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enp3423's review
challenging
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
If you are looking for a book to help explain unconscious bias to anyone this is the book to do it.
It’s an easy read that skillfully illustrates racial discrimination in modern-day America while also being a great and engaging story.
I really loved how the author made Alix and Kelley perfect examples of how most people are unable to see their own faults/biases within themselves but can easily call them out in someone else.
I’m so glad Emira is able to find her voice and strength while surrounded by so much white noise (pun intended).
Super glad I gave this title a listen on Libby!
It’s an easy read that skillfully illustrates racial discrimination in modern-day America while also being a great and engaging story.
I really loved how the author made Alix and Kelley perfect examples of how most people are unable to see their own faults/biases within themselves but can easily call them out in someone else.
Super glad I gave this title a listen on Libby!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Classism
shutupsev's review
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
i think this book successfully manages to discuss a complex topic in an accessible way while not overly-shielding readers from the uncomfortable parts. i was so tense for the whole last half of the book knowing that things were going to implode. i do wish there was a more concrete ending, but i do get what the author was going for with the vagueness.
would highly recommend the audiobook version narrated by nicole lewis! really elevated the story for me.
would highly recommend the audiobook version narrated by nicole lewis! really elevated the story for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Classism
Minor: Vomit and Alcohol
mynameisrebecca's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Body shaming, Racial slurs, Vomit, and Police brutality
Minor: Emotional abuse
hdunscombe's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
Emira has just come out of a racially charged situation at a grocery store. During an unexpected late-night babysitting outing, a fellow shopper and a security officer corner Emira, who is Black, and insinuate that she has kidnapped her almost 3-year-old charge, who is white. What ensues is several months of convoluted attempts to move on, between Emira, her employer, her significant other, and the very loveable toddler that Emira just wants to spend her shifts cherishing.
The subtlety between these interconnected relationships is phenomenal. Reid has us convinced that Emira's employer and boyfriend each believe they have Emira's interests at heart, but as weedy histories, offhand comments, and questionable behaviors are revealed, their respective intentions get called into question more and more.
Despite the heavy premise, this story has so many moments of delight, especially when it comes to deep female friendship, early adulthood habits and settings, awkward motherhood/caretaker moments, and the silly seriousness of the toddler who is at "such a fun age".
I loved seeing Emira's perspective in contrast with her employer's within the same scenes; the latter was often sanctimonious and obsessive when it came to her "sitter", while the latter saw through all of it with a sigh and an eye roll. And despite her employer's and boyfriend's insistence that they are each looking out for her, their self-interest, privilege, and opposition to each other obscure Emira's true interests at every turn.
Aside from the toddler's absolutely ADORABLE questions, Emira's loveable group of quippy friends, and Reid's stellar dialogue, my favorite aspect of this book is how stealthily Reid inspires compassion for the individuals making Emira's life so complicated. I often found myself thinking, "Aww [they] are trying so hard to have their heart in the right place..." before remembering, "Wait - this is so messed up!" These characters convince themselves that actions like phone stalking, infantilization, gaslighting, white saviorism, fetishizing, tokenizing, and virtue signaling are actually all protecting Emira - as if she needs protection as a 25-year-old adult. Yet they are still humanized by Reid's their (albeit twisted) beliefs that they are doing the right thing, and Reid's dialogue. In the end, both spend so much time pointing fingers at each other for racism, that they forget their own.
There is also an unknowability to Emira's white boyfriend that makes him feel especially realistic. Without his point of view, we only see his track record of surrounding himself with Black friends, exclusively dating Black women, inserting himself into the racially charged inciting incident as if he is an authority on race relations, taking Emira to a white-friendly coded bar, and casually not censoring a racial slur as if he is part of the community it denigrates. We don't know the motivation behind these actions, so we're left to draw conclusions along with Emira. He is a good mirror of individuals in the real world who believe themselves to be woke and anti-racist because they can recognize overt racism, yet obliviously display a subtler form racism and white privilege in how they move through the world.
Finally, I adored the ending. At first, I worried that Emira would reconnect with her boyfriend after she learns that he did not leak a video of the grocery store incident. But she steers clear and moves on from the complete tornado of relationships she's been stuck in and starts fresh. And even projecting a decade into the future, Reid does not spend any time on the status of Emira's love life, because it was her independence, contentment, and professional satisfaction that were at the heart of this story - not these things in relation to anyone else. It was also realistically bittersweet that in order to advocate for herself, Emira couldn't hold onto everything she wanted. Sometimes chasing one goal means letting go of something else. Emira had to let go of her deep relationship with the toddler she loved so dearly, and as a result, resigned to the fact that this child would grow up closer to her selfish employer's image than she would have otherwise.
