4/5
This book was a really good story. Though I really have no say in this as I am a privileged white woman, I do feel as though it highlights several issues faced by the Black community, particularly Black women. Emira faces fetishizing and general weirdness from her white boyfriend, as well as white savior-hood from her white client/employer. Not to mention, she faces discrimination at a grocery store, where a white woman reports her for allegedly kidnapping the white child she has with her (the one she is babysitting).
This novel brings to light lots of ways in which white people can be racist or even just prejudiced. From Alix (the woman she is babysitting for), Emira witnesses a white woman trying to "save" her, trying to "rescue" her, though she doesn't need rescuing. From Kelley (her white boyfriend) she experiences a sort of...weirdness. I'm not sure how to describe it other than fetishizing. Kelley stands up for her, yes, but also in a sort of weird, white savior, performative, "I'm-definitely-not-racist" way. Even from a fellow black woman, Alix's friend, whose name is slipping my mind right now, Emira experiences the friend telling Alix that her savior-hood is necessary and "the right thing to do."
I also liked this book because it was incredibly easy to read. Not only was it thought-provoking, for me as a white woman, it was also, just, fun. Emira is such a likable character, though I did find myself feeling kind of sorry for her at points. She's fun! She's a normal, slightly-out-of-teenagerhood young Black woman.
I will say, and I could be entirely wrong on this part, this book was most likely written for white people. White women, I suppose. Again, it can and should be enjoyed by many people, especially those who like drama-ridden, contemporary fiction. However, I believe its primary audience is white women. It was very good though, and I would definitely recommend.