A review by leahlovesloslibros
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

emotional lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I'll be honest: I really don't know what the point of this book was. I'm pretty sure it was to highlight the struggles that the young black protagonist faced during her post-college years, but the book as a whole really did nothing for me. 

As a long-time former babysitter, I can relate to some of the situations Emira found herself in, mostly regarding how much she loved the children she worked with, and honestly also how she sometimes judged the parents who seemed less-than-interested in their own children. Conversely, while I was mistaken for the mother of the children I cared for on more than one occasion, I cannot relate to the situation Emira found herself in at the market, where she was mistaken for kidnapping a child who didn't belong to her, rather than being her caregiver. 

I also didn't really see the need for Kelly's character throughout the book. While I understand that it created a common link between Emira and Alix since he dated them both (not at the same time), it just seemed to me that it was another level of unnecessary drama. I didn't feel that he really contributed anything to the book that we couldn't have gotten from other characters instead.

Alix's character was disgustingly self-centered and filled with white privilege, not to mention systemic racism. Everything she did was with her own self-interest in mind, no matter how she tried to convince herself (and others) that she was looking out for others (usually Emira, who she seemed to view as a charity case more than anything else). She just really infuriated me.

It was heartbreaking for me to read about Emira having to leave the Chamberlain family - especially sweet, innocent little Briar. I have dealt with this personally on multiple occasions, especially having to face the knowledge that someday soon the child(ren) won't remember you, and yet you will always love them. This, for me, was always one of the hardest parts of parting ways with a family I worked for. This is really the only part of the book I truly resonated with.

Overall, I just didn't care much for this book. While I can see the importance of telling stories of BIPOC and some of the everyday struggles they face (in this case, racial profiling and stereotyping), I don't think this was the story to do that. The plot was noticeably lacking and seemed to kind of jump from one place to the next, and the characters were not fleshed out enough. 
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