I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a great story and had great pace. I look forward to reading more from this author.

A fascinating and intriguing read about a young woman growing up in Kenya. It explores her hardships and trauma, conflicts and revelations." This cultural fiction book gave me an insight I didn't previously have and I found myself truly immersed in the story.

I was not prepared to love Lucky Girl as much as I did. It is a beautiful coming-of-age story of Soila, who grows up in Kenya and is raised by her extremely religious mother and four aunts. She is incredibly sheltered as a young girl and instead of giving in to her mother's wishes for her to stay in Kenya and go to college in Nairobi, she decides to pursue her education in New York City, where she really comes out of her shell and learns about life, love, and everything in between.

While it's incredibly written and powerful, I also learned a lot about Kenyan culture and found that fascinating too. Soila experiences a lot of highs and lows, and through the story, the reader will really witness her grow and become who she wants to be in life.

It's certainly one to add to your list.
Thank you Random House/Dial Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

Wow. This book left me speechless (and often searching for a tissue). This book was also fierce and tender at the same time. An amazing coming of age story based in the 1990s of a young woman from Kenya who moves to the US and quickly sees a different country than she expected. The author did a great job of characterization and I absolutely loved Soila and her journey. This book will shatter your heart, but you will be so happy you’ve read it because it gets you in every way possible. This was my first book by this author and it definitely will not be the last!

A coming of age story of a Kenyan girl who finds herself once she moves to the US for university. Themes of molestation, racism, finding your self and finding your voice are all prevalent in this thought provoking novel. I enjoyed the different perspectives given throughout which lent to a well rounded story. Definitely a worthwhile read.

Lucky Girl follows Soila, a young girl in Kenya who wants to grow up and live her life the way she wants to. As a child, her father commits suicide and her mother raises her on her own with several aunts and her grandmother. When she is a teenager, she js molested by a priest, which gives her such guilt and fear. However, she makes a deal with him before he does this that he’ll help her get to America by convincing her mother it’s a good idea. We follow Soila as she moves to the US, goes to college, and meets friends, lovers, and coworkers.

I did not expect to be choked up so much reading this book! It started a little slowly for me but about 20% of the way in, I was completely hooked. It’s told in parts, and each one is significant in its own way. By part III, I was holding back tears. I kept forgetting how young she was in the book until her age was mentioned. Soila is a fierce character, with flaws, beautiful character traits, and an incredible story.

Definitely pick this one up! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A moving and heartfelt #ownvoices debut that follows a young Kenyan woman as she immigrates to NYC for school to escape her conservative mother and make a life of her own choosing.

I really enjoyed Soila's immigration story and her experience adjusting to life in 1990s America, confronting her complicated relationship with racism and navigating what she wants out of life and love versus what she knows her mother would expect.

Good on audio narrated by Musu-Kulla Massaquoi and recommended for fans of books like The god of good looks by Breanne McIvor, Daughter in exile by Bisi Adjapon or Maame by Jessica George. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Well done debut! Love getting the perspective of America from someone who wasn’t born here/indoctrinated. Also enjoyed the 90s timeline!

A coming of age story of Soila, born in Africa and living a privileged life in Nairobi. After her father commits suicide, her mother becomes more controlling and demanding.

Soila has always wanted to live in America. She applies to American universities without telling her mother.

She moves to New York, and ends up an investment banker. She falls in love with an artist, and she knows her mother would never approve. But she is happy.

Then a terrible tragedy happens, causing her to have to chose between the happiness she has found or doing what is expected of her.

This is a beautifully written book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu is a thought provoking story of a woman trying to forge her own path despite her familial, cultural, and race challenges.

I'm having trouble finding the words to do this book justice. Soila is a young woman with big dreams who decides to leave Kenya for NYC to escape from her overbearing mother. Leaving your family behind is easier said than done. Soila struggles with whether to pursue her passions or respect her family and culture. All the while, she develops excellent friendships that challenge her views on race.

There are so many things to love about this book. Soila is a beautifully and brilliantly written character. She is real and conflicted. I loved that her relationships were respectful enough to have open and informative conversations that were thought provoking for readers. She surrounds herself with people who help her grow while also learning how to move on from relationships that aren't serving her.

