<i>Such a Fun Age</i> is one of my favorite books that I've read all year, and I suspect that we're going to be seeing a lot of it in the media once the publication date hits.

As others have said, it's really hard to summarize this book without giving too much away. The book begins with 25 year old Emira, a part-time babysitter from a family who all seem to have a path in life. Emira is weeks away from being kicked off her parents' insurance, working two part-time jobs in Philadelphia and watching as her friends all seem to be steadily on their way to adulthood. One night Emira gets a panicked call from her babysitting job asking if she can take their 3 year old daughter out while they deal with an emergency. Emira takes 3 year old Briar to a late night fancy grocery store to get her out of the house, where she gets accused of kidnapping the child by "well meaning" people: Emira is black and the little girl is white.

While we have seen situations like this play out with unfortunate frequency in the news lately, the incident plays only a (consistent) but background role in the text. Reid plays with readers' expectations and gives us a story that is unexpected and unique. Emira may not know what she wants to do career-wise, but she doesn't doubt who she is as a person or what she wants. The trouble in the book arises when the people around her assume that they know what's best for her. Reid has created characters who have the best of intentions (at least in their minds), yet still embark on paths that make readers want to do a full body cringe.



Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This was such a fast read because the writing is so seamless. For a book that touched on topics like racism, feminism, and privilege, the story was so fun that this could just be seen as a light read. I loved Emira’s character, who was directionless as much as she was sure of herself. And Briar who was precious and so smart, who complemented Emira’s personality perfectly. I loved that this book was both easy and powerful, unafraid of exposing the racism that still exists in our society.

First, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC!

I went into this book with no expectations. I had requested it awhile ago and then randomly chose to read it this week. The author's style was so light and felt so fun that you almost don't realize the social commentary that is going on in the story. Emira Tucker is a part time babysitter trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. She has a horrible run in at a grocery store over being a black woman watching a small white child late at night. Emira wants to forget the entire situation, but her boyfriend and her employer do not feel the same. The way the author handles the relationships in this book is nuanced and no one is overtly racist. But the micro aggression that occurs cannot be ignored. My only complaint with the story was I wanted more wrap up with Emira and Kelly. Definitely pick up a copy of this book when it's available!

Excellent! This books takes you on a fascinating journey of two very different women. It doesn't go like you'd expect and that's the best part. While there is obviously a component of race in this story, it is so much more than that. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. And more from Kiely Reid please!

Oh wow, this was quite good. Such a refreshing, different and completely satisfying take on racism and privilege. The different perspectives shown through the characters—their views on these important matters—Kiley seamlessly integrates it spectacularly.

It comes out Dec 31.

Special thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this review copy.

What a crazy book!!! Emira Tucker is out for a friend's birthday party when she receives a call. Alix Chamberlain needs her to come babysit Briar for a little bit while she sorts out something that happened at home. Emira takes Briar to the local grocery store and a security guard accuses her of kidnapping. This is quickly sorted out, but there is a video taken. What I thought would happen next is the video is released, but that isn't what happened. Instead of being about the video this book is about relationships. What it's like to be 25 and still not know what you want to do, but love babysitting. To be over 30 think you have it altogether and then let something derail you. I loved the development of the characters in the book. I loved Emira or Mira as Briar calls her. I thought this was well written and discusses race and your place in this world with grace.

I loved this book - I felt invested in reading through to the end To find out if Emira would end up alright.
There was an interesting question throughout the book whether Alix or Kelly, white characters, had an unusual attachment to relationships with black people. It was also refreshing to read about a protagonist that didn’t have her life goals all together.
I am middle-aged, and therefore probably a little older than the typical audience for this story, but I loved it anyway!

While the book started out really well I quickly lost interest. The first chapter with the incident at the market really grabbed me and I wanted to know how that affected the lives of those involved. But then it went into the interaction of Emira with her friends and that is when I lost interest. I felt it needed to have gotten back to the impact of the incident sooner than it did. That would have held my interest.

Such a Fun Age was a very enjoyable book. The book had tones of race and privilege--at first seemed like a sliver, uncomfortable, but the discomfort with the race and privilege grew and came to a head. This book was great, in that, what seemed like a small misstep, became more and more uncomfortable and more ramifications throughout the book. This book was not an in your face, change your thinking, but made you second guess and think about small moments (racially charged or not) that have bigger impacts. This book was a fast read, in that I was very interested in the characters and what happened.

Such a Fun Age is an almost droll read at first glance, but below the jabs of humor and bright descriptions, we see how race and socioeconomic status can shape your perception of the world/your decision making process. It is a fast-paced story that depicts how a single evening alters an already complex relationship between Alix Chamberlain and Emira Tucker. Both of these women are characters we think we know on the surface. Kiley Reid presents them in one way while giving the opportunity for us to look into both of their minds and understand their true intentions.

As the story zooms ahead, we are called to question who they truly are, what they really believe in, and what it is they truly want for fulfillment in their lives. Both women are at a crossroads for very different reasons. Alix is struggling to find fulfilment as a mother while not living that glamorous Upper East Side Manhattan life. Emira is trying to find a job with benefits that will make her as content as caring for Briar, Alix's oldest daughter, does. I think everyone who reads this will perceive each of these characters and interpret the book in a different manner due to their own personal experience.

Reid encompasses complex themes like race, class, and privilege with a certain lightness in her writing. She sets up scenes with an ease that has you picturing them in your mind’s eye. Her ability to stir up emotions within you as a reader is seamless. Everything appears bright and picturesque until darker shades of reality present themselves into the narrative. The inclusion of children in this and the innocence they emulate, allows a sort of relief in between the tense points of the story. Because there are some cringe worthy moments in how the characters (mostly the white ones) act throughout this story. Which is a compliment to Reid’s ability as a writer to make you feel deeply about what is happening in these scenes and understand their full meaning. I can’t account for everything within this book being a white woman, so I want to encourage you to check out some own voices reviewers and their thoughts on this one.

Such A Fun Age, by Kiley Reid, is a modern coming of age / Black Lives Matter story that I had such high hopes for, but ultimately it fell flat for me. The story centers around Emira, a 25-year-old with no direction in life, who babysits for an inquisitive and adorable 2-year-old, Briar, the daughter of Alix Chamberlain. One evening, as Emira is babysitting Briar, a security guard at the local grocery store accuses Emira (a black woman) of kidnapping Briar (a white girl), and refuses to let them leave the store, and the whole event is caught on video. The synopsis of the book highlights this event and notes that “when the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix’s past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves, and each other.” While the plot did follow the events caused by the encounter between Emira and the store’s security guard, it was ultimately an exploration of Emira and Alex as two women, less than a decade apart in age, and the intersection of the very different lives they led.

Reid’s writing captivated me from the very beginning and by the time I reached the halfway point of the book, I had a lot of trouble putting it down. But as I read, I repeatedly struggled with Emira’s selfishness and lack of knowledge. Yes, she’s supposed to be a confused 25-year-old, but how many 25-year-old college graduates wouldn’t know their employer’s full name? Or how to Google well enough to learn more about her? Her lack of direction, and purposeful refusal to determine any in her life, seemed too ridiculous for me. The few times that we see Emira make any real, true-to-character decisions, it is largely due to other forces in her life (her friends, boyfriend, etc.) and do not seem to be for herself at all, but merely to appease those around her. One of the last conversations between her and Alix that we read in the book seems forced and childish, and further, so out of character for Emira that it felt more as though it was a sentiment that Reid just felt should be in the book, and so she contrived an awkward conversation to include it, as opposed to a true to character ending for Emira.

At the end of the novel, I sided more with Alix and the Chamberlain family than anyone else. I’m not sure if this had more to do with my own background, ambition or other privilege, but I didn’t see her as the evil person that Reid tries to make her out to be. She didn’t always make the best choices, but I didn’t feel as though the events of her past were changed by the book’s ending, and I felt that she was in the right when she was in high school, and ultimately, at the very end of the book, that it was Emira, and not Alix, who was in the wrong.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the free electronic ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was reading this book any free second I had; brushing my teeth, stirring pasta, etc. I loved the writing. It was engaging and the pace of the story kept me flying through, while still presenting really thought-provoking content.
The story touches on heavy concepts such as race, privilege, socio-economic status, and finding yourself. I definitely recommend this one!

This book was amazing!! The way the author discusses race is phenomenal and it was definitely something I was looking to read about recently. I can identify with the characters and plot and the writing was very well-paced. I am so excited to read more by this author as this was a great topic to tackle in a debut novel and she has excelled.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Putnam Publishing for providing me with an ARC of Kiley Reid’s debut novel, Such A Fun Age. In exchange for the ARC I offer my unbiased review.

There has been lots of buzz around this title and I’m sure it’s because the novel’s plot seems ripped from the headlines. An African American young woman is accused of kidnapping a white child in her charge when they are seen together in an upscale predominantly white area market. The incident is caught on film and suddenly many people have an opinion on how the young woman should respond. The premise is great, the execution was not as great. The themes explored are very relevant and make for interesting thought and discussion but my issues were with the weak writing ( stilted and cliche) and the one dimensional characters, specifically the young woman’s best friend ; Zara, Alix; her white employer and Tamara,; the headstrong mentor/best friend of Alix. For a debut, I see all the potential Kiley Reid possesses however I think this book would have benefited from tighter editing and additional re-writes. My opinion however is in the minority as many many qualified readers and reviewers have loved this book.

