Reviews with content warning for Cultural appropriation - The Truth According to Ember

Amazing debut! Hilarious & steamy RomCom that also touches on racism Native Americans experience. I may or may not have signed up for Aardvark Book Club so I could have a hardcover copy.

What to expect:
- Workplace RomCom
- Forbidden love
- BIPOC FMC/MMC
- Slow burn
- Steamy 🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Only one bed
- HEA 💖

____________________
About the book:

Ember Lee Cardinal, a Chickasaw woman struggling with job rejections, lands her dream accounting job by lying on her application. Thriving in her new role and starting a secret relationship with fellow Native American colleague Danuwoa Colson, she faces blackmail when their romance is discovered. As the manipulation and her lies spiral out of control, Ember must decide whether to come clean and risk losing everything she has worked for.

Content Warnings

shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

just_one_more_paige's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I always have a romance or two on hand for traveling - they are just great for escapist reading that also doesn't take a lot of concentration (perfect for plane rides and airports and quick pick-up/put-down situations). This was my most recent choice for that exact situation, courtesy of NetGalley.

Ember has been turned down from a lot of jobs, so...she decides to get a little creative with her experience and race/ethnicity. And it works - she lands a perfect job. But after a meet cute with the hot IT guy, Danuwoa, she realizes that maintaining those "lies," while also trying to develop a real relationship, is a bit fraught. And then...between a coworker catching the two in a compromising position and using that to blackmail Ember, family problems (her troublesome brother is back and just can't seem to get his life together), and trying to figure out how to compromise her own life/personal goals with some of the "untruth" pickles she's gotten herself into, things are really about to come to a head for Ember. Can she handle all that and manage to save her relationship with Danuwoa (the one very true thing she's got right now)?

Ok, let me just get this out of the way first. If I'm being honest, lying as a plot point stresses me. Like, a lot. To the point where I usually steer clear of it. However, I had seen good reviews and wanted to give this a go. So, it's a tough sell for me from that start, just to set expectations here at the beginning. That being said, the stress of this plot, the corporate blackmail and lying, truly is soooo stressful. And it's not just the external stuff. The author parallels it (nicely, as far as writing and character development), with Ember lying to herself too. It applies to her interactions with both her brother and what the actuality is of the feelings between her and Danuwoa. And it extends, deeply, into her work thinking too. She keeps saying “just this one more thing and it’ll go away” to herself and I just...how does she not see that eventually she’s crossed so many work legal/ethic lines that being fired for dating a coworker would actually be the better outcome?? Like some of the stuff she's doing has legit legal consequences, not just a workplace HR issue. I know she felt like she was between a rock and a hard place, but it was just difficult to swallow. On that note, I just don’t love the extremity of her “I don’t need to ask for help” - not just in her, but really in any characters that have this trait to an extreme - because there were multiple people she could have gone to for help, not even all with power imbalances to overcome either, and she chose to just dig herself deeper and hope it would go away. Overall, not my favorite type of character.

And yet...I didn't dislike Ember herself. I actually found her "hot and cold" on Danuwoa, her (low key deserved) grudge holding her back from forgiving her brother, the general direction and situation of her life/job, etc. was all super relatable. She’s prickly and unsure, but her heart is in the right place and her frustrations are all based in very real unfair life situations, and that’s so real. Ember's entire storyline was a really unique coming of age. One that highlights taking life one step at a time, making (and being proud of) achievable goals, and remembering you have a community around you (even if that hurts/has tough memories sometimes too), so you don’t have to do everything alone. It's accessible and, again, super relatable, in a way that not all romcom leads' stories are. For real, the 'learning to ask for help' piece alone was really impactful, and an important lesson for many to learn. I thought her general arc was fantastic. On the other hand, our male MC, Danuwoa, was a bit flat. Maybe too easy? He's a cinnamon roll, which I love, but he could have used maybe just a bit more depth? There wasn't anything wrong, necessarily, I just felt like, for how good Ember's character development was (and really, her brother Sage's as well), his was lacking something.

Last couple thoughts. There was an absolutely hilarious poking at corporate and professional culture BS. Like, how degrees and connections are required for basic level jobs that with reasonable training, literally anyone can competently do (even without the degrees and definitely without the connections). Lolz. Also, the authors note at the end is stunning. Seeing where Nava pulled from her own experiences to craft this story, and seeing where the fire and heart and fight for a happy ending that Ember had was crafted out of, adds such power to the messages in the narrative you just finished. The messages were already strong and necessary, so the added emphasis and strength was extra in the best, intense, way.

I'm coming away from this a fan of Nava's writing and definitely interested in more! While some tropes/plot devices weren't my personal favorite, the effect of the whole overcame that (which possibly makes it even more impressive).

"I was just Ember Lee Cardinal, a sometimes liar, but mostly an overall good person."

"I wanted to feel bad about the lying, but really, I was more worried about getting caught in the lies. It was hard to feel bad about gaming a system that was designed to put people like me down."

"That was the problem with hope. It created expectations, and when they weren't met, you were left feeling crushed."

"That's the way it was for women. We had to suck it up and accept misogyny and sexism so we could get through our business."

"I want you to have all my ugly truths."

Content Warnings

hilary89's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I mostly loved this book! Though I won't deny, I spent most of it anxiously waiting for the ball to drop on all of Ember's lies. That said, she was absolutely hilarious and I admired her drive (despite all her lies) to rise above her circumstances and make it in the cutthroat corporate world.

The one thing I felt like was missing was a bit more depth to Donuwoa's character. Though he was definitely swoon-worthy, he was written a bit like a "Gary Stu" without any real flaws or missteps. While Ember was deeply human and thoroughly flawed, it felt like Donuwoa existed mainly to be the "perfect native" counterpart to Ember's chaotic energy. I still found their chemistry to be super hot and convincing - I just wish he had been given a complex characterization like Ember had been.

All that said, as someone who lives in Oklahoma myself, this book delivered on much more than just romance. It left me contemplating the struggles Native Americans have trying to get a foot in the door of predominantly white spaces and all the racist micro/macro-aggressions they often face on the daily. Because of this, I'd recommend this book to both romance readers and any readers interested in learning about the Native American experience alike.

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pitbulls_and_prose's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Ember Lee Cardinal cannot seem to get a job. When she gets rejected for the 37th time, she decides to get creative with her resume. She fluffs up some of her experience and decides to check off “white” for ethnicity. When she presented herself as Native American, Chickasaw to be exact, no one gave her the time of day. Presenting as white, Ember gets a call back immediately. At her new job she meets Danuwoa, IT guy and fellow Native. They hit it off instantly but will her continuous lies ruin their relationship?

I really liked this one! I always a big fan of a good workplace romance. Danuwoa is an A+ love interest and exactly the type of guy I would’ve gone for in the past. Ember is instantly lovable even if some of her later lies annoyed me at times! This book was funny, sweet, and lighthearted AT THE SAME TIME as being an examination on racism in the workplace (specifically towards Indigenous folks), classism, and misogyny. I will definitely be picking up this author’s next book!

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keeganrb's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted

5.0

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meghansarmiento97's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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ninebookishlives's review

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funny lighthearted

3.5

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