*I received an E-Arc from Kensington Books via NetGalley. All views are my own*
When I saw this cover, I just knew I had to get my hands on this book. I had no idea what it was about, but all I saw was a black or Afro-Latina woman in badass shades overlooking a possible protest in a palm tree backdrop. It furthered my interest when the tagline teased us with a possible botched mission. A Spy in the Struggle by Aya de Leon screamed, pick me, pick me! It was one of my late requests for 2020, and I’m ashamed that it took me a whole year to get to it. But would you believe I kept putting it off just for it to be a DNF?
"Since childhood, Yolanda Vance has forged her desire to escape poverty into a laser-like focus that took her through prep school and Harvard Law. So when her prestigious New York law firm is raided by the FBI, Yolanda turns in her corrupt bosses to save her career—and goes to work for the Bureau. Soon she's sent undercover at Red, Black, and Green—an African-American “extremist” activist group back in her California college town. They claim a biotech corporation fueled by Pentagon funding is exploiting the neighborhood. But Yolanda is determined to put this assignment in her win column, head back to corporate law, and regain her comfortable life...
Until an unexpected romance opens her heart—and a suspicious death opens her eyes. Menacing dark money forces will do anything to bury Yolanda and the movement. Fueled by memories of who she once was—and what once really mattered most—how can she tell those who’ve come to trust her that she’s been spying? As the stakes escalate, and one misstep could cost her life, Yolanda will have to choose between betraying the cause of her people or invoking the wrath of the country’s most powerful law enforcement agency."
I wanted to love this story badly, but I couldn’t get through it. I couldn’t get into the characters; the words felt empty, I couldn’t differentiate between flashbacks and the present … I just couldn’t. I ended up dnfing at 43%.
Overall, I have no rating for this story. This is rare for me, but I have no opinion of the story. It just exists. The concept had good potential, and I wish the writing were livelier to see it play out. But this title was a no for me.
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