I think this book is so needed, and I'm glad that people who feel at a loss with their identity or coming to terms with their self-worth read this and can relate, even slightly, to this story and its message.

Thank you to the publisher for my ears of this book!
I love that the book is set in the NW, and I think the characterisation was great as well as the writing style, there were times it felt a little slow but otherwise great!

An assured debut from a charismatic young author, The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney is hard to resist, from its tender observations of a mother-daughter relationship and the end of their honeymoon period as Nnenna prepares to leave home, to its respectful and dedicated treatment of Christianity, to its tiny observations which had me creased up with laughter. (The dinner bore who quotes the GCSE Latin primers to a Cambridge classics scholar is a particular delight). Even funnier and sweeter than it looks, Nnenna's story is unlikely to disappoint.

Really enjoyed this charming thought provoking novel.a book that deals with race self-identify even teen pregnancy.I was drawn in by Multi racial Nienna trying to find her place in society as a mixed race trial.Will be recommending this perfect for ya readers.#netgalley #quercusbooks

This is a touching and readable first novel that looks at identity and belonging. Nnenna has been brought up by her white mother who has never answered her questions about her Nigerian father. Through the course of the novel the reader finds out what happened between Joanie and Maurice as well as watching Nnenna exploring who she is, who she wants to be and trying to work out a new sort of relationship with her mother.

This would be a good read at any time, as a white reader there is so much here that is being talked about at the current moment in time with the examination of systemic racism that is going on in the wake of George Floyd's death. Made me think a lot as well as being an enjoyable read. A wonderful debut.

I've read a lot of positivereviews about this book, and I tried reading it. Unfortunately I could not get into the story, which I found quite confusing, especially at the beginning. Half-way through it, I decided to abandon it and not finish it.

I feel a bit meh about this book. The title was certainly misleading - Nnenna Maloney is in no way the protagonist of the story and rather than discussing the "private joys" of her life, the novel focuses more on her mother and her mother's friends from old college days.
While I appreciate what the book was trying to do in terms of discussion of race and sexuality, it definitely missed the mark with me on some of the heavier topics. Religion, in particular, was the focus, and then just completely forgotten about for the next twenty percent of the book only to be picked up on randomly in the later half of the book.
I did enjoy the last few chapters a lot, though!

I found this book's title quite misleading. It suggests that the primary focus of the book will be on Nnenna when the book flits between different characters' points of view and might even focus most on Joanie Maloney, Nnenna's mother, the most. In fact Nnenna's character is quite shell-like. I wouldn't say I know a huge deal about her after having read the book.
I also found the opening chapter very much at odds with the title and it nearly put me off.
There were some interesting/well-written passages but overall I think this book had a strong concept which didn't quite deliver.

The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney is an extraordinary debut novel. The pains of growing up being a teenager are universal, and many novels capture this in a 'coming of age' genre but I have never read a book which captures the complexities and nuances of this period of your life in a way that recognises incredibly difficult issues, but also manages to be incredibly funny and heartwarming at the same time.

I would hesitate to describe this as 'coming of age' because alongside the life of the very bright and capable bi-racial Nnenna, we get the story of her white mother Joanie, and Joanie's university friend, Jonathan who is still coming to terms with his identity as a black gay man, even in his 40s. The book is about how we are all still learning, even as adults. Nnenna is almost 17, a clever teenager, who excels at languages and who is inspired and excited by the potential of what she can do in the world. Joanie sacrificed her own potential to have her daughter, and is struggling to let Nnenna go. The narrative bounces between Nnenna's life in 2009 and her mothers experiences at university 18 years prior.

Nzelu packs so much into this book, from mental health and suicide, to dealing with intersectional identities. The book has a small cast of characters, but every one of them is fully fleshed and complex, with lives and story lines of their own, not just rotating around Nnenna. At times the broken relationships and the characters who are at rock bottom are tear inducing, yet this is perfectly balanced with pervasive humour and warmth which shows us that even in the darkest of times, there is something to be salvaged, something we can find joy in.

