✨Book Review ✨

Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the advanced copy!

Publish date: May 2, 2023

“Since I was a child, I had been searching for that place where I could just be me…My spirit was at peace. I had found home.”

I absolutely adored this debut novel. Lucky Girl is a coming of age story that follows our main character, Soila, throughout her life growing up in Kenya and choosing to attend school in the United States.

Soila seeks out her own happiness all the while worrying about her family’s disapproval. The character development, writing style, and descriptions were so strong and engaging. I especially loved Soila’s journey to find her true self as well as her friendship with Leticia.

The novel explores race relations across cultures, family dynamics, grief/loss, friendship, and perseverance. I am so looking forward to the author penning more works.

This family saga centers around Soila, a Kenyan girl and her journey to self discovery.
Soila's wealthy widowed mother, her grandmother and aunts live in a family compound in Nairobi. Her mother has managed the family business through hard work and an astute business sense, which enabled Soila and her aunts to exist carefree. However, Soila's religious mother is controlling and has high expectations for Soila which are not exactly what the young girl dreams of. Soila wants to escape the pressure and burdens and sees a way to do this by attending college in the US and finding her way.
Once she gets accepted at Barnard College, and finds a lifelong friend, Leticia, life changes for Soila and she immerses herself in her new life. Although her passion is photography, she follows her mother's expectation that she will go into finance, and when she graduates, she finds a job with a small investment bank.
Along the way, she finds a boyfriend, but as her perspective on life changes, she begins to look at what is important to her, and what will make her life meaningful to her.
I thought that the descriptions of Kenyan family traditions vs American family traditions were interesting - and I have to admit, that I was a typical white American, seeing all Blacks pretty much the same. The author defined the cultural differences well and made me understand them. I think that she also balanced Soila's dreams and desires with her mother's expectations without judging either to be correct or wrong.
The romances were realistic and helped Soila grow along the way. I thought that the ending was hopeful, and
showed that one can honor one's family while discovering oneself.

This story was very enlightening and the author did a great job of telling the story of what to do when your identity and culture is in question and you have to make a choice. I completely understand the culture shock of when you enter a new country. I really enjoyed this story and I find myself thinking about it from time to time. I highly recommend.

A big thank you to Corina at Random House for giving me the opportunity to read an advance digital copy of Lucky Girl. It's a book that wasn't on my radar and I'm glad I took a chance on it.

Soila was born and raised in Kenya. Her father died when she was a young girl. Soila's mother was able to turn the money they inherited into a sizable fortune through her business ventures. Soila lives with her mom, grandmother and aunts but has dreams of attending college in America. Her conservative mother is opposed to the idea but eventually gives her consent. The majority of the story takes place in the 1990s and early 2000s in NYC.

I'm impressed with how many subjects the author explored in this story without it feeling heavy-handed. Race is one of the main topics but there's other things going on as well such as parental and cultural expectations, poverty, religion, etc.. So many talking points here that Lucky Girl would be an excellent book club pick.

One of the things I loved about the story is how Soila's friends challenged her beliefs. It's important to have people in your circle who you can learn from because that's how you grow as an individual. Soila as a Black immigrant had a different perspective on what it is like to be Black in America than her friends who grew up in the United States. There were some really interesting discussions in the story.

Highly recommend putting this book on your tbr list as it's worthy of your attention.

There are so many different perspectives covered in this book. I learned so much about other cultures and how race affects everyone differently. The cast of characters are very realistic, and I think this would make a good book to use if you're looking for deep discussion of difficult topics.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu is a debut novel for this author. I wasn't sure what to expect going into it but my mind has been opened. I loved seeing Soila navigate life in America and learning how difficult being culturally different can be and difference between being African and African American. This story seemed very real and possibly pulled from true life experiences. This story is beautifully written! I feel this is a great read for anyone and probably needs to be read by many to open the mind and enlighten.

I wasn’t able to finish this book. About 40% I put it down. I couldn’t keep my interest in the book. It just wasn’t for me

A nuanced coming of age story of a wealthy young Kenyan woman moving to America for university and discovering all of the privilege and challenges she had been unconsciously carrying. The concise and quietly impactful writing style drew me in from the start; Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu’s debut novel is thought-provoking and heartbreaking.

