Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. As a Shakespeare enthusiast, I enjoyed the weaving of the elements into the story. Unfortunately (and fortunately lol), I feel that this was an accurate portrayal of some teens. Some can be mean-spirited and entititled, some can be shy and unassuming, while others just want to exist in peace. Lots of representation (Nigerian MC in all white boarding schools---yes). Young adults will be able to find someone to relate to.

The only con is that I felt the pacing could've sped up a little. Trying to piece the mystery together took a little longer than I would've liked, but whodunnits aren't necessarily my fave.

What a crazy, entertaining read. This will be perfect for everyone who enjoys a good, thrilling YA book. The characters were great, they were definitely the strongest asset of this novel. If I had to complain about something: the pacing was a little off at times and the ending could have been better. But I'd still highly recommend it.

**4.25

This book definitely solidified my hatred of high school students. They’re so…evil. It was actually realistic how all of the characters are little shits who do terrible things that you kinda just move on from cause Teens Will Do Stupid Teen Stuff. Except, obviously, certain…people…who were so hilariously evil it was actually quite entertaining. I honestly didn’t expect to have this much fun because I’ve said before I don’t like YA, but the mix of me being on an eight hour plane ride with nothing to do and needing to read this definitely added up in my favor. It was great.

I have to point this out for transparency’s sake: three of the main/side (??? I can never tell the difference. All three are important to the plot but don’t get POV’s) characters are Cuban and Yes That Absolutely Might Have Affected My Rating A Little. It caught me by surprise and I really wasn’t expecting it so it was not on purpose!!! But I can’t help it that I suddenly enjoy a book more if it reminds me of my country. It’s who I am. Also it helped that all three of them were genuinely good people and likable and one of them was the main love interest (YESS).

All the other characters are…you gotta read it. Iyanu is unequivocally great. Like, she’s objectively the best person in this book. Kitan’s POV was very entertaining as she was caught right in the middle of that world. Both good main characters who guide the reader through an exploration of race, sexuality, and discovering one’s safe space when young.

This story starts off a little bit of a slow burner. It does take the story a little awhile to get started however I did enjoy the elements of race and self discovery within the story. With the story line being set in the UK I enjoyed the dialogue and culture of black kids in Europe. Overall it’s a simple and cozy mystery to piece together and enjoy.

This was pretty great. It was what I expected and also so much more. I definitely intend to read more from Aleema Omotoni in the future.

Thank you to Harper Collins for the arc in exchange for review.


this was a pretty fun read! I loved the alternating perspectives, however the ending kind of felt underwhelming. Throughout the story there’s all this buildup and ended up falling flat.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this book! The cover is beautiful and the mean girls comparison made me want to read it. There’s so much to unpack here and I appreciate everything that is talked about. I feel like this is an amazing debut and a powerful YA read. I feel like now more then ever people need to be aware of things that are happening in this book. I saw a lot of folks saying this was a loose Shakespeare retelling and it’s been so long since I saw the play I’ll have to refresh my memory.

This was a perfect “whodunit” where I was completely invested in the outcome. Iyanu is the type of girl who’s happiest behind the camera. After Iyanu’s Polaroids from a school event are stolen and distributed around school with secrets written on the back of them, she’s the obvious one to get blamed. Everyone is negatively affected by the prank and Iyanu and her friends have to figure out who is behind it.

You can’t help by fall in love with Kitan and Iyanu. I struggled in the beginning with Kitan and the way she was handling things. But thinking about it later, I understand why she did what she did. It isn’t right, but it’s understandable. Honestly the whole group was so adorable. I love (most of) the rugby boys and Oliver as well. They all had a fleshed out personality. And the couples! Quincy and Iyanu? Perfect. Jordan and Navin? Adorable.

Along with the sleuthing and mystery solving, there’s a lot of important messages. We have colorism, biphobia, just flat out racism, and learning to understand and embrace who you are and where you come from. Knowing that there’s no right or wrong way to be who you are. This is one of my favorite books in the past few months and I’ll be looking out for more from this author!

OH MY GOD!!!!!!! This book was mind blowing. I didn't want this book to end. This was by far my favorite book of the year.

This book tackles a lot - racism, colorism, sexism, biphobia, mental health, classism, just to name a few - but does so with such warmth and deftness and community the likes of which I haven't seen before, especially in a YA book.

Plot-wise, it's what it says on the tin, with the mystery doing double duty of repairing and reinforcing connections and relationships between all of the characters. It's really the sense of finding and building community that is the pillar of the book, of all the different ways people need community and the intersectionality of support systems, of all the ways people have to cover and hide under the weight of societal expectations and all the insidious ways systemic oppression is present. The wonderful thing is that it addresses all of these without it feeling overly heavy or hopeless and instead really works to give the characters ways to take back their agency while understanding why they may have made self-sabotoging choices in the first place.

