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A Spy in the Struggle
The Washington Post Featured Thriller That Will Have You On The Edge Of Your Seat
Bustle’s Most Anticipated Reads for December
An Amazon Best of the Month Selection
Book Riot Featured Hispanic Heritage Month Book
CrimeReads Most Anticipated Crime Books of Fall 2020
Novel Suspects Featured December New Release
"A passionately felt stand-alone with an affecting personal story at its center." – The Washington Post
Winner of the International Latino Book Award, Aya de Leon, returns with a thrilling and timely story of feminism, climate, and corporate justice—as one successful lawyer must decide whether to put everything on the line to right the deep inequities faced in one under-served Bay Area, California community.
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.
“Part of a new wave of espionage fiction from authors of color and women, many of whom place emphasis on the disturbing nature of being forced to spy on one’s own.” – Crime Reads, Most Anticipated Books of Fall
"The author of the four Justice Hustlers novels — mysteries with a heightened leftist social awareness — has produced a passionately felt stand-alone with an affecting personal story at its center." – The Washington Post
“Aya de Leon’s latest is part of a new wave of espionage fiction from authors of color and women, many of whom place emphasis on the disturbing nature of being forced to spy on one’s own.” – Crime Reads, Most Anticipated Books of Fall
Bustle’s Most Anticipated Reads for December
An Amazon Best of the Month Selection
Book Riot Featured Hispanic Heritage Month Book
CrimeReads Most Anticipated Crime Books of Fall 2020
Novel Suspects Featured December New Release
"A passionately felt stand-alone with an affecting personal story at its center." – The Washington Post
Winner of the International Latino Book Award, Aya de Leon, returns with a thrilling and timely story of feminism, climate, and corporate justice—as one successful lawyer must decide whether to put everything on the line to right the deep inequities faced in one under-served Bay Area, California community.
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.
“Part of a new wave of espionage fiction from authors of color and women, many of whom place emphasis on the disturbing nature of being forced to spy on one’s own.” – Crime Reads, Most Anticipated Books of Fall
"The author of the four Justice Hustlers novels — mysteries with a heightened leftist social awareness — has produced a passionately felt stand-alone with an affecting personal story at its center." – The Washington Post
“Aya de Leon’s latest is part of a new wave of espionage fiction from authors of color and women, many of whom place emphasis on the disturbing nature of being forced to spy on one’s own.” – Crime Reads, Most Anticipated Books of Fall
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 29, 2020
179 people are currently reading
7873 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 266 reviews
December 23, 2020
What I liked about the book -
I liked how Aya de Leon incorporated Yolanda's back story and showed how she got to be the person she was as a woman and as a lawyer. This gave us insight into why she would later make the decisions that she did.
I liked the social/ecological justice angle with Red, Black and GREEN! Although the Flint water crisis has gained much press, most of these instances are underreported and go unnoticed by the nation at large. Most novels that depict corporate takeovers of low income areas focus on gentrification. Usually the aspect of community health and environmental impact on predominantly Black areas is not captured in books. I think that de Leon did a great job of expressing this conflict and making us want to fight alongside the teens.
What I did not like -
A problem for me was the romance. I'm not really a romance reader If you look at my TBR shelves you will see a lot of mystery, thriller suspense. Historical fiction is another big section as is poetry. What you will not see is a shelf dedicated to romance. If you find a romance on my shelf it was either a gift or a fluke. Of course, I think the book would have went quite well without having the romance in it. But I know for most people that is not a deal breaker. And since I do not read romance novels I cannot even compare it to say where it stacks up as a romance.
My thoughts on the book -
There was a part of me that just did not like Yolanda Vance in the beginning. At first I found her very short-sighted and judgmental. She really had a hard time relating to the teenagers. We know from her background that Yolanda has always struggled to fit in. That she has always felt "other" when in all Black or all White environments. Yet she approaches the teens with her own preconceived notions. Her character arc however shows growth and maturity. She becomes more empathetic towards others, learns more about herself and gains perspective on her relationships. Personally, I feel that part of her story is yet to be told and am especially intrigued in regards to Yolanda and her father. I am wondering if Aya de Leon is planning to build a series off of this character.
My Rating -
As a mystery I can tell you that A Spy in the Struggle has all of the right components
Intrigue - A woman is found dead in the alley with a needle in her arm but all signs point to foul play.
Conflict - Yolanda has been sent to spy on a community activist group. But is she working for the right side.
