You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Three women are linked together by race and one man. Kemi; recruited to a marketing company to correct a racial PR fiasco. Brittany; the current love interest of the marketing manager. Muna; a Somali refugee working as a cleaning woman for the marketing company. While this was a nice read, it was discouraging to see two prominent Black women let their lives be completely uprooted and essentially destroyed by Jonny. Poor Muna was a young girl simply trying to live a better life after turmoil in Somalia. I think it’s no mistake this book is set in Stockholm. The ending was a nice twist on the book that I wasn’t expecting. It just didn’t have any more flare or spark to be rated more than 3.5 stars from me.
This book starts slow .. snail pace even. I was not interested until page198 .. then the last 60 pages I couldn't put it down. This book is definitely worth the read however it may be a slow read for some.
This left me feeling speechless.. like I was not expecting Muna to take matters into her own hands twice... And why run when you're defending yourself... I'll never understand that line of thinking in our community. BrittanyRae as I stated disappointing... even the big reveal of her actual life decisions did not give me pause. You knew something was off from jump and even came to the wrong conclusion that Ragnar was right;fetish-you still pressed forward. Major custody battles and with the privilege that family has.. grin and bare it at this point-thats horrible but what else is she to do?
Kemi finally seeing her self worth, even in a heated moment with the wrong person ... Warmed my heart because she had me livid Part 3&4.
This left me feeling speechless.. like I was not expecting Muna to take matters into her own hands twice... And why run when you're defending yourself... I'll never understand that line of thinking in our community. BrittanyRae as I stated disappointing... even the big reveal of her actual life decisions did not give me pause. You knew something was off from jump and even came to the wrong conclusion that Ragnar was right;fetish-you still pressed forward. Major custody battles and with the privilege that family has.. grin and bare it at this point-thats horrible but what else is she to do?
Kemi finally seeing her self worth, even in a heated moment with the wrong person ... Warmed my heart because she had me livid Part 3&4.
A good read for self reflection
The author's note provided the most powerful words. I thank her for this story.
"It is extremely important for us as Black authors to write stories that keep uplifting Black joy and Black hope. That would have been the cliched ending many people would have expected me to write, to tie everything up neatly because we’re tired of reading about Black pain. However, for me, based here in Sweden, the soil isn’t even fertile enough to allow Black women to thrive and grow. So, how could I transparently address Black joy when we’re still not confronting the problems that prevent Black women from thriving here?"
The author's note provided the most powerful words. I thank her for this story.
"It is extremely important for us as Black authors to write stories that keep uplifting Black joy and Black hope. That would have been the cliched ending many people would have expected me to write, to tie everything up neatly because we’re tired of reading about Black pain. However, for me, based here in Sweden, the soil isn’t even fertile enough to allow Black women to thrive and grow. So, how could I transparently address Black joy when we’re still not confronting the problems that prevent Black women from thriving here?"
This is an absolutely amazing novel, which takes you on a journey on what it’s like to be a black woman in Sweden. Whewww THE SCANDALS. Can’t wait for the sequel!
Well-written and captivating. The author makes all three main characters, while very different, are very relatable. I look forward to a second book!?
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Loved it - didn’t want to put it down, and kept wanting to pick it back up. A solid 4.5! What a great book, addressing issues such as racism, tokenism, classicism, sexism, loneliness. And all set in Stockholm.
My heart was broken at the end. I thought it was actually good that it wasn’t all neatly wrapped up with a bow. My heart grieves for these characters, especially Muna. We so easily judge people or hold unconscious biases, and yet we should have so much empathy for people because we do not know what unspeakable things they have witnessed or beared.
My heart was broken at the end. I thought it was actually good that it wasn’t all neatly wrapped up with a bow. My heart grieves for these characters, especially Muna. We so easily judge people or hold unconscious biases, and yet we should have so much empathy for people because we do not know what unspeakable things they have witnessed or beared.
At page 78, I’m having trouble with this one. The women are interesting, smart, strong (life has forced them to be). The angle of showing how racism impacts people’s lives in Sweden was a very interesting angle for me - This book is set in the now but not the “here.” There’s so much in it that’s unfamiliar for me, and I’m ready to learn. But when one impressively dynamic woman lets two men disrespect her in one day - one, her soon to be ex boss and the other, a man she’s dating, and then she still sleeps with him, and then another of the main characters gives in to the creepy obsessiveness of a stalker the same day he shows up on her doorstep and ruptures her relationship, I’m not sure I can finish. He is such a horrible character and you can tell he is going to be the link between the three women. I don’t want to spend any more time with him.