Reviews with content warning for Stalking - Such a Fun Age

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.

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jojo_'s review against another edition

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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

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nytephoenyx's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I really enjoyed Such a Fun Age and I completely understand why there was so much hype around it both at the time of its release in 2019 and over the summer of 2020. This book wasn’t originally on my TBR because it’s adult literary fiction, but over the last year I’ve been trying to branch out and read more diverse authors so Such a Fun Age ended up on my list and it’s a great example of why you should reach out of your comfort zone because there are so many books out there that you don’t know you’ll love.

Reid does an incredible job building the three central characters. On one hand, we have Alix who is a rich white woman who is used to having everything handed to her, but thinks that she is very moderate and of the people. On the other hand we have Kelly, who immerses himself so much in the world of his Black friends and love interests that he thinks he’s being an ally when it comes off as more of a fetish. At the centre of all this, we have Emira, who just just trying to live her life and figure out what she wants to do with it. Both of the white characters have agendas revolving around Emira, but they don’t have the conscious realisation that they are using her.

Such a Fun Age explores racism, classism, parenting, Millennial and Gen Z’s economic survival, micro aggressions, and so much more. Even the title has two meanings, one related to Emira’s charge Briar, and the other as an overall umbrella for the age we live in. Both tongue in cheek, of course.

There’s nothing I can think of that would’ve improved this book, or made it a better read. The setting is solid, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the occasional flashback to other locations nearby. The characters are all well developed and multifaceted, and their individual motivators and agendas really drove the story. This is a character-driven novel more than it is a plot-driven novel, but there is a loose plot around the racist incident at the beginning of the book and what Emira is going to do with the footage. Again, this all plays out really well and the timeline is steady. The writing is good, the narrator did an excellent job reading it, all in all this is a fantastic read on both a technical level and a personal enjoyment level.

Besides those praises, this book makes me think and watch myself. Such a Fun Age has two white people who genuinely believe they are doing the right thing for the right reasons. They remind me to make sure that I am being respectful of the people around me, particularly people of color, and not interfering where I’m not wanted. There is a line between supporting someone and trying to be a white saviour, and Such a Fun Age explores toeing over this line extremely well.

This book is just as essential a read for those on the antiracist path as are non-fiction books about systemic racism and the flaws in our prison system. Such a Fun Age reminds readers that the issues aren’t all on a large scale that we can’t affect – many of them are in the small gestures and in the way we speak to and treat one another, and we need to learn to be more respectful of the privacy and rights and humanity of others.

I absolutely recommend this book to all readers who are comfortable with more complex writing at an adult level. There is a little sexual content, and a racist incident, but overall this is an accessible book without a lot of trigger warnings outside of racism and it is important fiction read.

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mathildarech's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

this book. just wow.

this book combines a great story with many social and current issues. such as race, privilege, money, savior complex, fetishization of poc (especially women) and much more.
It is thought provoking in a way I have never experienced before.

The story is told from two different points of view (a white woman and a black woman), which I really liked and punctualizes the problem even more.

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juliebean666's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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coveredinivy's review

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challenging reflective 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

4.0

overall, it was a good book, however the ending was way too abrupt.

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corvicore's review against another edition

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challenging reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

All in all, Such a Fun Age was a pretty fantastic book. It did not hold its punches and I'm grateful for that fact. Reid is great in her use of foreshadowing, especially in the way that Alix progresses as a character. Speaking of Alix, wow. What a fantastically terrible person. She first comes across as a somewhat entitled but well meaning person who genuinely wants the best for Emira, but that facade quickly falls apart as soon as things don't go her way.

Alix's breakdown at the end of the book makes total sense for her character, and yet it's devastating nonetheless. And Kelly? His performative activism and fetishization of Black people makes my skin crawl.

With Kelly and Alix being such complicated and nuanced people though, I can't help but feel as if the main character Emira is a little underdeveloped by comparison. I understand that her whole situation is that she doesn't really know who she is and she's trying to figure what she wants in life but that never really gets developed until the very end of the book, in the "aftermath" chapters. Another gripe I have is that, at least in my addition of the book, the book description mentions how

the video that Kelly takes of Emira gets leaked, implying that is the main issue for most of the book when that simply isn't the case. The video being leaked happens near the end of the book.

I know it sounds stupid, but I feel like putting such a major spoiler in the book's description isn't the best way to go? Regardless of that minor complaint though, I definitely think that this book is worth a read anytime, especially if you're white and want to be an ally.

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mxfahrenheit's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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