves around dreams in both their literal and metaphorical forms. Adichie masterfully highlights how dreams can be both a source of hope and a path to possible disappointment. Her writing is simultaneously poetic and grounded, making every page feel alive with emotion and truth. This book is a moving and thoughtful read that will stick with you long after you've turned the last page.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for the ebook. An exciting, inner epic of three Nigerian women, two now in America and one still back home, who examine the roads, and men, not taken as all their lives stop for the pandemic. And such rich lives: Chiamaka, from a rich family, writes travel pieces that don’t actually mean much to her financially, but play into her life as a hopeless romantic. Zikora is her lawyer friend who thinks she’s found the perfect partner until the idea of a child is introduced. Omelogor is a strong willed Nigerian banker who has to navigate male colleagues and slack banking laws. A fascinating portrait of these interesting women.

I just finished 'Dream Count' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and it really stuck with me. The novel follows four women, each dealing with personal struggles during the pandemic. Chiamaka, a Nigerian travel writer living in America, uses the quiet of quarantine to reflect on past relationships and regrets. Zikora, her best friend, is a successful lawyer who hits an emotional low after a painful breakup. Omelogor, Chiamaka’s cousin, seems to have it all together professionally but feels lost when it comes to personal fulfillment. Meanwhile, Kadiatou, Chiamaka's housekeeper, faces immense hardship while trying to raise her daughter. This book is in many ways a love letter to mothers and daughters!

What really struck me was how Adichie captures the tension between privilege and survival. Chiamaka, coming from a life of financial stability, has the space to explore personal growth and romantic mistakes. On the other hand, Kadiatou is in constant survival mode, highlighting how emotional healing often depends on having the basic resources needed to feel safe.

The book also made me reflect on the difference between being truly known versus being desired. It raises questions about whether love (or desire masked as love) is authentic if the other person doesn’t fully understand us—or if sometimes we settle for the idea of love rather than genuine connection. Adichie’s storytelling made me think deeply about these themes, and I appreciated how she explored the complexity of women’s experiences, especially when facing societal expectations around relationships and self-worth.

Woof. Adichie continues to write some of the best prose I've ever read. Told from the points of view of several women whose lives and timelines are intertwined, this novel didn't slow down. If you're someone who struggles with pandemic books, this might be a skip. I normally don't enjoy reading about lockdowns and reliving that particular part of 2020/21, but it was actually fascinating to read about these experiences from a non-US-centric viewpoint. A hard novel to read, but an important one. I know it's too early, but would love to see this in miniseries format!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

DREAM COUNT was only the second book I read by this author and, even though I liked both of them, I wonder if this author is 'for me'.
I do like to follow multiple POVs and different timeles and wait for how everyone and everything will be connected in the end, but this book, sometimes, failed to hold my attention and keep my curiosity.
Most likely because, even though I empathised with most characters, I didn't really feel connected or relatd to any of them. And I understand it's a personal issue of mine. There is nothing wrong with this story or let alone the writing.
If you have read a book by this author and you enjoyed the writing and how Adichie portraits her characters, go for it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Knopf, for allowing me to read an early copy of this novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf publishing for this ARC!

I feel like this book will make a lot of best of lists for 2025. It's filled with great pull quotes and interesting female characters. It was both about nothing and also covers many relevant social issues. I still don't like pandemic books but this one isn't too heavy handed.

Perfect for book clubs!

I liked this book and the characters, but I'm giving it three stars instead of four because it was a little hard to follow. I found it difficult to decide if the story being told was in the past or present. Finally I got to a part that discussed the pandemic and realized that was set in the current time and everything else was in the past.

The first section is the story told from Chia's point of view and then the following sections tell a similar story, but from those friend's point of view. The book ends back with Chia and wraps up the story for each woman.

The book reads more like short stories than a novel. It's really well written and likable once you establish a timeline for the book.