I struggled with this one a little bit, it just didn't hold my attention. The concept was interesting, and I think it had an important message but I didn't connect with the characters. It almost felt like it was written from the head instead of the heart.

This book made me uncomfortable - in a good way - and yet I couldn't put it down. Reid perfectly skewers white saviours in a way that only a black author could. She also touches on issues of race, class, money, ambition, growing up and feminism while her prose remains so readable that you want to devour the entire book in one go. I was slightly disappointed by the ending and the reveal about one of the characters, but it didn't dim my enjoyment of the novel as a whole. Reid is one to watch.

This is a great read. The writing is punchy and it's easy to keep turning the pages. There is more going on with Emira than just the video that kicks the story off and she's given a chance to show different sides to the reader.

I wish that we didn't lose some of the nuance with how some things are revealed at the end but I also know that some readers will like the clarity that they're given. While it's not exactly subtle for a lot of it, there is actually still room for a reader to interpret lots of things and to consider aspects of the characters and their lives that aren't addressed in the book but surely shape them as people - like, if Emira wrote letters asking for things I'm pretty sure they wouldn't arrive at her doorstep no questions asked.

Such a great book, its an engaging story that draws you in from the start, as we follow Emira a young African American woman as she almost gets arrested for kidnapping the white child she babysits. Thereby sparking some major white guilt in her employer and eventually changing her own life. The characters are really well formed and believable, I loved Emira and the relationship between her and Briar the really sweet girl she looks after. Elmira has really great friends, the only one who doesn't come out well is Alix, Briar's mum, although she's interesting and complex.

Such a Fun Age is one of those books that makes you think and question every character the whole way through. It would make a perfect book group title as it will definitely provoke discussion. The plot centres around Emira and Alix Chamberlain. Emira is employed as a babysitter, and when called upon to look after three year old Briar one evening, she is accused by a security guard of a possible kidnapping. Briar is white and Emira is black and her boss Alix is horrified at her treatment. Another customer, Kelley Copeland, filmed the incident and after another chance meeting on a train, him and Emira begin dating. He is also white and when her boss discovers he is her ex-boyfriend from high school, the plot takes a disturbing twist. Questions of race and prejudice are set to make Emira question everyone and everything. Is her boss overcompensating because of an innate prejudice? Has her boyfriend got a fetish for black women? Ultimately, Emira who has felt lost for so long, takes back control of her own life in a dramatic conclusion, and finally finds her voice. A really thought provoking book that is current, original and thoroughly enjoyable on many levels.

Like so many of us, Emira is in her mid-twenties and feeling adrift. She works part time as a typist and the rest of the time as a babysitter – not a nanny – for the wealthy Chamberlain family and their 3-year-old, Briar.

She’s about to lose her parent’s health insurance, and has a nagging feeling that she should get started on ‘the rest of her life’, but isn’t quite sure where to start. There’s also the fact that she adores Briar, the first daughter now somewhat neglected with her new baby sister on the scene. Reid writes of the bond between them so beautifully, painting Briar in a very real way as a curious, enchanting child who is similarly devoted to Emira, ‘Mira’.

On her own and at her best, Briar was odd and charming, filled with intelligence and humour. But there was something about the actual work, the practice of caring for a small unstructured person, that left Emira feeling smart and in control.

One night, the Chamberlains call upon Emira in a panic. They’ve had an incident at the house and they need her to come and look after Briar for a few hours. Emira takes Briar to the supermarket, where they wander the aisles, Briar enchanted by the colourful packaging and bright lights. But the sight of an African-American woman with a white, blonde little girl walking around a supermarket late at night catches the eye of the security guard, who accuses Emira of kidnap. The whole incident is captured on video by a well-intentioned white male bystander, Kelley, who encourages Emira to release the video. Mortified, Emira adamantly rebukes the suggestion. Being in the public eye is the last thing she wants.

