This book is a beautiful portrayal of perseverance and a journey of self-discovery. Soila feels the calling to leave the safety of her home in Kenya for the uncertainty of New York. We are shown what it’s like to find friendship, love, and success through the eyes of someone coming from a different world. Many aspects of this read were very relatable to me and I highly recommend it!

I was struck by what a great balance of character and story this piece offers. A realistic and compassionate cast of characters really explore the nuances of immigrant life in New York. A compelling plot with a few twists I did not see coming, Our main character goes through a slew of experiences and not just lives through them, but grows as an individual. Excellent insight and I am looking forward to more work from this author.

This book explores several themes. The differences between the experiences and cultures of Black Americans and Africans is very interesting. Basically, this is a very well done coming of age story which delves into the life decisions and how they affect Soila, especially in her relationships with her overbearing mother, her best friend and the men in her life.

Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this early.

Soila comes from a well-to-do family in Kenya. Her mother is unemotional and strict, to the point that all Soila wants to do is leave the country. Her aunts, a colorful group of strong-willed women, balance out Soila's need for nurturing. Her lifestyle, family, and education in Kenya were very interesting to me. I enjoyed learning many of the finer details of life in Nairobi.
Soila moves to America to continue her education. Here’s where things got less interesting; many of the characters were shallow and under-developed, voice-boxing the same opinions we’ve read for years. They paled in comparison to the lively aunts and friends from Nairobi. While I enjoyed reading about her experiences in Kenya and America, I struggled to finish the book.
Thanks to Random House Publishing Group- Random House for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is May 2, 2023.

Lucky Girl By: Irene Muchemi-Nidiritu shows a young Kenyan woman named Soila living through certain family secrets as she gets older. Soila later goes to the United States to attend college. She is experienced racism and other things.

This is a good read. Thanks to the publishers of Random House and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in exchange for a review.

Lucky Girl is a story which follows African immigrant Soila as she searches from independent from her fiercely over protective mother. Raised in relative wealth and surrounded by loving aunts, Solia is in for a culture shock when she arrives in the US.

It intrigued me with learning the culture and practices in Nairobi. The family life and expectations of Soila's mother were overbearing at times. I understood the motives behind her mother's actions, but didn't like them. It bordered on cruel.

Soila's life in America helps her see the privilege of her life and allows her to grow and understand the lives of Black Americans and the racism she can brush off.

But ultimately, Lucky Girl, is a tale about choosing your own way in life despite the expectations of family and society may try to place on you.

I very much enjoyed Lucky Girl; it was thought provoking and to see how much more difficult life is for black Americans as compared to people from Africa. As Soila navigates this new world, so different from her privileged life in Kenya, we grow increasingly aware just as she does. A great read!

I absolutely loved Lucky Girl! What a beautiful, sometimes heartbreaking, thoroughly powerful tale about individuation, identity, family, origin, and that constant, painful, dynamic, thrilling process of becoming. There were extra fun points for me because I attended the college the MC goes to!

I flew through this and think it would be a rich book for me to share with my students, in addition to sharing on my Booksta; I think this is a book that would resonate with adult and YA readers alike. TW for sexual assault.

I really enjoyed the cadence of Lucky Girl; it was a lyrical prose that kept me engaged and in a sort of ethereal connection to the characters. Thank you so much to the pub for this advance e-arc!

I am sorry to say that I did not finish this book. I read about 45% and struggled to stay engaged. This is typically a style and genre of book that I love to read, but I found the writing to be a little lackluster for my taste. It felt like one long, run-on journal entry and while I wanted to see where the story went, I was unfortunately not engaged enough to keep going.

4.5 Stars

Soila grew up in Kenya under the close eye of her strict mother and dreamed of bigger things. She longed for more freedom and the ability to follow her love of photography. She secretly applies to colleges in the United States with the hope of convincing her mother to let her go once she is accepted. After a year long wait she is finally granted the opportunity. Upon arriving in America Soila has a bit of a culture shock and finds herself having a hard time finding her place and adjusting to the drastic differences in African people and African American people. She quickly makes friends, but their contrasting view of the world still takes her by surprise. She finds herself longing for the warmth and close bond of her family, while at the same time appreciating the freedom she has so longed for.

I absolutely loved this bildungsroman story of Soila navigating her way through early adulthood. This book made me laugh, cry, and cheer for Soila as she fought for her independence while still clinging to the family and culture that made her who she is. I definitely recommend this book and I thank the publisher for the early read!

Lucky Girl is a debut novel by author Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu. Soila lives in Kenyan and is raised by a single, overbearing , controlling and powerful mother. Soila defies her mother's demands and attends college in the USA. America is an eye opener from Soila in the difference of being black in Kenyan verse America. She struggles at first to comprehend the challenges that are faced as a black American. You will follow Soila thru her college years and into the workforce and her relationships. Her desire to find her own happiness will make you keep flipping the pages. Would love to see a sequel or another novel by this author in the near future.. Thank you #NetGalley and #RandomHouse for an advanced copy of #LuckyGirl in an exchange for an honest review...

