Loved this book. Still think about it. And I chose it as a spotlight pick in a roundup of Black authored lit I wrote for The Grio (theGrio Summer Reading Top 50).

In Mia McKenzie’s funny, smart and touching second novel, a dedicated loner is suddenly beset by a truckload of unexpected family demands. The 38-year old proprietor of a successful travel company, Skye’s philosophy has long been that people inevitably let you down, so it’s best not to get attached. She’s relationship-free and child-free by choice and after a traumatic childhood, she has long kept her family at more than arm’s length.

That carefully curated solo world turns upside down as her brother wants to talk to her about their mother, who’s now sick. Plus, the friend that Skye donated her egg to 13 years ago has since died and that friend’s 12-year old daughter, Vicky, introduces herself to Skye as the girl who used to be “your egg.” Meanwhile, the one woman Skye is drawn to turns out to be Vicky’s aunt.

It’s all a bit too much and yet, although Skye’s first instinct is to run a mile, she decides to stay and forge a relationship with a new found family member. Page turning and razor sharp, this novel combines humor with insights about race, sexual identity, and family.

Once I saw this book and ready the summary I knew I had to read it. Skye sells her eggs without a second thought in her 20's and hasn't looked back since. Now at 40, a 12-year-old girl has shown up and is saying she is one of Skye's eggs. Skye decides to have an actual relationship with this girl and finds out it's not as easy as it sounds.

The characters felt very real in this book and I fell right into it. This book takes place in Phiilly, and it was nice to see it from the point of view of Skye. This book also touched upon some heavy subjects (abuse, death of a parent, police brutality), but it was very well written.

I ended up dnfing this, I just couldn’t get into it no matter how much I wanted to. It really couldn’t hold my interest.

I really enjoyed Skye Falling! It’s always really refreshing to see such nuanced queer characters, and there’s a lot of depth to the characters, their histories, and their arcs that doesn’t always appear in contemporary fiction with some romantic themes. This is a good example of a book that highlights the importance of remembering that you don’t have to agree with everything a character does, you don’t have to find a character immediately “likable” (which can be so problematic, because we assign really whitewashed, colonial ideas of how people are “supposed” to behave) in order to be invested in them AND in order to believe that the author has created a complex, ultimately relatable character.

I’m really glad to have read Skye Falling and getting to immerse myself in Skye’s world, to get to know Vicky, and to see them discover themselves. I’d highly recommend this for a lighthearted but substantive work of contemporary fiction!

I'm struggling with what I want to rate this book but I do have a lot of good things to say about it.

I loved the vibe of this book. Skye was a different character to follow, but she made the plot very interesting. I think the troupe of "adult female who doesn't have her life together and hurts the people around her" can be a bit overdone, but I think overall, this portrayal was accurate and not stereotypical. I have someone in my life who has some similarities to Skye, so at times I had troubles routing for her because I've been on the receiving end of some of her behaviors. I loved how she was able to sort more of her life out by the end, but of course I was cynical because life does not get as nicely wrapped up as Skye did (but that's why we have books, to escape reality).

Vicky was great. I loved the relationship between Vicky and Skye and I loved how organically it grew throughout the story. I loved to see Vicky learn and grow as an adolescent, how Skye was able to help grow. Their banter was absolutely a shining star in this book.

Viva was such a wonderful supporting character who played the role of best friend so naturally. She was the right balance of relaxed and pushy. I appreciated having her to help balance out Skye.

I liked a lot of the background plots that happened. How Skye learned about her family, the neighborhood struggles, people from Skye's past. It was a great glimpse into her every day life and we were able to see how someone might adapt to all these circumstances. I loved the themes of sexuality and race, they were not forced on you but rather brought up in informative ways that helped drive the plot and inform the characters.

I think I'm going to end up with 4.5 stars, because it is much better than most books I rate 4 stars. I highly recommend this to all who want to learn more about a black queer woman and her unpreparedness to help shape the mind of a pre-teen.

This book was a joy to read. I laughed out loud and I cried. It was awkward and funny and tender.

Mia McKenzie gives Skye a voice that really pulled me in. It's conversational, conspiratorial and, despite Skye's many flaws, mostly un-selfconscious.

The character development for the secondary characters and even smaller characters is exceptional, especially for a first-person story.

The book is political but it's smooth and real because life is political. I loved how matter-of-factly it's all handled.