The story begins in the 1990s, and we follow teenage Soila, whose mother is an enterprising Nairobi millionaire and a formidable young matriarch. Soila grows up surrounded by aunts and her grandmother, attending private school and being sheltered by her overbearing mother. When she gets older and begins to chafe under her mother’s many rules, Soila discovers a passion for photography and decides to go to university in America. Before leaving, she experiences a traumatic assault from a trusted family friend, and though she struggles with her self-worth, she knows she must leave her home to find herself.

In New York, Soila excels in school but is pressured by her mother into a soulless finance job. She makes friends, but soon realizes she has no reference point for the experience of being Black in America. She falls in love, but knows her mother will never accept her romantic choices. When disaster strikes, again and again Soila must choose how she wants to live her own life.

While this novel presented many thoughtful and unique perspectives, I found that sometimes the dialogue felt impersonal in its debates of polarizing issues like abortion, religion, and cultural differences. Our main character Soila went through an almost unimaginable amount of trauma and sadness, and though there were moments of happiness, I felt that each happy moment was just the calm before the storm.

Overall, this is a strong debut novel from an author with an assured voice, and I found myself confronting many of my own ideas about privilege while reading. “Lucky Girl” is undoubtedly a powerful read, and I’m sure I will be thinking about it for a long time.

Thanks to Random House - Dial Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow, what an incredibly written, well thought out and developed book. The story is very realistic, touching on real issues, some of which are difficult to read about (and experience!) Her characters are likeable and real - easily someone that you could live next door to, work with or meet at a coffee shop. At times the topics make you feel uncomfortable - but also will make you feel for the characters. In my opinion, this is a must read book!
Soila grew up as a wealthy girl in Kenya, raised by her aunts and over protective mother. After an assault by a family friend, she flees to NYC for college - and never wants to return home. Soila is shocked by the culture in America - entitlement, poverty, racism, When she falls in love, she begins to struggle with her identity and what she wants out of her life.
Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Random House Publishing for the gifted e-book ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read if you like: Coming of age, discovery, family stories

This is unlike anything I've ever read. A lot of it is almost unnerving, yet fascinating. Check the triggers because this book has shocking scenes. I love Soila discovering the differences in cultures with the people she meets at school. This is a beautiful coming of age story with interesting characters. I highly recommend it!

This book isn’t bad by any means, but I just found it so boring. We are just following Soila as she lives her day to day and acclimates to moving to the United States while still trying to please her family in Kenya. I can see this really appealing to many, especially those who enjoy literary fiction (which I don’t; I need plot). It felt very meandering to me, and I didn’t connect to any of the characters or the story.

Overall, for what it was, it was written well. I am sure it was a pacing/lack of plot problem and completely personal. I did enjoy some of her interpersonal relationships, but some also felt so glossed over. Some areas left me wanting more while others had me wondering when we were going to move forward. I was honestly surprised when I finished this and found out it was under 350 pages. It felt closer to 500.

There is a clever romance that I enjoyed, but did also contain a decent amount of lecturing on race and culture.

Soila was born and raised in Kenya by her domineering, widowed mother. Staunch in her beliefs and worried what others think, her mother has amassed a great wealth, but lacks the nurture element that Soila so desperately craves. When Soila is betrayed by someone close to her family, she’s unable to share the truth and convinces her mother to let her attend college in America. When Soila arrives in New York City she’s unprepared for the life around her. She doesn’t understand what black people in the US have been through, but her beliefs are challenged by her friends who help her to learn about the cultural differences in America. Soila dreams of becoming a photographer, but doesn’t want to disappoint her overbearing mother and instead graduates with a business degree. Working in the financial realm, she hates her job, but perseveres. Meeting a sculptor, she’s soon head over heels in love, but there is no way he will meet her mothers high standards for a husband. When Soila loses a dear friend, she’s ready to make some drastic life changes, changes her mother will not approve of, but doesn’t Soila deserve some happiness in her life? When her mother desperately needs her by her side, will Soila give up her hopes and dreams for her mother? What a beautifully written debut by Muchemi-Ndiritu!! I devoured this book as it hooked me from the first page till the very last. Covering so many important topics for today, this would be an excellent book club choice. Thank you to Dial Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Lucky Girl is a great debut by Kenyan author Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu. Soila comes to America for college and not only deals with a difficult and overbearing mothers, but also the challenges of race, roots, and immigration. It is a heavy read at times, but I found myself rooting for Soila as she tried to make and find her way.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC.

