This one was a challenge. There were moments when I felt inspired and connected to both the writing and the characters, while other sections left me feeling bored and confused. Maybe, at a different time, I would have had a clearer opinion—either a strong admiration or a complete disappointment. I suggest you give it a try and see how it resonates with you. Thank you @netgalley @chimamanda_adichie @aaknopf for the ARC. #netgalley #netgalleyarc

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader's copy of this book. Unfortunately at this time I am unable to read the novel and devote time to providing a review. I will return to the book when I am able and will update this website with my thoughts.

I really struggled with this one and am so sad that I didn’t love it more. I absolutely loved Americanah so I was thrilled to get this book as an ARC. There is no question that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has a beautiful way with words, and that kept me invested for about the first half. But the book overall felt stale, incredibly slow and just dense. I fear this is a wrong place wrong time situation, as maybe if I were able to engage with this book more it would be more poignant and powerful. But I am tired of reading (and living!!) about women wronged by men with no real resolution.

I have been an avid reader of Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie since I first read 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘩 while decompressing in Arizona after my first semester of grad school. I went back and read her brilliant first two novels, 𝘗𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴 and 𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘠𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘚𝘶𝘯. I’ve even taught her TED Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” to my freshman writing students to indicate why they should use a variety of sources and perspectives when researching. Her writing allowed me to discover Chinua Achebe’s African Trilogy.

To put it lightly, I was thrilled when Knopf granted me an advance read of her first book in over a decade, 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵.

𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 is structured as five separate novellas with connecting characters and slightly connecting themes and plot elements. Each novella focuses on one of four women: Chiamaka/Chia, Zikora, Kadiatou, and Omelogor. Chiamaka’s story spans the first and last novella and gives the book its title - over COVID lockdown, she is doing a “dream count” of all the men she’s loved or thought she loved. If you think that shouldn’t take an entire pandemic, then…yeah. Omelogor’s is the longest and the only told in first person.

However, this book is disappointing. And I’m not saying it’s disappointing for Adichie, I’m saying it’s disappointing. It suffers from so many flaws that I know I didn’t list them all.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱:
- The structure. I like the idea of interconnecting novellas. It prevents mildly similar voices from running on top of each other.
- Omelogor’s section is actually fantastic for about the first three quarters.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
- Lazy, lazy, lazy writing. Adichie usually writes such brilliant, beautiful prose, but this book has so much telling and not showing. It’s very clear that Adichie wants this book to make a point against Western post-COVID feminism and progressivism to the point it’s almost comical how one-dimensional the characters are in places.
- The whole book is one large failing of the Bechdel Test. It’s almost completely just women talking about men and their relationships with men. Even when women talk about other women, they are talking about those women in terms of their relationships with men.
- Kadiatou’s story is so extremely out of place. It’s a not subtle at all retelling of the sexual assault by the head of the International Monetary Fund which even the author calls an “urge to write a wrong.” She is only loosely connected to the other characters by virtue of being Chiamaka’s housekeeper.
- Aside from a couple of cameos, Zikora almost completely disappears from the book after her section.
- The last quarter of Omelogor’s section takes an extremely interesting and unique character and basically cuts her off at the knees in order to make some sort of statement about American progressivism and academia.
- Aside from Kadiatou (who remember, doesn’t fit the structure), all of the characters are rich and privileged and the book seems to be going out of its way to make sure you know that’s a good thing and not a bad one.

𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁:
No. Just no. This is not the same Adichie I remember.

I love when four narratives entwine in a book, and Dream Count is no exception. These women are smart, kind, full of dreams, and knowable. Thank you for sharing this book with me.

