Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is her first fiction release. I have waited for this release with great anticipation because Adichie has always been an author that I have read previous works and come to love and enjoy. This book did not disappoint it was everything that I hoped it would be. Adichie was able to pull readers in with her prowess as a prolific writer.
This book centers around four women-Chiamaka, Zikora, Kadiatou, and Omelogor—unlikely friends in many ways, each navigating the complicated tension between their life expectations and the realities they face. These women are in their forties, reflecting on their lives with a sense of yearning and remorse. The novel explores themes of reminiscence, regret, and self-discovery, as each character examines their choices and
their lives through their relationships with one another and the world. I completely fell in love with each character because they brought individual complexity to the story. Each character adding value and insight to the storyline. Each woman's personal struggles feel real and relatable, even as their paths diverge in unexpected ways.
Dream Count is a profound, thought-provoking work that showcases Adichie's raw talent for capturing the human experience. It is a book that will leave you with many thoughts, feelings, and perhaps even more questions than answers. For those who appreciate complex character studies and nuanced explorations of identity, this novel is a must-read. However, for those seeking plot-driven stories or clear-cut resolutions, it may be less satisfying.
The story was medium pace and I was able to flow through the book aimlessly. 5 star rating and I do recommend!
Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor publishing for providing me with an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Recommended: if you're up for it
For something very high-minded and slow and unclear and meandering, for something with little to no plot focus and only as a foil to the character's portrayals

Thoughts:
Oh, no. I really wish I had a nicer way to start, but my God, I was so bored with this!! It's not told as a story, really, more like four separate deep character dives with... No real point? Reading about Chiamaka's litany of failed lovers was a dreadful start and I guess it got better but only barely from there. This whole read felt, in a word, tedious.

I also think I am not the intended audience right now. I am mentally spent and having a hard time engaging deeply with things as I'm worn out just by existing. This author is such a revered one that surely, I must be the one in the wrong if I'm coming out of this book bored and unimpressed? So anyway, that's where I was at.

Everything felt distant despite how intimately their experiences were presented. Like seeing from someone else's eyes, but framed by a television screen, so I always knew it was separate. The things one of them cares about disappears entirely when we move to the next person. Which by the way, they each get a giant block of book dedicated solely to them, rather than alternating views. Turns out I don't enjoy that is it made it feel much less intertwined. They would briefly feature in each other's sections, but definitely as a backseat and often contradictory to the portrayals we had had in the others' perspectives of themselves. I suppose that's expected as how you view yourself and how others view you will often differ, but once again it just felt isolating to me.

So what was in this book? Well... lots of talk about relationships and men. Shockingly quite a slog to read. Some touches on motherhood and expectations on women, especially through different cultures and social statuses. Musings on power imbalance, some more blatant than others. But in the end, I don't really feel like any statement was made, stance given, or thoughts presented to consider. I've left it thinking, why did I bother?

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for a free advanced copy. This is my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

This book has been long awaited, and didn't disappoint. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has beautiful writing. I highly recommend this book!

This long awaited novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie follows four black women in America and Nigeria. Though they are all different they all share a yearning to be known by the ones they love. This is a study of character more than plot. None of the characters are perfect, which makes them feel real. This book is perfect for anyone who loves to read characters who feel real.

🔥 Wow, did this book have heart. Thank you to @aaknopf for the early look at this. It’s out today, and worth your time and attention.

🔥 I say this a lot, but I’ll say it again: one of my favorite things about reading is that it shows me life from perspectives I will just never get in any other way. This is a perfect example. This is a character-driven novel about four different African women who live in different parts of the world.

🔥 It was so powerful and impactful to read about these women and both their individual experiences as well as how they leaned on each other and showed up for each other. Kadiatou’s section was especially emotional.

🔥 This one touches on topics like racism, sexual assault, immigration, the pandemic, sexism— all the things, and it is written so carefully and so personally and, again, with such heart. If you come away from this book and don’t hold these women in your heart— you probably don’t have one.

🔥 I have not read this author’s previous work but I definitely will prioritize it now. I know this is much anticipated for so many people and if it’s not— it should be! Do you plan to read this one?

