This is a story that, at the beginning, seems ripped from the headlines – a young black woman is accused of kidnapping while in a grocery store late one night with the white child she is babysitting. What follows is both an entertaining and thought-provoking read.

The primary focus of Such a Fun Age is on two characters - the young woman, a recent college graduate drifting along on two part-time jobs, and the child’s wealthy mother who has built her woman-centered “brand” on her ability to get free merchandise through letter writing. While the novel focuses on their relationship, there are a number of underlying, powerful themes beyond race - friendship, motherhood, feminism, privilege, identity…

While this was certainly light and entertaining on the surface, I have many lingering questions. For me, this is a sign that Such a Fun Age is much more than a simple story. But I was also left puzzled particularly with the ending. Overall, it was so well done that it bears repeating that this is a debut novel for Kiley Reid. I will certainly be looking for what comes next.


FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In this sharp and gripping debut from Kiley Reid, a young black babysitter, Emira, is confronted by police while out with the young white children she cares for. When a video of the incident starts to circulate, her employer, a successful businesswoman, vows to make it right and do what it takes to help Emira. Her well-intentioned efforts set the women on a complicated collision course, especially when a shared connection from their past resurfaces. Written with both empathy and unflinching candor, Reid’s novel delivers piercing social commentary on race and privilege in America that will have you contemplating it long after you finish reading.

I found this book to be really engaging and I found myself wanting to see what happened to the characters. However, I didn’t love the end of the book. I found it to be slightly depressing and I didn’t necessarily agree with the points that the book was trying to make. It was interesting to read about the dynamics of race in both dating and when nannying and I really enjoyed the characters.

While I appreciate the themes in this story (namely racism, and finding one’s path after college), and while this book was well written, it didn't work for me.
Thanks to NG and the publisher for the ARC.

I thought this book had so much potential. I kept hearing about it and was really excited when I got an ARC from NetGalley. Unfortunately, it fell short for me. I feel like there were too many plot points and focuses when there should’ve been one main one. The ending (after the video is posted) seemed to be rushed and not much was really complete after that for me. The fact that she didn’t end up back together with Kelley was fine, but again, felt rushed. Overall, it was good, but I wanted more.

Extremely thought-provoking book. It made me realize that I never give a thought about a character's race when I read a book and this made me think twice. I wasn't sure who to be angry at for the injustice in this storyline as it bounced between several key characters, but I ended up thinking that each character was unique in their striving for the "right thing." This was truly like no other book or plotline I have read before. It would be a great movie.

My biggest outstanding question is around the title. Does it refer to Briar, one of the children, and how her innocence and wonder was a juxtaposition to what the adult were encountering? Or it could be ironic, in that in this day and age, it's ridiculous that racial inequality/profiling still occurs. Again, very thought provoking!

Not quite sure what to make of this book. I liked it but I didn’t. The concept of this book was good, however I felt like it was lacking something. I enjoyed the characters but for some reason after finishing this one I don’t feel much of anything. A privileged family hires a black girl to babysit their daughters and they form a good relationship with her. One night something happens and this family makes a bigger deal of it than they should. The fallout from that event and what follows kept me reading, but just could not seem to connect with the characters in this book. Thanks to Netgalley for providing Me with an ARC of this book.

Alix (ahhh leeeks) has turned her childhood fondness for writing letters into an empire, with an Insta following to boot. Her family has recently relocated to support her husband’s job, but her heart (and instagram) are still in NYC.
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In walks Emira, Alix’s babysitter, like a breath of fresh air...and a new ‘project’ for Alix to help ‘fix’. Emira at almost 25 feels aimless and adrift. While her friends are moving up the career ladder, she hasn’t settled on what she wants to be when she grows up.
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One night amid a family crisis, Emira is called upon to take Briar to a ‘very white’ grocery store, where she is accosted by the security guard, who doesn’t believe she’s babysitting. At this point, you think you know where this one is going to go. But you’re probably wrong 😁.
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I enjoyed this book. The pacing was good throughout, which made me furiously keep turning the pages to find out what happened next. The social commentary and the juxtaposition between Emira’s life and friends vs Alix’s was on point. Alix is at pains to show that she’s not a ‘regular’ frumpy mum, but it comes off as forced and just embarrassing. The book also explores issues of white privilege and saviourism, and the dynamics this places across different relationships.
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The love and understanding between Emira and Briar brought tears to my eyes on multiple occasions. They were really the standout characters for me in this book.
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And now; Alix. I really disliked Alix. Right from the start. She just grated on me on so many levels - in her friendships, relationships, career and as a parent. I did not care for her one bit and was on tenterhooks hoping karma would come back and bite her in the ass! And maybe that’s the point! Overall, a clever and entertaining read.

LOVED this book by Kiley Reid!

At the beginning we are introduced to Emira; a woman who babysits for the Chamberlain family. A series of events occur and Emira is accused of kidnapping the Chamberlain’s daughter Briar. Coincidentally Emira’s boyfriend and Mrs. Chamberlain also have quite the history with each other. A history that extends all the way back to their high school days.