This is a beautiful novel about love and loyalty told through the eyes of Soila, a Kenyan-American immigrant.

Soila has always felt smothered by her overbearing mother. Her father died when she was young and Soila grew up in the privileged class in Kenya by her single mother with the help of her loveable aunts and grandmother. When Soila has the opportunity to move to the US to study, she jumps on it, much to the dismay of her mother. In the US, Soila experiences freedoms for the first time as she makes new friends and discovers a world so different from her upbringing. But her mother is still a strong force in her life as Soila tries to find the right balance of her desires and her mother’s expectations.

This novel is a lovely journey of self discovery. Through Soila, the reader gains insight into her evolving ideas on being a black American vs a black African. I could relate to her struggles to figure out where she fit as a Kenyan but also as an American. We feel her need to please her mom yet fulfill her own desires in her career, in love and in life.

Thank you to @thedialpress @netgalley for this early review copy.

Solia was raised by her stern and conservative mother, grandmother, and aunts after her father died in 1980s Kenya. Chafing against her mother’s restrictions, Solia finally was able to wear her down to attend college in New York City. After an assault by a family friend, Solia vowed never to return to Kenya. America, to her, was the land of opportunity, and she was determined to make it. But, after making friends with an African American girl on campus, Solia slowly realizes that America isn’t as wonderful as she thought. The legacy of slavery and racism in America is apparent every time she goes to a store or hears stories from her friends about how they were treated by the police or other citizens of the country. Her Kenyan upbringing made her blind to slavery and how brown/black people in America are treated. Then she falls in love with an artist, and Solia needs to make choices. Does she honor the wishes of her mother? Does she embrace her Kenyan background? Or does she continue to live in America and make her way? Is there a way to do all three?

Like most books I see floating around the blogosphere, Lucky Girl caught my attention when I saw a couple of reviews. I liked what I read and immediately added it as want to read on Goodreads (gotta love Goodreads shelves). I didn’t think I would read this book until Random House had it up as a wish on NetGalley. I hit that button and promptly forgot about it (because that’s how I am). So, imagine my surprise when I got the email that the publisher granted my wish. I am glad I got my wish granted because this book was great to read. It lived up to the reviews I read.

There are triggers in Lucky Girl. They are:

Racism: Racism is a big part of this book. Solia never experienced racism while living in Kenya. She lived in an insulated bubble. She came across as a little ignorant during discussions about race with her friends. I liked how her friends gently (and in one very memorable scene, not so gently) explained racism in America.
Suicide: Solia’s father committed suicide before the book started. Solia was kept in the dark by it until she was ten years old when her mother told her about that day. It was very graphic for a ten-year-old. It was graphic for me to read, and I am almost 46!!
Spousal Abuse: Solia’s grandmother was beaten by her grandfather daily. The abuse happened off-page and was nongraphic when Solia recounted it.
Child Abuse: Solia was verbally, emotionally, and mentally abused by her mother throughout the book.
Miscarriages: Solia’s grandmother miscarried several times due to being beaten. Nothing was graphic; it was stated as a fact.
Maiming after a bombing: Solia’s favorite aunt (Tanei) was horrifically burned in maimed in the Nairobi embassy bombing in 1998.
Sexual Assault: Solia is sexually assaulted by a priest. The priest, a close family friend, tells Solia he could sway her mother to let Solia attend college in America if she did one thing. He then assaulted her with his fingers.
Abortion: Solia gets an abortion in the late 1990s/early 2000s. The author doesn’t go into the procedure itself, but she does explore the feelings Solia experienced before, during, and after.
Grief: Solia experiences grief several times during the book.
PTSD: Solia experiences PTSD after being in one of the Twin Towers during 9-11.
Early-on set Alzehimers: Solia’s mother develops early onset Alzehimers disease towards the end of the book. It is graphic with how confused she was and how Solia struggled with the decision to take care of her.
If any of these trigger you, I recommend not reading the book.

Lucky Girl was a wonderfully written book that took critical issues in America and showed them through another set of eyes. Solia was a naive Kenyan who lived in an insulated bubble at home. When she arrived in America, she realized how insulated she was. Reading about Solia’s journey as she discovered herself was terrific. Her journey wasn’t easy and, at times, was full of pain and self-doubt. But Solia learned essential life lessons from each challenge she overcame.

