This was a cute YA novel. As a lover of books, I was immediately drawn to the main character, Becca and her love for all things books, especially romance books. If I were still a classroom teacher, this is a book that I would add to my classroom library and encourage students to read.

An important read for educators who are in the pursuit of educational freedom for students - specifically Black students.

The only reason I’m giving this a three rating is because I appreciate the diversity of characters and the complexity of issues they all fought with internally and externally. I did not care for the writing style as much and the ending felt very rushed. I really wish there were 1/2 star ratings because this would be 2 1/2 stars for me.

I almost gave this book a five star rating, but the ending felt too abrupt. I think after sitting with this for awhile, I may change my mind. I love the originality of this story and how the author invites us into the lives of three very different Black women—each dealing with their own issues and battling with society’s perception of them. This book packs a punch as it deals with issues such as race, classism, sexism, tokenism, and fetishism, but placing it in the Swedish context seems incredibly smart. The reader in me wanted there to be a happy ending for Brittany, Kemi, and Muna, but as a Black woman, I understand why the author paints a picture of survival vs. thriving in each character. A fantastic debut.

Jan. ‘22 - mind changed. Five stars it is and rightfully so.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book. I tried desperately to find something to like about this, but found the plot incredibly underwhelming and was very bothered by the toxicity of Rae’s relationship with Dustin. I’m still not sure what the takeaway was supposed to be, but found myself more annoyed than anything as this book went on. While I think the intention was to provide strong, positive messages to female readers, I wasn’t left feeling those landed the way the author thought they would.

Overall, I liked this book. I would not recommend this for a curriculum or course, but would encourage older, mature students to read this on their own. There are themes of being independent and going against a plan that wasn’t designed for you, along with escaping the clutches of family who no longer fit into the life you’ve made because of betrayal. I enjoyed the “fight” in both characters. The intimate scenes may be too much for students in high school, but again, those about to graduate may resonate with the main character who is also trying to find her own path after high school.