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A review by tdotrenae
Token by Beverley Kendall
emotional
fast-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? No
3.5
I mean... I did pick up the book solely on the cover and the title. It was okay. It did take me like several chapters to decide if I was going to DNF it or not. I feel like it was just okay, good enough LOL.
What worked for me - I think that the tension between Kennedy and Nate was to die for! Like the sexual tension and the enemies to lovers factor really worked for them. I love the way that the author wrote and revealed their history. Kennedy and Nate's flirty banter and steamy spice scenes were to die for! I also really enjoyed all the side characters as well. Everyone was rich and interesting, including even the bad guys. I also even like that there was a subtle hint at the beginning about a "bad guy," that comes up later. I mean, if fmc is going to fall for a white man, at least he's rich and semi-"doing the work," and becoming increasingly racial conscious - although, I might be a biased because I study these things.
What didn't work for me - uhhh this Black woman being light skinned and blue/grey eyes just did not work for me. Especially when I feel like, the points she was trying to make as diversity champion would've felt more impactful, if it was a darker skinned Black woman. I feel like this book was trying to be deep, in a like "white gaze way." I also felt like some of the pacing of Kennedy's and Nate's relationship did not make sense - like for her to put up such a fight with them being together, it felt a little anti-climactic for me for them to just "oh now were dating." I also did not like how Kennedy's company was addressing DEI in these companies to fix it - it was such surface level work and like not at all how actual DEI companies run!
Also, like wtf does this even mean?? “I would do this for any best friend of mine whose brother needed a Black female beard."
and finally, I'm just going to address the fmc - Kennedy... Now, just because this white man has How to be Anti-racist and James Baldwin on his shelves, we should NOT be throwing our panties at him! LIKE BE SOOOO FOREAL. BE SERIOUS! You literally work for a DEI company and this makes you bend?!?! phew chile.
Now all that being said, i am going to give Beverley Kendall's next book a try too. So, like maybe I would recommend this book for like a surface level read, just don't think too much about everything.
What worked for me - I think that the tension between Kennedy and Nate was to die for! Like the sexual tension and the enemies to lovers factor really worked for them. I love the way that the author wrote and revealed their history. Kennedy and Nate's flirty banter and steamy spice scenes were to die for! I also really enjoyed all the side characters as well. Everyone was rich and interesting, including even the bad guys. I also even like that there was a subtle hint at the beginning about a "bad guy," that comes up later. I mean, if fmc is going to fall for a white man, at least he's rich and semi-"doing the work," and becoming increasingly racial conscious - although, I might be a biased because I study these things.
What didn't work for me - uhhh this Black woman being light skinned and blue/grey eyes just did not work for me. Especially when I feel like, the points she was trying to make as diversity champion would've felt more impactful, if it was a darker skinned Black woman. I feel like this book was trying to be deep, in a like "white gaze way."
Also, like wtf does this even mean?? “I would do this for any best friend of mine whose brother needed a Black female beard."
and finally, I'm just going to address the fmc - Kennedy... Now, just because this white man has How to be Anti-racist and James Baldwin on his shelves, we should NOT be throwing our panties at him! LIKE BE SOOOO FOREAL. BE SERIOUS! You literally work for a DEI company and this makes you bend?!?! phew chile.
Now all that being said, i am going to give Beverley Kendall's next book a try too. So, like maybe I would recommend this book for like a surface level read, just don't think too much about everything.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny and Racism