This was a truly thought-provoking read. Johnson covers motherhood, race, social class, adoption and so much more while giving the reader a bird's eye view at the Black experience. I'm grateful I got to experience this chance to see things rom another perspective.

Thanks to William Morris and NetGalley for a copy to review.

I loved this book. I felt like I was right there with the characters. The descriptions and language used by the author made me feel comfortable as if I were with friends. The plot surprised me. I thought the plot was going one way abc it went another way.

The Kindest Lie
by Nancy Johnson
Published February 2, 2021

I was impressed that this debut novelist could cover so many topics in her first book. Race, motherhood, and many others were mentioned. I was able to "meet" this author in a group I am in called Friends & Fiction. I always enjoy hearing the voice of authors so I connect better. I know this book was also featured on Hoda & Jenna.
I thought this book was good but a bit predictable. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

3star

I liked how different themes of social justice, law, police work, motherhood, and friendship are interwoven.

What a great book and a beautiful message! It brought tears to my eyes throughout. This is heartbreaking and feel good story all in one.

This book covers numerous current social issues - racism, disparity between lower and middle class, teen mothers and adoption, gang influence, etc. I felt that the story did a good job of presenting the reader with the prejudices and dangers faced by black youths, particularly boys. At the same time, there was an attempt to show positive relationships between black and white families.
I was often frustrated with Ruth, the main character. While certainly sympathetic to her teen pregnancy and ordeal, she kept this secret from her husband for so long and shied away from having a family with him without explaining why. When she finally confessed to him, I was understanding of his shock and hurt, but he seemed unmoved regarding her past trauma and more concerned with his own feelings of betrayal. Then Ruth left at Christmas to find her son, seemingly thinking she was going to rescue him. She did not contact her husband at all over the holiday but waited for him to call her, when she was the one who left abruptly. I understand her wanting to make sure her son was safe but it didn’t dawn on her until the end that he might have a good and strong family situation. I also thought that she was quite brutal to her grandmother when she had only tried to do the right thing by all under the circumstances.
The character Midnight was the one that most tugged at the heartstrings. He wanted a mother and a stronger relationship with his Dad and was afraid of being sent away from the only family that he had. . He defended his black friend at danger to himself. He didn’t understand why Corey, Ruth’s birth son, was so afraid of getting into trouble. One would have thought that his Grandmother might have explained the racial issues to him or even Corey himself. When he called 911 after giving Corey his airgun, he was reacting out of jealousy and hurt. Most certainly wrong, but he didn’t realize the racial issue and when he later apologized to Ruth, she couldn’t forgive him due to his white privilege. She did accept his apology but I was disappointed that she didn’t use this as a teaching moment to explain to him the dangers faced by black youths. I think that he looked up to her and she could have really made a difference. Plus he was so unhappy and was the one being influenced by local gang members. It was never resolved in the story as to what happened to Midnight. He clearly did not face the racism that Corey did, but with his family life and lower class upbringing, he was at risk in a different way. I would have liked to see these two friends somehow come together at the end to solidify their friendship and further support each other. This would have presented a positive pathway for future racial relations in this country.

Overall I enjoyed the book and it certainly made me think about the many different social issues.

Rating 3.5

Nancy Johnson did a fantastic job on her debut novel. She makes the reader feel like we are back in 2008 when Obama just took office. It is a contemporary fiction story of a black American that had escaped poverty and now is looking back on her choices as a teen. Strong characters in the story made this a great read.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

This book never "gripped" me. Told primarily from Ruth's perspective, this is a book about race and class and lies that we keep from each other. There are chapters from Midnight's perspective, but for me, I didn't enjoy those as much and they didn't seem to add anything to the story except provide a contrast from a white child.

Ruth wasn't a very likable character. She is portrayed as a smart, independent woman, but then becomes so laser-focused on finding her son like it just happened. The kid is 11. She didn't think about this for the past decade? And then instead of telling her husband at any point, she gets weird and finally blurts it out... only to then run away to her hometown instead of working on it with him? But none of this is her fault, right? It's her mom's fault and her grandmother's fault, obviously.

