I am currently reading the Booker Prize short and longlists so was thrilled to pick up this one from the 2022 list. This was not an easy book to read but an important one. This is a sociologically important book. It's also politically and economically important. It tells the story that shows us that we are all related, a wound in society will hurt all of us. Highly recommend, just dont expect anything light and fluffy.

What an impressive debut! It is very clear to understand why readers are raving about this beautifully written, poignant and compelling book. Eye-opening, thought provoking and challenging at times I am very glad to have read this and highly recommend to other readers.

Leila Mottley's debut novel "Nightcrawling" is a poignant and powerful exploration of survival, resilience, and the search for dignity in the face of systemic injustice. Set in Oakland, California, the story follows Kiara, a young Black woman navigating the harsh realities of urban life while caring for her brother and trying to find her way amidst overwhelming odds.

Mottley's prose is both lyrical and raw, capturing the gritty essence of Kiara's world while imbuing it with a sense of hope and humanity. The novel's strength lies in its deeply empathetic portrayal of Kiara, whose voice resonates with authenticity and vulnerability. Her journey into nightcrawling—a term referring to her involvement in sex work to make ends meet—serves as a powerful commentary on the intersection of race, poverty, and exploitation.

The narrative is compelling, with a plot that unravels through moments of tension, heartbreak, and resilience. Mottley handles difficult themes with grace and sensitivity, shedding light on the systemic failures that push individuals like Kiara to the margins of society. The novel is as much a critique of these systems as it is a testament to the strength of those who endure them.

"Nightcrawling" is also notable for its vivid sense of place, with Oakland depicted as a character in its own right. The city's vibrancy and struggles are intricately woven into the fabric of the story, grounding the narrative in a real and palpable setting.

In summary, Leila Mottley's "Nightcrawling" is a stunning debut that combines lyrical storytelling with a fierce social conscience. It's a moving and thought-provoking read that highlights the resilience of the human spirit in the face of systemic adversity. This novel is a must-read for those who appreciate powerful narratives that address pressing social issues with compassion and insight.

Amazing read - probably one of my favourites of last year (I was late coming to it) but it is a book I keep thinking about and one that I want to read again soon.
Highly recommended.

I had a run of these amazing books through Netgalley. This one tore my heart out and ripped it into tiny little pieces. I'm reeling - so much so that I went back and read it again, and went through it all over again.
I can't say anything about this book other than the nomination was well deserved, the book should be read and I can't recommend it highly enough.

I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review, from the Publisher, via Netgalley.

Really enjoyed this - will definitely be recommending and looking forward to the next one by this author!

Kiara (Ki) is seventeen and jobless, living with her brother Marcus in an East Oakland apartment complex called the Regal-Hi. They are both high school drop outs. Marcus has aspirations of becoming a rap star, so money is tight as they are not earning anything and the landlord has just doubled their rent!

Kiara hunts desperately for a job to pay their rent, but without a resume she is trapped.

One night, what begins as a drunken misunderstanding with a stranger turns into a job Kiara never imagined wanting, but now desperately needs, "Nightcrawling."

This is based on a true story of a major scandal of sexual exploitation by members of the Oskland police force, although Kiara is a fictional character in this story. Leila Mottley read about this case when she was the same age as the character Kiara and wrote this amazing book aged seventeen!!

This is such a gritty, moving story. It is written so beautifully and the character Kiara is a force to be reckoned with. We follow her day to day seeing what she is forced to do, to survive and how she is abused and exploited along the way.

A book that will pull at your heartstrings and you will still be thinking about Kiara long after finishing this story.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

An intimate and distressing portrait of a young girl who finds herself at the centre of a police corruption case after being sexually abused as a minor. She tries to hold her family together as everything seems to be falling apart, and the novel is totally absorbing from her point of view.

It is distressing and I found much of it upsetting to read, but Kiara's indomitable spirit shines right through the book and is what will hopefully save her and her family in the end.

Nightcrawling is not a comfortable read by any means. The story of Kiara and her exploitation by the hands of those meant to protect her is grim, and it made me both sad and angry that such inequality is commonplace.
Kiara’s father is dead, her mother is in prison and her brother is so obsessed by the idea of becoming a musician that he forgets to take care of the little details. As they struggle to eat and pay rent, it falls to seventeen year old Kiara to find a way to survive.
Her choice is an ages-old one…prostitution. Her detached observations about her choices are poignant, but it is what happens as a result of her initial choice that the book focuses on.
Kiara is picked up by police and finds herself with the very men meant to be protecting her using her most cruelly. Expected to attend their private parties, gang-raped and then told she should be grateful they’re protecting her this is exploitation at its most vile level. When one of the officers involved commits suicide, Kiara’s name is mentioned and she becomes part of an investigation into police corruption.
Hard hitting and bleak in focus, the story is imbued with such warmth at times that it’s hard not to care for Kiara and those like her.

