A review by chainingbooks
The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava

hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-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

3.5

 Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for providing this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

I would recommend this book to those that are fans of work place romances that take time to highlight the injustices for minorities in the corporate world.

Overall I found this to be a very fun and easy to read book where we dive right in to Ember’s life as she’s trying to make it out of her low-paying and unsatisfying job at a local bowling alley. She makes a plan and executes it to a land a job as an accounting assistant, stretching the truth to help ensure her resume looks great. As she’s learning on the job she finds herself growing close to Danuwoa, despite the no dating coworkers policy. She quickly moves up in her job and finds it harder to manage the lies she has been telling to survive the corporate environment.

My biggest issue with this romance was it felt a bit too fast paced for me. With how quickly Ember’s life was changing, it became hard for me to feel the chemistry between her and Danuwoa and it became hard for me to connect with how she felt as she moved up in her job. The banter between the two of them did have me rooting for them but it did feel a bit like a “love at first sight” situation and that trope is not for me. Also, while I haven’t worked at a start-up company, I have worked in corporate environments so it was hard for me to grasp her getting the higher position in such a short time.

Despite that, I really enjoyed how the author handled the topics of navigating work environments that are white male dominated. Ember was a force to be reckoned with and learned to really find herself and her voice. It was empowering to watch moments where she stood up for herself and others rather than just trying to brush off racist or sexist comments. Her growth was neat to read, especially when it came to how the major conflict wrapped up. 
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