This is a tough one for me. I felt confused and off balance while reading this and I thought I missed something. After reading numerous reviews from POC, I think my instincts were correct.

The main character in this book, Jasmyn was felt one dimensional and like a stereotype. Her entire personality was tied up in social justice and there was no depth, development, or growth. She was also rude and judgmental of everyone in her community based on superficial things such as their hair, the way they dressed, or the way they spoke. She condemned people in her community for not "being enlightened" but then made these snap decisions about people based on surface level details. Her lack of empathy and her judgement was so extreme, it felt like a caricature.

Overall, this book really rubbed me the wrong way and felt false and heavy handed. I think there was a good idea in her somewhere, but the execution was disappointing and unsettling.

I love Nicola Yoon's writing and Everything, Everything and Instructions for Dancing are two of my favorite YA books! So I was excited to read her first adult novel. This one sucked me in at the beginning but it was definitely a slow burn and the middle 1/3 was kind of boring. It definitely had "The Other Black Girls" vibes.

Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for the ARC of this title.

The RIYL in the description for this book possibly does it a bit of a disservice - are you familiar with The Stepford Wives? Then you're going to know all the beats that this book is going to hit. That's not necessarily a bad thing - I haven't ready any of Yoon's previous work, but this was very page-turning even as I knew the exact plot points it was going to hit on its way to the ending. Where this lost me was in all of the connective tissue between those plot points - it doesn't do anything new with the Stepford Wives template, and I'm not sure the story really knows what it wants to say about the racial issues it's using as its driver. This was breezy, but seemed to think it was hitting deeper than it actually does.

I was intrigued by the Get Out and Stepford Wives vibes that the book promised. And to be fair, it did deliver on those vibes somewhat, but I'm not sure it made me uncomfortable in the right ways.

Jasmyn, our main character, is passionate about her Blackness and invested in racial justice. However, she's extremely judgemental towards lighter skinned Black women and POC who are not as dedicated to social justice as she is. While she is more developed than any other character, it's still fairly one dimensional.

As a white woman, maybe I'm not completely understanding the messaging of the book, but it almost felt as if it were achieving the opposite of what it set out to do. Seeing the mixed reviews from other readers, including Black readers, I'm clearly not alone in this. It tried to do things for shock value and discussion, but made me feel like the author sees Blackness and whiteness in a very specific way that doesn't leave room for nuance and different experiences. You know, way too black and white.

One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon is a thought-provoking novel that is bound to ignite engaging discussions in book clubs for generations to come.

I really wanted to love this given my love for her other book, but this was just not for me. Disappointed.

Thank you netgalley for letting me read this book. I didn’t like this book, I’m so sorry, it wasn’t for me, and I hate to say that cause I am usually easy to please . As a Black woman this book read like “to fight racism you need to be less Black”. It makes me sad because this author is Black. I understand that there are books centered around Black trauma but this book just wasn’t for me.

Oof this was NOT what I was expecting. I am genuinely confused by what the author was trying to do with this story? If I am suppose to feel this way then maybe it’s a four star? 🫠 the writing and storytelling is good, it’s the execution that didn’t work for me.

there were many things that bothered me while reading and the ending?! 😳🫠 the ending just felt icky.

Thank you Knopf for the digital advance readers copy.

This is the first adult novel by Nicola Yoon and it did not disappoint. Jasmyn and King Williams move to the Black Utopia of Liberty community, hoping to find a safe place for their family. Jasmine is a public defender who knows too well what can happen to Black boys who encounter the police and King will always feel the loss of his brother who was killed by the police.

King settles in right away but Jasmyn has trouble connecting with the women in the community who seem more concerned with booking treatments at the Wellness Center than the world's troubles. Jasmyn cannot find anyone to join a community chapter of Black Lives Matter. When Jasmyn discovers the truth about the community, she wonders if it will destroy her.

