Such a Fun Age

By: Kiley Reid

Narrated by: Nicole Lewis

A Best Book of the Year:

The Washington Post • Chicago Tribune • NPR • Vogue • Elle • Real Simple • InStyle • Good Housekeeping • Parade • Slate • Vox • Kirkus Reviews • Library Journal • BookPage

Longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize

An instant New York Times best seller

A Reese's Book Club x Hello Sunshine Book Pick

"The most provocative page-turner of the year." (Entertainment Weekly)

"I urge you to read Such a Fun Age." (NPR)

A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a binge-worthy and bighearted story about race and privilege, set around a young Black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both.

Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living with her confidence-driven brand, showing other women how to do the same. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains' toddler one night, walking the aisles of their local high-end supermarket. The store's security guard, seeing a young Black woman out late with a White child, accuses Emira of kidnapping two-year-old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Alix resolves to make things right.

But Emira herself is aimless, broke, and wary of Alix's desire to help. At 25, she is about to lose her health insurance and has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix's past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves and each other.

With empathy and piercing social commentary, Such a Fun Age explores the stickiness of transactional relationships, what it means to make someone "family", and the complicated reality of being a grown up. It is a searing debut for our times.

©2019 Kiley Reid (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

Winner of the African American Literary Award

Finalist for:

The New York Public Library's Young Lions Fiction Award

The Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award

The VCU Cabell First Novelist Award

The NAACP Image Award

The Athenaeum of Philadelphia's Literary Award

A Book Club Pick:

Vox • Marie Claire #ReadWithMC • Buzzfeed • Book Girl Magic • Well-Read Black Girl • WNYC Get Lit With All of It • Nerdette

“Reid constructs a plot so beautifully intricate and real and fascinating that readers will forget it’s also full of tough questions about race, class and identity….With this entertaining novel, Reid subverts our notions of what it means to write about race and class in America, not to mention what it means to write about love. In short, it’s a great way to kick off 2020.”—Washington Post

“A complex, layered page-turner…This is a book that will read, I suspect, quite differently to various audiences—funny to some, deeply uncomfortable and shamefully recognizable to others—but whatever the experience,....Let its empathetic approach to even the ickiest characters stir you, allow yourself to share Emira’s millennial anxieties about adulting, take joy in the innocence of Briar’s still-unmarred personhood, and rejoice that Kiley Reid is only just getting started.”—NPR

“[Such a Fun Age] nestl[es] a nuanced take on racial biases and class divides into a page-turning saga of betrayals, twists, and perfectly awkward relationships....The novel feels bound for book-club glory, due to its sheer readability. The dialogue crackles with naturalistic flair. The plotting is breezy and surprising. Plus, while Reid’s feel for both the funny and the political is undeniable, she imbues her flawed heroes with real heart.”—Entertainment Weekly

promising start but nothing else

the most interesting part of this book is outlined in the synopsis. after that.. nothing. the characters are boring and their interactions are superficial. Emira spent the book drifting aimlessly. Alix's business backstory was badass but in the present she'd transformed into a useless puddle of indecision. every time kelley spoke, my eyes rolled into my brain. the high drama of the interaction that kicks the book off peters out into nothing as you spend the next 8 hours listening to conversations and interactions that are pointless, pretentious, or cringeworthy and ultimately lead nowhere. Briar's toddler outbursts were the only bits of dialogue that were enjoyable. the narrator, however, was great - she gave the main characters very distinctive voices.

Good Read

This book was chosen by my book club. That consist of 7 women .
This book was so good and once I started it I couldn’t put it down. There were so many points where Emira reminded me so much of myself at this “fun age”.

Needed This Nudge

Kiley Reid's novel further r opened my mind to the subtle and overt ways in which racism and privilege continue to seep into our culture. The narration was excellent, which may matter to some of us more than is warranted. Especially Nicole Lewis's child's voice, so often rendered cloying and saccharine by lesser narrators--spot on and heartfelt.

Wonderful Book

I truly loved this book. The story was great, and so was the narration.Very realistic and great character development!

A great read (or listen)

This book exceeded my expectations. The plot picks you up and carries you with it throughout the entire novel, and the character development is fantastic. The narrator does a great job bringing the story — and people — to life. Would strongly recommend.

Amazing.

The development and thoughtfulness for the characters is incredible. If you want to be challenged and thoughtful about your own whiteness, this read is a must. Enjoyable for the plot, incredibly poignant about our times.

fun book

this wads a good book to read. all the character were good funny nd interesting.

Fantastic!!

Brilliant story. Fantastic narration! I enjoyed the journey and the ability to 'see' each character vividly!

Great story

Light enough to relax to but deep enough to leave you wanting to keep reading. Great performance as well for an entertaining audiobook.

Overall good

Had more language and mild sexual content that I was surprised by. But overall I enjoyed the story and would recommend.