Scan barcode
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
miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
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
I really liked how different emira and alix’s perspectives were i feel like often in books they’re very similiar or one character kind of knows things that it doesnt make sense for their character to know and it feels like the author got them a bit blurred but it felt really clear in this
I feel like the tension was so well biolt as well, like I absolutely did not want to keep reading it near the end… but like also i didnt want to stop
I did in fact also shed a tear so point for that ig
I dont understand the title though and i very strongly dislike this cover/sprayed edges/striped end pages, there was just a lot going on
The writing in this was actually so good though, likethe slow reveal of alix as a shitty person- look it wasnt always that slow i know that but you get what i mean- emira looking through what alix has decided is her love for her briar and sees how full of inconsistencies it is while you cant rly see that from alix’s perspective was so good
I feel like the tension was so well biolt as well, like I absolutely did not want to keep reading it near the end… but like also i didnt want to stop
I did in fact also shed a tear so point for that ig
I dont understand the title though and i very strongly dislike this cover/sprayed edges/striped end pages, there was just a lot going on
The writing in this was actually so good though, like
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Racism, and Toxic relationship
elderwoodreads's review against another edition
emotional
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
This book has a slow start but once you are in you're in! I did not want to put it down. I think the way racism is handled in this book is so interesting and important, especially as it pertains to racism in white spaces that espouse themselves as liberal. Highly recommend!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Racism
Moderate: Bullying, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Classism
greenglass67's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
This is a beautiful book. A little slow for me at times, but it is a very heartfelt story. Emira’s journey is one that so many of us go through in one way or another. The novel really explores how difficult it can be to choose yourself over others in your life, but how absolutely critical it can be as well. The characters in this novel feel so real, and each one is a complex network of flaws and positive traits alike.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body shaming, Vomit, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death and Cursing
pointlessmoss's review
funny
reflective
sad
slow-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? Yes
5.0
The lesson I learned from this: white people need to stop meddling!! And they should also stop trying to outdo one another in an imaginary competition of "Who is the least racist" (unless it's for my personal amusement).
For real though, I LOVE the writing and the story and the characters. I feel like I was reading about real people, not made-up fictional characters. Emira has my heart. I enjoyed myself the whole time and I felt so satisfied with how everything came together. So glad I picked this book up :)
Part of me wants to recommend this to everyone I know, but the other part of me knows not everyone will get invested in a slice-of-life story with this type of writing. I also want to hear what other people took away from this book! I'm curious to see what other interpretations of the story might be, and what I may have missed!
For real though, I LOVE the writing and the story and the characters. I feel like I was reading about real people, not made-up fictional characters. Emira has my heart. I enjoyed myself the whole time and I felt so satisfied with how everything came together. So glad I picked this book up :)
Part of me wants to recommend this to everyone I know, but the other part of me knows not everyone will get invested in a slice-of-life story with this type of writing. I also want to hear what other people took away from this book! I'm curious to see what other interpretations of the story might be, and what I may have missed!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Vomit, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Police brutality, and Stalking
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, Slavery, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty
cammiem8's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
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
4.0
Wow, were these characters frustrating! And I know that was the point, and their interactions were interesting and made me listen through it very quickly. Although what Alix/Alex did was objectively worse, I couldn’t help but despise Kelley more than any of the other characters, he just came off to me as so slimy and pretty much got off scotch free in the end. Also have to say the kid was really annoying. I find myself really wanting to talk about this book, and I’ll certainly be thinking about it for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal death
jojo_'s review against another edition
reflective
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Cultural appropriation, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, Police brutality, Stalking, and Death of parent
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
4.75
This is absolutely as good as everyone said it was! Can't wait for more from Ms. Reid. She has such a way with natural dialogue that I only dream of even approaching one day. I also really felt like the interactions between the friends felt real and authentic - the phone bowl, the secret job negotiations in a bathroom. To me, those scenes feel so true to your 20s.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Racism, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Police brutality, and Pregnancy
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
marionlundqvist's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship