I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would because at first I wasn't really feeling it. The characters were cool and the plot so I'm glad I read it.

“Dominoes”, by Phoebe McIntosh was an interesting and thought provoking book. Based in England, Ms McIntosh tackles complicated and unique quandary of a bride to be.

I was looking forward to reading this as it sounded such an interesting premise, and I wasn’t disappointed. I learned a lot but didn’t ever feel the author was shoving her research in my face. I also felt love rising from the page in the creation of some characters such as the grandfather and Andy.

Layla met the man of her dreams at a party. It was like fate wanted them to be together. She is Layla McKinnon and he is Andy McKinnon - no relation. Problems arise when her best friend Sera sends her a documentary, revealing that Andy’s ancestors were plantation owners in Jamaica who owned slaves. While they have moved in together and they are planning their wedding, Layla is descended from slaves in Jamaica. She questions whether she can get past his family’s history. She has been welcomed by Andy’s family, but at a family gathering she is aware of words that are thoughtlessly used that are offensive. Andy is aware of how hurtful the words are and supports Layla while attempting to correct his family, but is that enough? She and Sera have been best friends for years, but Sera is against the marriage and refuses to participate as maid of honor. She feels that Layla is denying her own heritage by tying herself to a family of former slave owners. Layla’s mother and grandfather have become fond of Andy. With the wedding quickly approaching, Layla plans a quick trip to Jamaica with her family to learn more of the family’s history. There she is welcomed by distant relatives and is surprised by some of what she learns.

Layla has never shown concern for her Black heritage, but she is becoming more aware as she begins to learn more about her own history. Even as she questions her relationship with Andy she never expresses her uncertainty or opens up about what is worrying her. While it leads to some tensions in the relationship, he remains supportive and understanding. As time grows short, Layla must decide what is most important in her life and whether she can repair her relationship with Sera. Phoebe McIntosh’s Dominoes is a love story and a family history that I could not put down and is highly recommended. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House for providing this book.

I found Dominoes to be a quick easy read with interesting characters and a captivating storyline. The writing style helped this one flow nicely. I must keep my eyes open for more from this author.

Dominoes by Phoebe McIntosh is an incredibly thought provoking read that would be wonderful for a book club.

In Dominoes, the main character Layla is a mixed-race woman preparing for her wedding to a white man. Just weeks before her wedding she comes across information that leads her to believe that her ancestors may have been enslaved by her future in law's ancestors. This prompts a deep dive into her past, her identity, and her current relationships.

Phoebe McIntosh does a wonderful job of navigating the complexity of the emotions Layla experiences as she explores her past to determine her future. In the husband-to-be Andy I could see how well meaning white people are ignorant to the complexities and depth of systemic racism and white guilt. That being said, Phoebe McIntosh writes the book in a relatable way for readers no matter what their backgrounds are.

What I didn't necessarily enjoy was the relationship between Layla and her friend Sera. Sera felt one dimensional. While she helps Phoebe make some serious revelations, she does it in an abrupt and sometimes unforgiving way. At the same time, Layla could come off as incredibly self involved in these conversations. Their relationship seemed unhealthy and was full of miscommunication.

Overall I enjoyed this read both in print with the early ARC and the audio. The audio is narrated by McIntosh herself which always enhances the experience in my opinion.

Layla is set to marry the man of her dreams when she finds out that his family may possibly have owned her enslaved relatives many years ago. Andy and Layla thought it was kismet that they shared the same last name, McKinnon, but when Layla finds out that the name was taken by a relative from their slave owner she questions not only her decision to marry Andy, but her life as a light skinned black woman. Dominoes takes what is a heavy, thought provoking subject and tells it with humor and grace. The emotions Layla feels are relatable and her actions are realistic. This would make a wonderful book club read.

thank you netgalley for the free e-arc. the complexity that is actually between layla and andy is where i liked the story best. you get to see them first meeting and everything between then and the wedding. the conversations they have, how they fight and make up. what i didn't like is sera being racist in a way that is not often shown. sera in general was an awful friend to layla.

I found this book to be both entertaining and thought provoking.

Layla is set to get married to the love of her life Andrew. Soon she will go from being Miss McKinnon to Mrs. McKinnon. What a coincidence that they already share the same last name.

Enter Layla's best friend Sera. It seems that Sera maybe hasn't always supported her best friend Layla in her relationship with Andrew. One night a few weeks before the wedding, Sera sends a link to a documentary. Now suddenly, Layla is questioning everything about her family history and what this means in her relationship.

We watch as Layla tries to grapple with the information she has uncovered about how her boyfriend's family may have enslaved her own.

This book gave me a lot to think about. Especially about things I don't often do. I liked Layla's character a lot. As the reader, you felt a lot of her emotions along with her. Overall, I am satisfied with the ending of the story, and would recommend this book.

This book is excellent. As a first generation American with parents that are Jamaican, I could relate to Layla in some ways which was pretty cool. The story itself was complicated , raw, and a painful but I admire her journey and the way she came to her decision. I highly recommend.

This book was fascinating. I love a good family drama and coupled with social commentary... It was great. Layla, Sera, Andy, and all of Layla’s family members were such interesting, complex characters.

I want to preface this by saying I am so grateful to have received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review, and I in no way want to discourage others from reading this book because I truly think this book has a fantastic premise and that it has a lot to say about past impacting present, race, and ignorance, however this book was absolutely not for me. I am DNFing this book at 10% and here’s why.

First of all, I do not jive with the writing. Every piece of dialogue feels forced, I cannot stand the MC, and the story feels like it’s being told to me like a textbook tells a story instead of a novel if that makes sense. Some people may like this kind of storytelling, but I really don’t. It’s choppy and forced and it feels like the author had an idea of what to say in their head, but it didn’t translate into writing very well. I feel so mean saying this, but I want to be honest— it’s not bad writing necessarily, it’s writing that isn’t for me.

