First off, I've read another book by Nicola Yoon and loved it. However, I was a little nervous going into this book because of some of the reviews that I read, but I absolutely loved this story. Not being Black, it really opened my eyes to being a Black American in America. Being Jewish, I could relate to some of the situations throughout the book - especially with what's going on in the world. And though the ending wasn't what I expected, it left me uneasy and really thinking about this book well into the night.

Thank you to NetGalley for this free preview copy in exchange for an honest review. I have read two other books by Nicola Yoon and thoroughly enjoyed them. I admit that I simply saw the authors name and was anticipating another book in the similar genre. This was not that book. This book is heartbreaking and horrifying and while I understand the story and the need for it to be written, I find it terribly sad.

This novel (pitched as Get. Out meets Stepford Wives) was utterly chilling, heartbreaking, and deeply uncomfortable on so many levels.

ehh- this one wasn't for me. I just couldn't get into the book or follow the characters. The writing style was lacking, and detail could have been much better. I usually dont put a book down, but I didnt finish this one,
DNF

I want to start by saying that I love Nicola Yoon’s novels. I was so intrigued by the synopsis of this one, and was excited to read it. However, this book just was not for me. That being said, strangely, I could not put it down because I absolutely had to find out what was happening in Liberty.

Beyond powerful and chilling

Jasmyn Williams and her family move to Liberty, an all Black suburb that will finally free them from racism that they face. But something is happening to the Black folks who live there. They’re changing and Jasmyn can’t put her finger on why it makes her so uncomfortable - and scared.

I was hooked to the last word

When I first read the synopsis for this novel, I knew I had to find out what it was about. My fans know how much of a horror fan I am and especially when it comes to the classic horror stories, which I find are the absolute best, so I had to try this. And I’m so happy I did.

Immediately I began thinking about The Stepford Wives, which is one of my all-time favorite books and Yoon had me from the first paragraph. King and Jasmyn Williams are a typical black family trying to better themselves and get out of the ghetto. They were all too familiar with the struggle and the senseless killing of black people at the hands of white police officers. At some point, they almost became immune to the police brutality, but not so much that they decided enough was enough.

As luck would have it, King was promoted and began making a huge bank roll and decided to remove his wife and son, Kamau, from the ghetto and move to a beautiful black oasis known as Liberty. Dare I say it, but is there a such of thing? Hmm? Jasmyn certainly had her misgivings about Liberty. When she first got there, everyone and everything was on the up and up. Her son flourished in school, and they settled in well. Jasmyn worked as an attorney in the public defender’s office trying to help the young black youths and the legal troubles, they found themselves in. King used to volunteer in the hood to be a role model for the young black males and give them hope. But little by little, King stopped doing those things and Jasmyn became more worried about his outreach.

It appeared that the more they obtained within this solely black community, the more things seemed off. For instance, everyone enjoyed going to the Wellness Center. King spent a great deal of his time there. He often asked his wife to accompany him, but Jasmyn felt something was terribly wrong with the popular spa. Even though she knew in her gut something wasn’t quite right, she managed to make a couple of friends, Keisha, and Charles. They were the only three that still got upset over seeing the horror of what was happening to their people daily. Until one day, Charles and his wife went away on a vacation, that Charles’ wife insisted, and when he returned, not only were Charles’ dread locks gone from his head, but his whole vibe had changed. Jasmyn was convinced there was “something in the water” perhaps or in the air that was changing her friend.

The more Jasmyn protested to her husband that they needed to leave, Liberty clutched its teeth deeper in Jasmyn’s soul forever binding her and her family where they were. Wow! I must say this story was a lot to take in. It was very exhausting because I could identify with every point that was made among the characters. One major point this story will undoubtedly do is make for conversation. You will be discussing this story through and through. It wasn’t hard to figure out what was happening to the black community, but to witness and feel it along with the characters, was spine tingling. Much like The Stepford Wives, I was left with that same terrifying reality.

