4.5 stars rounded up!! I had so much fun.. woah
Wow I idk how many different ways I can say that I loved this. I've had this on my bookshelf for maybe almost 2 years so I decided to finally read it and fell in love!
This past year and a half (?) I've fallen in love with contemporary lit written by Black women who happen to be immigrants themselves or children of immigrants and it amazes me how much I can relate to their experiences/upbringing despite just growing up in the US lol ... This main character was fabulous. Coming off the coattails of Ali Hazelwood MC's (I know the tone and genre isn't even the same BUT hear me out!) I loved how we didn't need convincing that Gifty is "smart or intelligent" the science aspect was a huge part of her story and yet I don't think that it was ever written distastefully when she was explaining or doing science. Loveee
I also really enjoyed the religious past that this character has and how it influences her relationships and treatment of her mother and brother. There was so much different growth between the three and I loved seeing the evolution take place. Though there is constant jumping in between the timelines of past and present, I think it was done so well and just enough.

I've seen a lot of reviews abt this being a harder book because you specifically can't relate to the science or religious aspect and idk how to feel about that? While instant understanding and relatability is a plus, I don't think that it would deter you from understanding overall what's happening? anyway this was a slay and most definitely a fav from my 2023 reading!