What a fun, sweet book! It does such a good job of making Ember sympathetic despite all her lies. Her love interest is wonderful and her family feels real. There are a few awkward or embarrassing moments, but nothing that crosses the secondhand embarrassment line into book-ending. The workplace dynamics are a realistic combination of awful and amazing, like everywhere I've worked, which gives everything that happens real weight. Going to recommend this one a lot.

3.5 stars

Unusual rom-com featuring Native American lead characters. This isn't necessarily the focus but we get a few unpleasant glimpses of the constant racism that still exists.

I had a little trouble with the two main characters. Danuwoa is almost too perfect: gorgeous, ripped, patient, pleasant, smart, funny, etc. etc. He literally seems to have no faults. Ember, on the other hand, has many admirable qualities but is also a hot mess. She is determined, and smart, and hard-working. But -- every time she opens her mouth a lie falls out. Obvious lies, unnecessary lies, stupid lies, embarrassing lies. But she can't seem to stop. And at times she exhibits stunningly clueless bad judgment -- a head-scratcher because she is very bright.

She tells herself several times that Dan deserves better than her and I had to agree. Of course, everything gets worked out in the end. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Choosing to read this book, I was looking forward to a romantic comedy featuring Indigenous characters. This book had this and more! I truly laughed out loud at multiple points, but Ember's story also had serious issues she faces with finding an office job and the pressure to be someone she isn't. I found myself rooting for Ember and feeling the highs and lows of her story. I really enjoyed this book and I am so excited to read more from Danica Nava!

This was a good romance read. I liked the way the relationship between the MC and the love interest developed. It grew genuinely and their dialogue was great. I really enjoyed learning more about Native culture and hearing it all through Ember’s voice.

All her lies made me so nervous. I knew it was all going to blow up in her face, but what a bummer. Excellent happy ending, though!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. I’ll definitely be recommending it to romance readers.

First I want to thank Berkley for the eARC! I LOVED this book! This maybe my favorite romcom that I have ever read and that's because it was so much more than that. The main character, Ember was so funny and charming, despite her constant lies (I cannot even count how many times I shook my head and whispered to myself, "Ember, what are you doing?"). If it wasnt for Danuwoa not putting up with her bs, I don't think I could've tolerated it. He was perfection and their chemistry was through the roof (they banter was top tier in my book!) I loved seeing Ember's character arc evolve while she navigated the mess she made with her lies (big and small) and just the way she had to navigate through the workspace microaggressions, sexism, and racism. This book was so much more that just an office rom com and I would love to read more native stories by natives like this. I am so looking forward to reading more from Danica Nava!

What an incredible debut! Danica Nava is just beginning, I can't wait to see what else she has in store for us! The Truth According to Ember, from its cover to its story to its author, is utterly charming. I'm charmed! It was such a fun read and I am going to need so many more Native American romcoms. Stat. I will say this right now: I support Ember's rights and wrongs. I can't wait to recommend this book to everyone.

Want a native rom com? Here it FINALLY is!!! Ember is trying to succeed in a world that wasn't built for her to succeed. So she finds a way. Enter the beautiful, long haired native man. High jinx, lust, lose him, love (rinse, repeat). A perfect beach read, sexy, juicy, funny and oh so modern native.

Author Nava asks the same question that I have been asking myself as a romance reader, "Why are there no Native American rom-coms?" This romance debut is a breath of fresh air and a much needed representation that was glaringly missing. So often we hear about the traumas and trials that Indigenous folks face, while completely valid and true, but it steers us dangerously close to the one story narrative. We need to hear about stories of joy, humor, and heart which is established in all its glory in "The Truth According to Ember". From Ember's realistic financial woes, landing a job as a woman of color to the grin inducing banter between Ember and Danuwoa, I had a really hard time putting this book down and I can't wait to pick up Danica Nava's second book.

✘ some of the asides or references made were less-than-universal (e.g. i happened to have watched ever after (1998) recently but that might not be true for most)
✘ some of the side characters were a bit flat

✔︎ at first i thought the native cultural references were a bit heavy-handed but yknow, a lot of readers might be learning a lot of these things for the first time and i think it still worked well
✔︎ this fulfills not only a great protagonist and romantic lead fantasy pairing, but also let's be real: you get to live out awful scenarios of racism and sexism but get to see ember and danuwoa say the things you wish you had thought of in the moment
✔︎ nava shouts out george lucas in the acknowledgements - i respect this and feel the same way lol

many thanks to berkley publishing group and netgalley for the advance reader copy.

A very fun and sexy romance! Ember and Danuwoa were very loveable characters. The story had substance outside of and in addition to just their romance. Ember and Danuwoa had real-life relatable problems and well-developed relationships with supporting characters. I thought the Native rep was well-done, and I’m really excited there’s a book in this genre with Indigenous characters and representation of genuine Indigenous joy.

As an Oklahoman librarian I will proudly be purchasing copies for all the libraries in Oklahoma County. Thank you for writing this Danica Nava!!

I was so excited to see a romance novel featuring two Native characters, and I loved learning from the author's note that Danica Nava really put a lot of her own personal experience into this novel (which is sounds like she wrote while getting an MBA, while pregnant, and maybe also while working??). Main character Ember Lee Cardinal is increasingly frustrated with her financial situation - she works at a bowling alley but dreams of being an accountant, and she gets dozens of rejections for entry level jobs that would help her get the experience she needs to build a career. She's also in dire financial straits thanks to using up her savings to pay for her younger brother's bail. Getting desperate, she decides to do a bit of an experiment - she fudges her experience a bit on her resume (claiming an Associate's degree when she has really just taken a few classes and taking some liberties with her job title at the bowling alley) and she changes her answer to the ethnicity question on applications from Native American to white (half true, because her dad was white), and suddenly she finds herself with a job as an accountant at Technix, a firm in Oklahoma City. Her little lies start to pile up, and things get extra complicated when she starts hooking up with her co-worker, IT guy Danuwoa, another Native employee. Unfortunately, that's not allowed, and when they get caught Ember is blackmailed by her super gross and very unethical colleague. As she tries to keep up with the lies she has told, Ember also navigates complex relationships with her friends, family, Danuwoa, and herself. A great debut with quirky and interesting characters and a forbidden workplace romance plot. Content warnings for tons of microaggressions and other forms of racism.

Gorgeously written with characters full of depth and tenderness. I am so excited for everyone to get their hands on this on August 6 :D Danica Nava's writing is getting better!

Plan to buy this book, plan to read this book, and then clear your calendar because you won't want to stop reading this book. Everyone will be talking about The Truth According to Ember for months and years to come, and for good reason. Danica Nava has created the most relatable, relevant romcom characters that do not pull their punches, literally and figuratively. You will laugh and you will cry as Ember Lee tries to get ahead while moving around the American job and education systems that penalize and exploit Native peoples.

Then I challenge you to find the native nation closest to you and donate to their community or learn more about their history and traditions. I subscribe and follow Native News Online https://nativenewsonline.net/donate, which focuses on important news and events centering Indigenous lives.

To state the obvious first: I'm shocked that this is really the first Native romance novel by a major publisher. MORE, PLEASE AND THANK YOU.

Ember is a hot mess (albeit well-meaning!) and I love her for it. Even though her lies made me anxious as hell (the email fiasco!!!), it was genuinely rewarding to go along for the ride of her cleaning up the mess. There was a lot going on as far as workplace drama — and rightfully so, as there's great representation of the all too common sexist and racist bullshit — but sometimes I found myself wanting more of the romance itself. Despite that, Danuwoa was dreamy as only the hot IT guy can be and the relationship grew in such a sweet, natural way. The plot as a whole was well-paced and kept the tension without any of Ember's problems seeing trivial or just there for drama's sake.

My *only* complaint is that because I'm used to dual POVs in romance, I wanted to be in Danuwoa's head as he fell for her! But Ember was so likeable and well-written that I didn't mind after the first few chapters.

I'm surprised this is Danica Nava's debut -- I'm looking forward to more from her. ♥

(Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!)

This book was wonderful for so many reasons. I am also Chickasaw and have lived my whole life in Oklahoma. I love how the author portrays Oklahoma in a way that isn't often known, such as the art deco First National Building and the alien looking Devon Tower really do exist in downtown Oklahoma City. Ember is a 25 year old woman who has had a difficult life, growing up poor and raised by a relative when her parents left her and her brother. Despite this, Ember is optimistic and wants to have the best life she can. Her goal was to attend community college to become an accountant but her money saved was wasted by her brother. She decides to lie a little on a job application and is shocked to get hired. At work, she meets Danuwoa, a handsome Native American man. Unfortunately it is against HR policy to date a co-worker. When they are seen kissing on a work trip, Ember's lies begin to catch up with her.

The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava was an okay read for me. I was really excited especially after hearing Emily Henry rave about it. It felt very middle of the road for me. The writing was okay, the character development was a little lacking but not horrible. I really wish there was more of a focus on the character development, though. It felt like it got pushed to the back burner for the romance.

Unfortunately... I had to DNF this book after getting about 60% in. Nothing hurts more than saying that, but truthfully I felt no pull from this book. I did not feel it was well written or the characters were fleshed out.

So much of this book is about Ember working in corporate America and I just... did not think that was interesting at all, especially when she was given a promotion to a job she did not want. Originally, Ember wants to be an accountant but then she gets a random promotion as an executive assistant. I cannot express enough how uninterested and bored I was with this plotline :/

The romance also felt so forced to me. Woman sees man. Woman thinks man is hot. Oh! They both work together. Forbidden romance I gues? Idk, I just did not feel the chemistry whatsoever between these two and it hurts me so bad that I didn't enjoy it!

What a lovely, big-hearted romance! The Truth According to Ember follows a young woman who finds love at the office – even though she had to exaggerate on her resumé to do it.