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the copy of Lucky Girl, a debut by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu. Ever wonder what it’s like to live a life of privilege in Kenya, then move to the US to create a life for yourself? Soila navigates life in New York, through school, work, friendships, and love. The first part was mostly about how she learns about being Black in the USA as she experiences racism and learns to cope with a foreign culture. We learn more about her relationships with her family, especially her overbearing mother. I really liked how the differences between Kenya and the USA were explained in things Soila experienced.
When I was reading the last half of the book, suddenly I couldn’t put it down, because the leisurely story suddenly took off. Soila is thrust into unimaginable circumstances and her character and family loyalty are put to the test. What a beautiful and sometimes challenging book.

I absolutely loved this book. It hooked me and kept me turning pages until I was done. Finished it in two days! The character development was strong, and the premise was unique enough that it didn't feel like anything else I've read.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Dial Press - Penguin Random House for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a very interesting novel about a young woman from Nairobi who comes to America to go to school in New York City. Her first love is photography and she aspires to work as a photo journalist but her very wealthy mother insists that she climb a corporate ladder and treat photography as a hobby. Her mother is very demanding and controlling all through the book. Soila finds life in USA as a black woman is entirely different from the life she had in Nairobi. The culture and food and lifestyles are totally different. She experiences racism that she never knew in Kenya. The way families at home take care of each other is something she misses. Soila finds it just amazing that Americans do not do the same. After the death of her father she was raised by a single mother with grandmother and aunts all in the same household. I found this book to be fascinating and learned so much about the differences in the two nations. The author has a beautiful way of presenting her characters and all their trials and tribulations. The book covers so many different life experiences.

I recommend this book. This one has strong characters trying to break free on their own as they mature and still try to hold on to the past. It certainly holds the reader’s interest.

We do well these days, especially in countries with a legacy of slavery, to view issues of race through a careful lens. There are so many stories, each unique, each contributing to the full tapestry. “Lucky Girl” by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu is an excellent addition to that close reading. In fact, it is a prime example of how that lens ought to be viewed as a kaleidoscope.

Soila really wants to get out of Nairobi as soon as possible. Though she has all the material privileges and resources that one could ever wish for at her fingertips, she can’t wait to leave. Her reasons are both aspirational and psychological. And where better to go than America, the land of “Dallas”, “Dynasty”, abundant opportunity, new beginnings? Her mom is desperate for her to stay. Her aunties help in a clandestine effort to find her a path out.

It doesn’t take long for Soila to discover that being an African in America is very different from being an African American. She stumbles often, but fortunately has people that are willing to help her understand and evolve. Those people are almost always women. Good men are hard to find. There are several segments where the “give and take” is highly authentic - emblematic of the race vs. class debate that Americans can’t ever seem to get enough of.

Nothing is easy. Being estranged and distanced from culture and family always risks leaving gaping holes. It’s most often best to find a way to resolve as many dichotomies as possible.

Muchemi-Ndiritu is a wonderful writer. Her pacing and tone are rich and lovely. The writing is fresh and smooth, bereft of melodrama. Characters are well developed and believable. “Lucky Girl” is a highly moving story that chronicles trials and tribulations, ultimately with abundant rays of hope winning out.

Thanks to Dial Press and NetGalley for the eARC.

I was the luck one; to find this book! I loved this story. It flowed from start to finish with a strong plot and complex characters. Race was integral to the story but in a way I hadn’t reach much about before. Parts of the book were light; more of a beach read, but than parts were more intense and thought provoking.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Where do I even begin? Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu was an incredibly beautiful book that highlights many hot button issues in today's world. From the shame of a young girl violated by a revered adult to the Black experience in America as seen through the lens of a privileged Kenyan young woman, to the difficulty of pulling away from centuries old cultural norms, Muchemi-Ndiritu manages to take her reader on a journey of epic proportions. The story is of Solia, who loses her father at a young age and is subsequently raised by a houseful of women, including her mother who can only love her at a distance. When Solia is able to go to university in New York, her entire world view is changed. As months turn into years, she begins to mold herself to fit this new life that she is making. However, she is not able to free herself from the cords that bind her to Kenya and ultimately her mother. This is a story of self discovery, of love and of loss. It is a tale of family, both born and chosen and the love that binds us all.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for a gifted arc in exchange for my honest review.

Publication: May 2, 2023

I would have to rate this one as 2.5 stars. Based on the synopsis, this book would have been right up my alley- women's fiction with a touch of historical aspect plus cultural aspect. I love trying to find books that have a cultural aspect because I want to learn something.

Here is where the struggle came in, the writing in this book felt like so much telling. I want to be sucked into a story not just told what is happening. With this, the sentences felt choppy and I found that I couldn't stick with the story. Honestly, this book feels that it's in the same vein as "Maame" (another one I wanted to love but struggled with).

Be warned, this is a book of feels!

Soila has been raised in Nairobi by a stern and very conservative mother and aunts. Soila is not like them. She is stubborn and independent and very outspoken. After an assault, she leaves for New York to attend college. Swearing never to return.

It is the 1990s in New York and she is shocked by what she finds. Land of opportunity? Doesn’t seem like it.

She watches as her friend, a black American girl, endures racism and in doing so faces her own legacy of slavery and all the bad things she was shielded from by her family.

When she does find love, it comes with a heavy price that she may not be willing to pay.

A beautifully told story of immigrants and racism in America.

NetGalley/ May 02, 2023, RHPG DIAL

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.