I was torn with rating this book. 

Whilst I (eventually) got into it this book, there were a lot of stereotypes and Queenie was an oft-frustrating protagonist. 

However, I enjoyed reading it, I appreciated the portrayal of what young black women have to deal with in relationships — romantic or otherwise — and mental health was portrayed very carefully and incredibly well, in my opinion. And ultimately, I was rooting for Queenie all the way.

I throughly enjoyed this book. Towards the end, I couldn't wait to pick it up again when I put it down and I didn't want it to end. I don't know what I was expecting, but this book had a different feel that I couldn't put my finger on. The storytelling was great, reading more like a novel in most parts than a re-telling of true events. 

I loved the honesty, the humour, the intensity. What struck me was how long Nike remained 'on the edge' financially despite revenues in the tens of millions and how there wasn't really any prolonged comfort and relaxation for Phil at any point in the journey. 

I didn't give it the full 5 stars since upon reflection, I didn't find it amazingly inspiring and as practical as I hoped it would be. What I mean by that is there weren't many situations that I thought would be applicable to my life and my business — though there were some good philosophies to live by. Also, it seemed a little slow in some parts and there were a couple of times where I forgot who was who. 

I do wish there was a bit more immediately post going public — what was life at Nike was like once cash flow wasn't the immediate concern? But we did get taste of the latter in the end and perhaps it wouldn't have been as interesting as I suspected.

First of my 5-star re-reads...and sadly I don't think I still class this book as 5 star read. It's wonderfully written and the story and the concept of it has a special place in my heart. It was just a tad too slow at points and the ending left me wanting. After such sprawling, beautiful prose, it was too abrupt for me.

This book lived up to the hype for me! It was just so much fun, whilst also being moving. 

There were some flaws for me: raised eyebrows when the magic system and certain processes were being described, slightly raised eyebrows at how some of the relationships developed... 

However, the action and nuance kept me hooked until the end. Overall, I loved the characters, despite being frustrated at some of their choices — but that's human, right? People make questionable decisions all the time. The writing was great and I also felt that Adeyemi did a great job of wrapping up the story, whilst setting you up for the sequel. I'm eagerly awaiting it.