Emira transforms into an even more independent & strong woman, even though she goes through quite a bit to get there. Reid’s story also made me fall in love with the beautiful relationship between Emira & Briar. She truly loved & cared for Briar as her own.

Extremely thought-provoking & great read!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley, Kiley Reid and GP Putnam’s Sons for my advance copy of Such a Fun Age. This was like no other book I’ve ever read and hard to classify. Emira has always seen racism in and around her life, but nothing like when a security guard questions whether or not she should have the white toddler in her arms at the grocery store. When Emira realizes there is a recording of the event, she decides to do nothing about it. The problem is those around her can’t seem to abide by her wishes. The reader tries the decipher which characters are good and bad throughout while getting the whole picture. Is race the factor or trustworthiness? Is it wealth or drive? So many themes flow throughout and would make for great book club discussions. Great start to my 2020 reads!

I enjoyed Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid especially Briar Chamberlain. I did find myself wondering through the whole book why 2 grown adults felt the need to meddle so much with Elmira. Neither Kelley or Alix were very likeable characters. I kept waiting for redemption but fir me it didnt happen. I think the author did a good job portraying how desperate Alix was for connection. That despite her successful business and family she lacked any fulfilling connection with anyone her children included.

There's a reason why there is SO much buzz surrounding this book right now! It is just that compelling and told in a really interesting, fun to read way. I was sucked in immediately but kind of had no idea where it was going. Definitely will read more by this author!

Such a Fun Age comes out later this month on December 31, 2019, and you can purchase HERE. I definitely recommend this one - fast, compelling read!

A good story with a lot of interesting social commentary but sadly I did not fall in love with it as many other reviewers have.

There are some great characters especially Briar and Emira and I loved the relationship between them. Alix was a horrible person, Kelley too, but this was good writing on the author's part. We are obviously not supposed to care for them. The story is basically about race and class and there is one major scene in a supermarket where Emira is accused of taking a child which will make terrific viewing if this book goes to film.

So, for me, this was an interesting book but not an outstanding one.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me an eARC of Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. I had started this book prior to its pub date of 12/31/19 but was unable to finish it before the end of 2019. However, I'm glad this was my first read of 2020 as it was indeed a very unique book, unlike any other I have read.

This great debut novel tells the story of a young, black girl in her mid-20's: Emira Tucker, her white boyfriend, Kelley Copeland and her white female boss, Alix Chamberlain and how their lives are interconnected.

Emira is a babysitter for Alix's first daughter, Briar. The story commences when Emira is falsely accused of kidnapping Briar by a racist security guard at a grocery story. This is where she first meets Kelley, who is enraged for her and tapes the whole incident on his phone. Later, they coincidentally meet again and start dating.

When Alix finds out about the incident, she feels awful and goes out of her way to make Emira feel more like a part of her family. However, she becomes creepily obsessed with Emira - her stalkerish behavior kind of reminded me of the Netflix series, You.

The author uses the first half of the book setting up the dynamic between Emira & Kelley and Emira & Alix. The second half is where their worlds collide in a very interesting way.

I loved the main protagonist and felt angry for her at times because it felt like both her boyfriend and her boss were trying to control her life when Emira was perfectly capable of making her own decisions.

I also really enjoyed the book because of the social commentary about racism and white privilege, which are very relevant topics today. It also accurately portrays the struggles of adulting after you have stepped into the real world upon graduation from college and seeing everyone around you be more "successful" or moving forward with their lives at a faster pace. Mostly everyone experiences this feeling of dissatisfaction about their own lives these days thanks to social media and as such, the protagonist's struggles were quite relatable from that perspective. At no point does the book sound preachy in any way, which is so important and made it a fun read. I thought the ending was perfect as it was unusual but satisfying at the same time.

I was thoroughly impressed with this author's debut novel! I was also psyched to be halfway through it when Reese Witherspoon announced it was her newest book club pick. Lord knows it would have been difficult to get after that!

The different perspectives, flaws of each character, and dialogue really rang true. Beautifully written and edited - there really isn't anything I wished was different! I look forward to Reid's next book.

I recently read an Entertainment Weekly interview with Kiley Reild that referred to Such a Fun Age's "neat trick: nestling a nuanced take on racial biases and class divides into a page-turning saga of betrayals, twists, and perfectly awkward relationships." This neat trick is why Fun Age is such a compelling read, and I had trouble putting it down.

25 year old Emira is hired to baby-sit the Chamberlains' (Alix and Peter) toddler Briar three days a week. Early in the book, Emira is stopped in a grocery store in the Chamberlains' affluent Allentown neighborhood while a security guard questions what she's doing with a white child. The moment is caught on video and Emira is forced to call Peter Chamberlain to clear up the misunderstanding. This racially charged incident leads Alix Chamberlain to overcompensate by becoming obsessed with Emira and her life. There are lots of plot surprises, and all along, and I found myself cringing at the many missteps of the white characters as they tried to "save" Emira.