The subtlety between these interconnected relationships is phenomenal. Reid has us convinced that Emira's employer and boyfriend each believe they have Emira's interests at heart, but as weedy histories, offhand comments, and questionable behaviors are revealed, their respective intentions get called into question more and more.
Despite the heavy premise, this story has so many moments of delight, especially when it comes to deep female friendship, early adulthood habits and settings, awkward motherhood/caretaker moments, and the silly seriousness of the toddler who is at "such a fun age".
Aside from the toddler's absolutely ADORABLE questions, Emira's loveable group of quippy friends, and Reid's stellar dialogue, my favorite aspect of this book is how stealthily Reid inspires compassion for the individuals making Emira's life so complicated. I often found myself thinking, "Aww [they] are trying so hard to have their heart in the right place..." before remembering, "Wait - this is so messed up!" These characters convince themselves that actions like phone stalking, infantilization, gaslighting, white saviorism, fetishizing, tokenizing, and virtue signaling are actually all protecting Emira - as if she needs protection as a 25-year-old adult. Yet they are still humanized by Reid's their (albeit twisted) beliefs that they are doing the right thing, and Reid's dialogue. In the end, both spend so much time pointing fingers at each other for racism, that they forget their own.
There is also an unknowability to Emira's white boyfriend that makes him feel especially realistic. Without his point of view, we only see his track record of surrounding himself with Black friends, exclusively dating Black women, inserting himself into the racially charged inciting incident as if he is an authority on race relations, taking Emira to a white-friendly coded bar, and casually not censoring a racial slur as if he is part of the community it denigrates. We don't know the motivation behind these actions, so we're left to draw conclusions along with Emira. He is a good mirror of individuals in the real world who believe themselves to be woke and anti-racist because they can recognize overt racism, yet obliviously display a subtler form racism and white privilege in how they move through the world.
Finally, I adored the ending. At first, I worried that Emira would reconnect with her boyfriend after she learns that he did not leak a video of the grocery store incident. But she steers clear and moves on from the complete tornado of relationships she's been stuck in and starts fresh. And even projecting a decade into the future, Reid does not spend any time on the status of Emira's love life, because it was her independence, contentment, and professional satisfaction that were at the heart of this story - not these things in relation to anyone else. It was also realistically bittersweet that in order to advocate for herself, Emira couldn't hold onto everything she wanted. Sometimes chasing one goal means letting go of something else. Emira had to let go of her deep relationship with the toddler she loved so dearly, and as a result, resigned to the fact that this child would grow up closer to her selfish employer's image than she would have otherwise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Gaslighting, and Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, Vomit, Police brutality, and Death of parent
jade_smith's review
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
4.0
This was a lively and well-written exploration of privilege and race. There were points that it had me tearing my hair out; it was frustrating, but largely because every character felt so real, and because their choices and beliefs felt so comprehensible. Subtle, nuanced, and eminently readable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs and Police brutality
Minor: Sexism, Vomit, and Alcohol
m3greads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
3.0
I really wanted to like this more than I did but it was just ok.
I like how it discusses topics concerning less overt forms of racism (micro aggressions, white savior complexes)
the synopsis is what hooked me into reading this but all of that happens within the first chapter and the rest of the story is the aftermath so, not what I was
I like how it discusses topics concerning less overt forms of racism (micro aggressions, white savior complexes)
the synopsis is what hooked me into reading this but all of that happens within the first chapter and the rest of the story is the aftermath so, not what I was
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Classism
fatfrog's review
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Vomit
readingpicnic's review against another edition
4.0
God Briar means the world to me. It’s so upsetting that Alix is still paying more attention to Catherine in the end and ignoring/putting her autistic daughter second. This book was so stressful to listen to, but I would get so overjoyed at the narrator’s voice acting for Briar. Alix is a freak! What the heck is wrong with her! I’m still confused about what she wanted her relationship with Emira to turn into since her obsession was bordering on romantic/sexual, but maybe she just got a kick out of Emira being dependent on her? What a freaking weirdo! I think I could have done without the zooming into Emira's future at the end like "here's where she is now!" and that the story could have ended sooner.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Police brutality and Stalking
sandysmith's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A thought provoking read. Emira babysits for the eldest child, Briar, for Mr Peter and Mrs Alix Chamberlain. The initial premis is that Emira is accused of kidnapping Briar in a grocery store, which is videoed. It's a story of white saviour complexes. It's hard-hitting but somehow easy to read. I really disliked Alix, and her behaviours were challenging in that she thought she was doing the right thing, but she was actually stalker-ish and inappropriate in her actions. Race, white privilege, class, power dynamics, wealth, money, careers, and lack of personal direction and identity are tackled. It's funny in parts but also incredibly sad and uncomfortable reading. Challenging and thought-provoking view of the white saviour complex. Read as part a book club during black history month which fitted the bill perfectly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content and Vomit
Minor: Police brutality
bexxhenders's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Racial slurs