Jasmyn was easily likeable, but at times I felt she was very judgmental towards her own race. I did like how King at times pointed this out, because I was thinking it as well. I could see at times with the side characters how off putting Jasmyn could come off being a social justice warrior. Jasmyn made valid points, and at times I felt like I was watching a tennis match with the back and forth with her and some of the characters. I also identified and related to alot of the racial commentary in this one.

I could not put this one down until I knew exactly what was going on in Liberty. I knew something sinister was going on, but I couldn’t figure out what. I thought I knew the direction this book was taking me, but Nicola Yoon pleasantly surprised me with the reveal and the ending. This book had all the Get Out and Stepford Wives vibes and I was here for it.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the advanced reader's copy of "One of Our Kind" by Nicola Yoon for my honest thoughts and opinions.

I have been a long reader of Nicola Yoon's grin inducing and heartwarming YA romances so when I found out that she would be making her adult debut with a thriller, I was very intrigued. I really liked the premise of this debut in making the reader uncomfortable in facing the ugly truths about racism in America, police brutality, and the effects of trauma. Yoon does a great job in ratcheting up the tension and the "there's something seriously wrong but I'm not sure what" vibes throughout the book. The chapters are short and it reads very quickly.

Unfortunately, the story lacks nuance in trying to define what "Blackness" entails. It focuses so much on what it physically looks like (i.e. skin tone, hairstyle) that it misses its biggest opportunity to discuss the myriad of ways of what it means to be Black. As noted in the author's acknowledgement that this book is written out of despair and anger, which shows thousand folds with its relentless images and references to Black trauma- the killing of innocent people due to racial profiling, police brutality, and the every day microagressions that Black people face. While all of this is unfortunately true in our society, Black resistance and Black joy are also true but never shown in the book which makes all of the necessary social commentary to be extremely heavy handed. It may even misinform readers that to be Black is to be in pain.

As a reader we are suppose to empathize with Jasymn, a mother who is trying everything to keep her family safe. While I do empathize with her in that aspect, I also felt that she is extremely judgmental. I would have loved to dig into her character a bit more than just the surface level of what we got the in the book. It would've been also great if we got a foil to her character too to bounce ideas off of.

Marketing this book as Stepford Wives meets Get Out, though comparable, distracts the main purpose of the book. Readers will be more focus on finding the book's "twist" than trying to understand the messages of what Yoon is trying to say.

2.5 rounded up - Firstly, I appreciate what Nicola was trying to do with this, and as a white person, I have not experienced these things in the same way people of color/these characters do. But to get the rage and despair account here of what it’s like to be black in America is an important story to be told and heard/read. Sadly, the execution of this one unfortunately didn’t work for me. It felt like it had so much promise to be a really fun, creepy book with poignant social commentary. The comp to Stepford Wives and Get Out had me buzzing, but where Get Out is subtle and lets the watcher get there themselves, this felt heavy handed and in your face. The characters have almost no personalities, and the FMC is unlikeable in her approach to wanting to people to care and do something to help usher change. I’ve seen others say this but this is so negative and I would’ve loved to see some celebration of Black people and their accomplishments too. And then the actual creepy, extraordinary bits didn’t really show up until the last like 10% of the book. All in all, I kept reading because I wanted to know where things would really go but they barely got there and then when they did it felt a bit anticlimactic.

Dnf-ing at 19% when she says some black people call themselves Republican (and other red flags) bc not everyone of a certain race has to vote the same way. I didn’t know what this was about going in but I loved all her previous books but this is a big no from me. seems like a post 2020 trauma response

One of Our Kind is Nicola Yoon’s adult debut and it follows Jasmyn and her family as they move to the idyllic Black neighborhood. Once they arrive there, strange things start to happen. Pitched as Get Out meets The Stepford Wives, this book shows that even the most perfect places have their cracks.

I finished this book last night and I have been sitting on my thoughts. I think this book would have been a lot better if Jasmyn was a different kind of character. I don’t think she is particularly likeable and she has a weird purist perception of Black identity. I fully believe that a character can be unlikeable but still fun to read about but I don’t think Jasmyn was that.

