Such a Fun Age

Review:

Y’all, I try not to post reviews super far in advance of when a book is going to come out for publication. But I recently read an ARC of Such a Fun Age, and it was so good that I have to tell you about it now. Emira Tucker is a twenty-five year old babysitter for the Chamberlain family. When Alix Chamberlain call Emira late on a Saturday night to watch her toddler while she deals with a family situation, Emira picks up Briar and brings her to the grocery store for Briar’s favorite activity of perusing the nut aisle. A security guard sees African-American Emira with Caucasian Briar, and accuses Emira of kidnapping Briar. And so we enter the story, following the dual narratives of Emira and Alix as they navigate the complexities of race and class and privilege. This novel sucked me in from the first page, and I could not put it down. As a heads up, there is a solid amount of language and sexual content in this book – but it was also one of my favorite adult reads in a long time. Look for it in January 2020!

Favorite Passage:

“But she’d never say good-bye to Emira, which made it seem that Emira would never be completely free from her. For the rest of her life and for zero dollars an hour, Emira would always be Briar’s sitter.”
— Twenty-six
[This passage was quoted from an ARC; as such, it may change before final publication.]

What I Loved Most:

How can I choose just one thing? Reid wrote Briar’s dialogue in a way that was so on-point for the little ones I have in my life, which I feel like many adult writers struggle to do. But I also loved seeing Emira pour herself out for this little girl, filling in the gaps to make sure Briar knew she was valued and valuable. And I also loved seeing the accurate portrayal of the economic realities of so many people in my millennial generation – seeing Emira be in this job that she loves that just doesn’t pay enough/offer insurance/seem to be a viable long-term career option. So basically, I loved all of it.

Read this book if you like:

Examining the intersection of race and class, millennials, books that you binge in long sittings because you can’t put them down

Book Details:

• Author: Kiley Reid
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
• Date of Publication: January 7, 2020
• Age Recommendation: Adult
• Check out Such a Fun Age on Worldcat to find it at a library near you!