Privilege, class and race are at the heart of this compelling and intensely readable debut novel. It exposes the difficulties of talking about race with well-meaning white people who are desperate to prove they aren’t racist – and in doing so veer dangerously close to developing a white-saviour complex. Briar’s mother Alix, known simply as Alex before her personal rebrand, is one such character. Whilst Emira is technically staff, Alix is determined to have her as ‘part of the family’, horrified at the supermarket incident and desperate to somehow atone.

Reid has developed nuanced characters who avoid falling into stereotypes. She takes a simple premise, adds a racist encounter, and crafts a narrative that centres the African-American voice in an exploration of contemporary society and racial politics through the lens of everyday people in everyday interactions. A deceptively deep and important novel for anyone looking to better understand the difference between impact and intent, the gaping racial and social divides in 21st century America, and the challenges of talking about it all – written with an accomplished lightness of touch.

This was a brilliant read. I began it thinking it was going to be a light and easy story, but quickly realised that it was going to go far deeper than this at the point at which our main character Emira is challenged due to the colour of her skin.
This will really change your perceptions of life as an African American and the racism and issues that they still face in their every day lives. The writer skilfully takes us on a thought-provoking journey. I definitely recommend this one!
Thanks to netgalley, the publishers and author for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Absolutely enthralled and gripped by this fantastic, timely and important novel - about race, privilege, class, motherhood and female friendship. There were so many jaw-dropping moments I need new and better face cream!

When Emira Tucker is wrongly accused of kidnapping the daughter of the white woman, Alix, she babysits for, it sets in motion a chain of seemingly unconnected events that work together to implode both her life - and Alix's. I don't want to say any more but the pace and grip of this book was incredible - and the voices of Emira and Alix were powerful and strong. This one will stay with me for a long time.

A book I managed to finish within a day, which, recently has been a struggle for me!

I was intrigued by the blurb. Would this story about a young African American woman, who worked for a successful white family, be something like a lot of social themed novels recently, chanting #BlackLivesMatter?

Well, it did, a little, but that wasn't the entirety of the novel.

Emira, the babysitter is a twenty-something woman, similar to many out there, unsure of the direction of her life, plodding along, trying to find where she really wants to be.

She just happens to be black.

And the regular babysitter for Alix and her family, looking after two-year-old Briar, and on occasion, her baby sister, Catherine.

Alix is a thirty-something woman, married with her two beautiful daughters and a successful husband, riding on her own social media successes, and in the process of writing a book.

What happens one night in the local grocery store, when her babysitter is falsely accused of taking a child, who is obviously not hers, sparks a chain of events that explore so much more than racial stereotypes. Sure, that is a big part of it, but it is approached from two very different angles, that of a black woman, and that of a white woman.
Neither is racist, but both have stereotypes foisted upon them by others.

Add to the mix, crossed wires, and past secrets, and you have one heck of a delicious novel!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh this was good!! Utterly compelling, yet insightful, political, powerful and an perfectly perceptive novel for our times.
Elmira is a babysitter for the Chamberlains. One evening, called away from a party to help them out in a crisis, she is stopped with her toddler charge by a security guard in a grocery store. Setting off a series of events dealing with race, class, privilege and more this is a really well written novel that has wide commercial appeal. Loved it.

The story of Emira, a 25-year-old who is struggling to figure out what to do with her life and is currently babysitting for a wealthy white woman in Philadelphia. During a visit to a supermarket, a security guard questions why Emira, a young black woman, is alone with a small white child and accuses her of kidnapping the child.
Although Emira wants to forget the incident and move on, her employer, Alix, and her boyfriend, Kelley, who she met at the supermarket, focus on it and if affects their relationships.
I loved that it was never clear who we should be rooting for and which character was telling the truth. Alix and Kelley tell different versions of their pasts and it is never truly clear who’s is the most accurate retelling leading both the reader and Emira to questions their motives.
At times, I felt the story paid too much attention to Alix/ Kelley when Emira was the most interesting character with the most interesting story but by its conclusion, the book returned its focus back to Emira.
The novel is a deceptively light read, tackling important issues while remaining highly readable. The novel has a lot to say about race, class and generational divides but it is done in a totally natural way and is woven seamlessly into the story.
I think the hype around this book is going to be huge and I am enormously grateful to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for the advanced copy.