I think that's what I had an issue with: Ruth didn't see her role in any of this. There were aspects that were not believable and it seems like some parts of this book were over-written, but overall, if Ruth was more relatable, it would have been better.

I enjoyed the writing style of this book, but the beginning and middle dragged for me as I waited for the "action" to begin. I did not particularly feel compelled by Ruth, and even found her unlikable at times. I think the author's choices as to the bones of the story could have made for a more compelling novel, but centering it on Ruth and her particular attitudes and choices hindered that. I gave this a three on goodreads, mostly for the writing style and overall idea, but looking back I found myself skimming this and enjoying it less than other three starred books. 2.5.

A very unique story that took you on a journey that you couldn't wait to find out the ending. I love the unexpected relationships formed and the space the author gave the main character to figure out herself without writing in a love interest/friend/etc. They were there for support, but this was her journey alone.

A wonderful read by Nancy Johnson showing the reader the fine line and collision of two different worlds, the past and the present. Johnson does an amazing job showing us that where we've been will take us to who we become. We can see how socio-economic status doesn't belong to a race of people but she shows us how much race factors in to how people in the same socio-economic group are treated. We see that despite that status, different races are treated differently. I hope to read more by Nancy Johnson!

I received a free ARC from MetGalley and a print copy from Goodreads.

This book to me was only okay. I didn’t connect well with the main character because I thought she was overly selfish. I didn’t like the way she told her son he was adopted without letting his biological parents being involved. It seemed she only cared for how things impacted her and didn’t think about how much was done for her. 2.5

To me this was such an incredible, timely read and I really enjoyed it. Johnson has an a writing style that keeps you invested and quickly gets to the heart of the matter - in this case showing the reader the heartbreaking truth of the differences in our Black and white communities, full of layers and complex characters.

I could not believe this was a debut novel, and look forward to reading more from this author in the future! Thank you to NetGalley + William Morrow books for providing me a copy of this title to read and review in exchange for my personal review, 4.5 stars for me!

While I love books set in Chicago, the plot didn't hold my interest. Well-written but I just couldn't get through the whole book.

Ruth Tuttle is an Ivy League college-educated Black engineer married to a kind and understanding marketing exec, Xavier, living in Chicago and have had the discussion of starting a family. However, Ruth has been holding an 11-year-old secret in which she has to return to her working-class hometown in Ganton, Indiana. She spends Christmas and New Year with her grandmother who raised her after she was abandoned by her mother and her brother, Eli, with the hopes of finding some information on the child who was taken from her at his birth. Will Ruth find that child taken from her? Will the child taken from Ruth and put up for adoption be the splitting factor in her marriage? Are there secrets too big for family relationships to survive?

Nancy Johnson covers themes of race, gender, socio-economic status, and adoption in this heart-wrenching debut novel. The narration goes back-and-forth between Ruth and a young boy living in Ganton named Patrick aka "Midnight," which allows readers to learn more about Ruth's struggles growing up in Ganton where Black and white communities are still in conflict, working-class families are struggling to survive, and Ruth struggles to find information about her son. Readers also learn more about Patrick/Midnight who is a white boy from a working class family whose father was part of the group of factory-workers who were fired when it closed.

Because we get so much back story on both characters and the world/community around them, Johnson was able to create a world in which readers can be easily immersed. However, the ending felt too abrupt after the weight of so many family secrets revealed. There is no resolution with Patrick and his father, Butch, and grandmother, Lena; Ruth's acceptance of her child's adoption felt out of character after she tried so hard to find information; and the secret revealed to Ruth about her mother also felt out of character in her reaction after having expressed so much pain in her abandonment. Overall, this was a well-written and engrossing novel with themes handled with a lot of care! 3.5 rounded up to 4.

