As much as this book sounded interesting, unfortunately it wasn’t the one for me! I didn’t feel very engaged and like I wanted to pick this book up, that’s not to say that others won’t enjoy it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This is a very quick book to read and I didn’t realise how quick as I was at the end before I knew it. I really liked p the exploration of what it means to be a Black teenager in the U.K., as a white UK reader it highlights the pervasive racism that Amani and so many others experience, she helps the reader feel and experience how horrible it is; that somehow you don’t belong purely because of your skin colour. Devastatingly well done, should be read by all white people (especially anyone who says all lives matter !) . I enjoyed the lift towards the end that holds a slightly more hopeful tone. It’s a captivating read that will have you in tears as Amani will really touch your heart.

Trigger warning: abuse, violence, rape, alcoholism, depression and overdose

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book was very uncomfortable to read at times but deals with a lot of topics we shouldn’t be silent about. I really liked the main character, though I am very torn about the end of this story…

I tried really hard to get into this book but I just don’t think I was in the right headspace for it so I’m going to try again in the future but for now I have to dnf it.

DNF -did not finish. I decided not to keep reading this novel because I did not connect with the writing and plot. Thank you, netgalley and publisher for the early copy.

The cover and blur are very misleading. This book was so much more heavy-loaded than I expected. While the story wasn't bad, I didn't like the many triggers that came with it. It was a quick read and I liked the main character, but it was just too heavy for my taste.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an eARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

It's not often that an abuse story includes reconciliation. We're used to seeing abusers as simple monsters. Steele wants us to see the person behind the action. This dances a fine line as it doesn't want to justify what he's done. We're meant to see all relationships, romantic or familial, as complex and hard work. This isn't a comfortable read and is a bit rough at times, but has ideas worth considering.

A coming of age story about a girl named Amani whose parents were in a toxic and abusive marriage. Now that her mother is divorced, Amani and her mother live with her grandfather. They are adapting to their new life, but with their past trauma haunting them. It is hard to say that the past is in the past. Will letting go break them free of the invisible shackles of a family in tatters or will they sew the tears back together into a patchwork quilt?

Themes: Mental health, PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, Abuse, Family

Even though Amani is in college, the way this book is written felt very young young adult, like teenage type. Why? It focuses very little on her college experience and her classes, the whole college package. It was very centred around her family and their lifestyle, which is like one of the "Sets" in the movie "Being Amani". The lack of age-related content threw the book off a bit since it can easily be as though Amani is in high school as a normal teenage student instead of a young adult entering the early paths of grown-up society. College age content doesn't mean - wild parties, irresponsible drinking, unprotected sex, irrational and stupid actions. It can also mean - college assignment stress, deadline workloads, classes and subjects that interest Amani, things that she is passionate to learn about and contributing to society. It felt that her character was still in the developing stage. It was a tad disappointing since I had high hopes for the structure of the book. It was all very predictable. And no, I can't forgive her father for his misdoings. He can burn in hell for all I care.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

again, another book trying too much at once. i think the author tried to tackle a LOT of themes and dark issues and as a result ended up giving none of those topics their deserved resolution. or, rather, a wrap-up? it’s too in-your-face. also where are the trigger warnings for this book? i expected a light, fun and easy read with that cover and synopsis. sure, a little dark tones here and there, but not as much as i found.

please consider adding trigger warnings and clearly stating the appropriate themes for the book to avoid misleadings.

honestly, i'm not really sure what i was expecting when i read this book, since it is looks like and kind of sounds like a semi easy read and not that deep. but, i was kind of surprised about how much trauma that was in this book, which i didn't really expect. and like, this sounds like a basic YA book, but instead it wasn't. like, i hate to say this, but i feel like they tried to add so many harder topics, that should be taken seriously and not just for a plot point. but, i feel like some of the things in this book was just plot points and they would bring something up, and then just drop it after a matter of pages or bring it up, but never really talk about it again, which annoyed me.

Being Amani follows Amani trying to get her life together after having to leave her home with her mom in the middle of the night from her abuse father. But can she find happiness in the right places?