Suspense - Not all is what it first appears. Who can Yolanda trust? As the clock winds down on this mystery we know her life is in danger but we don't know who is coming for her.
I liked how Aya de Leon incorporated Yolanda's back story and showed how she got to be the person she was as a woman and as a lawyer. This gave us insight into why she would later make the decisions that she did.
I liked the social/ecological justice angle with Red, Black and GREEN! Although the Flint water crisis has gained much press, most of these instances are underreported and go unnoticed by the nation at large. Most novels that depict corporate takeovers of low income areas focus on gentrification. Usually the aspect of community health and environmental impact on predominantly Black areas is not captured in books. I think that de Leon did a great job of expressing this conflict and making us want to fight alongside the teens.
What I did not like -
A problem for me was the romance. I'm not really a romance reader If you look at my TBR shelves you will see a lot of mystery, thriller suspense. Historical fiction is another big section as is poetry. What you will not see is a shelf dedicated to romance. If you find a romance on my shelf it was either a gift or a fluke. Of course, I think the book would have went quite well without having the romance in it. But I know for most people that is not a deal breaker. And since I do not read romance novels I cannot even compare it to say where it stacks up as a romance.
My thoughts on the book -
There was a part of me that just did not like Yolanda Vance in the beginning. At first I found her very short-sighted and judgmental. She really had a hard time relating to the teenagers. We know from her background that Yolanda has always struggled to fit in. That she has always felt "other" when in all Black or all White environments. Yet she approaches the teens with her own preconceived notions. Her character arc however shows growth and maturity. She becomes more empathetic towards others, learns more about herself and gains perspective on her relationships. Personally, I feel that part of her story is yet to be told and am especially intrigued in regards to Yolanda and her father. I am wondering if Aya de Leon is planning to build a series off of this character.
My Rating -
As a mystery I can tell you that A Spy in the Struggle has all of the right components
Intrigue - A woman is found dead in the alley with a needle in her arm but all signs point to foul play.
Conflict - Yolanda has been sent to spy on a community activist group. But is she working for the right side.
Suspense - Not all is what it first appears. Who can Yolanda trust? As the clock winds down on this mystery we know her life is in danger but we don't know who is coming for her.
March 23, 2022
Yolanda Vance takes a job with the FBI after she refuses to shred some compromising paperwork and the law firm she works for gets indicted. While newly working for the FBI, Yolanda is sent to infiltrate Red, Black, and Green! (RBG), a political organization in Holloway, California for Black and environmental justice. A major corporation has been exploiting the community however the FBI insists this group is the real problem. As she gets further involved she starts to see that the world isn't quite as black and white as she thought.
The first half was slower and there was a lot of set up for the plot. I felt the second half did a better job intertwining Yolanda's backstory with current events which made for a stronger and faster paced read.
Yolanda is one of those Black people who believe that if you want better, you do better. She adopted that mantra after growing up with a mother who often dropped everything to chase after men which left them in worse situations then they started with. At a young age Yolanda learned time and time again that her mother was unreliable at best and damaging at worst. Even in present day when Yolanda reaches out to her mother during her time of need she only gets some hippie reply back instead of the assistance she needs.
Her very narrow view of Black people based off her experiences in small town Georgia and her cheating preacher father and her experiences in a rough neighborhood in Detroit that she worked hard academically to get out of. Being with this group is the first time she's been part of a Black community since she was a child and initially she holds some preconceived notions about the people particularly the teens in the group. In her mind racism can't stop you from working hard and making a name for yourself.
While a murder happens and there's a mystery surrounding how this member of the community was killed it's not a key focus. However it is the catalyst that causes Yolanda to open her eyes to the mysterious deaths and FBI coverups. She finally starts to question her superiors and if she's doing the right thing.
There is a romance that develops in this story and I've noticed it's very easier for authors to get caught up in selling the passionate sex scenes which I just find out of place in these types of stories. I didn't quite buy the emotional connection fully but I appreciated when Yolanda and Jimmy were open with each other about how past experiences left them jilted.
I felt this book shed a light on types like her who are educated about so many things but ignore the plight of their people and easily buy into propaganda. Yolanda may know the law but she is oblivious to how the law is actually applied to Black people until it starts to directly affect her.
I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot....
The first half was slower and there was a lot of set up for the plot. I felt the second half did a better job intertwining Yolanda's backstory with current events which made for a stronger and faster paced read.
