Many thanks to the publisher, the author and to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! Generally, I enjoy Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's work. In fact, one of her books ranks among my favorites. But Dream Count was not a winner for me. At times, the characters were so introspective that I (as the reader) felt detached from, and inaccessible to, them. I note that a book centered around four women spent so much time ruminating over men (although I acknowledge the significance male characters played in the plot of the book). And the subject matter was incredibly heavy to work through. By the end of the novel, I felt as though the four women had exhausted every experience and emotion imaginable. However, the central characters were engaging, the story was thought-provoking, and I always appreciate the inclusion of character voices in literature from nations in Africa and around the world. I'm grateful for the opportunity to read and review a book from such a talented author.

Rating: 3.5

Review:

Let me start off by saying some of the prose in this books was absolutely beautiful, emotional and thought- provoking. Which is why I have been confused as to why it has taken me weeks to get through this book. Americanah is one of my favorite books and I have also enjoyed Adiche's essays in the past. The stories of the four women ranged from uninteresting to disturbing and hard to get through. Something essential about my experience was missing in large chunks of text and it was just beyond my reach to be able to figure it out. The juxtaposition between beautiful words but the dullness of the storytelling was a little disappointing. Even so, I found value in the way the book challenges the way people look at the world though their own cultural lens and to expand our understanding of the larger world.

After reading a few other reviews in the hopes of figuring out why I was having this reaction, I realized that it's the format of the book. It's less a novel and more 4 short stories interspersed with each other. It think these stories would perhaps work better as a novella series.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb:
Chiamaka is a Nigerian travel writer living in America. Alone in the midst of the pandemic, she recalls her past lovers and grapples with her choices and regrets. Zikora, her best friend, is a lawyer who has been successful at everything until—betrayed and brokenhearted—she must turn to the person she thought she needed least. Omelogor, Chiamaka’s bold, outspoken cousin, is a financial powerhouse in Nigeria who begins to question how well she knows herself. And Kadiatou, Chiamaka’s housekeeper, is proudly raising her daughter in America—but faces an unthinkable hardship that threatens all she has worked to achieve.

In Dream Count, Adichie trains her fierce eye on these women in a sparkling, transcendent novel that takes up the very nature of love itself. Is true happiness ever attainable or is it just a fleeting state? And how honest must we be with ourselves in order to love, and to be loved? A trenchant reflection on the choices we make and those made for us, on daughters and mothers, on our interconnected world, Dream Count pulses with emotional urgency and poignant, unflinching observations of the human heart, in language that soars with beauty and power. It confirms Adichie’s status as one of the most exciting and dynamic writers on the literary landscape.

Dream Count, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is probably more of a 3.5 for me, but for sites with no halves I have to round down. The things I liked I really liked, but some of the things that bothered me were heavy-handed to the point I felt I was being manipulated. Hard to respect that.

I have really enjoyed her work, and I especially like her nonfiction. I don't usually agree 100% but that is true even of those I like a lot. This just felt like at times she forgot she was writing a novel and went into her nonfiction voice, one where she explicitly tells us what to think rather than lead us to think what she wants us to.

I don't mind the pacing of the book, I like spending time in a character's head, whether I like them or their decisions. Those aspects of this were very good. It was often in the comments between characters where it slipped a bit.

The characters certainly make some horrible choices and display some attitudes that I think are detrimental for them. But this is a novel, if every man they met was perfect, if their viewpoints on life were ideal, there wouldn't be a novel. Instead of treating their comments and ideas as static and condoned, maybe look at how they may evolve (not as much as I would have liked, but...) and as a critique of how such views permeate society. Perfect lives don't make for good novels, you need conflict and errors by and between the characters.

I would still recommend this to those who like her, but not to someone new to her writing. If you liked her earlier fiction but didn't love it, you might find yourself not giving her the benefit of the doubt here, but if whatever aspects you don't like don't heavily affect your reading, you may find a lot to appreciate as well.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

Dream Count is a beautifully written meditation on grief, memory, and the passage of time. With her signature lyrical prose, Adichie crafts a deeply emotional narrative that sticks with you long after the final page. Every sentence feels deliberate, woven with exquisite detail and quiet power. The story’s introspective nature makes it both intimate and universal, a testament to Adichie’s ability to capture the nuances of human emotion with grace and precision. Highly recommend!

CNA writes with piercing insights. Her observations are revealed through wry, sweeping language. I was moved and tickled often at the same time. I was tickled and wounded simultaneously.

The stories of the four African women are compelling. I initially thought Chia was CNA because the profile and content felt so intimate that only the author herself could disclose such experiences. However, when I read the 2nd and other characters, I came to see how CNA had crafted such interiority for all of them.

She describes four African women and their many men, many loves, and many dreams. I am taken how distinct each woman was certainly. And I marveled how the numerous men were depicted briefly but also in well-rounded ways as to markedly differentiate each of them.

In reviewing Americanah, I described CNA as astute as de Tocqueville. Here, I make that assertion again. She casually issues precise and damning indictments on American society and culture, American academia, and American pretentions. The observations about Nigeria, in contrast, reflect self-awareness and some level of unspoken agreement or acceptance. Americans, in contrast, are gleefully unaware and uninterested in such self-revelations.

I gladly recommend this book and hope we can both enjoy this reading experience and be touched or stricken by how fiction exposes the real world.

Dream count is adichies highly anticipated follow
Up to Americanah. This novel follows the interwoven lives of four Nigerian women during the start of the pandemic as they experience love, loss, career moves, etc. the novel is a meditation on race, class, immigration, and the concept of America as told through the lens of these women.