I have been reading a lot of queer romance lately and so far the f/f books I've read have just not resonated as much as the m/m ones. But this romance (while being a secondary storyline) was so good and a lovely bonus to the main story.

I suspect the people who didn't enjoy this book are more likely not already listening to Black women much in their lives or in the media they consume and I can see why they might find this book is not for them but it's a shame. I am projecting a bit because when I give something a lower rating and say "the writing style was not for me" - I usually mean that it was written poorly/amateurishly. If a book doesn't resonate with me because it's not for me (for example as a white woman), I just leave the rating blank. It's disappointing to me to see such a well-written book have so many low ratings.

Anyway, I'm now eager to read Mia McKenzie's other writing. Plus I want to go to Philadelphia.

Skye Falling - Mia McKenzie

This was such a beautiful book. We follow Skye, who owns her own business and travels 10 months of the year. Then she is found by the daughter of the woman she donated her eggs too, Vicky. Vicky’s mom is dead and she now lives with her Aunt Faye. Skye is lonely so she decides to stick around for a few months to bond with Vicky.

Skye’s inner dialogue was so funny and this was a really enjoyable read. Skye is a lesbian, and her best friend Viva is a trans woman. Faye is bisexual. They are all Black women living in Philly. I really enjoyed reading this and seeing Skye develop new relationships, and try and mend some relationships with her family. This was so beautiful and I highly recommend it.

Okay this was actually funny? I don't find myself laughing while reading very often but this one had me laughing out loud several times.

It was also so well written. I loved the characters and the plot and the pacing and everything about it - quite literally my perfect book. We don't get books with older queer people very often which makes this particular novel for important.

SKYE FALLING is a fresh, modern story about Skye and her former egg- along with a whole slew of characters that are complex and lovable. This novel feels like part romance, part contemporary fiction, and tackles a lot of complicated topics with grace. I enjoyed the honest, sharp writing but found Skye a bit tough to love at first. Overall, I enjoyed this story and look forward to future books from Mia McKenzie!


I kindly received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

A queer black women named Skye is approaching 40, and is an absolute mess of a human. A young girl shows up and says that she is her daughter, which throws skyes life into chaos. Skye wants to get to know her and prompts a change within herself. A very powerful story, and character driven.

Although it took me a minute to love this book, once I was in, I was all in. I thought this was funny and sweet and poignant all at once. I loved the way the author explores different relationships, that Skye never stops being who she is, even while experiencing personal growth. I especially loved seeing how easy it is to overlook the people that are in our corner - and the feeling that comes with the realization that you are not, in fact, all alone.

What great reading entertainment - the story is so good and realistic and the dialogue (especially the protagonist's internal dialogue!) is so funny, I actually laughed out loud through most of the book.
OK, some of the language & subject matter might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it fits the narrative well.
Even while laughing, I really felt for Skye, who has gotten older, but not grown up. She is smart & successful, but needs to deal with hurts and disappointments from her past in order to move forward and live her best life.
I thought her business as an international tour guide was really interesting
All the characters were well drawn out and had depth. The way they interacted never felt forced or predictable.
I also liked that the resolution at the end was poignant and hopeful, but not clichéd. Would LOVE to read another book by Mia McKenzie!

It quickly becomes clear that Skye, a Black queer woman nearing 40, doesn't have a lot of roots at home - bad relationships with family, only one good friend, and she doesn't do long-term relationships. During one of Skye's visits home, a 12-year-old girl (Vicky) seeks her out, revealing that Skye was the egg donor from which she was conceived. As Skye works to develop a relationship with Vicky, she must conquer her fears of trusting others and rebuilds a variety of relationships. Overall, it was an emotion-filled read that went by too quickly!

Genres: contemporary fiction
Setting: Philadelphia

Read this if you want:
--a book that centers Black queerness
--a deep-dive in a woman's struggles to build and rebuild a variety of problematic relationships while setting down roots
--fun mentions of Black Philly culture including music and more
--a book that tackles complex issues of race, policing, and protest

This was a delight! It had a little bit of everything - just like life. I think the different storylines were well balanced and well paced. I really enjoyed experiencing everything through Skye’s perspective and found her to be an interesting, complex, and likable character. She had real depth to her and had a great character arc. I also found myself literally laughing out loud at a few of the more awkward moments Skye found herself in. I would recommend this to a broad audience and think any reader could get something meaningful out of this story.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the summer, and I enjoyed it a ton—especially the discussions about motherhood and queer identity.

