Thank you BookishFirst, author Malla Nunn, and her publishing company for sending a copy of Sugar Town Queens for me to read. I was hooked from the First Impression and the story continued to hook me because it went places I didn't even anticipate.
The story's protagonist is Amandla Harden and she lives in an impoverished area called Sugar Town with her single mother Annalisa Harden. Amandla doesn't know who her dad is nor who her extended family is, and it's not from lack of asking but because her mom doesn't quite seem to remember or is reluctant to answer. One day her mom comes home with a ton of cash and a mysterious note with a location, date, and time written on it. Together with her best friend Lil Bit and their new friend Goodness, they use their limited resources to find out where the money came from and what is going on!
The book was a very fast and easy read, the chapters were short, and the pace was relatively fast. A lot of stuff happens and I wasn't quite sure if everything happened in the span of a couple days or more spread out over several weeks, but I did know it couldn't have been more than a month or two. Everything felt like it was happening so fast and in succession so I didn't know if Amandla had a chance to breathe or she was sprinting through everything.
The story took its time to conclude. I was surprised there were so many chapters left in the book after the climax. I liked having the closure but it felt a little dragged out. I did appreciate how all of Amandla's questions about her family were answered and that she became a more confident and mature girl by the end of the story.
Overall I thought it was a light and fun read, and I'm interested in checking out other books by Malla Nunn. The back cover of the book I received was all reviews for When the Ground is Hard, which feels like a whole different vibe than Sugar Town Queens. I hope reviews for Sugar Town Queens will take its place soon!
The story's protagonist is Amandla Harden and she lives in an impoverished area called Sugar Town with her single mother Annalisa Harden. Amandla doesn't know who her dad is nor who her extended family is, and it's not from lack of asking but because her mom doesn't quite seem to remember or is reluctant to answer. One day her mom comes home with a ton of cash and a mysterious note with a location, date, and time written on it. Together with her best friend Lil Bit and their new friend Goodness, they use their limited resources to find out where the money came from and what is going on!
The book was a very fast and easy read, the chapters were short, and the pace was relatively fast. A lot of stuff happens and I wasn't quite sure if everything happened in the span of a couple days or more spread out over several weeks, but I did know it couldn't have been more than a month or two. Everything felt like it was happening so fast and in succession so I didn't know if Amandla had a chance to breathe or she was sprinting through everything.
The story took its time to conclude. I was surprised there were so many chapters left in the book after the climax. I liked having the closure but it felt a little dragged out. I did appreciate how all of Amandla's questions about her family were answered and that she became a more confident and mature girl by the end of the story.
Overall I thought it was a light and fun read, and I'm interested in checking out other books by Malla Nunn. The back cover of the book I received was all reviews for When the Ground is Hard, which feels like a whole different vibe than Sugar Town Queens. I hope reviews for Sugar Town Queens will take its place soon!