For me this was a slow burner, it really took me a while to get hooked and drawn into the story. It was a dull start.... But not a dull end. Around a 1/3rd of the way through I got more into the plot as I wanted to find out more and more what happened to Siwar and how Wyatt processes it all. It is not my usual read so 3 stars for me.

Within the first chapter we meet Siwar who we learn has been murdered, we get to know snippets of her life and that she died on her 25th birthday.

What happens next is we find her consciousness living within the body of a 3 year old boy who was born on her birthday. As she struggles to adjust to having her brain trapped in a toddlers body, not just a toddler but a toddler who is speech delayed so she cannot voice what has happened.

We begin to learn about Siwar's life before her death, her family, her friends, her love life, her passion to be a writer. Whilst being woven into her current situation as Wyatt and living with the mum and dad and their daily lives.

Fast forward to Wyatt now as a 25 year old man we learn that Siwar doesn't seem to enter his consciousness as much, not for want of trying. However he gets the sense of de javu and feelings of been there before/knowing this and that. Which really haven't we all? So it does make you wonder about past lives....and if we do have them.

So Wyatt begins to investigate Siwars murder due to the few memories and things Siwar is able to get over to him. He begins to become entangled in finding out the truth. Siwar tries to break free into his 'real world' I'll call it and have him notice her and she wants to him to realise he isnt going mad or schizophrenic and that they instead share and inhabit the same brain.

When you do find out who the killer was it does come as a suprise!

Thanks to Netgalley and California Coldblood Books

So, I never really check Goodreads prior to reading my ARCs.

I received my ARC in February prior to the news story breaking in May that the author shamed a Metro employee in the DC region on the her social media. There has been significant backlash here on Goodreads and there are plenty of articles online which can feed the curious as to the fall out.

My review: I did read the entire book, but felt like DNFing it for bizarre dialogue, consistent repetition within chapters, and well the plot itself wasn't for me.


Probably the oddest and most uncomfortable review I have ever written.

Goodreads review 12/06/19
Publication Date.: 28/05/19

This book was absolutely captivating and I haven’t read any books like this one so far. I loved the mystery and supernatural feel of this book. From the beginning it dove right into the murder of Siwar and takes you on a incredible journey with her conscious being implanted in a speech-delayed 3 years old boy named Wyatt. I highly recommend this book. I will be telling all my friends about this one.

This story has its moments that I truly enjoyed, but then it has some other moments that are way out there. Not the first book I’ve read about this subject matter and I could definitely envision the movie “Ghost” with Patrick and Whoopie in the back of my mind. Along with the story, I did learn a lot about the traditions and lifestyle of Jordanians and the treatment of their women. My favorite parts of the book were the dialogue of Wyatt as a small child and Siwar was discovering the ways of Krista, the mom. I could totally relate to this.
Quick recap, April 1st, Siwar was killed on her birthday at the young age of 25, at that moment, she is “transported” into the mind of a newborn child, Wyatt, lying dormant until the child is about 3 years old. I felt the story was told well and it kept me fully engaged. I will give a language alert and there are several sexual scenes, not sure we really needed the bad language, the story could have been told without it, it’s not like it’s on every page, but the “F” bomb is dropped several times, if this offends you, pass on this one. I didn’t feel the language nor the sex was really necessary, it just added fluff to the storyline. All and all, it was a pretty good book. As I said in the beginning, it has its moments.
This one gets 4****’s. I was given an advanced copy from California Coldblood Books/Rare Bird Books and Net Galley for my honest review.

Siwar is celebrating her 25th birthday at a bar with friends, when she is suddenly pushed off the rooftop and killed. Her soul leaves her body and reappears in new-born Wyatt. Three years later, Siwar's conscience re-awakens and she realises she is in control of Wyatt's body. She frustratingly tries to tell her story but is unable to due to Wyatt's under-development. Fast forward to 25-year-old Wyatt and Siwar is still floating but no longer in control of Wyatt's mind. With Siwar's prompts, Wyatt begins to examine her death, where she is determined to get her story told, and her long-ago murder finally solved.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book. It was different and unusual, yet completely realistic. I enjoyed the Jordanian perspective as I have an interest in books set in the Middle East and like to gain knowledge on the culture and upbringing. The characters were strongly presented and I grew attached to both Siwar and Wyatt, desperate for the story to be revealed. I felt frustrated alongside Siwar as she tried to get her thoughts through to Wyatt and help him realise that she was in his head. I felt many emotions actually - rage, anger, sadness, pity. The book really brought my emotions out in force.

I had no idea about who killed Siwar. The plot was well thought-through and had all elements of a mystery, Just when I thought I'd solved it ahead of everyone, I was so wrong. And I love when that happens!

