I went into this book blind as to what the plot was and I'm so glad that I did because it made it that much more enjoyable. Reid presents an interesting exploration of race and class in a story that is highly readable. Emira, a young black woman, runs into trouble one night when the Chamberlains, the white family for whom she babysits, asks her to take their toddler to the grocery store to get her out of the house late one night. Confronted by a security guard, who accuses her of kidnapping the young girl, and filmed by a bystander, Emira's life is thrown into an uproar. The well-meaning (mostly white) characters try to help Emira by doing what they think is best for her, upsetting the balance of her situation.

While I found the coincidence of two of the characters knowing each other a LITTLE too good to be true, I overall greatly enjoyed this book. It is ultimately a critique of the "white savior" and gets into the problematic ways in which white people often overstep bounds in the name of "protecting" people of color. The central conflict between the two main white characters, and Emira's reactions to their different actions, was eye-opening in the way that it highlighted how certain actions can be interpreted in such different ways. The characters, especially Alix and Emira, were well-fleshed-out. Emira's relationship with Briar especially brought tears to my eyes in its realism and tenderness.

Reid is an author to watch and I think this book is going to make a big splash when it comes out.