Why I Like This Book: This book is a commentary about the world that we live in and the dichotomy between those who care about social issues and those who prefer to believe things are not happening. This is a thought-provoking book that will leave you with questions at the end. #gifted

This book floored me. There is so much to unpack. Yoon is a brilliant author and her ability to deconstruct racism and put it on paper is a gift. I recommend reading this book with others, because you are going to want to talk about it. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced digital copy.

*2.75 stars rounded up to 3*

This one centers on a Black family relocating to an all-Black community, where the female main character (FMC) swiftly realizes that something is profoundly amiss. It is meant to be dystopian and mysterious.

As a white woman, I initially felt uncertainty regarding my interpretations. After reading various reviews from Black readers on Goodreads, it seems there is a general consensus: while the book’s intentions were commendable, its execution fell short.

One of the major issues was the FMC. She appeared excessively over-the-top and judgmental toward her own friends and community members. Her characterization seemed to lack depth, as if her entire personality was consumed entirely by social justice themes. This one-dimensional portrayal did not effectively support the message Yoon intended to convey.

The most impactful part of the book, for me, was the epilogue, which was particularly unsettling. While the story’s overarching message was clear, its delivery was unfortunately lacking, leading to a disconnect between intention and execution.

I do not know what I expected out of this story, but it wasn't definitely what I read. This story delved into the complexities of activism and what it means to be Black in America. Jazmin has dedicated her whole career to making a difference in the Black community and is passionate about uplifting young black men and woman. Her husband King was also on the same page as her until they move to Liberty - a community made up of 100% Black population. Everything is not as it seems as no one there seems to care about anything else then spending all of their time at the town's wellness center. Everything is not as it seems in this Utopia. While this story did not leave me feeling the suspense of normal mystery/thrillers, I was still disturbed by the towns people and the way they moved. Everyone of Nicola Yoon's book will leave you with a message and the motivation to do what you can in your own community. Very interesting read and look forward to more adult books by this author in the future.

This book had potential but I don't think it quite lived up to the potential; it honestly just kind of fell flat. I loved the idea behind it and the premise of it but I just don't think that it did what it was set up to do. This was definitely a stepford wives' vibe but overall the plot was predictable. I found the main character to be unlikeable and it just was overall disappointing for me.

This book was one I was shocked at how much I did not like it. I have enjoyed previous books from this author, so I was excited to start this one. From the beginning, something didn’t connect for me. The main character seemed to equate Blackness with trauma and pain. The main character also judged people based off of their appearances in the most stereotypical of ways. It was a book I was so excited for that quickly turned into what am
I reading. I hate that I had such an unpleasant time reading this one.

This book was everything I wanted in a Suburban Horror/Thriller! Creepy, spooky, and laughable at parts!!! One of my top favorite books of the year! This was such a wonderful adult debut of this author and I cant wait to see what is to come!

Thank you to Knopf Books for the review copy!

Personally, I did not enjoy this book and wouldn't recommend it to others as a readers advisory. But I would certainly consider it for the collection especially because this is her first adult fiction novel.

I was unable to finish this book, I stopped reading at 50%. I found the prose to be heavy handed and the characters were very one dimensional. The main characters understanding of their identity was limited to trauma. I did read spoilers regarding the ending of the book in other readers GoodReads reviews and I don't think finishing the book would have changed my impressions of the characters and writing.

Intrigued by the social component to this thriller, I embraced it immediately. Sometimes life is easier if we ignore the difficult parts, although that is not realistic. Liberty is doing more than ignoring reality though and Jasmyn is right in the thick of it by the time she figures it out.

The author does a great job of setting the scene and pulling the reader in. I really enjoyed the characters as well.

Beloved YA author Nicola Yoon makes a compelling splash in the adult thriller space. While this thematic territory has been tread in quite a few novels in the last five years, Yoon offers an emotional depth to her lead character that justifies its place in the thriller canon.

The premise of this book is really interesting & timely. I’ve read all of Yoon’s other books & loved them, so I was excited to read her first book specifically for adults. I was somewhat disappointed, though. The characters seemed flat, and it took too long to get to the twist with not enough follow up. I’m not upset that I read the book, but it was just okay for me.