The biggest and most complex relationship Soila struggles with is the one with her mother. She fiercely loves and respects her mom but also wants to determine her own path. I loved how this relationship played out even when it broke my heart at times.

I would absolutely recommend Lucky Girl and look forward to reading more from this author!

I’m still having trouble believing this is a debut! From the gorgeous writing to the vivid storytelling, Lucky Girl absolutely shines on every level. Soila has such huge growth throughout the novel, and the author struck the perfect balance between intensely developing her as a character while not sacrificing the plot. I loved following Soila’s journey from a young girl, scared to disappoint her family to a woman able to make her own choices. It was fascinating to learn about Kenyan traditions, and see how Soila struggled to reconcile her culture with her new life in America. I was truly blown away by this stunning novel, and I think this would be an amazing book club pick!

Wow! I consider myself a LUCKY GIRL that I got the opportunity to read this book. This story and its characters were so compelling I kept thinking about them when I was not reading.

Magnificent debut!

This book was addicting and so so riveting. I gave it to my mom and she loved as well. The tension and wit of the writing was incredible, I couldn’t put it down until I knew what was going to happen next.

This is a powerful story of a girl, born in Kenya and raised in a matriarchal family of her mother, aunts, and grandmother. Her extremely religious mother is a successful businesswoman and very distant from her only daughter, but holds high expectations and is very controlling about her destiny. When Solia was able to make her way to America to go to college, her mother takes it as if she has abandoned her. Solia is torn between her culture as a Kenyan and trying to understand Black Americans, she questions herself, and seeks answers to what makes her happy (which certainly isn't becoming a business major like her mother wants.) Solia also finds love as she discovers herself and what makes her truly happy. I found this book riveting and interesting as Solia questioned her views and beliefs. Some parts were hard and I had to step away with the vivid description of a traumatic event that Solia experienced in NYC one fall day. It brought back memories for me that were profoundly sad. I rejoiced with Solia as she sought to grab her happiness, yet also admired her commitment to family in her respect to her mother. Solia grows in this story, from a privileged young Kenyan girl to an independent young woman, confident to speak out and stand up for what she wants and believes in. This is a story of friendship, family, traditions, cultural and personal identity, and love. I think eventually Solia realized she really was a "lucky girl". Lucky Girl would be great book for book club discussions; How important is family, traditions, and culture important in relationships and what role do they play in developing as a person. This book made me question myself and left me thinking. I highly recommend this book. Many thanks to #netgalley #luckygirl #randomhouse for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Absolutely loved this book! It was a great page turner from start to finish. Make sure you have free time because you won’t want to stop once you start!

Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu was EXCELLENT! I loved the story, emotions, depiction of
a complicated mother-daughter relationship, being an African-Kenyan person in America Vs. an African-American, love relationships, friendships, careers, and deep family bonds. Just WOW! this novel was reflective and interesting. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

A debut novel about Soila who grew up in Nairobi and is awarded a scholarship to university in NYC. Soila wants to do as her mother wishes...going to college, getting a professional degree, and marrying a Kenya man. Soila has other desires but is pulled apart by her mother's desires.
This novel is a a tale of doubt, love, family, secrets, Kenyan procedures, American, racial viewpoints, differences between Africa and USA views.
Definitely read about Soila's struggles and triumphs. This would be a good read for a Book Group.

Lucky Girl is Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu's first novel. The plot revolves around Soila, a young Kenyan woman, who comes to NYC for college. Soila has been raised by her mother, a successful business woman, who has Soila's life planned out for her. Most important she has molded Soila to be a good, humble Christian girl. Soila longs to be a photographer, but promises her mother she will study business in college. Soila tries to live life for herself and not her mother. The character's are fascinating and the writing is easy to follow. Muchemi-Ndiritu is a great story teller and she makes her reader feel like the lucky one.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Dial Press Trade Paperback, and NetGalley for an advanced. copy of Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu. This book is about Soila, a young Kenyan woman who leaves her family and home to attend college in New York City. She desperately wants to make her stubborn, hard-to-please mother proud, but finds that increasingly difficult when her own desires go in other directions. We follow Soila as she makes friends, dates, and learns what it's like to be black in America vs. black in Kenya. It took me a while to get into the book, but it picked up in the second half.

My library has purchased a copy of this book on my recommendation, which we will soon be lending out to our students.