Emira felt like a secondary character and a pawn in the drama between the white folks in Such a Fun Age. She is very much a woman in her mid-20s - struggling to find a career that includes health insurance, dating, finding ways to still spend time with friends who make more money, and sometimes splurging on a leather jacket when she has extra cash. And like many books I've read with mistreated nannies, she absolutely loved and adored the child she cared for. I really appreciate how Reid was able to weave some serious topics into such compelling and readable prose. I was nervous as to how this one was going to end, but it's wrapped up nicely. I highly recommend this book, and white people take note, don't do what the white people in Such a Fun Age do.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for offering a free e-copy of Such a Fun Age in exchange for an honest review.

This book reminded me of Little Fires Everywhere. No there is no racism related stuff, but the tone of the this book matches. The balance of daily life being tipped and everything comes tumbling down in a sec.

Emira Tucker is a young black babysitter for Alix Chamberlain's eldest daughter, Briar. Emira likes her job but she is also tensed about her future. She doesn't know what she should do as a career, how to get a job which can cover her medical insurance. She is lost and does not know what to do.

Alix, on the other hand runs a blog, known in a circle of social media, mother of two with a newsreader husband. She on the other hand finds it difficult to manage so many duties and yet want to continue her blog work.

Their life starts to take a turn, when Emira is accused of kidnapping Briar at a grocery store. Even though the misunderstanding is resolved, Emira is shaken and a bystander has taken a video of the incident. Emira doesn't want the video to go online, she gets into a relationship with the man who took the video and after the incident Alix has started to take more interest in Emira.

A lot of twists and turns with relationships and so called "white liberals" who make life hard around. This was a concept new to me, I have not read on this topic and this was an eye-opener for me. Well written and a good read.


Thanks to NetGalley for ARC in exchange of honest review.
Happy Reading!!!

meet emira tucker — you’ll be rooting for her from the start. she’s a black, 25 year old trying to get her life together. she babysits part-time for the chamberlains, a rich white family in philadelphia.

after a family emergency, emira ends up at a grocery store with blair, the oldest chamberlain daughter, and gets accused of kidnapping. the whole ordeal ends up getting caught on tape and emira and mrs. chamberlains’ lives are forever changed from the events that unfold after.

i devoured this book. it’s easily one of the best debut novels i’ve read. it tackles so many complex issues like racism, classism, and cultural appropriation in an extremely readable, wild, and page-turning plot. the alternating POV between mrs. chamberlain and emira was so well executed and made certain points of the story even more cringe-worthy. i’ll be thinking about this book for a long time.

thanks to netgalley and putnam for the free digital review copy.

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Random House for the copy of this ebook in exchange for a review.
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Such a Fun Age is freaking magic. I needed it so much - Kiley Reid’s breezy writing and superbly crafted characters - that I read it on my phone so I could peak it at it at all times.
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I think the magic of the book is its simplicity - at its heart this is a story about race and class - as well as its complexities - it’s so much more than race and class and intricately weaves those themes into a story of love, friendship, parenting, childcare, and childhood. The story feels classic and so NOW and of the moment. I feel it could speak to anyone but it spoke directly to me.
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Summary: Alix is a wealthy white mother of two and Emira is the young black babysitter who cares for Alix’s toddler. The book’s plot is driven by an incident early on in which, after a late night family emergency Emira takes Alix’s child to a grocery store to get her out of the house she is stopped unfairly by a security guard and not permitted to leave as it is believed she may be kidnapping the child. The prejudice is palpable and the event goes a long way to fuel the plot progression.
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I really loved the ways in which the plot demonstrates these casual, commonplace micro (and some macro) aggressions. While not ending in violence or blatant overt racism, they are effective in demonstrating the truly pervasive nature of racism. There were moments that inspired rage and sadness but a lot that inspired cringe faces and eye rolling. All moments led me to think more and deeply about my racial and socioeconomic privileges and the ways I operate in the world as white woman, a mother, etc.
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This book was, from start to finish, a full blown delight. I love these characters (even though some are super problematic) and want to keep going with them. I love this book and recommend it to everyone. 5 stars easily.

I feel like this was one of my most anticipated books to start the new year so when I found myself with some time after Christmas, it was the first book I picked up. I can absolutely see why Reese Witherspoon chose this for her January book club pick and why everyone seems to be talking about this book.

The novel grabs you right from the beginning when Emira, called in late at night to help the family she babysits for, gets confronted in a very Caucasian grocery store and accused of kidnapping the little white girl she is with. The story quietly unfolds from there. I loved that racism was at the core of this story but it was almost hidden behind a thin gauze and never outright examined. It's there, it exists in all of our lives but what does it REALLY look like. The author utilized dual POV throughout the story, letting us view the events and relationships through Emira's black lens and Alix's white lens. Honestly the best and most heartbreaking relationship in this book was that of Emira and Briar. It really brought full circle the examination of the role of race in our relationships and what baggage we bring with us into them.

I will definitely recommend this book to people. It was thoughtful and deep but still an exciting page turner. I love when fiction is deep without sacrificing the genuine enjoyment of the reader.