Skye is a mess
She is on one of her many trips back to Philly, couch surfing and avoiding her family, old friends, and old flames. Getting day drunk, waking up with strangers, and never staying in one place long enough to catch a breath. Until she meets Vicky.

Vicky is bright, beautiful, and passionate about activism. But she’s also angry, grieving, and sometimes cruel. Vicky has had a lot to deal with in her 12 years of life from losing her mom, gaining a wicked stepmother, and finding out that her mom wasn’t who she thought she was. When she finds the name of her egg donor, she seeks out Skye.

Skye doesn’t know what to do. She is afraid of commitment and doesn’t want to be tied down to any one place or one person. She is too busy running from her past and herself. What does she know about being a mom or dealing with a kid?

Although they are kind of a disastrous pair, they are also hilarious. Vicky’s quick wit and sarcasm can get her into trouble but the adults can’t help laughing. Skye’s internal monologue is my favorite part of this book. It’s so funny and relatable to see how she reacts to ridiculous situations in her head as well as externally.

Skye falling is a perfect representation of being a queer adult and not knowing what the hell you are doing. It’s messy. No one knows the answers. You have to find your way on your own. You have to find your people. Surrounding yourself with others that you can trust, love, and let in. Watching Skye find both familial and romantic love and allowing herself to be at rest is what I love so much about this book

I picked this up because of the summary, thinking I’d have a good time, but nothing really resonated with me. Not the characters or anything that happened plot wise. It was pretty tame all throughout. I think I was expecting a little more drama and heart to hearts, but it was just chill. Not necessarily bad, but I just needed more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

SKYE FALLING is a sweet, fun book about finding your home, your people, and becoming a mother unexpectedly later in life. Skye is a fantastic queer character, a Black lesbian from Philly whose travel company allows her to bop around the world. However, as she nears 40, she realizes that while she has a glamorous life, she doesn't have anyone she can truly count on and begins to re-think her relationships, and her relationship to her hometown. While at home, Skye is introduced to a 12 year old who is the result of an egg donation she made a decade earlier and a beautiful relationship forms with Vicky, as well as Vicky's aunt Faye.

The love story that blossoms between Faye and Skye is very romantic, and I also loved Skye's relationship with Vicky. There is a lot of nuance in the book about motherhood, and what it means to get older and have your relationship to your mother change and morph into different forms. It is never easy, and it is interesting to see Skye deal with it twofold: once as a new kind of mother to a child she didn't know she had, and also to her own mother who is getting older and who Skye has a lot of unprocessed emotional trauma with. McKenzie's writing is silly and vibrant, even with heavy topics (including police brutality and Black activism in Philadelphia). The book and story is fresh and I'm so glad I picked it up.

Thank you Random House, NetGalley and Author for this readers ebook copy in return for an honest review!

Random House I can't thank you enough for gifting me with an ebook of Skye Falling.by Mia McKenzie!😘

Mia does a wonderful job setting the scene and creating a sense of longing while weaving in relevant and important issues like police brutality, racism, health- both physical and mental!
It’s clever, it’s hilarious, it’s heartbreaking.... Its everything!
I love the main character in this book. Skye and Faye I absolutely loved the romance between these beautiful characters!
Overall--- I absolutely loved this book! It was sheer joy to turn the pages as I was on the edge of my seat with anticipation. I don’t think I can swoon, gush or squeal anymore than I have with this book.
Random House I would kiss y'all if I could 😘😍

Thanks again NetGalley, Publisher and Author for the chance to read and review this amazing book!
I'll post to my Social media platforms closer to pub date!

This book was soooo endearing and funny AND it takes place in Philly -- doesn’t get much better than that in my opinion (I’m biased of course since I am also from Philly😉)! Skye is a 38-year old queer Black woman who is a nomad of sorts. She grew up in West Philly but she has a vacation travel company and is rarely home. When she is home, she avoids and ignores her brother and doesn’t visit her mother.

Skye’s main issue is that she seems to make it her job to push people away and dispose of them, even people she likes. She is confronted head on by something that happens in the book and is forced to embark on a journey of self-discovery. This book is also very funny. I found myself laughing out loud at the well-timed sarcasm and Skye’s inner monologues. This story is also about community, how we integrate into it and the impact it has.

If you are looking for a book that beautifully weaves family, community, love and relationships into one story, this book is for you!