I think this book has a lot of interesting conversations that are absolutely horrific. I wish there would have been more of a focus on those aspects. I can tell this book came from a very personal place for the author and there is a lot in this book that is very impactful.

I think in the end, this book is a three star was for me. There were some things that I really enjoyed and I think would lend themselves well to a book club discussion but then there were also things that felt counterproductive to the message of the book. I’m excited to read more reviews of this book to see how others, in particular reviewers of color, feel about this story.

While this is something I rarely do, I wish I had looked at the reviews prior to agreeing to read and consequentially review this book. I am definitely not the demographic (66 yo, white woman), I do strive to learn about others and their situations to show more compassion and understanding. The writing style was stilted. My impression was that the author wanted to erase her identity as a black woman. This makes me sad as all of us should embrace who we are regardless of our color, heritage, etc.

I really enjoyed this book. The author's unique storytelling style and engaging characters make it a compelling read from start to finish. As a longtime fan, I was thrilled to see how the plot unfolded, and the unexpected twists kept me hooked. The depth and development of the characters gave me a lot to think about, and I know my customers at the bookstore will appreciate the rich themes and the emotional resonance of the story. I can't wait to recommend this book to them—I believe it will quickly become a favorite on our shelves.

First and foremost I would just like to say that I am a white woman and I haven't had the experiences of a POC. One of Our Kind is written by one of my favorite authors and centers around Black injustice, this book was not written for me/about my experiences. Please consider looking up reviews by Black readers.

I did not like this book. I'm feeling very uncomfortable after reading this, and not because of what you think. One of Our Kind is marketed to be like Get Out which I'm sure everyone has watched or heard of. I understand why it's being marketed like that, but it shouldn't be. I honestly don't know what the point of this book was. The main character, Jasmyn, was so unbearably unlikeable. She is constantly stating how to uplift the Black community, but then literally throughout the entire book is judging Black people based off of their hair, skin, how they interact with one another, whether or not they're in social justice groups. Which boggled my mind and made me constantly second guess what the point of this book was.

This is the author's first adult novel and it just wasn't it in the writing aspect. The characters felt very flat and honestly were written like they were from a YA novel. It felt very surface level for all the characters.

The ending is honestly what makes me feel so icky and unsettled. I truly have no idea what Yoon was trying to go for with the ending... but it just doesn't make sense. It felt very Anti-Black and felt very "Black people are wrong for everything".

I've never felt more uncomfortable reading a book and I just don't have anything positive to say. Again, please read other reviews.

I don’t know what kind of message Nicola Yoon was trying to send with this book but that…was not it. It’s sad because I’ve loved all of the author’s YA books, but this adult debut is a major let down. Before reading this digital arc I read some of the reviews and I agree, I definitely would not recommend this book. Obviously the antagonists in the book are completely in the wrong, but having to read this book from the perspective of a Black woman who thought all Black people should have monolithic views on how to be Black in America was not enjoyable at all.

Liberty is touted as a beacon of Black excellence, a planned community for the best and brightest with all the finest amenities. Jasmyn thinks it looks bougie, but accedes to her husband King's desire to relocate there for their son Kamau's sake. Jasmyn struggles in Liberty: she can't make new friends, can't ignore the drumbeat of racism outside her glossy enclave, and can't understand why her husband spends so much time at the cultish spa. The message is as subtle as a sledgehammer and the protagonist gets pretty judgy, but Yoon does a good job ramping up the tension until the shocking finale. Thanks, Netgalley.

Thanks for the advanced read. This book was not what I expected. The story could have been much better if it was based in another view. It seemed like a lot of whining and basically bashing how it’s bad to be black. It was a struggle to read as I didn’t agree with a lot of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had very high expectations for this after the blurb said that this is a "thrilling [story] with insightful social commentary", and compared this title to The Stepford Wives, Rosemary's Baby, and Get Out. These comparisons provide a lot to live up to, as they are classics of the speculative fiction genre. Speculative fiction books with social commentary are big right now and I was ready for this to be a standout, especially considering Nicola Yoon's successful YA books that deal with racial prejudice.