Dream Count is a brilliantly layered exploration of the quiet hypocrisies we live with—the social graces that encourage us to swallow our truths, keep the peace, and, in doing so, call out how silence isn’t neutrality; it’s complicity.

At the same time, the book skewers the Western—specifically American—need to feel globally enlightened, often in ways that come across as well-intentioned but utterly misinformed. There’s a certain performative awareness that mistakes proximity to culture or wealth for actual understanding of the diversity of our world and global experiences, and Dream Count doesn’t hesitate to hold up a mirror to that.

Where I felt this book really shines is in its deeply personal storytelling. Through the experiences of four African women, it pulls apart the messy, beautiful, and infuriating complexities of family, friendship, and the search for romantic love. It’s insightful, unafraid to push boundaries, and refreshingly honest. I walked away from it feeling challenged in the best way and would vote for this title for any book club.

Pretty unmoved by this book. While it is trying to tackle emotional subjects and heavy themes, it doesn't feel like it really has anythign to say for long swaths. The women the novel centers on are deeply described and complex characters, but the novel spins out in circles for the majority of each of there sections. Information is teased and you wait and wait to understand the context of their lives. The writing is great in moments, but I did not enjoy reading this much and struggled to finish it.

chimamanda_adichie is the author of my heart. I don’t even know what that means but basically: her writing fills me up and sustains me in a way I have never experienced.

Dream Count is a story of four interlinked Nigerian women and the trajectory of their lives. Gutting, lyrical, heartbreaking and joyous— these past ten years of waiting for Adiche’s latest novel is well worth it.

There’s also some fascinating and astute commentary on American individualism and virtue. Only Adiche can present American truisms in such a way that they’re abruptly turned on their heads— making the reading experience so jarring yet illuminating. I don’t want to say too much about the plot because knowing less about it is better going in.

This comes out tomorrow on March 4th! I hope you’ll add it to your list 😍

thanks to @netgalley and @prhaudio for the advanced copies of this wonderful book.

This is the story of four Nigerian women and the way they live their lives. One was raised in America with close ties to Nigeria; two others were born and raised in Nigeria but educated in America; and another is raised in Nigeria but immigrates to America to try to create a better life for herself and her daughter, until a terrible tragedy changes everything.

Each woman has a very different story and different outlook on life. The three more wealthy and educated women are good friends and tell their stories of looking for love and meaning in life, whether it be helping needy people in America or Nigeria, or trying to figure what is important in life, overall.

I always enjoy Adichie’s writing, and this was a good one that focused on women and their needs -- which seems to be very similar, no matter where they come from in the world.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Knopf for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an emotional and poignant story.
A very beautifully written book that I very much enjoyed!

It has been over ten years since we have had new fiction from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie but the wait is over. Dream Count is out tomorrow and it is a story of women. Specifically, four interconnected women, but so much of this felt specific yet universal. Each section of this book focuses on one of the four Nigerian, American, and Nigerian American women, with some conversational overlap, until the end when there is some more convergence. So yes, this does in some ways feel like four segmented stories, but the themes of womanhood, dreams, love, happiness, and choice are omnipresent. 
These women want to be known and they want to be seen. Each is tackling their own struggles, but that is a throughline. The title Dream Count refers to the counting of our dreams achieved, dreams deferred, and dreams taken from us. The writing was exquisite, and this is a book to take your time with. While I found some of the women's stories more captivating than others, they each serve a purpose. 
There is an author's note at the end that cemented this as a win for me, despite dragging in a few of the sections. She speaks about the loss of her mother and how that is the heart of this book (a book is never really about what it's about). I almost want to read it again through this lens. She also lets us know that one of the women is based on a very real person/event that has sent me into a deep dive. It might not hurt to read this first. I'm grateful to have gotten to know these women, flaws and all, and I'm curious to see how often I think of them after finishing this. Thank you @aaknopf for the chance to read and review this ahead of its publication tomorrow.

When I found out about Adichie’s new book and discovered that Zikora was included in Dream Count, I jumped at the chance to read it. My expectations were high, some were met, and some were not.