Thank you @netgalley and @aaknopf for an ARC of this beautiful new book from @chimamanda_adichie 💭📚 It kept me company on the flight home and made the time fly! Out now ✨

Each year always have the book you must read and Dream Count is one of them. You know when Ms. Adiche comes out with a book it's going to special and take you to a world that you don't know but can totally connect with her characters and see them literally blossom from the pages. Dream Count is about four women who all have dreams about making their lives better. Each character comes at from their perspective and want differnt things but just all want to be happy. from a housekeeper who wants to give her daughter a better life in America, a travel writer who explores the world but wants truly just wants to find herself. a lawyer who things she's got it all until she doesn't and finally a business who has it all financially but is she being true to herself. You take all these characters and the magical style of writing of Ms. Adiche and it becomes a book that will stay with you long after you read it. It will be one of the best of 2025 and be sure to pick up many literary prizes and nominations. READ IT!!! Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for this extraordinary read.

I first discovered Adichie through Purple Hibiscus, and I was excited to read Dream Count.

The novel follows four Nigerian women who are connected (through family or friendship). Each section of the book focuses on a different character: Chiamaka, her best friend Zikora, her housekeeper Kadiatou, and her cousin Omelogor. Their overlapping stories are rich in description, and the characters are written with depth and intention. Dream Count concludes by revisiting Chia’s story and bringing the characters together. Each section is long, but the story is carefully crafted, tracing relationships, jobs, and hardship. The characters are each searching for happiness in their own way, questioning themselves each step of the way.

The author’s note at the end shares Adichie’s inspiration for writing, and just like the prose in her novel, it is well-written. I enjoyed the connection between characters, especially how the women support each other.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dream Count is a detailed, character driven book spanning over the United States and Nigeria. This book shares the dreams, pressures, lovers, and the current and past lives of 4 women. It starts and ends with Chiamaka. Instead of actively flipping between points of view, this novel is structured to give each woman a part of the book before going to the next one. The women all have connections to Chiamaka, so the other women would still be peppered throughout each other's stories. Each story is very unique. The book is complex, and it is best to just go right into it without knowing too much of the summary to let it unfold on its own.

This is a rich story, and I never knew where the author was going to go next. At times I felt like the book was almost more like short stories for each of the women, but then the author would then make a connection back to another woman. The book kept me engaged, surprised, and wondering what was going to happen next. 3.5 rounded up. I look forward to any future books by Ms. Adichie!

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I have only ever read Americnah by Adichie, which I enjoyed. When I saw that Dream Count was coming after such a long time of no novels from her, I had to give it a try. Her novels are amazing and personal, with characters you can actually be invested in and care about. Adichie has the ability to grab you by the heart and gently guide you through a story that you absolutely need to hear.

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. Seeing each woman's journey touched a different part of my own psyche and experience - there is truly something here for everyone. Even the author's note at the end is spectacular.

A triumph for Adichie - definitely go get this one!

As always with Adichie, the writing in this book was beautiful. The book tells the story of four women reflecting on their lives, loves, and losses. Unfortunately, despite the wonderful prose, this book became very repetitive with over bearing parents and men behaving badly. I think it would have been fine if it was perhaps half the length but 400 pages was just too long for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book!

Happy Pub Week to 𝑫𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑴 𝑪𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑻 𝒃𝒚 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂 𝑵𝒈𝒐𝒛𝒊 𝑨𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒊 which I got to listen to the #gifted audio from @prhaudio as well as pair with the arc via NetGalley from Knopf.

Wow. This is a deep character study that follows 4 Nigerian women; Chiamaka a Nigerian travel writer living in America, Zikora is her best friend with a new baby, Omelogor, Chiamaka’s bold, outspoken cousin, & Kadiatou, Chiamaka’s housekeeper, proudly raising her daughter in America. About halfway through, a horrific event occurs and affects the women in different ways.

This was a fascinating look at multiple themes through the lenses of these women. I especially felt like the look at Americans was both spot on from what I've heard from others, and also enlightening. I felt some of the characters' journey with family, expectations, and culture defiance felt familiar, giving me connection, while the settings and background gave me more insight into another culture. The author's note at the end was also important and not to be missed.

I loved AMERICANAH, and this was another good story, though I did find myself feeling it was a bit long in some of the long chapters. Fortunately, the audio read by the author, Sandra Okujoyejo, A'rese Emokepae, & Janina Edwards made each voice unique and I loved hearing it all spoken. This is another great option for a bookclub and deeper discussion.

