Soila is raised in Kenya by a very strict and religious mother, a bevvy of aunts, and her grandmother. Her father took his own life when Soila was 5 years old and she was protected from that reality for most of her childhood. As Soila gets older and finds her passions in life and gets assaulted by her mother's priest, she leaves Nairobi to go to America for college and intends to never return permanently. When Soila arrives in New York, she realizes just how much she has to learn and just how different her experience growing up in Nairobi is compared to the US. She eventually falls in love with a man her mother will never accept and needs to decide whether to follow her mother's wishes or her heart.

This book started off just a little slow for me but once she got to NYC, I couldn't put the book down (I also was maybe listening to it on a 6 hour car ride so was powering through regardless lol). I do think the setup was needed because having the background of family dynamics was helpful later on in the book.

This book is just...incredibly human. Some of the characters (Soila in particular) make frustrating choices but they're also choices that people would make in real life. That may not be everyone's favorite thing to read about (and to be honest, it's often not mine either) but I thought it worked really well here. Soila experiences a fair amount of grief and depression throughout the story which I think was really well done and added to the humanness.

I thought the conversations about race were incredibly important and interesting. Soila's experience as an African immigrant is inherently different than the experience of a black person growing up in America. Her journey to realize that is incredibly important and also through the book we realize that she'll likely keep learning and understanding more throughout her life - it's not a one and done learning experience for her.

Soila's experience with her mom's early onset Alzheimer's is heartbreaking - I spent a lot of time reflecting how important it was for Soila to be understood by her mother and how her mother started declining before that understanding could be fully realized. There ultimately is some resolution with that but again speaking to the humanness of this book, it isn't the perfect, wrapped up in a bow resolution. Partly because that often doesn't exist in the real world!

All in all, I really do recommend this book. You'll think a lot and empathize with Soila even through her difficult moments. This was 4.5 stars for me rounded up.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

5/5

Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu’s debut novel is a page turner! Solia, the main character, is from Kenya but moves to the United States with some controversial views on being black in America that will stimulate book club conversations. I didn’t always like Solia but I respected her honesty.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #luckygirl

There is a movement about online that encourages people to not finish books if they do not grab you within the first (fill in the blank) pages. I am so glad that I did not adhere to that mindset with Lucky Girl. I tend to jump into books without much context and the beginning of this one was a little difficult for me to get into. Sometimes this is my own circumstances, so I persevered and fell in love with Soila and all of her friends and family. Soila's world revolves around her mother in Kenya, even when she is away at college in America. This is a love story on several levels: Solia's love for her mother, Solia's love for her friends, Solia's love for her partner, and Solia's love for herself. Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu's first novel, Lucky Girl is a beautiful and often troubling story of life.

Lucky Girl is a coming of age debut novel where our main protagonist, Soila, longs to leave her sheltered upper class life in Kenya to pursue her dreams and find herself. She loves to New York City to attend college, but not after battling her mother for her approval. In NYC, she is faced with different battles, but ones that help her discover who she truly is.

I think those who loved and enjoyed Maame by Jessica George would also fall in love with Soila. She is a girl who comes to NYC a little sheltered and naïve but learns so much about herself and the world around her. Her mothers approval has always held her back and it was such a joy to see Soila flourish and gain confidence.

⚠️ There are trigger warnings including sexual assault, abortion, racism, terminal illness and the 9/11 tragedy.

I found this book to be exceptional. I love when a book can expand my horizons and Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu has done just that. This story gave me a better understanding of the cultural and societal difference of being an African in America and being African American. I also appreciated the background on family life in Kenya. The most important part of this book was the strength of the characters as they dealt with the joys and struggles of family life, racism, privilege and finding love. Thanks #NetGalley and #RandomHousePublishing

A fascinating look at America through the eyes of a wealthy Kenyan girl. It's a coming of age story and it's obvious that the author has drawn on some of her own experiences to write this tale. It reads smoothly though some of the ideas and incidents may be jarring for some American readers. Muchemi-Ndiritu is quite skilled at developing her characters and making them feel real. I found both the American and Kenyan characters to be vivid enough to make themselves at home in my mind. I'll be curious to see what the author might write next.

Thank you to NetGalley for and advance copy of this book. I predict many readers will love it!

Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu is a moving story about a young, sheltered woman from Nairobi who flees the community that she knows where her life is dictated by her stern, conservative mother for New York City. NYC in the 1990s is a beast of its own and not exactly what Soila expected. She is met with entitlement, racism, classism, and privilege. She is forced to reckon with her blind spots and confront her expectations about America.

