Sometimes it feels rare to come across a novel that is just super smartly written. But Reid has achieved that with her insightful book that offers a new take on the ‘white savior complex.’ The novel is told from two perspectives: Emira, a young African American woman in her 20s who experiences racism during a night babysitting, and Alix, her uber-rich, white boss. There were moments when I expected the book to take a darker turn (since racism can be so horrifying), but I respect Reid’s decision to show the more subtle ways that racism bleeds into our everyday lives. This tendency to underplay moments that are major events for the characters was what made the story so compelling – I never knew how the characters were going to react. Reid also did a fantastic job fleshing out secondary characters (her take on Emira’s toddler charge, Briar, was spot-on!). The ending felt a little rushed to me, but overall, this novel felt important while still having plenty of light-hearted and touching moments.

4 stars

*Free ARC provided by Goodreads and Putnam Publishing in exchange for an honest review*