Review: The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava

The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley and the Berkley Besties program.

This is a zany story that follows Ember as one little white lie on her resume snowballs into more lies than she can keep track of.  Some of them are innocent, while others start to get serious and impact her life, relationships, and even her new job.  I didn't have an issue with her fibbing about her ethnicity on her job application. I know that is a real thing that happens and I wish companies would stop asking those demographic question.  None of that actually matters when it comes to job performance.  I had an issue when she started lying about her cat allergy and continues to lie about completely stupid stuff and then lies about stuff she knows is unethical but does it anyway.  I know it was supposed to add an element of humor to the book, but the humor didn't always hit.  It felt like she kept making a bigger mess of things instead of trying to straighten things out.

The author did a great job capturing the various types of aggressions that one experiences in an office environment.  I've never worked at a start-up but I've worked in the corporate world for almost 20 years and have certainly experienced or seen misogyny and other types of questionable behavior during my career.  Ember was really naïve and lacked experience, so  I kept hoping she would ask someone for help or mentorship, even if it were Danuwoa.  The two of them had great chemistry first as friends and then as a couple.  If she were going to trust anyone it should have been him.  It is addressed in the book why she has a hard time asking for help, and that makes some of her decisions and actions make more sense as we approach the end of the book.

I'm so glad that Berkley published this Own Voices Rom Com, and I hope to see more of them in the future.  

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