What I loved most about this book is that Nzelu doesn't depart from reality by giving readers a fairy tale happy ending. He acknowledges that some relationships stay broken and that some change with time. He gives us hope that connections can be made, but without ever suggesting that this will be instantaneous or easy.

I would push this truly wonderful book into the hands of any person from the age of 15 upwards. It is not only ideal for those who are Nnenna's age but anyone in their 20s, parents and all adults who are still coming to terms with aspects of their own identities, or who are going through any difficult period of their life. This is a book which will help you to understand perspectives of others, as well as making you cry with sadness and joy, and simply warming your heart.

An enjoyable modern comedy of manners, somewhat reminiscent of Patrick Gale (which is high praise indeed from me) or Mary Wesley, if she'd ever discovered intersectional feminism.

I normally take to YA books quite quickly but I just wasn't a fan of this at all. Nnenna is a teenage girl of mixed race who doesn't know much about her Nigerian father and her mum isn't forthcoming with any details. I found the pace really slow and the religious undertones just really weren't for me. There's a mix of timelines which was a little confusing and overall I just don't think I'm the target audience for it.

This is a charming, thought provoking book about a young girl on the verge of adulthood who is struggling to come to terms with her identity, and mark out her place in the world.

We deal with a lot of important topics; race, sexuality and teen pregnancy to name a few, spanning across an array of diverse characters. Unfortunately, the book as a whole didn't do much for me.

The flicking between perspectives became convoluted at times, and I started to wonder why the author had chosen to give us an insight on certain moments that didn't seem to add any value to the story, and certainly didn't expand my interest. The start was promising and I was hooked for the first 30% or so, but it became clear eventually that the story wasn't really going anywhere. The ending offered no resolution to all the questions that had been set up throughout. Ultimately, the satisfaction I craved upon finishing the title never came.

I really wanted to enjoy this, but sadly it wasn't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars round up.

Nnenna Maloney is 16 year old mixed-raced girl trying to understand herself and her place in the world, while trying to keep everyone happy. She lives with her white mother and knowns very little about her Nigerian Father. She is surrounded by a bunch of interesting characters who are all following their own paths to happiness.

Essentially this a coming of age story for young adult. Very witty but deals with important issues with sensitivity. It's lovely to have a widely diverse set of characters - different ages, genders, sexual orientation, social-economic status and races too, all without unnecessary frivolity. I especially like that fact that it showed that adults still grapple with their identity and place in the world, so there's no need to have it all figured out by 18.

While I like the different time lines, I'm not sure why the author choose those specific years.

A fun and thoughtful read that I think the young adult market will really relate to and those older will reminisce on.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I really wanted to like this book. But it never seemed to transcend awareness of it’s own cleverness

The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney is a funny, fresh, and touching novel about a teenager growing up and wanting to know more about herself, whilst her mother learns how to share with her daughter the past she's been trying to ignore. Nnenna Maloney is nearly seventeen and lives in Manchester, where people are always wondering about Nnenna and her white mother Joanie. Nnenna wants to connect with her Nigerian heritage, but Joanie doesn't want to talk about the father Nnenna has never known, or deal with the fact that linguist Nnenna might want to study in Paris. And people around them are also probing their own identities, amidst the backdrop of Manchester and everyday life.

This is a novel brimming with sparkle, but also delving deep into questions of race, family, identity, sexuality, and class in a witty and tender way. Nnenna is a great teenage protagonist, torn between her love for her mother and her desire to go against what her mother wants to become her own person, and her and Joanie's relationship is carefully crafted to capture their closeness but also the ways in which Joanie can't quite understand what Nnenna faces due to race and also how her anxiety relates to this. The supporting characters are memorable, from the mental health and dating struggles of a gay black man to the hints of a burgeoning relationship on the edges of Nnenna's friendship group, and the characters are tied together nicely as the plot moves forward.

Heartwarming and hard-hitting, this is a novel you can really get invested in, that looks at how people's identity changes at formative times in their life. It is refreshing to have a novel set in Manchester that looks at how real people live and captures the ups and downs of growing up.