My main critique would be the writing. It needs some serious editing to amend spelling mistakes, adjustments so everything is in the same tense, grammar edits etc. Other than that, I thought the concept was brilliant and just needed a little more refining.

So this was a bit of a controversial book choice.

Last month Natasha Tynes was all over the press and had her book deal cancelled (read all about it on the BBC) and Goodreads has been flooded with one star reviews on the issue every since. I was in two minds whether to go ahead and read this but I love a book based in the Middle East so I dived in. 

And it was like diving into a pool they had forgotten to fill. The reading of this book was painful. 

This isn't a plot or characters I could get behind, or even believe in, it just screamed amateur to me. If an editor has read through this book, shame on you as the spelling and grammar is atrocious.

I really dont enjoy pulling books apart but this had me cringing, sighing and eye rolling.

I dont condone the actions of this author, in fact I dont have an opinion on the situation at all however after reading this book I just feel it should have been cancelled long before the metro incident. 

Deep breaths. Wine. New book calling.

Due to the controversy surrounding Natasha Tyne’s tweet, I have chosen not to read or review this book…at least for now.

Let me begin this review by saying that yes, I am aware of the incident involving the author and the racism allegations against her. I actually just knew today when I was browsing the other reviews. So please note I always try to be as objective as I can and separate the body of work from the author. I was asked by Natasha Tynes personally to review her book and I accepted because it has a fascinating plot.

The main character Siwar has always wanted to be somebody else—little did she know that her wish will be granted in a terrible turn of events. More than the mystery of her death I enjoyed reading about Siwar’s cultural background and her strict childhood upbringing. Wyatt is the perfect gentleman, but he is also a damaged person because of Siwar living within him. They are both trapped in their current situation and I was hooked on how the two characters will set themselves free.

There is a lot of anger in the book. I was quite disturbed how Siwar seems to hate Americans so much when she wanted so desperately to live in the US. The author gives interesting thoughts about economic disparity and racism in the US. It’s ironic and sad how she faces the same issues now, but the incident is also a great opportunity for people to discuss systemic racism.

In conclusion, I honestly think the book deserves a 3⭐️ because I did enjoy the combination of scifi and supernatural elements and the underlying feminist theme throughout the book. It’s an honest and heartfelt body of work. However, the author’s behavior with the DC Metro employee was truly a 1⭐️ for me, so I think it’s fair to settle with a 2⭐️

I regret how people probably won’t give this story a chance now. May this incident serve as a lesson for everyone to always think before we act, and to always be kind.

|2.75 stars|

What attracted me to this book first was the concept, the soul of a 25-year-old woman trapped inside a newborn baby.
Siwar from Jordan, known for her fierce, independent and righteous nature among her family and friends is brutally murdered and her soul gets transferred to a boy named Wyatt who was born on the day she was killed.
Siwar has one goal and that is to find her murdered, But how can she do that while being inside the body of a child? Here’s when things start to get crazy (I mean that in a good AND a bad way).
Siwar, through Wyatt, starts manipulating the people around her and that how she intends to solve the mystery. The other characters are equally grey and that gives an edge to the plot.
The writing gets confusing at places, as Wyatt’s POV gets messy and it gets increasingly difficult to follow the plot. While at places, the pace is perfect and things make absolute sense, a lot of events felt rushed and not descriptive enough.

The mystery was quite good, so the novel succeeds plot-wise. The world building is fantastic, with hints of supernatural, and a lot of mysteries. I would definitely recommend this book because of the theme but for the rest of the things, not so much

I think this was a very ambitious book, weaving in the diaspora experience into the genre of crime/mystery. I haven’t read much crime fiction beyond Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle, so this much more modern take that brings in issues of the silenced immigrant woman, and the struggles of people of colour/immigrants in America in general, was refreshing and highly relevant. However, I felt parts of the novel didn’t manage to deliver their full potential precisely because it was so ambitious; a lot of the characters, in my opinion, lacked nuance, from Wyatt’s xenophobic dad to Siwar’s xenophobic neighbour. While I understand that many xenophobes today have the sense of subtlety of a screaming toddler, I would’ve appreciated a more complex presentation of it - not every bigot is aware of their bigotry or is shamelessly open about it. And as for Siwar herself, as much as I feel for her situation and her wish for justice, I just could not like her as a character. I liked the switch between her first-person narration and the third-person perspective when the focus shifts to Wyatt just fine, but after the third “Hello, world. I’m awake,” I was just so tired of the repetitive lines that signposted Siwar’s POV. And despite how the genre markets the book, I actually preferred the earlier half of the novel in which Siwar was getting used to Wyatt’s 3-year-old body and learning about him and his family - in part, I suppose because I have a tendency to invest in character more than plot. The second half of this book was much more plot-driven, which, as a matter of personal taste, I wasn’t the biggest fan of.