There is so much about this book that I could focus on, but I will talk about two points that stood out to me the most. Solia’s naivety to racism and her job on Wall Street. I knew she would be in for a rude awakening when she arrived in America. But I wasn’t expecting her to almost look down on African Americans or think less about their plight in this country. It was hard to read her explanations for why she felt the way she did, but it was even harder to read Letitca’s comebacks. Racism was (and still is) a huge problem in this country. I am glad that the author chose to address it in Lucky Girl.

As for her job on Wall Street, I didn’t understand it. Maybe it’s just me, but why would you want to stay in a position that made you work to the point you felt numb? And why would you stay in a job that you hated? In Solia’s case, it was because her mother expected her to. I felt awful for Solia during that part of her life. She wasn’t living; she was existing, and just existing doesn’t make you happy.

There is so much more that I could write in this review, but I would end up giving away some spoilers. So, I am going to end the review here. I will say that I wasn’t surprised with how the book ended. I was surprised by where Solia ended up and who she was with.

I would recommend Lucky Girl to anyone over 21. There are language, violence, and sexual situations. Also, see my trigger warnings.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group -Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback, NetGalley, and Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu for allowing me to read and review Lucky Girl. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

This book is broken up into different parts. It begins with Soila in Africa being raised by her very conservative mother, her grandmother and her Aunts. When she gets older she decides to go to school in America much to her mothers dismay. Ultimately she lets Soila go. There Soila is confronted with wealthy white Americans, racism and poverty. She has a hard time understanding how the legacy of systemic racism and history of slavery affect black Americans. While in America her relationship with her mother is a struggle between what she feels she should do and what she wants for herself. When she meets and falls in love with an artist her mother is furious and Soila rebels.

There is so much going on in this book. Cultural differences, racism, poverty, mother/daughter relationships, parental expectations, religion and coming of age and finding yourself. I loved this book. The conversations Soila has with her white and her black friends are fantastic and really help to appreciate the difference in the way people of different races and cultures see things. This is a fantastic debut and what I would consider a must read.

"Lucky Girl" by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu is a powerful and inspiring memoir that tells the story of the author's journey from a difficult childhood in rural Kenya to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the United States. The book is written in a clear and engaging style, with the author's voice coming through strongly and authentically.

What sets this memoir apart is the way it balances the struggles and hardships of the author's early life with her resilience, perseverance, and ultimately, her success. The author's journey is a testament to the power of determination and hard work, and her story is sure to inspire readers who may be facing their own challenges.

However, while the memoir is compelling and well-written, it does occasionally feel like certain aspects of the author's journey are glossed over or omitted. Additionally, some readers may find the writing style to be overly simplistic at times.

Overall, "Lucky Girl" is a moving and inspiring memoir that is well worth reading. While it may not be perfect, it is a powerful reminder of the importance of perseverance and the potential for success in the face of adversity. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a story of resilience and triumph.

Lucky Girl is a brilliant debut novel by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu. There is so much to learn and to absorb from this story. The book is about family, love, fulfilling ourselves while we remain attached to our heritage. Soila wants to expand her life and move on from a very controlling mother. She chooses to go to college in New York, breaking away from Africa and her mother while still honoring her mother’s career choice. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and sincerely hope that Muchemi-Ndiritu will continue writing. I recommend Lucky Girl to all readers who enjoy reading of diversity and differing cultures.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me.

Coming of age, emotional, jarring, bright— Lucky Girl is going to be one of those stories you read over and over again just to be in the moment again. I absolutely loved it. I rooted for Solia the entire time and grieved with her at every turn of the way.

The writing was perfection and I felt like I was transported into the story. Very well done!!

I really enjoyed this book. I love reading books to learn more about the world and others' perspectives. This one was a fresh new perspective-the voice of an African young woman who moves to the United States. While being Black, too, she has different life experiences than Black Americans, and I loved hearing from this viewpoint. Soila was raised in an affluent home in Kenya, though one where her mother never showed her much affection. She moves to NYC for college, and becomes friends with several different people. It was eye opening to read about how some cultures view Americans. I kept reading to know what happens to Soila as she grows up, takes a job in finance, has several relationships, and deals with her mother, who was not an easy woman to love or please. For fans of coming of age novels and fans who want to read about others perspectives, this is sure to be a hit.