I thank the publisher for granting me a chance to review this novel and I look forward to seeing what the author writes next.

I just finished this book last night, but I am sure I will be thinking about it for weeks to come. What a powerful, debut novel! Seeing events from both Emira's perspective and Alix's perspective gave a lot of depth to the narrative and made both characters relatable. Parts of the story reminded me of Zadie Smith's "Swing Time." This will be a great book to discuss with friends or a book club. Thanks so much to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Emira was such a strong and admirable character. She loves Briar fiercely and like she was her own daughter. She stands up for herself and she knows what she deserves. I wish the ending wasn’t tied up so quickly and we got to savor more. There was a part of the ending that was heartbreaking but beautiful at the same time. I love the way this story was tied up. This story touches on a sensitive subject, race but it was a powerful read and I loved seeing two sides of the story.

Kiley Reid is a gift to readers, and everyone should put this book on their reading lists and pre-order it now.

Reid is an amazing writer. She fleshes these characters out, gives them complete, flawed stories, and does dialogue phenomenally well. I loved the interactions between Emira and her friends, they felt like home. Even the toddler voices were spot on.

Then, she flips the plot all over. For the first half of the book, every time you think you understand what this story is about she adds another aspect that changes everything. I absolutely loved the beginning chapters where new parts of the plot are introduced every few pages.

I have not shouted out loud at a book so much in a long time. When I wasn't shouting, I was cringing. There is a character in this book who goes from batsh*t loony, to gross and disgusting, to psychotic, and then at the end we find out they're downright evil.

It was a joy to read not because the story was happy (it's not really) but because the writing is fantastic. It was a *pleasure* to consume the pages, even to the very bittersweet end.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I'm honestly so impressed at this author's first book. I will read absolutely anything she writes in the future.

First off, this is a bummer review so I’m sorry. I think you want honesty here so—here it is.

i hate to be the one to swoop in here and leave one star buuuuuuut

The main themes of this book are the intersection of race and class/income but the author for whatever reason seems dead set against any character in the novel acting across these lines in a way that is genuine or that doesn’t have an ulterior motive.

There is no normal main character in this book, or anyone with the depth of today’s understanding.

In addition to the main character Emira’s constant griping about everyone around her being more successful/wealthy than her (does the author not think watching children is a real job? seems probable)—there are two white people in this book, one more horrible than the other (the first is an inexplicable woman who changes her name from “Alex” to “Alix” to forge a new identity for herself and the second is a 30-something man whose creepy pet name for women he dates is “miss”, which is not remotely real and again, inexplicable). Tamra is a black friend of Alix who also for whatever reason is written as having a white savior complex. The one white friend of the main characters’ friend group is roasted for having black friends and belittled by the group or the main character throughout. It is clear that it’s weird in this universe for any cross-racial relationships to exist, with the exception of the main character and the child she watches.

I don’t know if this was the intention, but this book is cynical (the reason being...?) and I despised the small and unnecessary additions the author made throughout the book referring to the white woman’s (Alix’s) weight, the feeling of guilt being compared to as if she’d been caught with frosting on her face in front of the fridge, how hot she felt thin, her friends having an intervention when she admitted she had been gaining weight, etc etc

Not good.

Despite the very serious topics of socioeconomic differences, race, privilege, fetishism, influencer culture, and motherhood, this book was a quick read. I hardly noticed the vaguely annoying plane ride I was on as I was so drawn into the story. Partly because of the great writing and fully developed characters, but also because Briar was an absolute hoot and I would have loved to hang out with her as much as Emira did.

The majority of the tension in the story hinges on a really big coincidence, but there have been enough odd coincidences in my own life that, paired with a fascinating tug-of-war story, I'm willing to go along for the ride. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'm keeping that part vague.

I loved getting to know Emira- to see how much she cared for Briar just as she was, to get to root for a character that is happy and content without the same kind of ambition that is celebrated in our culture, regardless of race, and to see an experience different from my own as a white woman.

I liked that while there were definitely people who were in the wrong, we see from each character's point of view why they at least thought they were doing the right thing, other than Emira who was a good advocate for herself and enforcing boundaries when she needed to. The story raises a lot of interesting questions about fetishism vs. having a type, and outward appearances vs. true beliefs. I'm really looking forward to discussing it as my first book club pick for my bookshop.

As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew it was my kind of book. I really liked this! The dialogue, in particular, is so well done.