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roseleebooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This contemporary romcom was sweet and exactly what I was hoping for it to be.
The setup was great, workplace drama believable, and the romance kept me reading.
I appreciated the character growth that Ember goes through and was rooting for her even when she made mistakes.
My only (mild) criticism is that I was wishing for more scenes with Ember and Danuwoa in the first half of the book. Their interactions were well written and I wanted more of them together. There's some small time jumps that prevent us from seeing more day to day interactions.
Overall a really great read and I can't wait to read more from Danica Nava.
The setup was great, workplace drama believable, and the romance kept me reading.
I appreciated the character growth that Ember goes through and was rooting for her even when she made mistakes.
My only (mild) criticism is that I was wishing for more scenes with Ember and Danuwoa in the first half of the book. Their interactions were well written and I wanted more of them together. There's some small time jumps that prevent us from seeing more day to day interactions.
Overall a really great read and I can't wait to read more from Danica Nava.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
befthhh's review
emotional
hopeful
fast-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
4.25
*I received an eARC of this book from Berkley via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!*
I found this book to be incredibly well-written. Ember and Danuwoa are such complex and relatable characters. Ember especially with her desire to control situations and be the 'responsible' one in her family, and internally she is so anxiety-ridden. I also loved meeting the rest of the people in their lives, especially Walela, Sage, Joanna, and Ruth, Ember's aunt. I appreciated the support that they had for Ember and Danuwoa and for their relationship.
In all technical aspects, the book was excellent. The character development was great, the setting was vibrant (such a beautiful of description of Oklahoma that it makes me want to make a trip!), the sex scenes were intimate and hot. My only dislike, and this is extremely personal, is how high stress the conflict in the book is.
Ember's constant lying and the situations with Kyle and Gary at her job was so difficult to read at times. I appreciate that Nava is putting her characters into realistic situations, especially considering how frequent we know racism, sexism, and violence towards Native people is. Because of the heavy themes and high stakes of the conflict, I would not necessarily categorize this as a rom-com.
I found this book to be incredibly well-written. Ember and Danuwoa are such complex and relatable characters. Ember especially with her desire to control situations and be the 'responsible' one in her family, and internally she is so anxiety-ridden. I also loved meeting the rest of the people in their lives, especially Walela, Sage, Joanna, and Ruth, Ember's aunt. I appreciated the support that they had for Ember and Danuwoa and for their relationship.
In all technical aspects, the book was excellent. The character development was great, the setting was vibrant (such a beautiful of description of Oklahoma that it makes me want to make a trip!), the sex scenes were intimate and hot. My only dislike, and this is extremely personal, is how high stress the conflict in the book is.
Ember's constant lying and the situations with Kyle and Gary at her job was so difficult to read at times. I appreciate that Nava is putting her characters into realistic situations, especially considering how frequent we know racism, sexism, and violence towards Native people is. Because of the heavy themes and high stakes of the conflict, I would not necessarily categorize this as a rom-com.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Alcohol
mikaylawood's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Alcohol
jennireadsmaybe's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
I received an ALC from Libro.fm
From the moment I saw the announcement for The Truth According to Ember I desperately wanted to read it; I jumped at the chance to listen to it. I ended up really enjoying it too! Danica Nava captures the romantic comedy better than any other author I've read. This was the perfect amount of steamy, romantic, and hilarious. And, it's the first ever traditionally published romantic comedy by an Indigenous author.
Ember is one of my favorite kinds of characters because she's a realistic look at what being in your 20s is like. She's struggling to find a job, so she lies on her resume. It also explores racism in hiring and the business industry. Her lies catch up to her when Danuwoa, the stunning, gorgeous Native Daddy IT guy is interested in her too. The forbidden aspect and sneaking around was so hot! Danuwoa is definitely a book bf!
Read this if you like romcoms, sneaking around, little white lies, and supporting BIPOC debut authors!
From the moment I saw the announcement for The Truth According to Ember I desperately wanted to read it; I jumped at the chance to listen to it. I ended up really enjoying it too! Danica Nava captures the romantic comedy better than any other author I've read. This was the perfect amount of steamy, romantic, and hilarious. And, it's the first ever traditionally published romantic comedy by an Indigenous author.
Ember is one of my favorite kinds of characters because she's a realistic look at what being in your 20s is like. She's struggling to find a job, so she lies on her resume. It also explores racism in hiring and the business industry. Her lies catch up to her when Danuwoa, the stunning, gorgeous Native Daddy IT guy is interested in her too. The forbidden aspect and sneaking around was so hot! Danuwoa is definitely a book bf!