This is a deep and thought provoking debut - this book will challenge you to think from a new perspective and explore what it means to be Black in America, both as an African American and as an African immigrant.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback for the ARC. Lucky Girl is out now!

I adore coming of age stories, and lately, it seems I've been reading more than a few books based in Africa. 

Book Description:
Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu is about a young Kenyan girl, Soila, who is desperate to get away from her overbearing mother. Soila decides to attend college in the US. While somewhat freeing her from her mother's expectations, she is now faced with new challenges.

My thoughts:
Lucky Girl is an interesting coming of age story. After her move, Soila struggles to make sense of the racial differences in the United States in comparison to her home country of Kenya. It's not only the differences in the racial demographics of Kenya vs. the US, but also the differences in culture that influence Soila's views. I loved experiencing her perspective of racial issues in America. I loved seeing her growth as she faced challenges with moving so far away from home, adjusting to a different culture, and becoming her own person in the process. I'm blown away by the sense of family inherent to African culture and intrigued by the pros/cons of familial obligations.

Read this if you like:
• Cultural heritage fiction
• Coming of age stories
• Stories about strong women

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

In the debut novel by Muchemi-Ndiritu - Soila is a girl being raised by a single mother in Nairobi Kenya. Not only does she live with her mom, but her mom's three sisters and her grandmother. In this extremely protective environment, Soila grows more determined to get out. She applies for colleges in the States hoping to break free from her mothers overbearing existence.

She attends college in New York in the 90's and she is shocked to see how life really is in the States. The cultural difference of poverty, how entitled so many feel they have the right to be, etc. It is quite a shock to the system. Luckily, she becomes close friends with another student that helps her navigate life in the states.

The book covers a span of about 25 years - the challenges of being an African immigrant in the States and the cultural responsibilities she has with her family in Kenya.

I found this book extremely fascinating, learning about another culture and how those ideas have been shaped for centuries. I look forward to more books by this author.

Do you ever come across a book simply because the cover is so bright and lovely? Well, that's exactly how I came across Lucky Girl. While scanning the upcoming releases on Netgalley, I was really drawn in by the cover design. Then I read the summary and I knew this was a book that I'd enjoy.

Lucky Girl follows a young, sheltered Kenyan woman named Soila as she attends school in the US. She's mostly been raised by her very conservative mother and aunties. As she explores life in the US, she finds things are quite a bit different than she imagined. There is a bit of conflict between her new life and the one she left behind in Kenya.

Soila was great main character because she was relatable in a lot of ways. We see her dealing with the pressures of school, relationships, and family. It all makes sense with who she is supposed to be and where she is coming from. Her reactions to some of the trauma she's experienced were relatable as well.

I loved the inclusion of Kenyan culture. There were a couple parts that explained Maasai wedding traditions and how they differ from other cultures. I thought this was particularly interesting. And though I didn't always agree with her mother's desire to control things, I did think it was interesting to see what was expected of her as a daughter.

I also really liked that love and romance is a part of this story, but it isn't all rainbows and sunshine. We see difficulties because of cultural expectations on both sides of the relationship, but ultimately the two characters work through them. This struck me as really authentic.

All in all, if you are a fan of Maame by Jessica George, A Daughter In Exile by Bisi Adjabon, or American Street by Ibi Zoboi, you will likely enjoy this book too. It has similar themes and delves deeply into the struggles that come with immigration.

*Thank you to Netgalley, Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu, and Dial Press for the E-ARC of this book. This in no way affects the objectivity of my review.

Lucky Girl
Soila grew up in a wealthy home surrounded by family in Kenya. Her widowed mother was strict and overbearing. As Soila grew older, she became more rebellious and longed to get away from her mother and the cocoon that had sheltered her from the world. So she persuaded her mother to allow her to attend college in the NYC. She was intent on remaining in America after she received her degree.
The people in Kenya and most of Africa are black so the color of her skin had never been an issue.That changed when she moved to America. She joined the African American club at her school where she met other black students. One of these students became. Close friend. That friend and an American boyfriend had lived their whole lives as second class citizen and shared those experiences with Soila.
This is a well written book. The author is African and uses many references to life in Kenya. The book will be very informative about that culture and the challenges African immigrants face in the US.
I received this ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Muchemi-Ndiritu's Lucky Girl felt anything but. Even though Soila grew up wa tong for nothing materially, she longed for the gentler side of her mother: the loving gestures and actions, the affection and affirmation. Even when she moved to New York to make her own way, many if not all of her decisions were made with her mother in mind and if she did or took anything for herself, in terms of freedom or expression, she became weighed down by guilt thinking of how what she had done or is doing would affect her mother's opinion of her.

