Meet Soila, a privileged Black African, daughter of a brutally strong mother and surrounded by aunts and sisters. Soila manages to escape her mom to study in the U.S. There, through lots of determined effort and despite her mother’s wishes, she manages to find her place in the working world and to discover what the difference is between romantic and real love. And while overcoming even more obstacles she manages to bring her family closer together.

All this makes for a very warm and moving story. But for me this book needs to be celebrated for its honesty and openness in portraying the hazardous life that surrounds African Americans, particularly African American men here in the U.S. This is such an eye-opener for Soila since her experience at home was vastly different. It takes many years and incidents and great conversations with her new-found Black friends to help her understand how different things are for Blacks in the U.S.

At the same time, Soila finds herself having to educate her American friends on social customs in Africa, which are pretty unknown in America unless you have family connections. There are tribal differences and just plain village differences. Her friends have almost as much trouble with this as she does with their lives.

Kudos to the author for providing an education all of us need and for doing so as part of a very interesting story.

Wow. Like in the very best way. This book hit all the feels.

First, thank you to the author Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu, publishers Dial Press Trade Paperback and Random House Publishing Group, and as always NetGalley, for an advance digital copy of LUCKY GIRL.

Soila is a young woman who grew up in Kenya in a family which, relatively speaking, had quite a lot to be thankful for. But she also experienced some terrible traumas, like her father's unexpected death, that were made worse by her emotionally unavailable and domineering mother. She wants nothing more than to go to the US to study for college, and does so against her mother’s wishes. Though she doesn't know it at the time, and though her mother makes her pay dearly for it, this decision is the first Soila makes as her own woman.

LUCKY GIRL is ironically titled, because it's really the story of a woman who works hard to persevere through an onslaught (but a realistic one) of personal problems in a maybe dishearteningly ring-shaped narrative. But depending on your values, what Soils finds at the end of her journey is worthwhile, maybe even worthy of all her trials. Maybe it's just what she deserves. Maybe it's exactly where she wants to be.

I love so many things about this book. It introduced me to ideas I had never heard discussed before! The characters are beautifully drawn. And the writing is just my style-- minimalist but not abrubt. When minimalism is done this well, you kind of forget the words are even there and submerge into the story. Such an immersive read!

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 / 5 stars
Recommend? Absolutely!
Finished: January 25 2023
Read this if you like:
💁🏽‍♀️ Women's Fiction
👩‍👦 Family drama
⏳️ Coming of age stories
🔥 Slow burn
🫑 Closed door romance
🙏 Lots of second chances

4/5 stars!

A great coming-of-age story that sheds light on experiences I may have never even considered, as well as maintaining a sense of familiarity in the shared experiences every young woman goes through.

Overall, I did enjoy the book but it did take me until about 30% into the story to feel invested. It's one of those stories that feels the most special once you're finished. (Hindsight is 20/20!)

Thanks to Penguin Random House & Netgalley for granting me this "wish"!

“Lucky Girl” is a debut novel by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu. This book follows Soila through childhood in Kenya to college in NYC, then into adulthood trying to figure out life and what she wants. At times I forgot that this was a fictional book as it read quite often as a memoir (I think this was one of the few books where I really liked the use of the first person narrative). I found this book interesting on a number of levels - how does America look through the eyes of someone from across the pond? Is it really what people believe it to be? What is it like to have a culture and a way of life and then discovering that people don’t understand (or don’t want to) your culture - other than “it’s different or exotic”? What is is like to have ideas about things and have them challenged - in ways you don’t (or cannot) understand? I found the idea of exploring stereotypes rather interesting and I applaud Ms. Muchemi-Ndiritu for doing such in a thoughtful way. I think this book was rushed a bit toward the end. I found one part to be utterly bewildering - it was an unexpected twist, but I didn’t like how Soila handled the part with her boyfriend (maybe try communicating better - the two of you?). Overall, I really liked this book and I would recommend it to people who like coming of age books, but also books about trying to live and cope in a new country.

This was a very enjoyable book about a young African girl who comes to America to go to school and her conflict between her and her mother, her heritage and her destiny, her heart and her soul. I enjoyed it very much.

Thanks to Netgalley, I received a copy of Lucky Girl for free. This story is really good. I was into the plot and I would highly recommend this book to everyone!!!

I loved reading about the main character and her different relationships with all of the women in her family. It was also to read about a coming of age story that took place half in one place and half in another. I loved the writing, it was very beautiful. The cover really drew me in but the writing and the main character made me stay. Definitely some tough topics but I thought they were handled very well and not just used for shock value.