It has been days since I’ve finished reading The Kindest Lie and I’m still struggling to put my thoughts and feelings into words. This book is very deceptive. At first glance, it looks like a simple story of a woman trying to right her past mistake, but really, it is more complex that that. This story has so many layers with characters that are relatable to each one of us. It talks about motherhood and sacrifice and how one decision can have a butterfly effect that transcends through generations. It also shows us the great divide between black and white people, and no matter what social standing they are, the blacks will always be treated unfairly in one way or another. Reading this book made me angry for the injustice, no parents should ever have to fear for their kids going out and being bullied or harmed or judged just because of the color of their skin. I could go on and on, but really, I just want to say THIS IS A MUST READ! Very thought-provoking and definitely enlightening! Reading about Ruth and Midnight’s story is such an eye opener for me. My heart truly broke for them! I really enjoyed reading The Kindest Lie and discussing it with #BLCVIPBookClub. This is Nancy Johnson’s debut novel and it’s already a 🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖/5 rating for me. I’m excited to see what she has in store for us in the future!

A thought provoking debut read that deals with the current climate surrounding race. I really felt the ebb and flow of Nancy’s written word. Her characters are easy to relate to as the story begins to unfold. Ruth’s heartbreak and how the choices of others can cause ripple effects for generations. We do what we think is best at the time and this is central to the story. It’s easy to judge others until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. The relationship between Corey and Midnight was well developed. The reader was able to see both sides of the friendship and how class and race plays a part. Central to the story is lies... sometimes put in place to protect us and sometimes to avoid difficult situations. Thank you #Netgalley #TheKindestLie for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I received an ARC of this debut novel from #NetGalley and I wish I had read it sooner instead of leaving it sitting on my Kindle!
Johnson tells a story of a woman, struggling to embrace the thought of becoming a mother as she is haunted by the memory of a child she gave up for adoption as a teenager. There are so many layers to this book; what does it mean to be a mother, what lies are ok to tell if they protect people you love, race and poverty.... A thoughtful and enjoyable read.

Ruth Tuttle is a successful engineer. Her husband, Xavier Shaw is a marketing vice-president. This high powered, Chicago based, black couple has a strong marriage and are planning for children. Yet every time Xavier mentions children Ruth changes the subject and the inner turmoil over the child she gave up at the age of 17 sets her world off kilter. Ruth returns to Ganton, Indiana, to find her son; but, is she prepared for what she will find?

This book makes one think about the sacrifices that are made for children, it defines motherhood, and it shows that the truth can set you free.

Thank you #WilliamMorrow and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Let me start by saying that I liked this book. I thought it was well-written and the storyline flowed. I liked Ruth, her brother Eli and Mama, her grandmother (even though I didn't agree on what she did). I also like some of the minor characters (Corey and the Cunninghams, Natasha, etc). And there are issues of race, class, unemployment, recessions, toxic masculinity and police brutality that are brought up throughout the book. But here is what kept me from really liking it (without giving the book away).

1. The pregnancy and adoption storyline was very unbelievable. Ruth graduated from high school the same year I did. I didn't have a baby my senior year (or ever), but I had classmates who did. And knowing what they went through, it would have been very hard to pull something like that off, even in a small town in Indiana. And I figured out who the child was way before Ruth did.

2. Let me talk about Midnight. I get that he's a kid living in a small town with hardly any guidance and is naive. But there were times he got on my nerves. And I wanted to shake him in the end. But I understand why the ending happened as it did. I found out through various articles that Midnight was originally Black. I could actually see that and it might would have made a better story for me.

3. Butch, Midnight's father. Butch was an RACIST @$$HOLE. If he was real, he was probably was at the insurrection at the Capitol. I hope Midnight grew up with enough sense to turn him in to the FBI.

4. Xavier, Ruth's husband. REALLY DUDE?

5. Storylines that weren't resolved (Ruth's mother, the drug dealer, Eli's home life, Ruth's job).