Yolanda is one of those Black people who believe that if you want better, you do better. She adopted that mantra after growing up with a mother who often dropped everything to chase after men which left them in worse situations then they started with. At a young age Yolanda learned time and time again that her mother was unreliable at best and damaging at worst. Even in present day when Yolanda reaches out to her mother during her time of need she only gets some hippie reply back instead of the assistance she needs.
Her very narrow view of Black people based off her experiences in small town Georgia and her cheating preacher father and her experiences in a rough neighborhood in Detroit that she worked hard academically to get out of. Being with this group is the first time she's been part of a Black community since she was a child and initially she holds some preconceived notions about the people particularly the teens in the group. In her mind racism can't stop you from working hard and making a name for yourself.
While a murder happens and there's a mystery surrounding how this member of the community was killed it's not a key focus. However it is the catalyst that causes Yolanda to open her eyes to the mysterious deaths and FBI coverups. She finally starts to question her superiors and if she's doing the right thing.
There is a romance that develops in this story and I've noticed it's very easier for authors to get caught up in selling the passionate sex scenes which I just find out of place in these types of stories. I didn't quite buy the emotional connection fully but I appreciated when Yolanda and Jimmy were open with each other about how past experiences left them jilted.
I felt this book shed a light on types like her who are educated about so many things but ignore the plight of their people and easily buy into propaganda. Yolanda may know the law but she is oblivious to how the law is actually applied to Black people until it starts to directly affect her.
I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot....
November 30, 2020
A new to me author, Aya de Leon, has written a delightful story of a tightly wound, young, African American woman, Yolanda Vance. She has worked her entire life to be the best she can be when suddenly, as a brand new attorney at a prestigious New York law firm, she is embroiled in the middle of a raid by the FBI. Yolanda quickly turns whistleblower and ends up working for the FBI. She only wants to be an attorney, but she has to learn all things FBI, including how to shoot a gun. She soon is sent on an undercover mission in California to infiltrate an African American extreme eco-activist group, “Red, Black and Green which recruits young teens. Yolanda soon discovers that things aren’t as they seem, drops her defenses, and becomes attached to her teen subjects and the “RBG” group.
She begins to question the difference between the good guys and the bad guys. To make matters worse, she has formed a strong attraction to a local professor, also a member of the “RBG” Group, and cannot confide in him of her deception. Forces conspire to silence Yolanda, and she must decide to fight for what she knows in her heart is right. Will good overcome evil? The conclusion is explosive.
I loved this book! I thank NetGalley and the publisher, Kensington Books, for the opportunity to read and review this book. I gave it four stars. #netgalley #ASpyintheStruggle
She begins to question the difference between the good guys and the bad guys. To make matters worse, she has formed a strong attraction to a local professor, also a member of the “RBG” Group, and cannot confide in him of her deception. Forces conspire to silence Yolanda, and she must decide to fight for what she knows in her heart is right. Will good overcome evil? The conclusion is explosive.
I loved this book! I thank NetGalley and the publisher, Kensington Books, for the opportunity to read and review this book. I gave it four stars. #netgalley #ASpyintheStruggle
November 30, 2020
A new to me author, Aya deLeon, has written a delightful story of a tightly wound, young, African American woman, Yolanda Vance. She has worked her entire life to be the best she can be when suddenly, as a brand new attorney at a prestigious New York law firm, she is embroiled in the middle of a raid by the FBI. Yolanda quickly turns whistleblower and ends up working for the FBI. She only wants to be an attorney, but she has to learn all things FBI, including how to shoot a gun. She soon is sent on an undercover mission in California to infiltrate an African American extreme eco-activist group, “Red, Black and Green which recruits young teens. Yolanda soon discovers that things aren’t as they seem, drops her defenses, and becomes attached to her teen subjects and the “RBG” group.
She begins to question the difference between the good guys and the bad guys. To make matters worse, she has formed a strong attraction to a local professor, also a member of the “RBG” Group, and cannot confide in him of her deception. Forces conspire to silence Yolanda, and she must decide to fight for what she knows in her heart is right. Will good overcome evil? The conclusion is explosive.
I loved this book! I thank NetGalley and the publisher, Kensington Books, for the opportunity to read and review this book. #netgalley #ASpyintheStruggle
She begins to question the difference between the good guys and the bad guys. To make matters worse, she has formed a strong attraction to a local professor, also a member of the “RBG” Group, and cannot confide in him of her deception. Forces conspire to silence Yolanda, and she must decide to fight for what she knows in her heart is right. Will good overcome evil? The conclusion is explosive.