Lucky Girl was a slow burn for me. I had a hard time getting into the first few pages, as I adjusted to some of the variations in language and culture. For some reason, I stuck with it and I am so glad I did. It's not often I talk about what I'm reading in everyday conversation, but Lucky Girl inspired me to share about it with more than one person in more than one conversation. Why? I learned new things, especially about how experiences of racism can vary dramatically between Blacks born in the US versus Blacks born in Africa.

Soila is an upper-class Kenyan, raised by a family of women. Soila's mother is a successful business owner, with 4 sisters and a mother who are all part of Soila's parenting. Soila is eager to escape what, at times, can feel like an oppressive home filled with very specific expectations for every aspect of her life. In secret, Soila applies to a slew of American universities. It's no small battle to make her way to the US, but Soila does and lands herself at Barnard in New York City. The cultural adjustment is significant. Reading about Soila's relationships with best friend Leticia and first love Alex was eye-opening for me. Their conversations examine racism and the Black experience in a way that was entirely new to me. I am sure it is not true for every Black African or Black African American, but I am also sure the experiences are not unique to fictional Soila.

This book covers a lot, both in time and content. You are reading about a period of life in its entirety, its ups and downs and its slow moments and fast ones. I felt like I really got to know Soila and the people in her life. I had feelings about each of her relationships, which signals great writing to me. I'll be thinking about these characters for some time. And also about the different things I learned, not just about racism but about aspects of Kenyan culture such as filial piety, how mental health is treated (or not treated), and religion's role in everyday life. Trigger warnings for sexual assault, suicide, mental illness/dementia, and abortion. Highly recommended. 4.5 stars rounded up. Thank you to the author, publisher & NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite quote:
“you know what they say—be careful when you try to kill the fly that perches itself on the scrotum.”

Lucky Girl is a story that will transport you to Kenya and then New York as you follow Solia on her life's journey. Solia has a very strict upbringing in Kenya. Her father died when she was very young and her mother is a devout Catholic with rigid rules that Solia has to follow. Solia finds solace in photography and the dream of one day traveling to America to attend college. After overcoming several obstacles, she is finally able to attend college in New York City. There she will make new friends, discover love, and go through some of life's most difficult challenges. She will also have to war with her own desires versus her mother's expectations.

There was so much to this novel. It addressed racism in America and cultural differences in Africa. The novel was set in the 1990s and 2000s and I was about the same age as Solia during this time, so I loved reading about her journey. The novel moved quickly for me as I devoured the different aspects of Solia's life and her decisions. This was an inspiring novel that anyone will enjoy.

Thank you to Penguin Random House for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu is the kind of book that catapulted me inside the head of someone who, from the outside, was so completely different than me... but, as the author takes me on a journey through her POV, what I connected with was how much we had in common. First love, coming of age, feelings of loneliness and confusion, the joy of making a new friend, wanting both distance and intimacy from a parent—sometimes at the same time. Truly a beautiful novel, and sent in NYC in the 90s (the same decade I lived there too). Highly recommend!

I know that when I receive a book from Random House Publishers, it will be a great read. LUCKY GIRL exceeded that! It was fantastic! It took me through a roller coaster of emotions; I felt I was right there with Soila and her family, her boyfriends, her best friends, and eventually her Fiancé and her mom...! That Mother..what an incredibly difficult women. I would have given up on her, yet Soila, with her beautiful big heart, (not untroubled) did the right thing! Talk about a heartwarming feel good story, THIS IS IT! Ms. Muchemi-Ndiritu has written an immensely real and emotional book! There are many in the world who will relate to this story! RUN, DON'T WALK, and get this book! I loved it. Ms. Muchemi-Ndiritu's writing is easy to read while beautifully eloquent and descriptive. Thank you to Netgalley and The Dial Press, An imprint of Random House Publishing, for the arc! I look forward to reading more from Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu!!

Long, drawn out and sad. I tried to love this story, the long high expectations of Soila’s demanding family and her slog through her unhappy life, left me lost in this relentlessly difficult to enjoy book. The ending was the best of this story.

New York in the 1990s is not what she imagined it would be. Instead of a golden land of opportunity, Soila finds herself shocked by the entitlement of her wealthy American classmates and the poverty she sees in the streets. She befriends a Black American girl at school and witnesses the insidious acts of racism her friend endures, forcing Soila to begin to acknowledge the legacy of slavery and the blind spots afforded by the privilege of her Kenyan upbringing. When she falls in love with a free-spirited artist, a man her mother would never approve of, she must decide whether to honor her Kenyan identity and what she owes to her family, or to follow her heart and forge a life of her own design.

I absolutely loved reading this book!

To find that there is such a difference in upbringing between African people, and how they view black Americans is mind blowing.

Yet to find certain similarities was also refreshing, such as the mother being a devout Catholic, praying the rosary, etc

But overall I found Solias mother to be severely stifling and even with her having Dementia /Alzheimers, Solia was willing to give up the love of her life to take care of her.

