Book Review: Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
With different perspectives that make you question everything, I can’t wait to review Such a Fun Age with you guys along with all its quirks, good things, bad things, and the parts that make you laugh out loud.
Book Information
Alix has a vision for her perfect life. After what happened to her in high school, she wants to make sure that she has everything she needs for a successful life. That includes having an amazing sitter for her children. Emira is babysitting for Alix because, at twenty-five years old, Emira still has no idea what she wants from life. But Alix’s daughter, Briar, makes Emira feel like she’s at least good at something: keeping Briar happy and alive.
When Emira meets someone from Alix’s past, everything between the two women intersect in unpredictable, and sometimes comical, ways.
Review | Heidi Dischler
So, this book had a lot of ups and only some downs for me. The major down is it felt so slow in the beginning. You had this one gripping moment that changes Emira’s life, but after that? It was a slow burn for sure. I didn’t necessarily like that, but some readers might.
Now, the really great parts of this novel have everything to do with the characters, the focus on perspective, and the really quirky moments that just make you smile.
First of all, Alix at times made me think of all the other women who want to make a way for themselves in the world. At other times, though, she made me go, “Well, you’re super fake.” If I’m being honest, her character definitely acted fake more than she acted like herself, which made her feel almost like not a character at all. It was interesting, but not in a super bad way.
Emira was perfection. I loved her character. Loved her choices. Loved what she stood for and how honest she was. I one hundred percent loved how she treated Briar (as opposed to how Alix treated Briar) because favorites shouldn’t be a thing. Once Emira got to the point where she meets the person from Alix’s past, I enjoyed how to reacted to this revelation. She was more level-headed than the two “adults” were when realizing how intertwined their lives were.
As for the focus on perspective, my absolute favorite part about this novel was how I was always guessing who was telling the truth and who was lying. It was so cool in my opinion to see the different perspectives of what happened in the past and feel so utterly confused as to who did what and who was in the wrong. It felt like a lot of gray area and I appreciate that because it takes some strength as a writer to make that work.
Overall, this is not the most gripping, fast-paced novel you’ll ever read, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it for its realness and the questions that it brings up in life. If you want a book that’ll make you sit there and think about different scenarios and what’s right and wrong while not being too overstimulating as a story, Such a Fun Age is definitely for you.
Source: Personal Copy
(P.S. You can read this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Audible, which gives you two free audiobooks of your choice!)