It is very YA - the characters are very much teenagers, with teenage decision processes, which kept me from really connecting with it, but that's fine because I'm not the target age demographic. I can really see this striking home for those in the teen/early-20s range and leaving a great impact.

will start by saying this is. I definitely see why in the blurb it suggests Mean Girls meets Dear White People.

Everyone’s Thinking It is about two black girls, cousins Iyanu and Kitan and their chosen path at an all white boarding school. Kitan is in with the popular crew while her cousin, Iyanu, is forced on the outside. After the matchmaking event everybody is put on blast as photos from the event are leaked with a personal attack on the back and Iyanu is the prime suspect. Everyone’s Thinking It takes us on a week long journey of finding out who the real culprit behind the leaked photos and messages.

What I liked about this book was the plot and how the author discusses several meaningful topics such a racism, sexism, white privilege, black face, and biphobia (to name a few). Figuring out who leaked the pictures really kept me going. I had one person in mind the whole time, but I was completely thrown by the end results. What I also liked about this book was the character, Iyanu. I really felt for her the most because she didn’t deserve how her cousin did her. I also liked Iyanu because she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind when it counted and was definitely rooting for everything to work out for her in the end.

While I do think this was a great story that was well executed, it was very slow to grab my attention until literally the point with the photos. I didn’t exactly enjoy the ending but it pretty much aligned with the white privilege theme of this specific characters.

I would definitely recommend this book. I look forward to more from Aleema Omotoni.


Thank you Aleema Omotoni, Balzer + Bray and NetGalley for providing this complimentary eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book and I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book.

I really love the premise of this one, the book itself just isn't for me and that's okay. It is very much written for a YA audience, and I think I have outgrown that.

This book was such a creative way to address current world issues, like racism and sexism. I usually find that most books aren't geared towards those heavy topics while incorporating a good story but there are always firsts! While I loved the general idea behind this, the execution felt a little . . . off? It was like a spin off of 'One of Us is Lying', except no one dies. This book never really pulled me into the story the way my favorite ones do but if I got to go back in time and decide whether to read it, I still would. It sends a powerful message and makes the audience aware. It promotes so much change and inspiring ideas that I just want to jump out of my seat and scream at all the racist people out there. The characters were so inspiring, especially when reading from their point of view. Would I reread this? Probably not. Would I recommend this? For sure. This is a definite must for middle schoolers especially. I really think they can learn a lot from this story.

Thank you Balzer + Bray and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. This book is so good! Iyanu and Kitan are some of the only black girls attending their prestigious private school. Each of them approaches this differently, Iyanu prefers to be on the sidelines while Kitan hangs with the popular girls. After the dance someone still the pictures Iyanu took and posted secrets on the back, sending them around school. Unfortunately there’s only one person Iyanu knows would have access so she investigates to find out what’s going on? Who did it? I loved both Iyanu and Kitan! The story builds the tension and kept my engaged! Lots of twists and turns in this one, that will have you guessing! Also looks at racism, sexism, and homophobia. A great read for mystery lovers! Can’t wait to read it again.

Tackled the hard issues surrounding race, sexual orientation and belonging. That making space for yourself and giving yourself grace will go a long way in one’s journey of self discovery.

This book gave everything I wanted and needed and MORE! A thriller with a splash of romance is so up my alley!! I enjoyed this story so much! The drama and the suspense had me on the edge of my seat! I loved every second of this story. And also that COVER! WOW so beautiful!!! Aleema Omotoni your writing was incredible I can't wait to read other books by you!

OH MY GOSH. This book is SO GOOD!!! I love the mystery and how you learn little bits and pieces that lead you in different directions until it all comes together at the very end, and the ending was SHOCKING! Completely unexpected plot twist! I would one thousand percent recommend!!

This book handles so many topics so well. Its written amazingly and the mystery is so fun! I really liked how things wrapped up. Community was such an important part of this book and that particular part was done just so fantastically.

I LOVED this book! A YA mystery with a little dash of romance? Yes! I also loved the preppy boarding school setting! This is filled with amazing representation, beautiful friendship and family relationships. So so good!

Black Butterflies

I love a good YA mystery. This book absolutely delivered on that. I was so invested in finding out who stole Iyanu’s photos and binder. Every time I thought I had it figured out, another curveball was thrown in. When the villain was revealed, I was so surprised. I didn’t see that coming! The story of two Nigerian girls trying to survive in an elite private school in the UK wasn’t entirely relatable for me. However, their insecurities, doubts, and fears were very realistic for so many Black girls. The racism and colorism that they had to deal with is sadly familiar. Despite those pitfalls, Iyanu and Kitan personified Black Girl Magic. They were so smart and determined. I loved how things worked out for them. In the end, just about everyone got what they deserved.

This book touched on so many important issues that young adults are facing. It turned out to be a great story with a beautiful representation of Black girls. I gave this book 4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Aleema Omotoni for this advanced copy to review. #EveryonesThinkingIt #NetGalley