Dream Count follows the journeys of four women as they navigate life in America, Nigeria, and the spaces in between. We get an intimate look into the lives, loves, and longings of:
— Chiamaka: A Nigerian travel writer feeling isolated in the U.S. during the pandemic.
— Zikora: Chiamaka’s ambitious best friend, recently heartbroken and a new mother.
— Omelogor: Chiamaka’s outspoken cousin in Nigeria, who grapples with her own doubts.
— Kadiatou: Chiamaka’s housekeeper, fiercely determined to create a better life for her daughter in a new country.

Adichie’s storytelling feels like a cozy chat with your favorite elderly aunt, weaving together vivid stories filled with lots of details but also profound insights. The everyday moments and choices these women face are rich with meaning, making the read relatable, thought-provoking, and occasionally frustrating.

In my buddy read with @booksandthemes, we both found Kadiatou’s story to be the most impactful because it shines a bright light on some uncomfortable truths. Her story, filled with sadness and injustices, struck a deep chord and lingered in my thoughts long after finishing Dream Count. Don’t miss the author’s note at the end; it provides essential context about the inspiration behind the story.

Dream Count is an insightful exploration of love, happiness, power, privilege, interconnectedness, and family dynamics.

Centered on the lives and desires of four interlinked Nigerian women, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's latest, Dream Count weaves together their search for meaning in their lives, particularly as the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic isolates them.

The book begins and ends with Chiamaka (Chia)'s life. Chia is a professional tourist, born to privilege, but close with her family and friends in her native Nigeria and the US and Europe. Much of her narratives centers on her relationships and their eventual failures. Zikora is Chia's best friend, and works as an attorney, but is about to give birth without the support of her partner, who disappeared when he learned Zikora was pregnant. Kadiatou is Chia's housekeeper, and a widowed mother. She works hard in all her jobs, but her life is disrupted due to a workplace assault that derails everything. Omelogor is the oldest seeming narrator, who is an important figure in Nigerian banking, but struggles with the guilt of her success and constant negation of her due to just her gender and appearance. She also writes a blog full of advice for men, and pursues a degree focused on the effects of pornography on male understanding of sex.

These four stories are separated into five large sections, each centered on one of the individuals, except for Chia who bookends the novel. That separation is not hard, however, as the main characters are in and out of each other's lives throughout the book. We learn of each of their beginnings and journeys to their current place in the world. It is a very reflective book, showing the modern struggle to have both fulfilling family and work lives, none of our narrators seems to succeed in both. Having the four allows greater depth as it is not just focused on the wealthy, Kadiatou's section especially serving as a counter narrative, though the conclusion of her story and the book's is a very surprising way to land the themes.

It's slow to start, I found it preferable when Chiamaka was no longer the narrator, as her story is the least compelling of those included, but by the conclusion that feeling had changed, through others I was able to see a different Chiamaka. Overall I found the Omelogor section the best as her work had the greatest impact on others, and her inner conflict had actually costs. The book is very hetero normative focused in its perception of love, there are a few LGBTQ+ persons but they are supporting characters.

It feels like the story of real people with all their desire, success, failure, in-jokes and shared history. This is where the book truly excels and showcases Adichie's writing.

Recommended to readers of character centered stories or issues in contemporary society.

Very excited to see a new work from this author! Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for the ARC.
Expected publication date is March 4.
This is the story of 4 strong Nigerian women and their evolving lives together and apart. There are 4 sections - each with one of the women the prime focus.
Overall I love the writing style of this author - straightforward and at the same time incredibly nuanced. She draws me in and really makes me care about her heroines.
2 sections of the book particularly appealed to me. This surprised me a bit- not the ones I expected to prefer.
I found the story of Kadiatou the most powerful. Her hardships and her grace in the face of them were so moving. Her devotion to her daughter inspired me. The climax to her story was disturbing but rang uncomfortably true.
I also enjoyed the story of Chiamaka’s friend Zikora. It felt so poignant and was very well told. She seemed a most graceful heroine to me.
Omelogor was the most baffling character to me. It was interesting to read but not so relatable to me. It did make a good counterpoint to the others.
The character who unites the work Chiamaka was the least interesting to me. While I loved learning about travel writing from a female of color, her tales of her romantic encounters left me a bit tired . At some point I just lost patience with her and her choices. While I applaud the feminist values in the book - this section carried the man bashing over the top for me.
Overall I would highly recommend this book and hope we do not have to wait too long for another from this brilliant author who has so much of value to impart to our world,

This took me a while to get through but I loved reading about these four strong women whose complicated lives are forever enmeshed. There is a large African immigrant population where I live and I know how difficult (impossible) the "American Dream" is but I haven't read any book quite like this. Also how is it possible that the pandemic seems like it was so long ago and yet I can be brought right back there in a moment?
Thank you Knopf publishing and NetGalley for the advance review copy!

Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – ★★★½

I admire Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s writing immensely—her prose is sharp, evocative, and deeply insightful. Dream Count is no exception. The novel follows four women, each navigating love, loss, and power in their own way, their lives intertwining across borders and class divides. It’s an ambitious character study with themes that linger long after the final page.

That said, I struggled with this one. I wasn’t in the mood for a pandemic book, and it took me a long time to get into it. While the characters are richly drawn, I found some of their choices frustrating, especially in the first half. At times, the pacing felt slow, and I wished for more momentum in the storytelling. But just when I considered putting it down, Adichie’s masterful writing would pull me back in.

The novel shines most in its exploration of class, gender, and cultural identity, as well as in its stunning prose. While Dream Count wasn’t my favorite of Adichie’s works, I’m still glad I read it—and I suspect it’s a book I’ll think about long after finishing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

She's back! Adichie's first novel in 10 years focuses on four women - Chia, who is the daughter of a wealthy Nigerian businessman, and her friend Zikora, cousin Omelogor, and maid Kadiatou. Each woman has their own section, with Chia bookending the others. Dream Count explores what it means to be a woman, Black, African, and so much more. The prose is masterful and poignant and also at times quite funny. I expect this to have a lot of hype and it's worth it.She's back! Adichie's first novel in 10 years focuses on four women - Chia, who is the daughter of a wealthy Nigerian businessman, and her friend Zikora, cousin Omelogor, and maid Kadiatou. Each woman has their own section, with Chia bookending the others. Dream Count explores what it means to be a woman, Black, African, and so much more. The prose is masterful and poignant and also at times quite funny. I expect this to have a lot of hype and it's worth it.

“Dream Count” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is the story of four women. I received an advance reader copy from Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor via Netgalley. Opinions from this review are completely my own.

The book starts and ends with chapters from Chiamaka’s perspective. She is a Nigerian travel writer living in America. She is the daughter of a rich man, so she has the freedom of traveling even without having an assignment. But the covid pandemic afected her work and relationships.

The second perspective is of Zikora, Chiamaka’s best friend, who is a successful corporate lawyer that was betrayed by the man she loved and turns to her mother for help as she is pregnant.

The next chapters are from Kadiatou’s perspective. She is Chiamaka’s housekeeper that came to America to raise her daughter. Her story is sad and is a representation of immigrant women everywhere. Please not a content warning (depiction of SA). Her situation shows the struggles with misogyny and the justice system that can be influenced with money. Still she is strong enough to go through everything.

We also have Omegolor’s story. She is Chiamaka’s cousin and an independent woman working in the banking world in Nigeria. She comes to America for graduate school and we can see the cultural differences through her interactions with her colleagues.

I liked the way Chiamaka was the connection between all the women but they each had their part in the story. This is a beautifully written story with serious and emotional themes. The author’s note at the end give you a glimpse in the background of the stories.

Dream Count was one of my most anticipated books of 2025 and it did not disappoint. A beautifully written book about four interconnected west African women in search of love and happiness . It was hard to put down ; Omelogor’s story was a bit long and lacking in the emotional depth as the stories of the other 3 women but overall an amazing book

4.5 ⭐️

It’s been 12 years since Adichie’s last book Americanah, which I absolutely loved, so I had high expectations going into this one and she did not disappoint. It was an introspective and emotionally resonant story that follows four different women primarily around the time of the pandemic. We were presented with a multifaceted look at what womanhood means and the complexities of relationships, ambition, and love that follow. I liked how the four women’s stories were interconnected and they felt like authentic people with their own flaws and personal issues. I did think it lost a bit of momentum in the last third of the book and I wasn’t as engaged as I was in the beginning, but overall it’s a compelling and relatable story with sharp and insightful writing