This book has many different heavy themes, and I highly recommend looking up trigger warnings for the book. It has some good moments, but I failed to have a stronger emotional connection mostly due to the writing. It was not really written in my style, and the shortness of the book made the impact of the story lesser. It still had some good elements and is a good read. 3/5 stars.

This was a great read. I featured it as Book of the Day on all my social media platforms, and I’ll include it in my monthly roundup of news releases for my Black Fiction Addiction blog.

I completely agree with the author and publisher in making the decision to include a trigger warning on the cover. I liked the book overall but one of the things that bothered me was the excuses made for the dad at the end of the book. I don't think there is an ever an excuse. An explanation? Sure, but not an excuse which is how I perceived it.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. But it fell flat for me. There was a lot of gas lighting and glossing over on serious topics. It seemed as though the author had a great idea coming into writing the story but it was poorly executed.

This is definitely a quick read. This story focuses on Amani whose witnessed her mother being abused by her father. She's currently living with her Granddad who loves her and seems to be her friend. Because of her father's controlling ways, she's never had a real relationship... This will be evident in the choice that she makes in the book.

Overall, I liked the story. It was a little predictable (with the friendship with Leo, her fall out with Sanaa, and her relationship with Ryan), but it held some surprises that I did not expect.

Trigger warning: abuse, violence, anxiety, rape, alcoholism, depression, overdose, and abusive relationship.

This is a very quick book to read and that's was the reason that I finished it (but I admit that the last 20 pages I read over).
It's not a bad book, but I found it poorly executed, we have a story and premise that is interesting, but the author ends up falling into stereotypes and badly made clichés.
The book, while containing heavy themes, has a very youthful tone.
I found it shallow, the story it's a little confusing because in one paragraph we are in one scene and in the other, we have already skipped to the next.
The writing is not bad and it makes the book quick.
I found the themes worked very shallow and too fast, there was no depth in anything not even in the characters.
I don't know if I recommend it if you are interested in giving it a chance you might like it more.

CW: Suicide, abuse, mental health

A year has passed since the tragedy in Amani’s life, and the opportunity to start over was presented when she moved. With the unexpected reappearance of a past individual, she is dragged into the spiral of the flood of memories that she has tried so desperately to forget.

I was very drawn into the synopsis of this book, as it was very apparent that something tragic happened to Amani. But, alas, I was met with disappointment. The book danced around the bush a lot regarding what could have happened. With it being obvious what was being talked about, it was still never said. There were also no trigger warnings for the content that was being discussed in the book which was a big knock down for me. It was just a never-ending derailing train of heavy topics being thrown at you quickly. With her mother’s constant excuses and acceptance of the domestic violence from her father, and the stereotypical references of what a “normal” girl best friend should be, this book had a lot of “NO” moments for me.

As someone who has survived domestic violence, suicide attempts, and rape, the message that was being sent from the book was mind numbing and stomach lurching. Yes, it is okay to forgive someone who tore you to shreds, but excuses should NEVER be made for that person.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Being Amani in exchange for an honest review.

Before this book is published, I really hope either the cover's changed, trigger warnings are added, or more information is added to the synopsis because while Being Amani hints at a dark event in Amani's past, the vagueness used to address it and the bright smiley cover do not prepare readers to be thrown in to a story about abuse, panic attacks, and suicide.

Being Amani clearly comes from a place of good intent and tries to tackle a lot of really important topics, but the narration just really felt underdeveloped which I can sometimes over look but it really didn't work with how heavy the subject matter was. Amani's voice and the voices of everyone around her consistently felt fake or underdeveloped which really hurt any intended impact Stelle was going for here.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing that attracted me to this book was the bright cover with a girl smiling on the front. It made me feel that the book was going to be happy and heartwarming. However, this book is neither of those things.

Amani is a young girl in school who experiences panic attacks, abuse and pain. I think due to the topics it discusses, a trigger warning at the start may be appropriate in order to prepare readers for this.

I ended up not finishing this book as I felt so misled my the cover that I felt I couldn’t properly get into the book. Maybe if I had gone in with different expectations I would have preferred it.

I did however like the writing style and therefore my rating is 2 stars.