Beautifully written (not surprising all the accolades Daphne Palasi Andreades has received), this debut, told in a collective first person, masterfully recounts the experiences of the second generation of girls growing up in the "untrendy part of Queens." Known as the most diverse of the five boroughs and a melting pot for immigrants, particularly if newly arrived and seeking some familiarity among the strangeness of a new home, resting their hopes upon their children. Described as "good girls," they follow the rules but also act out in the way of teenage girls everywhere, and the sections follow their progression through life, many realizing the dreams of their parents in following the promise of education and assimilation into the promise of America. There is even a visit to their original homelands even if they were born in America, and introduction to families never previously met in person. Reaction to tRump's wall, the horrendous immigration practices of that Administration, and the advancement of Covid are all addressed. Not surprising, given that the Elmhurst Hospital in Queens was featured prominently on the news particularly during the pandemic's early stages. By utilizing first person plural throughout, Andreades underscores the universality of the immigrant experience and its fallout on the second generation.

I enjoyed this poetic novel about second generation immigrant daughters. The novel is in second person narrative and it's really tricky when talking about Latina, Muslim, and Southeast Asian girls so broadly. It doesn't work as well when they are older, but it's an audacious work.

I want to say that Brown Girls is slippery, but it's more than that. It's viscous. It slips between genres, between reality and imagination. Between brown girls.

Daphne Palasi Andreades' first novel is nestled snugly in the in between. the writing is warm and inviting, finding a sweet spot somewhere in between literary novel and poetry. The narrative rests in an amalgamation of a group of childhood neighborhood friends as their lives are told in spikes of shared memories. Their experiences overlap, pull apart, and end up in rat king of trauma constantly trying to resolve itself as the group relies on (and forgets) (and remembers) one another.

I won't leave you with any details because the magic is in the discovery here. Pick it up and dive in.



Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a ARC for review.

A novel but not. One story, but many, wrapped up in a tattered bow that tells the stories of anyone and everyone. Brown Girls is a remarkable, beautifully written glimpse into the myriad of stories that follow women of colour throughout the US. Beautiful but ugly and messy and tragic and happy.

We need more books like this! A love letter to Black Girls who are now Women in the world. I need more people to read this in 2022

I couldn't put down Daphne Palasi Andreades' Brown Girls, a collection of vignettes that tells the stories of brown girls who love each other through thick and thicker no matter how much they fight, stress, and hustle. Andreades writes The House on Mango Street for a new generation and her prose is urgent and accessible to readers of any age, striking a chord for girls of all ages looking for their place in the world and their communities. Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a fantastic debut novel from Daphne Palasi Andreades! It was so beautifully and insightfully written. Brown Girls shares the stories of “brown girls” in Queens whose shared experiences form the collective we from which this novel was written. There is so much to love about this book. The characters come to life in a very real way and each one is fabulous and unique in her own way. I especially love the way the author explored the relationship with mothers and the realizations that come to us all when we begin to see our mothers as individuals in their own right with feelings and experiences and insights to share. This was a lovely book and I look forward to reading whatever Andreades writes next!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

3.75 stars (rounded up to 4). Less a novel than an immersive experience, this is quite the debut!

I thought the use of first person plural was a fantastic way to draw readers into the feelings of the book. The language is very evocative of time and place. While the book tries to cover all types of brown girls, that may have been overly ambitious, and it leaves some descriptions/experiences as mere gloss. Overall, an enjoyable, gut-punching read.

"'We live in the dregs of Queens, New York, where airplanes fly so low that we are certain they will crush us...'"

This remarkable story brings you deep into the lives of a group of friends--young women of color growing up in Queens, New York City's most vibrant and eclectic borough. Here, streets echo with languages from all over the globe, subways rumble above dollar stores, trees bloom and topple across sidewalks, and the briny scent of the ocean wafts from Rockaway Beach. Here, girls like Nadira, Gabby, Naz, Trish, Angelique, and many others, attempt to reconcile their immigrant backgrounds with the American culture they come of age in. Here, they become friends for life--or so they vow.

Exuberant and wild, they sing Mariah Carey at the tops of their lungs and roam the streets of The City That Never Sleeps, pine for crushes who pay them no mind--and break the hearts of those who do--all the while trying to heed their mothers' commands to be dutiful daughters, obedient young women. As they age, however, their paths diverge and rifts form between them, as some choose to remain on familiar streets, while others find themselves ascending in the world, drawn to the allure of other skylines, careers, and lovers, beckoned by existences foreign and seemingly at odds with their humble roots.

In musical, evocative prose, Brown Girls illustrates a collective portrait of childhood, motherhood, and beyond, and is an unflinching exploration of race, class, and marginalization in America. It is an account of the forces that bind friends to one another, their families, and communities, and is a powerful depiction of women of color attempting to forge their place in the world. For even as the dueling forces of ambition and loyalty, freedom and marriage, reinvention and stability threaten to divide them, it is to each other--and to Queens--that the girls ultimately return.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Beautifully written each character comes alive .I am a native New Yorker loved the location.I was drawn in from first to last page .When I read the last page closed the book I could not stop thinking about it.An author to follow a book I will recommend.#netgalley #randomhouse.

Random House,
Thank You for this eARC!

Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades

Mini Review:
This electrify coming of age story is one that many readers won't want to miss.
Told in the first person, I truly enjoyed the powerful message Daphne told.
The book touches on hardships related to race in many different ways, heartbreakingly so at times. I felt like I could truly empathize with these characters and what they are going through.
I read this book in a day because I was so immersed in the story and the lives of these characters.
The descriptions and details are stunning.
There are so many layers to this story that I enjoyed very much.
A diverse, emotional and important one that needs to read.
The courage of girls struggling to survive in a very difficult society.
Amazing, beautiful, strong storytelling, that I had so much joy reading.