Ember Lee Cardinal is in a pickle. Her brother’s been incarcerated, and when he missed his hearing, their family savings were spent on bailing him out, using the cash Ember needs for college--she's halfway through her associate’s degree. Tired of not hearing back from any of the jobs she applies for, she decides to pad her resumé out a bit – and lie about her identity. She hides her Chickasaw heritage to pass for white.

So when the Oklahoma City company Technix thinks she’s white, she gets an interview for an accounting job, and is accepted. She lies about her experience, but vows (to herself) to pay attention and learn quickly.

Definitely distracting is the bank’s gorgeous IT guy, Danuwoa Colson, who’s also native (he’s Cherokee). But their company frowns on fraternizing, so there’s no way they can pursue their love further. But the heart wants what the heart wants, and it isn’t long before it becomes impossible for Ember and Danuwoa to resist their mutual attraction. When a colleague finds out they are are together, they must decide whether or not to fight for what’s really important.

I loved Ember. I loved her flaws, I loved that her lies come from a good place but end up making things complicated. Her voice is punchy and real and unique, and she’s one of the best heroines I’ve encountered in 2024. Danuwoa is a handsome cinnamon roll. And I loved, just loved, the way the book tackles racism and corporate culture. More of this, please.

The book is a spicy, sparky piece of work that utterly glows. It has a wonderful, easy pace to it that makes the story easy to dig into. Pick up The Truth According to Ember - you won’t be sorry.

At first, I thought either this was self-published or there was not a single comma in this book, but it turned out my app’s font was set to an accessibility feature that replaced all the commas with a double-space. I wanted to really love this long overdue plot; indigenous romance is few and far between, I liked Ember’s voice and stream of conscious narrative, but even with commas, I felt the breakneck speed of the narrator driving the pace of the plot, and for me, the lack of breath and space lessened the impact of Ember’s keen observations (about herself, about people, and about the beauty and grittiness of Oklahoma) and insights (about microaggressions, stereotypes, and Native/American culture).

Ember, a self-professed liar, is sick of working at the bowling alley and barely making ends meet. She had to drop out of community college and abandon her dreams when she used her tuition money to bail out her younger brother. She applies for–and gets–an entry-level accounting job, where she learns about Quickbooks and GAAP by Googling. The cute IT guy is a perk in addition to the $50K a year salary, but the position comes with institutionalized racism, sexism, and nepotism. Is the stress of a do-not-fraternize dating policy and the risk of all her lies being found out worth the money and corporate position?

In an early scene, Ember is interviewing for an an entry-level accounting position, and on her way out of the office suite, a potential new co-worker makes a comment about the attractiveness of the cute IT guy who Ember had a meet-cute with in the coffee shop before the interview. (He is clearly the love interest). Such commentary would not fly for a woman from male coworkers, and the casual potential harassment / sexism was surprising and off-putting. I put this one down at 10% complete and did not feel compelled to finish… and then read another 7% … and then did get sucked in and finished. Ultimately, the author uses a will they / won’t they, forbidden romance to tease the action, along with hints about Ember’s brother’s troubled past before a big reveal about what he did…. these felt a bit contrived, but also, the gimmicks fit the character and voice.

I did especially love the details of growing up as a member of the Chicksaw Nation, feel like I learned how to make fry bread, appreciated the authentic use of Chicksaw words, and have a better understanding of Native American culture and experience from reading this novel, so, mission accomplished, and yay for more space for stifled voices not yet heard, or not heard from enough.

I do think more careful editing would have helped, there was not a lot of nuance and there were several typos and instances of repeated use a word *vary your vocabulary is an edit I give to a lot of writers I’ve edited). I associate Berkley Romance with very high caliber books, and think they have done this unique new voice a disservice by provided stronger editorial support for this debut author.

I received a free advance reader’s edition of #TheTruthAccordingToEmber via #NetGalley, courtesy of Berkley.

Ember Lee Cardinal wants more from life than just barely getting by in Oklahoma as a Chickasaw tribal member. Although she works hard, and is studying to be an accountant, when her brother gets arrested for DUI while driving her car, then skips bail, all her savings disappear to pay for the bail and retrieve her car. When she tries to apply for a better-paying office job, she is ignored or rejected when she checks the "American Indian" box on job applications. So she fudges and checks "Caucasian", because she is that as well. That's when she gets a job as an assistant accountant at Technix, and where she meets Danuwoa Colson, a Cherokee IT specialist. She and Danuwoa are attracted to each other, but because of the no co-worker dating policy, it gets complicated. And with additional office politics, including a blackmailing CEO's nephew, a pregnant executive assistant whose maternity leave puts Ember in her place, and various family issues, Ember finds herself lying more and more in an effort to make things work. Of course things explode, but how they become resolved keeps the book moving. I had trouble sympathizing with Ember as she makes one bad decision after another, and I'm not really sure why Danuwoa is so taken with her. But it is a different take on an office rom-com, and gives the reader a whole new perspective. An interesting read.