I’ve read a few other negative reviews of this book and I have to say, I don’t find myself excited to read on. Apparently the BFF and fiancé are super unlikable and problematic, and the plot is slow.

Overall I don’t want to finish this book for three reasons: 1, I don’t want to force myself to read something I’m not enjoying, 2, I don’t want to give a negative rating to a book that has a lot to say about important topics when it’s mostly the writing I’m not jiving with, and 3, I feel a DNF is kinder than finishing it and giving it a super negative review picking apart everything I didn’t like about the book when I knew 10% in I wasn’t going to like this book.

I’m so grateful to have gotten an ARC of this book, and I don’t want to discourage others from reading this book, but I feel I have to be honest and say this book wasn’t for me— but it may be for you! I hate to DNF an ARC so kindly sent to me, but for the reasons stated above, I just cant finish it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What should be a happy time for Layla as she plans her wedding, instead becomes a time of extreme stress and complications. As a woman of color living in the UK and falling in love with a Caucasian man, she has to deal with seemingly innocent but blatant racial comments made by her future in-laws. The fact that she and her fiancé, Andy both have the last name McKinnan, is funny and coincidental at first. But these situations may be viewed as minor in the wake of a life changing discovery. Layla’s lifelong best friend, Sera, who has never been supportive of Layla dating white guys, sends Layla a link for a documentary about former British slave owners receiving reparations when slavery is abolished in the Caribbean. Although Layla is torn between her best friend and the man she loves, she digs deeper into the last name, McKinnan and must make extremely difficult decisions, all while Black Lives Matter demonstrations are happening in the US and beyond and her Jamaican grandfather is having health issues.
This is such a wonderfully written and thought provoking novel! While it seemed easy to be upset with Sera for not supporting Layla, she made some very valid points and stayed true to her beliefs. The author did an excellent job of portraying Layla’s emotional turmoil. As a reader, I wanted her to be more communicative with Sera, Andy and her family and it was painfully frustrating that she had to reach her decisions by gathering information and working through things on her own. I loved the wisdom that her mother and grandfather and her other Jamaican relatives shared with her once she opened up and the ending of the book was definitely hopeful. I just really enjoyed the complicated issues that were presented especially the impact that ancestry as well as political climate can have on relationships. This book could really stimulate some great book club discussions. Highly recommended!

Layla, a mixed race teacher with Jamaican heritage meets and falls for Andy, a white Scottish man with the same last name. Layla discovers that she and Andy share more than a last name. Andy's family may have enslaved Layla"s relatives in Jamaica. Layla's BFF, Sera, a black woman reacts to this, Layla becomes hurt, angry and conflicted about her upcoming marriage to Andy and takes a trip to Jamaica to meet with her extended family and find some.answers. Meanwhile, Andy responds to a social media post with comments that appear insensitive and hurtful about race issues.
I had a mixed response.to this book. Thinking there would be a reckoning for Layla. I was turning pages. Wouldn't she want to have a clear understanding of Andy's thoughts and beliefs before tying the knot? Needless to say. I felt the ending fell flat and seemingly unfinished.
Thanks to Netgalley for the digital copy of this book.

Highly recommend this one!! This is my first time reading one of their books but it won't be the last! This book sucks you in from the get-go and you will find yourself thinking about the characters long after you finish it. Do yourself a favor and get this book!!

Layla is a mixed-race woman a month away from marrying her white fiance. When they first met, they thought it was hilarious that they shared the same last name. But when her best friend (and maid of honor) begins acting strange and sending her links to information about her heritage, it opens up wounds that Layla didn't know she had. She travels to Jamaica to learn more about her mother's family and her own identity.

I loved this book. Even though I am American and we have our own sets of questions and a history that needs to be reckoned with, I thought it brought up very good points that I didn't know with British slave history. I think this would make an excellent book club book.

This was such an interesting read and it was one I was thinking about for days after. The unique premise is what drew me in. Just a month before her wedding to a white man, a mixed race woman of Jamaican descent is confronted with the possibility that her fiance’s family might have been slave owners of her ancestors.

It takes about 25% of the book to really get to the meat of the issue and the rest of the story is much more intense. There was one scene that had me thinking of Harry and Meghan and I’m sure many others have made that connection.
This is a story that really makes you think especially as a white woman. There are no easy answers and it's easy to see as the reader why Layla is struggling. The story brings up questions of race, reparations, privilege, and what the present owes to the past. The book is told solely from the POV of Layla and her anguish was extremely well done. Macintosh did a great job of pointing out how prevalent racism still is, both casual and in your face types.

I really liked that McIntosh didn’t try and settle for the easy answers. I also appreciated the way she acknowledged the open endedness to some of the issues. Layla comes to her choices slowly and with a lot of care. This book will make people feel comfortable and it should because it brings to the front questions that many should reckon with.

This was a fantastic debut and I recommend everyone to pick it up. Overall, it was 4.5 stars from me.

Tragic mixed girl reporting for duty as the target demographic of this debut. I would have loved to see the play and adore the concept as a book as well. Unhinged but accessible, I can't stop recommending this uncomfortably delightful jaunt to my friends and family. You get a little over a hundred pages of full rom com with foreshadowing looming over your shoulder before you're fully jettisoned into the swamp of the reality of reckoning with the history and presence of slavery in the United States. Enjoy this one-sitting wonder.

This was really a good book, yet heartbreaking. I did read it in one day. The characters, I really felt for the main character and wanted to hug her! I would definitely recommend this book.

A fantastic debut that is a thought provoking exploration of heritage and love. The novel delves into the complexities of identity and is more than just a love story.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion