UH wow what a roller coaster. So I did not like the main character at all - she is so completely negative and intense all the time. It feels like she is just unhappy with literally everything and hates being black. I’d say the first 70% of this book is slow and has a little bit of action but the last 30% is really where everything happens. I was no expected to like this because of how intense it was but I pushed through and ended up really understanding and liking this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

I thought this was a good, yet disturbing read. It was like Stepford Wives meets Knives Out. I thought the author did a really great job with the story and didn't think it was too predictable. I will be definitely checking out more by Nicola Yoon in the future.





If you are interested in seeing more of my reviews and other content feel free to connect with me here <3:

https://linktr.ee/bookreviewsbyjules (links to my Instagram, Goodreads, TikTok, Storygraph, My blog and Substack newsletter, etc)

If you are a publisher or author who has questions about my reviews (as well as questions about my stats, reach or engagement), please free to email me. I am also open to requests for book reviews from authors or publishers. Thank you again for taking time to read my review, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Props to an author who isn’t afraid to stir things up!

Looking at the current reviews, the author has already managed to get people feeling some kind of way – both positive and negative.

Now, I didn’t like Jasmyn. And Jasmyn? Well, I don’t think she would have liked me. But I sure did like reading her.

Our plot is fun, our bougie community is absolutely bizarre, and the truth behind everything was incredibly sad. Even if you haven’t lived Jasmyn’s life, you feel for her and wish the world were different.

I did think some things were a little too obvious – but it also may be that I went into this already knowing what this was being compared to. I kind of wish I’d gone in blind.

Entertaining and relevant!

• ARC via Publisher

Wow! 5/5 🌟 What an absolutely fantastic debut Adult novel! I started this book yesterday and was so immediately engrossed in it that I finished it in one sitting. I'm a big fan of Ira Levin, so the inspiration taken from the Stepford Wives was instantly clear and I dove in with no expectation of a happy ending. While the plot structure is undeniably similar, Yoon transforms the story plenty enough for it not to feel redundant or like a cut-and-dry remake. One of Our Kind is chilling, imaginative, important, and thoroughly thought-provoking. I'm so very excited to see what this author creates next!

Thanks again to Knopf, Pantheon, and Vintage (and of course, Nicola Yoon) for the ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Nicola Yoon has done it again. Read this book!

Nicola Yoon has a distinct voice and she definitely never disappoints. I do think I understand where she was trying to go with this book - but it really missed the mark. She used her voice from YA novels, vs. the adult novel that this felt like it was supposed to be. It was however, a lot scarier than we thought it would be.

I just feel dirty after reading this. Like I need a shower to wash the yuckiness off. I'm not 100% sure what the author was going for here, but on behalf of people of color, I was highly offended and insulted. I know I probably don't have the right to speak on these things as I can't really understand the journey of Black people. However, every stereotype is hit and the writing portrays the characters as victims of their circumstances, which I don't think is healthy for anyone, even if it is fiction. I'm just going to say I'm glad I read it, but I didn't enjoy it, and I think I'm going to need some mind bleach to get past it.

First of all, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a very hard review for me to write, as I never want to come off as knowing or understanding what another race has had to or does endure.

It is very hard to review this book without giving away any spoilers so you may want to stop right here if you do not want to read any

************SPOILERS**********

That being said, I found the story to be very tragic. The author, herself, has stated that Jasmyn's fate is profoundly tragic. I don't believe the author is saying that it is better to be white.

I think she is speaking to her anger and despair at those who do believe or lean that way. It is very tragic when people stop standing up and just believe that giving in is not giving up.

Jasymn's character does not wish or want what ends up happening to her. In fact, she does fight against what she is seeing for the entire book.

Sometimes, I think trying to communicate exactly what something is making us feel can be hard, and it doesn't always come out in the best way.

In that, I do feel like the message fell flat. I really don't believe the author was trying to convey that Black = all tragedy. I think she was speaking of people that have experienced very tragic situations in their past and the tragic way they chose to deal with them.

I do think that the book will spark a lot of debate and conversations. I found it very thought-provoking. In that way, I think it was a very good read.

Very Stepford Wives in tone and theme but with measures of social justice and race-relations added in. The prose is lively and keeps the book moving along at a nice clip. I enjoyed this novel thoroughly and really think it will be a hit with readers of suspense fiction. B+

Having heard really good things about Yoon and her previous writing I was excited to see what her first adult novel would be like. Unfortunately I did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped to. I felt like the idea was good but it felt like the author was more against "black people
" then showing what it's like for black people in America. I don't know if she's trying to write a satire but if she was it did not quite hit the mark.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

This book hooked me in from the first chapter. I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

I’ve really enjoyed Nicola Yoon’s YA novels, so I was excited when I saw this ARC pop up. I struggled to get into it, and went looking at reviews to see if it would be worth the pay off of pushing through. What I discovered in the reviews was significant concerns about the way racial stereotypes of black men are perpetuated through the book and other similar issues. When it looks like the majority of reviews written by black readers say something to that effect, I take heed. I did not finish this book. Two stars instead of one though because I generally like Yoon’s writing and found the premise intriguing.

Like a modern Faces at the Bottom of the Well, Nicola Yoon’s One of Our Kind is part allegory and part dystopian thriller. Jasmyn and King Williams are living the dream and moving to the new LA affluent suburb of Liberty where the population is 100% Black. Once there, Jasmyn feels like something strange is happening, and even though it’s pretty obvious to readers, it takes Jasmyn much longer to figure it out. Yoon’s first book for adults doesn’t quite make it there — I think teens might enjoy it more than adults — but anyone looking for a quick, page-turner with themes of social justice and race should give One of Our Kind a try.

I should start by saying that I haven't read any of Nicola Yoon's previous novels- I chose this one in part because of the gorgeous cover (I know, I know), in part because the premise sounded interesting, and in part because I saw a lot of excitement for the book. I should also mention that I am a white woman. After I finished the book, I immediately knew it was a 4 star read for me. But I went and read many of the reviews already out there, especially those from Black women. It seems the reviews are very mixed and honestly, I do understand much of the criticism I read.

As has been mentioned many times, One of Our Kind is described as a mix between Stepford Wives and Get Out and I can most definitely see those comparisons. For me, I like the way it felt a little creepy and you knew something weird was going on, but you also weren't sure how weird or what exactly was going to happen. It's a slow built. I have mixed feelings on the book's ending and feel like it warrants all kinds of discussion about the author's intentions.

I do think Yoon could have gone further and much deeper with some of the concepts of the book and I also agree with the criticism that the book focuses a lot on the suffering of Black women rather than the celebrating Black joy.

Ultimately, Nicola Yoon knows how to tell a story that will have you turning the pages and overall, I found One of Our Kind enjoyable to read. It's a novel that will definitely make you think, but instead of reading it in a vacuum, I think it's really important to read and then have discussions, read other reviews, an dive deeper into the topics covered in it.

Definitely reminds me of Stepford Wives as I was reading the book.
Jasmyn abnd King Williams, along with their young son, move to Liberty, California, a community
whiich is entirely Black owned. No worries about being racially profiled. While her husband has no
problem adapting to life in Liberty, Jasmyn is concerned about the lack of interest the community
has to recent incidents involving Blacks outside the community.
Unexpected ending - can't say more without spoilers.
#OneofOurKind #AAKnopf #VintageAnchor #PantheonBooks #NetGalley

First, thank you to NetGalley for the eARC from an author I will read anything from.

I went into this with very high hopes and expected a twisty turny horror novel, as the blurb called it a mix of Get Out and The Stepford Wives. In theory that's what I got, but instead I'd compare this to Don't Worry Darling, in that it aimed to be high concept but never quite got there. Is the twist shocking and over the top? Absolutely. Also, did I turn to my spouse at 46% and explain the story then tell him exactly what the twist was and how the story would end? Also absolutely. There are too many giveaways early on and so much of the main character's musing makes it obvious as to where the story is going.

All that said, there are really important conversations to be had, which is what this novel is advocating for.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for this book.

I found this book to be mtotallu off the mark. It portrays black men and woman as having nothing but pain. Suffering and no hope or opportunities for nothing else.

It was disturbing and gave no hope.

I just found it so untruthful and disturbing

One star for me.

Can not recommend.

This book is for the people who read/saw Stepford Wives and saw Get Out, but wishes they weren't so damn subtle.

---

Described by the author as "Stepford Wives meets Get Out", I had high hopes for One of Our Kind, the first adult book by YA author Nicola Yoon.

But this novel fails as a satire and is nervingly simple as a social critique. Any utopian plot succeeds based on its protagonist, who realizes that the utopia is actually a dystopia, and through that journey comes social critique. The main character is Jasmyn, a Black woman and activist who moves with her family to the all-Black town of Liberty. She dreams of raising her son and her soon-to-be-born baby in safety, in security, and surrounded by Black excellence. Suspicious dealings in the town ensue, so blatantly telegraphed that you could probably guess the ending after the first few chapters.

Through the protagonist's journey, we see that social critique by identifying with their more enlightened views and by spurning the dystopian society/characters' qualities. Jasmyn is an activist and a lawyer who cares deeply about injustices against the Black community—but is so holier-than-thou in her thoughts, speech, and actions that it's hard to sympathize with her.

What are some of the things that Jasmyn judges other Black people for, and whose judgments are implicitly supported by the author/narrative's framing?

• Black women relaxing their hair.
"To Jasmyn's mind, using creamy crack is a sure sign of being an unenlightened Black woman."


• Any show of wealth, despite her living in a neighborhood only wealthy people can afford.
"She'll never have the time for something so extravagant and fundamentally unnecessary. Not when she could be using all that time and money helping people less fortunate than herself."


• Laughing at jokes making fun of Trump and racist politicians.
"She doesn't find it funny. To laugh at something repulsive, even if it was a mocking kind of laughter, is a kind of softening, an incremental step toward acceptance."


• Associates anything "whiter" than dark skin and 4C hair with whiteness and, by extension, complacency with our racist society.
"'Oh no,' she says, 'I don't watch those [videos of Black men being killed by cops]. It's too much for me.' Jasmyn raises her eyebrows and sweeps a reassessing gaze over the woman. That 3B curl pattern might be a 3A and she really is a very pale brown. . . . 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 happening. Jasmyn has never understood, or agreed with, that way of being. She always clicks the headlines. She always watches the videos."


• And many, many more.

I was hoping that Yoon would take a more satirical approach towards Jasmyn's views, or show even a little bit of change as she contends with the threat in Liberty, but no. In fact, Jasmyn seems to be a mouthpiece for the author's views, because any time her worldview is contradicted, it's by the people who are too close to whiteness, both figuratively and literally. And any time she wonders if she's being too judgmental, that initial judgment is proven right by the conspiracy ruling the town.

In more capable hands, I think this book could be successful, but it's just not worth your time.

I’m sorry, but this book was extremely unserious. I say this not to be mean, but because I feel it's accurate: this story seemed like an author processing a lot of grief around police brutality post-2020 in the form of Get Out fanfiction (respectfully), and think it really could've stayed between Yoon and...not a mainstream audience.
I found the discourse sometimes painfully heavy-handed (like directly pulled from Twitter), being in the main character's POV the entire time was tiresome, and the plot, which was initially SO intriguing to me, felt rushed and half-baked.
I thought I understood what Yoon was trying to do at the beginning, making Jasmyn's character so self-righteous yet anxious about her racial identity, but...the book outright defined Blackness by how much suffering we've endured, or how upset we get about police brutality, which...we all have different ways of relating to and coping with being so constantly exposed to our people getting killed by the police, and fearing for our own lives on a daily basis. The main character seemed more critical of Blackness than whiteness, which is very weird when the central events in the book revolve around state-sponsored violence.
I'm disappointed this didn't go a little deeper, because the premise of a gated Black "utopia" and the cult of wellness are so interesting to me! And the relationship between the Black elite and poor Black people, who ARE more heavily policed...this book had a lot of potential.

I do like Yoon’s writing because it flows easily--perks of being a YA author too--but this was just not it for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

I requested this book as the initial description mentioned The Stepford Wives, a book I personally loved.

However, this book is a much more important societal outcry, that speaks to racism as well as patriarchy (in this book (the main character's husband makes the most important sacrificial decision for his family without allowing his family members to even have a voice in the decision).

If you are white and you are curious about what it is like to live as a minority in the United States, this book will give you an indication.

A modern day indictment of what needs to be fixed in our country, a place where human rights have recently hit rewind to where they were decades ago.

An excellent, imaginative and startling book, which should be required reading in high schools, and it brings up issues which should be at the forefront of everyone's mind.