This book is basically what everyone is saying--Gossip Girl/Pretty Little Liars meets Get Out.
Chiamaka is a tough character, one that might not be likable but you definitely know her. She doesn't take crap, she stands up for herself, she plays the game, and she's ambitious. Again, does that make her the most likable? No, but you can't help but root for her.
Devon I had a harder time pulling for--not that he was a bad character by any stretch, but I felt as though Àbíké-Íyímídé gave him one too many things to work through that we didn't really get the time to explore as much as they should have. His romance could have been cut entirely and I would have been okay with it, I don't think it added much to the story.
Overall, it's a great debut. I think it struggled a bit with editing, the reveal wasn't much of a surprise to me (and in fact, I wasn't taken aback by it, because the side characters weren't very rich) but I loved the premise and there were really great narrative moments.
Chiamaka is a tough character, one that might not be likable but you definitely know her. She doesn't take crap, she stands up for herself, she plays the game, and she's ambitious. Again, does that make her the most likable? No, but you can't help but root for her.
Devon I had a harder time pulling for--not that he was a bad character by any stretch, but I felt as though Àbíké-Íyímídé gave him one too many things to work through that we didn't really get the time to explore as much as they should have. His romance could have been cut entirely and I would have been okay with it, I don't think it added much to the story.
Overall, it's a great debut. I think it struggled a bit with editing, the reveal wasn't much of a surprise to me (and in fact, I wasn't taken aback by it, because the side characters weren't very rich) but I loved the premise and there were really great narrative moments.