Thanks to netgalley, and to Bloomsbury for providing me with the digital copy of this novel.

Predominantly set in Philadelphia, where writer Kiley Reid lives, this was a really surprising read. That is a good thing, honest. The blurb and the opening chapters relate a story of a young black woman taking the white child she babysits for to a shop while her parents sort some emergency at home. While she’s there, she is accused of kidnapping the child and a heart sinking episode unfolds.

It quickly moves on from there though, and Emira’s character grows with each chapter she leads – her life, her friends, her hopes and dreams. The other perspective is her boss’, which is interesting as it shows both the similarities and the stark differences. They’re not too far apart in age – perhaps not even a decade – but their lives are in sharp contrast in lots of ways, which is really effectively communicated. For example, Emira always calls her boss ‘Mrs’, even though Alix is desperate to call her by her first name.

The story unravels like an onion skin, or maybe a ball of wool. Alix is uncertain in her life with two small children, in a city she doesn’t know very well and excluded from her old life in New York. She feels like a fraud, pretending she still lives in NYC in order to keep up her social media channels and progress her career as a kind of influencer. At the same time, she feels trapped in her life and hires Emira as a babysitter to ostensibly finish her book. On the other hand, Emira is in her mid twenties and watching her friends settle down with careers, houses and jobs and she has none of that security, as she doesn’t really know what she wants. She knows she loves being around the oldest child, Briar, but feels a bit uncomfortable about how Mrs Chamberlain wants to be her best friend.

The themes explored are complex ones – race, class, womenhood and the expectations placed on you from your own version of society. There’s also a strong thread around ensuring that you don’t assume you know about the characters you’re being introduced to.

This book was surprising because I had expected it to be about an arrest, a criminal record, an unjust court trial and in fact, that hook was quickly completed and it moved on to deeper, more complex narrative where all of the characters are well defined and real – I could see myself being at once friends with both of them and neither.

I’d be interested to see more from Kiley Reid, and I recommend this for something a bit thought provoking.

Wow. The writing in this book is so light and breezy and easy to read that it can take a while to appreciate the depths the author takes us to in Such a Fun Age. Combine the compelling writing with a cute font on the cover and this book is seriously deceiving.

You know, this book reminded me of some of the criticisms others and myself had about The Help. I feel like I have to be careful here because even now, ten years later, there are people who love that book so much that they kiss it before they go to bed each night. But The Help honestly seemed to me like a way for white folks to make themselves feel better about the way they behaved during Jim Crow segregation. Total white lady saviour vibe.

This book is like what would have happened if Abilene had called Skeeter out and told her to go be a hero somewhere else. Of course, Such a Fun Age is set in 2015 and not the 1960s so the circumstances are different but, alarmingly, not that different.

Such a Fun Age is about two women-- Emira Tucker and Alix Chamberlain. Emira is a young black babysitter for the Chamberlains' eldest daughter, Briar, and is currently juggling two jobs as she struggles to pay rent, keep her healthcare, and figure out what she wants to do with her life. Alix Chamberlain is a wealthy white blogger and minor social media celebrity who battles doubts and insecurities, all while on the surface maintaining a facade that she has everything she ever wanted.

When Emira is stopped by a security guard at a fancy grocery store and accused of kidnapping Briar, everything changes. The moment is caught on camera and, though Emira is determined to forget all about it, both Alix and the bystander who filmed it want to make things right and get justice for Emira.

It's a very engaging contemporary novel with a lot of nuance. Though it is clearly a critique of "white saviours", Reid is careful not to let the characters fall into one-dimensional stereotypes. She uses these fully-fleshed out characters to explore the way well-meaning white people often overstep and actually make black people's lives harder. "Protecting" and "helping" as a means of control is nothing new, but the author really shines a light on the way white liberals use these words to take over situations and narratives.

Plus it's also just a really great story about two very different women, all their quirks and habits, and what happens when their lives intersect.

The only thing that was a little disappointing was the way it ended.