This story will go down as one of the most beautifully written novels I've had the opportunity to read.

The writing is exquisite and there were times when I resonated with the characters so deeply that it actually made this story hard to read at times. This is definitely not a story that you pick up and then read it all at once. You need to let yourself sit with it and take your time.

This story starts during the pandemic. Chiamaka promised herself she would start having some productive hobbies, but instead, she's lonely and starts reflecting on her past. Through Chiamaka, we meet the other characters in this story: her best friend, Zikora, her cousin, Omelogor, and her housekeeper, Kadiatou.

This is my first book from this author (I know how iconic they are; I am simply behind the times), but this story was impactful. I think, based on where we are in the world, we sometimes think others are so different from us but reading about these four women and their lives, you see we aren't that different after all in terms of emotions, reactions, and basic desires.

If you're needing a story to make you think and reflect, I would take time to sit with "Dream Count".

Chimamanda took me so deeply into each woman’s life that I kept forgetting it was fiction. Set during COVID isolation, it starts with Chiamaka reflecting on her relationships, making me wish each one would be The One, and feeling frustrated by how she let herself be treated. Her best friend Zikora is thriving professionally but struggling in love, while her cousin Omeloger is on a journey of growth and self-discovery.

The most heartbreaking story is that of Kadiatou, her housekeeper, an immigrant working hard to support her daughter, only to realize how vulnerable she is. Kadiatou’s tragedy is based on a true story .

The women’s lives are intertwined, and I feel each of us can connect to some part of their struggles, love, and loss. It was a thought provoking, character driven read. I was challenged to slow down and take in each story, which was told in long chapters.

Dream Count tells the story of four different women and their relationships with and to men through the pandemic. Each section focuses on a different woman, and is set between the U.S. and Nigeria. At the end of each section I felt sad to leave each woman behind, but excited as I got to know another and follow their interwoven stories. Chimamamda Ngozi Adichie has delivered another excellent novel and I will continue to heartily recommend her work.

These interconnected stories were full of pain and hope and remembrance of covid lockdowns. Adichie writes with such depth and her words pierce to the heart of those who are really willing to listen and learn. The authors note was so good, and yet it confirmed that the pain of one woman’s story was based on truth and I was heartbroken, although not surprised.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an amazing author who puts thoughts into words which make you realize the meaning behind the words. I was looking for the hidden meaning behind the words knowing Adichie was trying to say more. In reading her author's note at the end it gave me insight and explanation for what I was feeling. The four women's voices are their own and you can hear it in the writing. Their voices develop your understanding of the personalities of how they each react to Kadiatou. How many times will Dream Count be in my subconscious before I need to read it again to fill in more of the substance Adichie is expressing in her words.

Gorgeous prose fills the pages of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Dream Count, the stories of 4 women spread throughout the world considering the choices and lives they have made for themselves. While Adichie is a powerhouse of a writer, they four parts felt disjointed at times and I'm not sure they ever came together for me. I enjoyed the conversation about power, privilege, and identity but I think Adichie's previous work may provide a better perspective on all those things.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Dream Count is yet another testament to her brilliance as a writer. Her prose is effortless—both lyrical and sharp, weaving complex emotions and themes with such clarity that the pages practically turn themselves. The story is immersive, filled with Adichie’s signature insight into human relationships, culture, and identity.

While the novel didn't quite reach the emotional heights that Americanah did for me, it’s still an engrossing read—beautifully crafted and deeply engaging from start to finish. Adichie’s writing alone makes Dream Count worth reading, and its readability ensures you’ll fly through it.

This is a very very meaty book. You can read it for the story, you can read it for the writing, and you can read it for what it is saying. It's the kind of book that you want to spend ample time with and probably reread for anything not absorbed on the first read. I loved it. So much to think about, so much I learned and such a brilliant use of words. A writer to be admired.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's a masterpiece.