A review by loudgls89
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

I’ve had this book on my radar for a long time, and decided to pick it up with my latest Audible credit. Let’s just say that some of my dog walks went on for longer than usual because I didn’t want to stop listening! 

Fast paced in terms of plot, but also full of characterisation, I was gripped from the very first chapter when Emira is at the grocery store and racially profiled by the security guard. As a white woman, I’ve never experienced anything like that but the author was great at capturing the emotion of the scene and really putting you in Emira’s shoes. 

I found Alix to be a really infuriating character – obsessed with Emira but doesn’t seem to care about her own child, who Emira truly cares for. And don’t even get me started on Kelley. To start with I thought he was a good guy, but it just seems to turn into a battle between Kelley and Alix about who is the least racist and neither of them come out of it looking good. 

I don’t want to go into too much more detail on the plot because it would be really easy to give away huge spoilers, but I really appreciated that this book wasn’t just an intense look at racism, but also issues of class, motherhood and social issues. 

I’d love to actually read this book now instead of having it read to me, as even though the narrator was fabulous, I feel like there were probably things I missed just from being distracted and it seems like the kind of book that would give you something more every time you read it.