Read this if you like romcoms, sneaking around, little white lies, and supporting BIPOC debut authors!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexism, and Classism
Minor: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
booklvrkat's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Absolutely a beautiful slow-burn romance with humor and family drama. I loved the character building, I loved the lessons of Amber, I even loved the corporate tension. For a debut author this story made my heart thump.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Classism
Minor: Sexism, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
au_conn1's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, and Classism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol
readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol
Moderate: Confinement, Vomit, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Terminal illness, Violence, Excrement, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
paigesonpages's review against another edition
challenging
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Three cheers for the first Indigenous romance from a major publisher! Thank you Berkley for sending a copy my way.
Read if you š©·:
ā¢ š» Workplace Romances
ā¢ š³ Found Family and Community
ā¢ š Native American Representation
ā¢ š¦ Lucky (But Ugly) Lizards
Unlike Ember, I have to be honest and admit that I have mixed feelings about this one. Danuwoa is the ULTIMATE book boyfriend. Heās a cat parent, his younger sisterās caretaker, and heās flirtatious to no end. Plus, the man has a spine when it comes to the major conflict of the story! All in all, heās the total package, and I would never want to get on his bad side. š
What I didnāt love so much was Ember and her constant lying. It got to the point that all of her fibs gave me anxiety the entire time I was reading! I went in thinking the only lie would be that she wasnāt mentioning her Native heritage on her job applications, but without spoiling too much, itās a lot more than just that omission. If you like tension and the fear of getting caught, these scenes will be more for you than for me, but my little nervous heart could barely take it! š
š What kept me going was Danica Navaās down-to-earth and detailed writing style. It truly feels like being in Emberās head the entire time! Even without the authorās note near the end, itās clear she pulled from her own personal experiences.
The truth, according to this reader, is that even with destructive pathological lying, thereās a lot of love, community, and passion in Navaās debut novel. I hope this is just the first of many more romance novels from major publishers featuring Indigenous leads! š„°
Read if you š©·:
ā¢ š» Workplace Romances
ā¢ š³ Found Family and Community
ā¢ š Native American Representation
ā¢ š¦ Lucky (But Ugly) Lizards
Unlike Ember, I have to be honest and admit that I have mixed feelings about this one. Danuwoa is the ULTIMATE book boyfriend. Heās a cat parent, his younger sisterās caretaker, and heās flirtatious to no end. Plus, the man has a spine when it comes to the major conflict of the story! All in all, heās the total package, and I would never want to get on his bad side. š
What I didnāt love so much was Ember and her constant lying. It got to the point that all of her fibs gave me anxiety the entire time I was reading! I went in thinking the only lie would be that she wasnāt mentioning her Native heritage on her job applications, but without spoiling too much, itās a lot more than just that omission. If you like tension and the fear of getting caught, these scenes will be more for you than for me, but my little nervous heart could barely take it! š
š What kept me going was Danica Navaās down-to-earth and detailed writing style. It truly feels like being in Emberās head the entire time! Even without the authorās note near the end, itās clear she pulled from her own personal experiences.
The truth, according to this reader, is that even with destructive pathological lying, thereās a lot of love, community, and passion in Navaās debut novel. I hope this is just the first of many more romance novels from major publishers featuring Indigenous leads! š„°
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, and Pregnancy
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol
booksalacarte's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.5
3.5āļø3š¶ļø
Contemporary Romance
Own Voices Author
Workplace Romance
Forbidden Romance
First person POV
Indigenous MCās
š³ļøāš Side Character
Disabled side character
The plot of the book highlights heavier themes throughout from racism/micro aggressions, sexism, corporate nepotism, feminine hyper awareness, complicated family ties, historical oppression and common generation issues among the native population. There is something of a lived experience in the pages of this book, and you can feel it. I respect this author and that this is an OwnVoices story.
With so much being packed into the plot lines of this book, itās no wonder that the main character feels locked in a mentality that makes her seem immature or naive when it comes to certain aspects. Her lies and constant anxiety was giving me major secondhand anxiety that made this story harder for me, personally, to enjoy.
The MMC is depicted as the perfect manā¦ I was always waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop. We didnāt get to know him as a person other than the hot IT guy, which was a real disservice to his potential.
I hope that more indigenous authors make contemporary rom-coms. I enjoyed reading!
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
tmdreads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
When her job search doesnāt go well Ember may have padded her resume with some little lies. Also no one needs to know sheās 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 eventuallyā¦
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 Emberās best friend and the story line with her brother. This is a great debut and Iām excited for more from Danica Nava!
I received an e-Arc from NetGally, all options are my own
I received an e-Arc from NetGally, all options are my own
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol
Moderate: Classism