I really wanted Soila to at least spend a majority of the book loving life and enjoying it to.the fullest for herself, but somehow the expectations of her mother kept rearing its ugly head. And even though she was able to reconcile her way with her mother in the end, I still think her unhealthy attachment to her mothers way of thinking and her mother's toxicity went on too long.

Lucky Girl brings to head and highlights some of the discord and discussions between Africans that were born in Africa and migrated to america, and those of us born here due to our ancestors being trafficked during the transatlantic slave trade. The way the characters were developed was so real and genuine. It has a scene of 9/11 so if that's a big trigger for you, then you might want to skip this one. I have been having such a hard time trying to put into words how much i truly enjoyed this book. Thankfully, the day I read it, i didn't have much other things to do, so i was able to devote all the time to this book. Even if i had something to do, I probably would have missed it, that's how good this book was.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions.

Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu is about a woman who is really the opposite of naturally lucky-- she works hard and perseveres in getting what she wants for her own life. Soila is from Kenya with a dream to go to America for college, doing so despite her mother's wishes and without the support of her late father. With a wide variety of characters and cultural differences, Muchemi-Ndiritu writes about African culture, a complex mother-daughter relationship, the idea of freedom, racism, coming-of-age, and much more. An amazing read!

Beautiful story, that will leave you thinking long after the last page. Soila is a young Kenyan women who is assaulted by a family friend and flees to New York to go to college. In college in the 1990's she gets a real education on what it is like to be Black in America, what is like to be an immigrant to America. Lots of decisions will be made for her to determine who she actually is and what she stands for. Inspirational.

A beautifully written debut, LUCKY GIRL tells the story of a young Kenyan woman, Soila, who is determined to carve her own path in life while managing the burden of expectation placed on her by her mother. Upon leaving Kenya, Soila begins college in New York City and must adapt to a new country and culture, while figuring out her own identity.

LUCKY GIRL is a story about familial bonds, culture, and identity. It’s about a young woman navigating life amidst trauma and expectation, while also opening herself up to friendship and love.

I loved the writing in this novel and the way the author portrayed Soila. Throughout the novel you’re able to see Soila’s growth as a woman and how her views of the world continue to evolve. While living in New York you’re able to see the cultural differences Soila experiences and how her views are sometimes challenged. I thought the author did an excellent job of highlighting these difficult conversations and how they affected Soila. Her friendships and love interests were a vital part of the story.

While the story centers on Soila as she enters adulthood, her relationship with her mother continued to have a strong presence throughout the novel. There were so many emotions stirred up by tense interactions and Soila’s constant worry of her mother’s disapproval. It really illustrated the pressures placed on young adults and how that can shape their decisions.

LUCKY GIRL is a beautifully powerful novel that I would highly recommend reading if you enjoyed MAAME or BLACK CAKE.

Another great cover! 2023 is really upping the ante on beautiful covers. I loved this story for its takes on identity, finding yourself, and relationships. As a white woman I also appreciated the discussion on race, poverty, and privilege. All things myself and I'm sure many other readers need to check in on at some point. I thought the parts about not fitting into certain identities and looking at the different issues surrounding Africans and African Americans was also particularly eye opening. I really think a lot of people will not only appreciate this novel, but will get a lot out of it as well. And I love when that happens with fiction books. Run, don't walk to pick up Lucky Girl this summer.

This book was amazing! I loved reading about the narrator's conflicts between cultures and her traditional mother's wishes. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is on my Top Favourite Reads of 2023 for sure. It's a captivating book about a young Kenyan woman who was quite privileged in her home country. Despite this, she yearns to attend college in America though her own mother is opposed to the idea. Race is a main topic of this book as well as societal, parental, and cultural expectations. A MUST READ especially if you are a fan of coming of age stories. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

Longing for independence, a young sheltered Kenyan woman flees the expectations of her mother for a life in New York City that challenges all her beliefs about race, love, and family.

I had trouble with this one - I ended up putting it down. A lot of narration was used to describe interactions between characters and I would have preferred a more dialogue driven text. Felt slow and laborious for me.