A really great read. The cover and description made me think this was more of a YA novel, but it's not. The protaganist, Emira, is 25 years old when the novel opens. Despite being a graduate, she's drifting and working as a childminder for a white family (she's black). There are a couple of big scenes in the story - both of which take place at the house where Emira works. I dreaded reading them, the book had such an impact on me. I think this is a really brilliant, important book. It deals with two massive issues in the US today - race and class - in a funny and thought-provoking way.

This hugely enjoyable book is deceptive. At a light/quick read level it is a likeable plot driven page turner, which almost has the feel of YA. However below the surface it packs a lot in.

Beyond the plot, the characters take centre stage. They are smartly developed such that you are continually wrong footed by their motives, intentions and whether they are trustworthy narrators. Weaved throughout the narrative is an insightful and nuanced take on race issues told from multiple viewpoints.

I would thoroughly recommend this book.

With thanks to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy in consideration on an honest review.

I'm torn between a 3.75 rating and a 4 star rating. I suspect I need to give this book a bit more time to sink in to my brain.

This is a well-crafted, sharp and witty exploration of white privilege, satirizing 'white feminism' and white, middle-class social concern that often represents a base misunderstanding of the situation. It centres around a woman named Alix and her babysitter, Emira, who is racially profiled at a supermarket. We then see their back stories unfold and how Alix's previous behaviour has influenced her current self. I have to say, I rooted for different people at different times. Reid doesn't spell out the conclusion for you- rather, she unravels each layer until suddenly, you feel as though you're looking at a different picture to the one you started with. The writing is elegant yet snappy - I think this would do really well on the screen. There are a whole cast of characters involved here and they each felt defined and three-dimensional, which is hard to do in a book like this.

Ultimately, I enjoyed it. I think I need some more time with it to cement my thoughts, but it's a good book and I'm sure will be a very buzzy read when it comes out in January.

An incredible book. Any producer with sense would option it for Netflix or HBO. I look forward to hearing more from this author.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid a fair four-star read. I had major hopes for this story, and I enjoyed it, but I didn’t think it was worth all of the hype, most of it sure but not all of it. This is a very modern tale and told even a few years ago it would have missed its mark, but it has come at just the right time. My one negative is Emira, she just seemed like she didn’t have anything defining her and I know that’s how she is supposed to be written, a mid twenties girl not sure where she is going, she was just too believable at times, on the flip side I wanted to throttle Alix at times for her sheer mindedness. Maybe I wasn’t in the best place reading this I don’t know. One thing I am sure of is that this story will be picked up by lots of people.

At a first glance Such a Fun Age might appear like a light read, but once you read the synopsis, you will realise that's not the case. 

Such a Fun Age is a story about Alix, a privileged, white, mother of two and Emira, 25 year old black nanny with a bachelor degree. Alix is desperate to befriend Emira and invites her and her new boyfriend Kelley to a Thanksgiving family dinner. When Emira shows up at the door with Alix's high school ex who broke her heart, everything starts to go pear-shaped and Emira starts seeing both Alix and Kelley in a new light.
Such a Fun Age is about pretence, relationships but first of all it is about race. Both Alix and Kelley have racial issues they can't see themselves. This book is very easy to read due to the straightforward writing and realistic dialogue but it was not straightforward for me to figure out who's side I should be on. I think this is an exceptional debut novel and I'm keen to read more books from this author.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Such a Fun Age is a thought provoking book about race, class, privilege and social media. The two main characters are at the opposite ends of the class/privilege spectrum. We have Alix Chamberlain, a wealthy white woman from New York who somewhat resents motherhood for taking her away from a successful career, and Emira Tucker the hired babysitter. There are many layers to this novel which revolves around an incident where Emira is suspected of kidnapping her 2 year old charge, Briar. She has been called from a party to help out Alix in a family emergency by taking Briar to the nearby supermarket in the upmarket area . Due to the time of night, Emira’s outfit and the difference in skin colour the security people are alerted.
Kiley Reid skilfully portrays the uneasy relationship between the two women and, even more skilfully, the relationship between Emira and Briar.