Overall, They Called Me Wyatt raised a lot of highly relevant (to immigrant issues) points, especially in the American context today, but the skin of the crime/mystery genre might not have been the best way to do it. I think it’s a great conversation starter on intersectionalities of feminism, migration, power, and privilege (e.g. the silenced woman of colour immigrant vs the white male national who gets to speak for her).

This book is very original for me. I've never read a book like this. Which made me more intrigued. I didn't know what to expect.
I quickly got into this. Wondering where it was going. Especially as Wyatt was only 3 when he was introduced.
Then it jumped to the year 2026. When Wyatt is 25 years old. I hoped I would stay interested for this part as it's where the story really starts. But sadly I slowly became less interested. I only really cared about what happened once Wyatt discovers the truth about Siwar's death. Does Siwar just leave his head ? Move on? Or stay?
The over use of the phrase 'HELLO WORLD, I'M AWAKE' annoyed me. Was there really no other phrases to use to show us Siwar was now speaking?
The ending felt flat and underwhelming for me. I've read so many endings like that before. Maybe I've read too many thrillers before. I think it could of been better instead of trying to do a twist that many other books do.

I was notified that this book would no longer be being published. Which is kind of sad. This book was actually very good. I understand that the actions of the author were poor choices but this title on the other hand was well done. I do think that it could have used a little less description and more story but overall I liked what Tynes did. I hope that she makes amends with what she did and that this book does see the light.

This book grabs you from the very first sentence and doesn't let go. Tynes does an incredible job of creating a scenario that is unbelievable and realistic. She brings a different culture to the forefront and makes you care deeply about these characters. A wonderful debut!

Due to the recent events surrounding this book I won't be offering a review on a book that seemed to have a promising premise. There are lots of differing opinions on separating an artist from their work and I'm still not sure where I fall on this barometer. The point of if all is that I feel that my opinion of this book would be tainted by recent events regardless of my opinion on the previous point.

Nathasha Tynes felt the need to report a women eating food on her commute and I lost all desire to read her work.

I don't support cancel culture, but given Tynes reaction to being called in on her actions, I don't consider her a person I'd like to support by reading her book.

My interest in Reincarnation is what made me request this book from Netgalley. This is a story about a young women who falls to her death. She finds herself reincarnated into the body of a baby boy named Wyatt. She haunts this child into adulthood in her efforts to seek justice and bring her killer to justice.
I found this book to be a bit boring at times. It took me a while to get through it. Unfortunately this was not what I expected. I received an ARC from Netgalley and this is my honest and unbiased review.

Interesting plot and well researched. I didn’t love the execution. I kept waiting to get back to Siwar’s parts and drug through Wyatt’s parts. Again, interesting plot point but I wish the whole story was as captivating as the parts from Siwar’s perspective.

When the author reached out to me a couple months ago, I found myself very intrigued by this book. I do love a good mystery.

In light of recent events regarding the author’s behaviour, I’ve decided to DNF the book.

It could have been an interesting read, but I cannot and will not support an author who behaves so poorly.

“It took me a while to embrace my new American label, “person of color,” but that’s what I am now in the land of the free. Color is what defines me. Growing up in Jordan, we were all Jordanians. Color was never a definition of our identity. Moving to the US moved my color with me.”
It is a little ironic that the book talks about racial issues and now the author faces the cancelation of the book’s distribution due to a controversy of the sort. I was given an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion and have been debating whether to publish it. I feel conflicted about the issue, obviously she did the wrong thing by publicly shaming an employee but also she seems to be paying for it dearly. We can all learn from it by being more careful about our words and actions in social media, more respectful and caring of other people because really we do not know their full story. I believe we might not agree with someone, but there is no need to diminish, humiliate or damage other people; which sadly enough happens a lot in social media.
And so I chose to go ahead and post a small review of the book. Not to condone her actions in any way, but to acknowledge her work and hope she can learn from her mistake and grow. We all deserve the benefit of the doubt.
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
They Called me Wyatt is a murder mystery about a Jordanian woman who travels to study in the U.S. and is subsequently murdered. After her murder she wakes up in the body of an American toddler boy through which she intends to solve her murder.
The murder mystery is not that good in my opinion but the premise is creative and entertaining. I particularly enjoyed her insights into being an immigrant.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you for the opportunity to read They Called Me Wyatt by Natasha Tynes. With the recent publicity she has received I respectfully decline to review this book. I understand there are most likely extenuating circumstances and that we will never entirely know the whole story, Kindest regards, Stacy

p.s. this screen will not allow me to move forward without clicking a star - Please note that I have not read the book and this star rating does not apply.