If you’re looking for a novel filled with action, this isn’t it. It’s more of a social commentary made through the lives of each of the main characters - Kemi, Brittany, and Muna - and how they survive day-to-day. I found each of their stories interesting, and how they’re all connected through one powerful man. With that being said, I disliked Johnny from the beginning. I knew there was something slimy and manipulative about him. He's a creepy stalker who anchored himself in Brittany's life (and she let him *shakes head in abject disappointment*), got her pregnant, lured her to his country to isolate her, and married her, all to feed his disturbing obsession with his dead ex-girlfriend. He convinced Brittany to name (unbeknownst to her) their daughter after her! Wtf! And then ultimately holds their daughter as leverage to keep Brittany from leaving Sweden. An evil mastermind, I tell you! He never fooled me with his innocent act. I had no idea before reading this book about the differences it portrayed between oppression in Sweden versus America, and they were both upsetting and eye-opening. I imagine this novel will spark a great deal of conversation — and perhaps also action — in Sweden as well as America. Themes of the Book

You’re a Nigerian American woman living in Sweden. How did your own experiences inform each of the three main characters’ stories?This book must be published in Swedish immediately. (A recording with readers who are more adept with the Swedish language, and American Southern and Swedish accents should follow closely afterwards. Thus 4 stars for the audiobook, instead of 5.) The various experiences of Afro Swedish women in this book speak into a yawning void in Sweden, where the existence of racism is largely denied.

At first, the reader thinks that the lives and story lines between the three main female characters: Kemi; I find it very difficult to understand why someone portrayed as intelligent could not outright figure out that she was only employed for her skin colour and that her added qualifications were just for show. Why did she keep questioning their real intentions. Sometimes she stood up for herself; yes I liked those few instances she displayed “I won’t take rubbish “ but I didn’t like it that it took finding a man to make her take a clean break. I did not like how she treated Brittany. It was judgemental to say the least. I found this novel slightly uneven - of the three almost-intersecting stories, one is considerably weaker than the other two and unfortunately comes to somewhat dominate the narrative. To my agent @craig_literary, friend and writing mentor @theleighshulman, all my friends, family, and dear readers who continue to support my work, my gratitude knows no bounds. Thank you ❤️ I think she wanted to do something new and different, she was young and had no reason not to. If I had been in her position I would have wanted to do the same thing too. - gaylamath

Kemi seems to make a spur-of-the-moment choice to move to Sweden. Why do you think she did this? How did her sister's opinion factor into her decision? There's one thing to have a cliffhanger where I know there's going to be a second book, but to just end the story after revealing everything in the last chapter is cruel. I HATE when authors do this. It's disrespectful to the reader IMO. And refugee Muna Saheed, who lost her entire family, finds a job cleaning the toilets at Jonny’s office as she works to establish her residency in Sweden and, more importantly, seeks connection and a place she can call home. The author did a good job of showing the struggles of immigrants; their painful pasts and their hope and longing for roots and healing. Sometimes they never find these and that’s what this book brings out. Muna; with her story the author showed us the struggles of being more than a refugee just in name; the displacement; the need for roots and looking for a way to belong somewhere with someone was beautifully written.

Successful marketing executive Kemi Adeyemi is lured from the US to Sweden by Jonny von Lundin, CEO of the nation's largest marketing firm, to help fix a PR fiasco involving a racially tone-deaf campaign. A killer at work but a failure in love, Kemi's move is a last-ditch effort to reclaim her social life. Brittany’s story was one that drew me in, big-time. So many of us can relate to the pull of privilege and the alluring unknown. Coming with her on the journey as she entered the world of yachts, waterfront villas, and personal assistants was positively exhilarating. Her ultimate dilemma of what to do once essentially trapped inside Jonny’s riches was downright haunting.First of all, I love the title both in and outside of the context of the novel. That is mostly what drew me in as a reader, as well as the idea of three women who are all in some way related to this powerful exec.