I think this is another case of it’s not you it’s me as this seems to be an incredibly popular book but I just didn’t vibe with it. Whilst it is impressive that the author started writing this book when she was only 17 the writing style just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a bleak look at the ways in which black women struggling to make ends meet are invisible in the American landscape. Left to fall through the cracks. Expected to break and lay bleeding. To accept that that is the life they are born into and cannot escape.

Kiara is a character who has everything stacked against her. Her mother is in a halfway house after attempting her own suicide, a dead father, a brother obsessed with making it in the rap industry and is dealing drugs to make his dreams happen. This means it’s left to Kiara to find a way to pay the ever increasing rent and look after next doors boy Trevor. She turns to prostitution but when she gets picked up by police things take an even more sinister and dangerous turn.

While Trevor and her friend Ale provide light relief in parts, this story does not have a happy ending. But this blew my socks off. The fact this is a debut is really incredible. This author is one to watch.

I sadly couldn't get into this one but I think one of the few that couldn't.

I'm gutted but it happens

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was gripped by this book from the beginning, thoroughly enthralled by this 'true story' turned fiction to highlight struggles in the black communities and the sexualisation of young black women. The writing is ambitious and very well established for a debut novel. However, buy the halfway point my interest began to wane. I found some parts monotonous and repetitive, but it seems I am in the minority with that thinking. I appreciated the authors note at the end explaining her reasoning for this book and I definitely look forward to more from this author in the future.

This is definitely a book worthh of all the paradise. This is a book unlike any I’ve read previously and has been one I wish I could experience for the first time all over again.

Wow amazing book, i read it in one sitting couldnt put it down, loved the characters althoguh i was shouting at the book at times, quite emotional a great read

Rarely do I give 5 stars to a book and then not have 101 reasons why. I have just one reason. It's a cracking, eye-opening book that should be on everyone's reading list. Read it.

This isn’t an easy or fun read but it’s such a brilliant book. Based in Oakland, telling the story of the poverty, violence, abuse, and police corruption that black women face. This is a fiction book, but as the author says in her note at the end, it’s reflective of what actually happens.

This book will stay with me for a long time, I think. I work in human rights and so I’m not ignorant to injustice, but this story is told in such a way that it really gets under your skin. I can’t believe the author started writing this when she was just 17.

Put this on your TBR if you haven’t already!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This is one of those books that you devour and feel bereft when it finishes. Yeah but… and how… and doesn’t… so many questions and then you remind yourself it’s a novel. That the author started writing it when she was seventeen. That it’s loosely based on a real story. This is just an astonishing book.

Keira has little agency in her own life. A dead father, a mother in prison, she is trying to look after her brother who has dreams of music stardom. She befriends a child in the block who’s mother has addiction issues. It is beautiful and harrowing and heartbreaking. Keira just wants a chance. Just needs an opportunity to shine. But instead she accidentally ends up in sex work and then is taken advantage of by the local police. And all through it you’re wishing for someone to step in and help.

Ms Mottley is destined for stardom. The writing is raw, perfectly pitched and paced and the dialogue is totally real. I wish Keira could have a follow up where she rises above everything but we will have to use our imaginations.

An amazing book but not an easy one.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley

This was such an amazing debut.

It’s about a young girl whose family are absent. Her father is dead, her mother in a halfway house and her brother unemployed and preoccupied with becoming a famous musician. On top of this there is a young boy in the flat below hers whose mother has a history of substance abuse and has left him to fend for himself. As the rent in her apartment block rises and there is nobody else to look after her and Trevor, she takes to the streets to keep a roof over their heads.

This book absolutely broke my heart and touched on so many important topics in some depth. These included police power and brutality - especially towards Black people and poor people. The fact that our protagonist was a Black, poor, 17 year old girl makes this story even more chilling - especially when you read the Author’s Note and see that this is loosely based on real stories. I was absolutely rooting for her the whole time; the stifling feeling of having no other choices and being vulnerable to danger was so pervasive.

Her life and events were portrayed with such clarity that I’d say this book provides an important dialogue for understanding the struggles of non-white people in relation to the myth of equality of opportunity, material deprivation and the knock-on effect of these things.

I would absolutely recommend this - but do look up trigger warnings first as there are some quite brutal parts.

TW: drug and alcohol abuse, child abuse, rape, physical and sexual assault, neglect, suicide, trafficking, transphobia

I really wanted to like this book as I've seen all the amazing reviews, but it just wasn't for me. And I know I'm in the minority and that's ok.

I did however like Kiara's relationship with her young neighbour Trevor and how she looked out for him. I didn't mind those scenes. But I found everything else a bit slow.