First off, I want to clarify that I am a white woman. This book is not written to reflect my experiences and I am not supposed to be able to relate to the Black main character, although I do make an effort to educate myself on racism/antiracism by reading POC authors. So take what you will from my opinion but read other reviews but Black readers, too.

I had yucky feelings about this main character right from the beginning. The MC Jasmyn immediately makes it clear that she has strong opinions on what it means to be an "enlightened" or "authentic" Black person. Yes, these words are literally used in this context in the book-

"Jasmyn studies the woman's hairline. It's funny how much hair can tell you about the kind of person you're dealing with. To Jasmyn's mind, using creamy crack is a sure sign of being an unenlightened Black woman."

"Jasmyn studies Keisha. One of the necessary skills of her job is the ability to spot a liar. This woman doesn't seem like one. With her big Afro, her loud clothes, and her louder laugh, she seems a damn sight more authentic than Catherine Vail did."

At this point I thought that this book was supposed to be satirical and/or Jasmyn is meant to be an unlikable MC. But reading on, it also seemed like the reader is meant to sympathize with Jasmyn, a feeling that didn't support my hypothesis. One minute we see her being a loving wife and mother, and caring about the Black community even more than her own health (another point I take issue with), and the next minute she's judging other Black people for their clothing, hair, and the way that they interact with the Black community. Here's a passage that explains what Jasmyn thinks about a woman who feels that watching videos of police brutality are too much for her-

"Of course Jasmyn has met her type before. She's one of *those* Black people, too delicate to face up to the world we live in. The kind that looks away and pretends that if she can't see the world's violence against Black people, it isn't happpening. Jasmyn has never understood, or agreed with, that way of being. She always clicks the headlines. She always watches the videos. Why should she feel safe and comfortable when yet another Black man is dead? No. It isn't OK to look away. She always watches. Bears witness."

The police brutality case going on in the background of this book takes up much of the MC's thoughts and colors the tone of the entire book. If I was reading this book without any context of who Black people are and their culture, I wouldn't have any choice but to assume that Black culture doesn't include anything but trauma, victimhood (and some various types of food) because that is all that Yoon describes in this book. There are no instances of Black joy. Any interaction that Jasmyn has ends up with her talking about racism and police brutality. And to be clear, police brutality and racism are EXTREMELY problematic and relevant issues to Black people in real life, but there is more to Black culture than that, and Yoon doesn't make that clear in this book.

I also have to mention the hypocrisy of the MC and her strange sense of social justice, which eclipses her own sense of self. She's offended by an invitation to the Wellness Center because a spa visit would take away from her time serving the Black community. I reacted strongly to this because this is such a toxic mindset for an activist. Caring for yourself is part of caring for the community.

After all this, I don't understand what we are supposed to feel about the MC, or what message the author is trying to send with this book. Possibly something about not giving up? It's not very clear.

The writing style also feels very surface level and Young Adult. This book makes me think that Yoon should stick to the YA genre.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Knopf for providing me an advance reader copy of this book. This was my first ARC & I was very excited to read another book by Nicola Yoon.

I thought I had a handle on what Yoon was trying to do here, but honestly, it felt like a swing and a miss to me. The book was pitched as 'The Stepford Wives' meets 'Get Out,' which sounds very interesting. But the horror vibe I was expecting wasn't there for most of it - not until the last 80/90% of the book. There was a bit of a lull period around 60% and I flet like I had to keep pushing to get through it.

The main character, a black woman who’s a social justice activist, initially comes off as loving and supportive towards her community. But as you dig deeper, her perspective seems laced with anti-blackness, which is disappointing and quite jarring. She was SO unlikeable.

On the plus side, I do think Yoon captured something real about the toll that relentless racism and police brutality can take on mental health, especially within the black community - That was well done. But I wish there had been more emphasis on the resilience, pride, and achievements that are also a huge part of black culture - I guess I was hoping for a bit more balance.

The title & the cover are fantastic.