Thank You again to the amazing publisher, NetGalley and Author!

Brown Girls is an ambitious undertaking of a book. A chorus of Brown girls from Queens grow up before our eyes and the stories twirl around together giving the reader a choice of trying to follow an individual's story or read it for the immersion experience into Brown girls lives. I confess that at times I was lost, but what always kept me going was the beautiful poetic writing and the wonderfully descriptive lines that put me right in the middle of these girls' experiences.
My favorite part was the beginning. Andreades has a gift for depicting the lives of teenagers. In some respects, I wish she'd simply focused on that period of their lives rather than taking them into adulthood. But because we do follow their lives over the years, we get a more robust picture.
I had a few questions as I read the book. Who exactly is a Brown girl? What countries or ethnicities are included in this description? Is Brown defined as somewhere between Black and white and does that mean it isn't really static, but depends on the environment? Also, is this book descriptive or does it lean towards being stereotypical? Can one Brown author speak for all kinds of Brown?
Because I have these questions, I believe this book would be an excellent choice for a classroom or reading group. There is plenty to dissect here. All questions aside, the writing is exquisite and the stories stay with the reader, so well done, author!

A collection of vignettes told in a choral "we" voice, Daphne Palsi Andreades' debut novel is a short meditation on Brown Girls from the "dregs of Queens." More of a long lyrical poem than a novel, Andreades voice and prose are truly beautiful. We follow the collective we from middle school until death, following them on their journeys to college, visiting their "motherlands," and then through their own motherhoods. It's profound and poignant, though sometimes confusing in her choice to lump all of the "Brown girls" in the same category. We know that all BIPOC experiences are extremely varied so this left a strange taste in my mouth but otherwise, I enjoyed the book and the interesting style it was written in.

I really enjoyed reading these vignettes, written in third person plural, about brown girls in Queens growing up and becoming adults, wives, partners, parents, and conscientious second generation immigrants. It was very well-crafted and honest, calling attention to microaggressions, small joys, the way society marginalizes brown boys, classism, gentrification... so much. I appreciated the insights and enjoyed the insightful prose. It's a quick read, but I really enjoyed it, and felt very immersed in the lives of these girls- for a book written third person plural, I find that to be a huge win.

However, other (brown) readers have been troubled by the conglomeration of backgrounds and ethnicities into the term "brown girls." While I did enjoy the book, I will continue to seek out review from WOC to get other perspectives, and discover whether my opinion on this was informed by my own privilege.

Like poetry, this gorgeous book needs to be read aloud. It’s that beautiful. I could see and smell and taste and hear what this incredible author was describing. The method of using “we” as a point of view captured me. I slowed down my reading to make this last longer. I’m going to buy this one for my friends when it’s released - it’s breathtaking. Heartfelt thanks to Random House for the advanced copy. I’m grateful

“Brown Girls” reels you in immediately and doesn’t let you go, ever. You’ll be thinking about Daphne Palasi Andreades’ book long after you’ve finished the last sentence, the voices of her “Brown Girls” living in your dreams. This was an incredible book. It’s told in the first person narrative, making it feel as though we, the readers, are hidden just steps away from the characters as everything happens. No flowery language is used, but this is to Andreades’ benefit and to our benefit as well. Any flowery language would’ve taken away from the experiences being told in the novel. The experiences told are not ones of pity or anything like that. They are the experiences of life, of girlhood and growing up.

“Brown Girls” is a poignant book that tells the stories that Brown Girls live, while telling it with the truth and dignity all deserve.

I loved Daphne Palasi Andreades's Brown Girls. It is beautifully written and somehow inclusive. You don't have to have lived in Queens or New York to understand the point of view of these young friends. Somehow Brown Girls encompasses women from many cultural backgrounds, ages, lives and still sympathizes and understands certain shared experiences.

Brown Girls is an insightful, beautifully written coming-of-age story. I loved this book so much! Each girl's voice was so distinct and special yet the choral "we" voice together worked so well.

This is a book where you root for all of the characters and are just immersed in their stories. It is such a thought-proving read and one that I will be recommending to all of my friends. Its the kind of book you finish and cant wait to talk about in book club!

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I don’t know exactly what these stories are but let me tell you whatever this is is amazing. Definitely buy a copy for your favorite girlfriends for their birthday and let them wonder.

Daphne Palasi Andreades’ Brown Girls is a wild ride from the "dregs of Queens" and out and into the great rollercoaster of life.

The frank and poetic narrative voice unveils the shared experience of brown girls encountering everything from casual racism from teachers who mispronounce their names or rename them to kissing boys and discovering their romantic feelings for other girls. All the while a soundtrack of Mariah Carey, Aaliyah, Selena Quintanilla, and Beyoncé plays in the background.

One of my favorite parts of the book is when the girls become women who recognize the sacrifices and stories their mothers carry with them. They call their mothers. They write to their mothers. They finally see their mothers as individuals and not just symbols of the immigrant experience and the diasporic divide between generations. They begin to see their mothers as women with their own stories to tell.

The writing is fast-paced and will have your heart-pumping as our brown girls discover everything they are capable of and more.

A beautifully-written, thought-provoking story I found myself thinking about for days after finishing. I enjoyed every single page of this easy-to-devour book.