I loved this book! I thank NetGalley and the publisher, Kensington Books, for the opportunity to read and review this book. #netgalley #ASpyintheStruggle
dnf
April 5, 2021This is a DNF at 115 pages. I'm disappointed. The main character is racist. Spouting views and opinions that sound like white stereotypes such as: 1) Black people need to stop complaining, work harder and they can get out of poverty or a bad situation and 2) Generalizing a low income community as riddled with drug addicts and thieves. There was one other one, but I don't recall what it was because its been a while since I last read the book. I kept reading because I wanted to see if the character grew at all (she had a very black and white view of absolutely everything), but I cringed too much for the short amount that I read that I just didn't feel like it would provide me with any growth in reading it. So I gave up.
January 1, 2021
Overall this book was really well done and kept my interest. There were a few points I felt the story lagged a little but the exciting bits were more than enough to keep me going. I really loved that it was a spy novel but also a contemporary look at racial tensions and racism that occurs every day. I loved the main character who kept getting dealt a poor hand and I loved that we also got glimpses into her past. Yolanda Vance is an overachiever and after graduating Harvard Law she gets picked up by a corporate law office that promptly gets shut down for fraud. With no other options she goes to work for the FBI and being that she is young, African American, and went to college nearby to the mission she gets sent on an undercover mission into a radical black extremist group in California. Yolanda planned on being a white collar attorney with the FBI not a spy and her mission turns out to be more complicated than she could have ever imagined.
August 12, 2020
Remember on Friday when I said I was looking forward to reading this over the weekend? Well, I ended up reading the first half in one sitting Friday night—until that pesky thing of needing sleep happened—and finishing it Saturday morning, hence why I’m starting my raving about a December book in August. It’s very good and worth the pre-buy and letting your library know you want them to have it.
Aya de León never fails to create excellent characters while bringing communities, and their different voices and complexities, to life. Yolanda Vance is a Type A personality who has done nothing but focus on school and work until she finds herself handing in evidence during a raid of her law firm and becoming a pariah in the legal field. With that path blown up, she ends up hired by the FBI as a lawyer. Before she can settle in, she’s given an undercover assignment she has no training for—because she’s all they have in the form of a young Black agent who can relate to teens. She isn’t that confident about her ability to blend in seeing as she’s never felt she fit in anywhere; but she has a positive-thinking-book’s lessons always at the ready and never quits, so off she goes from NY to California.
The assignment is to bug the center of Red, Black, and Green!, a teen activist group the FBI has labeled as extremist, while volunteering for the group and reporting back what she learns. While she struggles to keep her opinions to herself—that anyone who doesn’t like their situation can just work hard enough to change it—she also learns a few interesting things: that a recent overdose isn’t believed by the community to be an OD, that the informant who came before her was murdered, that she may not be as anti-love as she thought, and that many of her beliefs are about to be challenged.
We get to know Yolanda as she gets to know the FBI team, her new Red, Black, and Green! team, a suitor, and through memories of her childhood with her widowed mother and her years at a prep school and then law school. We also get to know the community fighting against the government-tied corporation that RBG! is protesting and the hilarious, creative, and smart teens making their voices heard, along with the rookie cop who found the OD in question, and adult coordinators of RBG!. I absolutely loved the characters, story, and the bonus of a few shexy-time scenes. Add this to the list of fantastic mold-breaking spy novels like American Spy and the Vera Kelly series. I’m always here for more de León novels and would be thrilled for more Yolanda Vance—this could easily be a series, and I would totally be here for that!
(TW drug overdose, talk of addiction/ brief past mention of child-on-child attempted sexual assault)
--from Book Riot's Unusual Suspects newsletter: https://link.bookriot.com/view/56a820...
Aya de León never fails to create excellent characters while bringing communities, and their different voices and complexities, to life. Yolanda Vance is a Type A personality who has done nothing but focus on school and work until she finds herself handing in evidence during a raid of her law firm and becoming a pariah in the legal field. With that path blown up, she ends up hired by the FBI as a lawyer. Before she can settle in, she’s given an undercover assignment she has no training for—because she’s all they have in the form of a young Black agent who can relate to teens. She isn’t that confident about her ability to blend in seeing as she’s never felt she fit in anywhere; but she has a positive-thinking-book’s lessons always at the ready and never quits, so off she goes from NY to California.
The assignment is to bug the center of Red, Black, and Green!, a teen activist group the FBI has labeled as extremist, while volunteering for the group and reporting back what she learns. While she struggles to keep her opinions to herself—that anyone who doesn’t like their situation can just work hard enough to change it—she also learns a few interesting things: that a recent overdose isn’t believed by the community to be an OD, that the informant who came before her was murdered, that she may not be as anti-love as she thought, and that many of her beliefs are about to be challenged.
We get to know Yolanda as she gets to know the FBI team, her new Red, Black, and Green! team, a suitor, and through memories of her childhood with her widowed mother and her years at a prep school and then law school. We also get to know the community fighting against the government-tied corporation that RBG! is protesting and the hilarious, creative, and smart teens making their voices heard, along with the rookie cop who found the OD in question, and adult coordinators of RBG!. I absolutely loved the characters, story, and the bonus of a few shexy-time scenes. Add this to the list of fantastic mold-breaking spy novels like American Spy and the Vera Kelly series. I’m always here for more de León novels and would be thrilled for more Yolanda Vance—this could easily be a series, and I would totally be here for that!
(TW drug overdose, talk of addiction/ brief past mention of child-on-child attempted sexual assault)
--from Book Riot's Unusual Suspects newsletter: https://link.bookriot.com/view/56a820...
December 27, 2020
I was really looking forward to this book. It had a really interesting concept a woman’s law firm is raiding by the FBI and she turns in her corrupt bosses. Then she finds herself a job in the FBI and goes undercover to spy on an African American “extremist” activist group. Only to find that the FBI might not be telling the full truth. Yolanda Vance is our main character she is a lawyer who went to Harvard Law and has never been an undercover agent before. She has a great story arc in this, it’s awesome to see the way she thinks change and her slowly change her allegiance to what is right. What really pained me was the romance, I do not like romance in books and this had a decent amount of it. It was real cringe romance too and made it hard to get through the book. It was also boring at times and o lay really picked up the last 30 pages of the book. Overall, I don’t think this was a book for me. It had a very good message but other than that it was just slow and hard to get through.
July 3, 2021
Loved this action packed title big bonus it was narrated by the author and it was so well done!!!!
December 29, 2020
When the law firm Yolanda works at attempts to make her complicit in covering up their fraudulence, she decides instead to become a whistleblower and take a job with the FBI. Although she wants to be an attorney, she is sent to California to act as a spy on a Black "extremist" group that is actually trying to help the local marginalized community suffering from unemployment and pollution side effects from a nearby corporation. This experience ultimately pushes Yolanda to confront her blinded views about the struggles of those within her race and the ways the FBI has actively worked against progressive initiatives.
A SPY IN THE STRUGGLE was a fairly enjoyable read! I found the topics of race, climate change, and corporate practices to all be very interesting and valuable to the overall plot. Unfortunately, however, I would have liked more articulation of the emotional stakes and changes Yolanda experienced, especially in monumental moments. The focus seemed to be primarily on the plot, but I think it would have allowed me to sympathize with and root for Yolanda more throughout. There were also several slow portions in the book that dragged while the ending and associated conflicts were resolved far too quickly.
Although I had some issues with A SPY IN THE STRUGGLE, I still found it to be an intriguing story about a some admirable Black characters grappling with current issues, an engaging mystery, and a bit of romance.
Thank you to BookishFirst and the publisher for sending me a copy to read and review!
A SPY IN THE STRUGGLE was a fairly enjoyable read! I found the topics of race, climate change, and corporate practices to all be very interesting and valuable to the overall plot. Unfortunately, however, I would have liked more articulation of the emotional stakes and changes Yolanda experienced, especially in monumental moments. The focus seemed to be primarily on the plot, but I think it would have allowed me to sympathize with and root for Yolanda more throughout. There were also several slow portions in the book that dragged while the ending and associated conflicts were resolved far too quickly.
Although I had some issues with A SPY IN THE STRUGGLE, I still found it to be an intriguing story about a some admirable Black characters grappling with current issues, an engaging mystery, and a bit of romance.
Thank you to BookishFirst and the publisher for sending me a copy to read and review!
April 21, 2022
I spent most of the book not liking the MC. Because of this and the book was slow I almost DNF. However I hung in there and I did enjoy the book. The storyline was pretty believable and very relevant in today's world. I love the topic of environmental issues in the black community. This is a subject that isn't discussed enough.
