This debut rom-com was a fun read. I liked the characters a lot, even if Ember stressed me out with all of her lies. The writing was good and while it was easy to predict what would happen, isn’t that how it is supposed to be with rom-coms? Ember is a young indigenous person tired of not ever getting job interviews so she decided to check the “white” box and embellish some of her experience a little bit. On the next application she submits it seems to work, she gets an interview and a job offer. She also meets a very cute man, Danuwoa, and while the interest is clearly mutual the company has a no dating policy. Soon Ember lies catch up to her and she doesn’t know how to keep it all straight. This was a fun read and I will definitely keep an eye out for more by this author. I liked the writing and definitely enjoyed a more diverse cast of characters.

The bones of the story here were a lot of fun — a flawed, impulsive main character, a handsome, competent love interest, and romantic tension tripled amidst the backdrop of a forbidden office romance — but I struggled a bit with the nature of the plot over the course of the story.

Where this book truly shines is in its writing (fun, fresh, and zingy!), in the love interest (Danuwoa is handsome and kind and endlessly patient with Ember's many transgressions), in the dynamic cast of side characters (Walela is an angel and I hope she gets her own book!), and most significantly in the context of the story itself, bringing with it some much needed Native American representation in the traditionally-published romance space.

Where I struggled is in the mess of it all, as Ember — our main character — lies endlessly, impulsively, and with little regard for future consequence over the course of the story. And while there’s a lot of value added from those lies in the beginning — lying as a way to level the inequitable professional playing field — those lies multiply in both volume and egregiousness over the course of the book, making it a deeply stressful read from start to finish.

Though a realistic portrayal of a reckless, imperfect, chronically-bad-decision-making main character was refreshing, it was difficult to push through as that impulsivity snowballed into elevated-heart-rate stress levels.

This might be a good pick for you if you're on the hunt for a fun, fast read that'll keep you hooked, anxious, and invested, and if you're able to fully appreciate the complicated, delicate architecture of a house of cards that could come crashing down at any moment.

At first, I really liked our main character Ember. She is doing all she can to get ahead but cannot. Ember decides to lie on a job application about her ethnicity and low and behold she gets an interview! Honestly, this lie I didn't have any problems with this, once she got the job she was able to "fake it till you make it" learning as she went, and actually did a good job. The other lies, of which there were many, served no purpose. So that made it hard at times to root for her and her relationship with Danuwoa and his sister whom I loved.
While Ember did make it hard to like her at times, I did enjoy watching her growth and realizing she is good enough with who she is, and it's okay to ask for help.

After nearly 40 job rejections, Ember Lee Cardinal decides to get a little “creative” by listing her qualifications and answering the ethnicity question on applications with a lie—a half-lie, technically. Since no one wants to hire Native American Ember, she goes with white Ember and lands her dream accounting job.

Her new job brings the financial security she’s been looking for and a forbidden workplace romance. Unfortunately, the lies keep coming and growing. Ember eventually gets blackmailed by a colleague and has to decide on trying to continue to lie or finally tell the truth.

“I was not always a liar. I mean, sure, white lies were inevitable.” These are the book's first lines, and they absolutely did not prepare me for the lies ahead. Ember is the type of character you will root for, but also want to shake a bit. As a reader, you may actually groan out loud because of the tales she’s spinning. I even felt myself getting a little anxious. Ember makes a lot of mistakes (I’m talking huge and they snowball), but her character does show growth.

I loved this book. The representation is amazing. I, like others, have seen people in the book community complain about not being able to relate to diverse characters (get over it, please). While Ember’s heritage is integral to the character and how the world perceives her - there is a takeaway for everyone. The microaggressions and truly blatant racism are things folks navigate daily. Even if this isn’t your experience, you should understand and empathize.

Now, let’s talk about the romance. Ember’s relationship with Danuwoa Colson, the hot IT guy, and fellow Native at her job, is a slow burn, but it’s so charming. However, when it burns, it’s HOT! I wish the book told us more about him, but I enjoyed their banter and every page he appeared on.

I would love to see an on-screen adaptation. Overall, this was a fabulous debut for Danica Nava and I can’t wait to support her next project.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced copy. The Truth According to Ember will be published on August 6, 2024.

I was very excited to dig into this romcom from Danica Nava - I don’t think I’ve ever seen a traditionally published contemporary romcom from a Native author with two Native main characters. Ember is our main character, she’s working at a bowling alley cleaning toilets and serving nachos, desperate to get a job as an accountant but no one wants to hire her.

She makes a few creative adjustments to her resume, which leads to a new career based on a bunch of lies. She starts at her new office and runs into Danuwoa, the IT guy who she’s immediately attracted to but the office has a no-dating policy so the two start off as just friends which turns into more, though she has to keep lying to him to uphold her original lies.

I love that we get a book about Native joy. I enjoyed the exploration of microaggressions Native people face in a mostly white workforce, though not pleasant to read, it is so important.

I’m not always a fan of books where the central plot is based on lies, and there were certainly times where I just wished Ember would be honest. So many of her lies were pointless, but I did understand the desperation that led to the first lie and how it can easily snowball from there. I spent most of the time worrying about when the other shoe would drop and all her lies would be found out (because they always are!)

Overall though it was a cute romcom from a fresh new voice and I love that I got to read a different perspective than I ever have before!

A standout debut featuring a light-skinned Indigenous woman trying to break into the corporate accounting world who lies about her ethnicity in order to get a job. While this was a bit over the top in terms of drama (lots of lies), overall it was an utterly relatable, relavant and swoony workplace romance and I can't wait to read more from this talented new author!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!!

The Truth According to Ember is an impressive debut. It's a workplace romance with amazing Native American representation.

Ember takes extreme measures to secure a job, namely falsifying information on her resume. The lies continue and spiral put of control. It's like a train wreck, I'm grimacing but couldn't look away.

There are many LOL moments and a couple sexy scenes that are 🔥

4.5 stars. This was great, it lives up to the amazing cover art. A fun rom-com with a lot of heart, a lot of funny moments, and a really sweet romance, plus social commentary about struggling against white supremacy and racism as an Indigenous, Chickasaw, woman in Oklahoma and in the corporate world. This was a really fun read that I couldn't put down, I smiled and laughed a lot. I love Danuwoa and Ember and I loved their connection and growth. And I loved all the side characters, everyone had their own story that made them feel real too. I would have loved more Danuwoa, but it was single POV, he was just such a great character I wanted to know even more. There were a few uneven moments with the flow of the story and few moments I really had to suspend my disbelief- mostly inconsequential to my overall enjoyment of the novel and knowing it was a debut. I really look forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to Net Galley and Berkley for the advanced reader e-copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

This book started out fairly strong, but to me, it dragged somewhere around the middle and I had a hard time staying engaged. Ember's lying had gotten her into a lot of really sticky situations and honestly just really made me nervous and made her somewhat unlikeable as a character. A lot of the situations where she lied, it didn't make sense. Telling the truth would have had no effect, but lying destroys any relationship, especially if you can't keep your lies straight.

It's a fun book, and people will definitely enjoy it. I really appreciated the indigenous representation in this book, with Nava drawing on her own experiences.

This was a delightful romcom, full of heart, anxiety inducing lies and laughs. I found Ember frustrating at times, in much the same way I’ve found myself frustrated by cinematic romcom heroines.

Ember doesn't consider herself a liar. However, she decides to stretch the truth a little to land her dream job, and it works! She becomes an assistant accountant at a startup, and bonus: the really hot guy she met on the first day seems to share her feelings. Unfortunately, their workplace has a strict no-dating policy, but Danuwoa and Ember decide to start seeing each other in secret anyway. When a co-worker catches them, Ember has to decide if she wants to come clean about ALL of her untruths, potentially risking her job and her relationship.

I got a LOT of secondhand embarrassment from Ember - watching her lies snowball was agonizing, which points to what a good writer Danica Nava is. The vibes of this book were immaculate, despite my personal constant cringing because of Ember's behavior - Danuwoa and Ember's interactions were adorable and fun to read, and the messy family subplot was intriguing. I'm excited to see more from Danica Nava in the future. My library has already purchased two copies of The Truth According to Ember.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit I LOVED this romcom!

THE TRUTH ACCORDING TO EMBER is simultaneously complex, honest, and super sexy. The messy family drama, imperfect (and sometimes embellished) resume, and the desperation of being in a situation where twenty dollars could make or break you was completely relatable. Ember's little lies snowball out of control even as everything she's ever wanted starts to click into place - but eventuall, her lies catch up to her.

The two indigenous main characters navigate microaggressions to blatant racism, shoulder tough responsibilities, and manage other familiar complications to carve out a sweet spot for each other, despite their inter-office romance relationship being completely off-limits. With compelling, realistic characters and the relatable challenges they need to overcome (not to mention the sweet, smart, sexy love interest) THE TRUTH ACCORDING TO EMBER is a fun, fresh read!

I loved the premise of this book so much and was so excitedly to dive into it! This book did not disappoint at all!

Their love story was a cute romcom that you can't help but fall in love with them as I read. It was so much fun and I loved diving into a genre that featured Indigenous characters in it! Danica did a great job at giving a sneak peak into their love story and making us feel for the characters throughout it. I loved getting to see Ember's growth in this book and how she grows as a person.

I cannot wait to see what Danica writes next!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and PRH Audio for the advance copies.

Ember doesn’t mean to be a liar, but her little white lies accidentally get a bit out of hand. She needs money and when her application keeps getting rejected, she decides to enhance her resume a bit and list that she is white instead of Native American. She quickly secures her dream job and finds herself moving up in the company faster than she could have ever imagined. What is even more surprising is the very attractive Native American in IT that she is instantly attracted to. They start to spend time together, but between her web of white lies, the company’s no dating policy, and the fact that she is being blackmailed by a coworker, things get very complicated very quickly.
Wow. What an incredible debut. This book needs to be at the top of every romance reader’s list. I loved Ember, and while she was a bit of a hot mess at times, her quirkiness was endearing and her heart was in the right place. The situations her lies got her into had me laughing at times. Her chemistry with Danuwoa was palpable. And the Native American history and culture woven throughout was beautiful. There was also a common theme of the racism Native Americans often face that added a lot of depth to the story and is such an important perspective to see. I can’t wait to read more from Danica Nava.

I listened to the audiobook for the majority of my reading experience and I really appreciated being able to hear the correct pronunciation of Chickasaw rods. Siena East was a phenomenal narrator and really brought Ember to life.

Whew did she tell a lot of lies.

And holy hell did those lies come back to bite her in the ass.

However, do I blame her? Hell no. The only thing that annoyed the hell out of me was Danuwoa's critique at the end—that she didn't trust him enough to get her out of the pickle together.

Which is to say—Ember, I see you. She was a person who had been heavily parentified as a child, and filled with the unease of asking for assistance and needing to get out and do things her own way. Add to that she was constantly subjected to microaggressions and outright racism towards Native Americans, and damn straight I don't blame her for lying a little to get her foot in the door. To do anything to give herself the stability and fiscal flexibility she never had growing up.

Anywho, where the story faltered a bit was Ember and Danuwoa's relationship. It felt too fast, too heavy. But they worked out the grovel in a way that made sense and worked, and I'm so, so happy to see the family they built.

I received an ARC from Netgalley

4.5/5

One of the best romance debuts I’ve read in a while!
Oh Ember, you won be over with your courage, kind heart, humour, sharp edges, and just being a badass lady. Both sexy (I blushed at one point) and tender, this was a great read

The Truth According to Ember was a solid read for me. I liked the authors writing and style and I’m thrilled to see a big publisher putting out an own voices indigenous romance. I hope more of her work gets published in the future, I’ll definitely read it.

Parts of the story weren’t really my jam, Embers constant lying was almost stressful to read. Otherwise I loved everything about the characters. I enjoy a good workplace romance too so that was nice.

I really wanted to love it, but Ember is the absolute worst, lol. There’s a big difference between a few white lies and whatever was happening here, so it was difficult to empathize with her. There’s also so much focus on her workplace and mountain of lies that the romance was overshadowed and woefully underdeveloped. The hero is a total sweetheart - too good to be true most of the time - and I honestly had no idea what he saw in Ember, especially by the end. That said, this also has some great moments. I love that it’s a true rom com with Native American representation. It felt authentic and original in so many ways, and I do think Nava’s writing has a lot of potential. There were quite a few rough patches here, but the foundation is solid.

The story follows Ember, a Native woman who can’t seem to catch a break. She’s been struggling to get a job in finance, and she can’t get experience in the field without someone taking a chance on her. In hopes of finally landing a position, Ember lies on her resume - and that seals the deal. Unfortunately, now she needs to figure out how to actually do the job. While trying to fit into the corporate culture, Ember sparks up a flirtation with the IT guy. Danuwoa knows what it’s like trying to fit in around the office, and the two bond over their commonalities. But Ember’s lies are bound to catch up to her sooner or later, especially since they keep piling up.

I took one look at that gorgeous cover and knew I wanted to check this out. The blurb was great too, so I was excited to dig into this. And it started out strong - I loved the authentic representation and unique voice, which shine through. I could understand why Ember was frustrated with her situation, and the original lies weren’t TOO bad. Not sure how believable it is that she was able to figure out how to be an accountant on her own, but whatever. It was the lies that followed that started to get me. We spend a LOT of time with Ember trying to get her bearings at work, and then a lot of time spent on her coming up with even more lies every time she encounters trouble in her personal life. I thought there’d be a moment when she’d come clean to Danuwoa and build a real relationship, but that didn’t happen. They jumped a few steps, and I still feel like I - and Ember - only know surface level details about Danuwoa (we only get her perspective). And most of what Danuwoa knows about Ember is a lie. So there was a level of frustration for me as a reader; I was willing to give Ember the benefit of the doubt, but she just kept digging herself into a deeper hole. Ultimately, there is a lot of good stuff going on here, but the frustrating parts steal the show.

The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava
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Ember just wants a decent job but she can’t seem to catch a break. She decides to tell one little lie on her job application, instead of checking the Native American box she checks White. Now she has a job but she is desperate to keep that one lie from mushrooming to a dozen more.
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My thoughts:
-I loved Ember! She loves her friends and family and has all her goals set. Despite some not so great choices that she made, I was rooting for her the entire time.
-Ember’s community were lots of fun and really showed up for her too. I love good stories about people who are there to help.
-There was great banter between Ember and Danuwoa.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I enjoyed this book and really want to read more from the author!

While I found the focus on Native American identity, struggles, and life in general refreshing and thought-provoking, I am clearly not the target audience for this title. I struggled with the immaturity of the FMC, the language, and some of the storyline situations. After about 50% of the book, I couldn’t continue.
DNF