The novel is not heavy on plot, so if you are expecting big plot twists or a fast moving read, this isn’t for you. If you like slow character studies with deeper themes on the state of the world, then this is a read for you. The prose is well written and poetic-almost lyrical.

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a highly anticipated read for me as Americanah is one of my favorite books. Sadly had to DNF at 40% as I just kept dreading picking it up. The storylines just weren’t grabbing me and it felt like it was going nowhere.

DREAM COUNT is your next go-to book if you enjoy novels emphasizing character studies, lyrical prose, and social commentary on American class/race from a Nigerian immigrant lens. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie holds a mirror up to society which leads readers to feel uncomfortable, yes, but also hopeful with the resilience of people. DREAM COUNT is a book meant to be savored, not gulped down in one fast read, but trust me, taking the time to indulge in the beauty of this work will be worth it.

This book was way too hard to get into and too easy to put down. It just seemed like nothing was ever going to happen.

I liked a lot about this book but it didn't feel complete. I think the most interesting parts were when we saw each of the women through the others' eyes. But this was a small portion of each character's story/portion of the book. There's not a lot of plot, much more character study, but if the main storyline about Kadi that starts midway thru the book was the focus, that probably would have made for a better book overall. The ending also felt abrupt and unresolved.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Dream Count” is a beautifully crafted novel that seamlessly weaves together the lives of four women—Chiamaka, Zikora, Omelogor, and Kadiatou—as they navigate love, loss, and the uncertainties of the pandemic. Each novella stands strong on its own while contributing to the novel’s overarching themes of longing, resilience, and self-discovery.

Chiamaka’s story, in particular, is both poignant and deeply relatable. As a Nigerian travel writer stranded in the U.S., she reflects on past relationships and her “dream count,” a moving metaphor for her search for true love. Adichie’s signature prose is as lyrical and evocative as ever, immersing readers in the inner lives of these women with honesty and emotional depth.

What makes “Dream Count” exceptional is Adichie’s ability to capture the intricacies of human connection, the weight of nostalgia, and the way personal dreams evolve in times of crisis. This book is not just about love in the romantic sense—it’s about the love of home, self, and the dreams we chase despite life’s unpredictability. A deeply moving, thought-provoking read that lingers long after the last page.

Adichie is one of my favorite writers and I was very excited to say the least when it was announced that she would be writing another book. This did not disappoint and comes highly recommended!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Despite this being a super long book, I couldn't put it down! This is only my second full length novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, but her writing is always so beautiful and so well crafted.While this book didn't leave me with the 5 star feeling, I was super invested and interested in the plot the entire story. I loved all the social commentary on class, race, and the politics of America through the lense of a Nigerian immigrant. While I could never fully understand what it's like to be in that possition, I left this book with a great appreciation for the main characters and their resilience. I wish I had more to say, but this was just a really good book! Adichie is an incredible author and I keep meaning to read more from her so I'm happy that I read this and really enjoyed it.

This story follows 4 Nigerian women- and each women gets a long section of the book. It follows the women during the pandemic and as they reminisce on their life pre-pandemic and discover the disconnect between their expectation in life and their reality. A story of these women as they navigate love and identity across different life stages.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for an ARC in exchange for review.

When I saw Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie had a new novel coming out, I rushed to NetGalley to request it. I had read and loved several of her earlier works, so I was really looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations.

In Dream Count, we follow the lives of four Nigerian women in what feels like four separate stories. The stories intersect occasionally, but the long chapters focusing on each character made the stories feel disconnected. The long chapters also made this book feel much longer than it is. It took me over a month to read, and I found myself going days without picking it up.

Ultimately, I did not feel invested in the characters and struggled to get through this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

After receiving access to this novel, I ultimately decided not to read and fully review Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's newest novel so cannot add to the feedback about this book.

I looked forward to Adichie’s return to the literary world. She gave us such gifts in the past.

I’m sad to say this fell short of my hopes for her return. So much of the novel focused on the men rather than the women it followed. I did not love that I always felt like I had missed something along the way describing the importance of a character dropped into the story with no explanation.

Dream Count was a slow read for me, but I still found things to enjoy. The concept was intriguing, and there were some really well-written moments, even if the pacing made it hard to stay hooked. It took me longer than expected to finish, but I’m glad I stuck with it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

adichie's trademark writing — the astonishing humanity of her characters, the complex layered nature of her themes, searing emotion — are on display here. it's a treat to read her words again after so long.

dream count is a perfect title for this book, which follows four women and the paths they do and do not take. i wish it followed each of them more fully. it skips through each in chronological order, leaving the stories of two of them feeling unfinished. i grew attached to them in the long chapters from their perspectives, and i wanted more.

this book doesn't directly take on the tide of public opinion adichie has faced in the last decade, but it feels very present. it's unfortunate that it feels adichie, who i have always found to be able to write about everyone, has seemed to grow embittered by that. i want the wide range of accepted opinions she advocates for, but this book suffers from a limited number of them.

This was my first experience with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's writing, but it will certainly not be my last. She created 4 distinct and engaging women in this book, and I was completely drawn in to each character's unique perspective. It was fascinating to read how 4 middle-aged African women dealt with very different experiences of life in the USA. I found Kadiatou and Omelogor's stories to be particularly powerful. I also really enjoyed reading Zikora's journey. And finally, Chiamaka was a wonderful link of friendship and support throughout all these women's lives. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in women's stories. One warning I would offer, is that it does take place partially during the Pandemic. It felt like a good balance of evoking the experience of that time, without any subsequent difficulty.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for providing an eARC in return for my honest thoughts.

The stories of four women, their heartbreak, pain, and relationships between mothers and daughters. Don’t miss the author’s note!