I didn't like how Solia didn't even give him a chance to make the decision for himself. That seemed ridiculous to me.

Jumping back for a minute, here her mother ranted on and on how terrible Americans were
(and why couldn't Solia find a nice Kenyan boy, who was smart, etc..) yet it was the "nice" Kenyan boy who was the bum!

I wonder if other American people found this book enlightening, and new to them also.?

Muchemi-Ndiritu does splendidly opening up the difference between the two cultures.

We may have the same skin color and hair texture, but there is definitely a world in between that is different.

"SUPERB"

"KUDOS TO MUCHEMI-NDIRITU"

Thank you, NetGalley\Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu\Random House Publishing Group-Random House..Dial Press Trade Paperback\ For this amazing eARC in advance for my honest review. My opinions are of my own volition.

Lucky Girl is a coming of age story about a young Kenyan woman, Solia. The novel follows her life from the time she is a young girl living in Kenya, through her college years in NYC, and into adulthood. Throughout, we get many vignettes of critical life events -- both joyous and tragic -- that shape and mold Solia as she navigates conflicts with her mother, her college years, her first job, loss, love, and friendship. As a 29 year old, this story felt personal and close to home, as I am or have recently grappled with many of the feelings Solia expresses throughout her narrative. In a lot of ways, reading Lucky Girl was like watching a highlight reel of someone's life, but I was happy to be along for the ride. Almost from the start I felt invested in Solia as a character, as she is real and flawed in a way that is rare in fiction. Despite the novel taking place largely in the 1990s, the conversations the characters were having read as relevant and nuanced, and I really appreciated the many different perspectives and narratives portrayed in the novel. Once I started, I found it hard to put down, and highly recommend Lucky Girl to readers everywhere.

Thank you to Dial Press Trade Paperback, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for sending me an advance copy of Lucky Girl in exchange for an honest review!

When I first picked up Lucky Girl, I had a hard time getting into it. Once I got about 40% through it, I really started to feel for the main character, Soila. I was rooting for her to find true love, to find a place in the US, to reconcile with her mom and her culture, and ultimately, just to find peace and happiness despite what life threw at her.

We follow Soila's journey from her hometown in Kenya as a young girl to her adulthood in the US where she studies, experiences love, finds friendship, and battles with her opinions around race and faith. We also get to peak into the lives of her many aunts which was a highlight in the book!

I appreciate the author's boldness and her overall ability to discuss very big topics in this book. Without giving away any spoilers, the characters explore ideas, beliefs, and stereotypes in a way that makes you feel like you're in the room with them and are walking through these challenges alongside them.

Some of the drawbacks of the book for me were that there were a lot of plot points that were underdeveloped. Again, no spoilers, but by the end of the book it felt like we were rushing to come to a happy ending, glossing over moments in Soila's life that are only briefly mentioned.

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review 💜

Lucky Girl is a coming of age story of a young Kenyan girl, Soila, who desires to leave her country and family behind to move to NYC for college. While in NYC, Solia meets an African American man whom she loves, but knows her family and strict Catholic mother will never approve of. When her mother develops a medical condition that requires Soila to return home, she is faced with the the difficult choice between honoring her relationship or honoring her mother, heritage and country.

Though some of this book felt long winded and off topic, after a few days of reflection, I can understand what the author was trying to convey. The importance of honoring your family and heritage while still making a way for yourself in the world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Amazing book, full of true emotion. I know I could never rate to this book as much as other readers, but I admire the story and characters so much.

The ending was as perfect as a reader could ask for. I cannot wait to read more from Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu.

This was an incredibly rich coming of age story set in Kenya and New York City. The characters were larger than life and felt so real as I was reading.

It dealt with difficult topics in both an astute and sometimes dead pan funny sort of way. I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the e-arc.

This is the second "coming of age" book I have read recently. I do not know why I have a hard time with them. I didn't even finish the last one. It maybe that these stories are not relatable to me (anymore). The story line seemed to be more detailed in the beginning and then would jump catastrophic events, personal addictions and then boom..happily ever after.

Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu was a stunning coming-of-age story!

Lucky Girl is a coming of age story about an African girl, Soila who lived a privileged life in Kenya.
Needing to get away from her difficult mother and have her own life Soila moves to New York.
She gets accepted to a University. And shortly after she falls in love.
She is finally happy living her own life.
Until tragedy hits she finds herself making some pretty hard decisions.

WoW! A beautiful, raw and thought-provoking story.
To be honest I wasn't expecting to be this consumed by Lucky Girl.... But damn if it didn't suck me in!
A story about life, race, family and love. I absolutely loved it.
IMO I did feel that was more of a slow paced read. With strong realistic characters.
I loved that author had real characters dealing with real life issues.
This character driven novel will make a great book club pick.

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

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Dial Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.