I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by the author. Some parts of the book seemed all over the place. The past about the MC past seemed random. They did eventually make sense but I wish the author would have dedicated a section of the book to the past.
I'm a huge fan of romance novels. Though the romance in this book seemed a little random, I did enjoy it. This was my first novel by Aya de Leon and I will be reading more by her.
I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by the author. Some parts of the book seemed all over the place. The past about the MC past seemed random. They did eventually make sense but I wish the author would have dedicated a section of the book to the past.
I'm a huge fan of romance novels. Though the romance in this book seemed a little random, I did enjoy it. This was my first novel by Aya de Leon and I will be reading more by her.
February 17, 2021
Things I liked:
- engaging plot
- the kids were endearing
- yolanda's growth (but she was still annoying in the beginning)
- the big bad is a corporation doing corporate things
- the climate justice angle
Things that were meh:
- Yolanda and Jimmy's romance seemed to turn Jimmy into a whole different (and more annoying) person?
- the reveal of the big bad felt rushed and vague
- the unnecessary + unexplained, zero exposition given, evil black FBI agent
- engaging plot
- the kids were endearing
- yolanda's growth (but she was still annoying in the beginning)
- the big bad is a corporation doing corporate things
- the climate justice angle
Things that were meh:
- Yolanda and Jimmy's romance seemed to turn Jimmy into a whole different (and more annoying) person?
- the reveal of the big bad felt rushed and vague
- the unnecessary + unexplained, zero exposition given, evil black FBI agent
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2021
A compelling stand-alone suspense / domestic espionage story about a heroine who learns it's really hard to go home again. After turning whistleblower when the SEC raids her corporate law firm, she takes her law degree to the FBI - who soon farm her out to infiltrate a environmental/BLM group in her former college town that's making too much noise for the local biotech firm with a juicy government contract. But once she's back in northern California, there's a lot that isn't adding up - including the dead body found in a back alley that the cops are trying (and failing) to pass off as "just another junkie OD."
Mixed in with the suspense is a pretty steamy romance thread between the heroine and a college professor. It leaps around a bit in timeline, but I was soon hooked on the heroine. A good solid read by a new-to-me author that I'll happily read again.
Mixed in with the suspense is a pretty steamy romance thread between the heroine and a college professor. It leaps around a bit in timeline, but I was soon hooked on the heroine. A good solid read by a new-to-me author that I'll happily read again.
September 19, 2020
Probably 3.5 but I'm rounding it up because after this book I'd love to read more from the author. Interesting plot about a whistleblower turned FBI agent, who's sent back to her old neighbourhood because a black militant group of teenagers has been causing some trouble with a big biotech corp ... but all might not be what it seems. Being a rookie agent, not only is she still figuring her job out, but she still has a lot of baggage and trauma from her past that bleeds into her life and relationships. The author does a great job of developing a complex character, and an interesting story line. The plot is relatively fast paced, but without sacrificing the story. The secondary characters were also intriguing - but some of their story's felt half-formed - like I wanted to know more about them. Also - I did get a bit of inst-love vibe, but 'imma forgive it this time because they were grown and hella curte. This is a quick and easy story to get into - read it!
October 3, 2020
I'm not an American, I'm not black and I don't belong to any kind of minority where I live - but I've always had a heart for minorities. As far as I can tell, this novel by Aya de Léon gives great insight into a community I don't know much about.
The most interesting part of this novel was the character development, how insight will change your mind. The love story was a nice bonus, but the main focus was on Yolanda's inner struggle between her ambitions as a lawyer, now FBI agent undercover, and her new found friends.
With all this said, the main storyline about the FBI's meddling to support a criminal business corporation is a really suspenseful thriller.
All in all a gripping combination of social criticism, milieu study, love story and spy thriller.
The most interesting part of this novel was the character development, how insight will change your mind. The love story was a nice bonus, but the main focus was on Yolanda's inner struggle between her ambitions as a lawyer, now FBI agent undercover, and her new found friends.
With all this said, the main storyline about the FBI's meddling to support a criminal business corporation is a really suspenseful thriller.
All in all a gripping combination of social criticism, milieu study, love story and spy thriller.
October 18, 2020
This was such a nice read. The romance is secondary to the themes of social justice but I knew that that's how Aya de León writes. Here the plot was more contained than in other books. The characters were interesting and the chemistry was fantastic once the book shifted toward the romance. I do wish that the main character was not quite so judgmental. It is part of her story arc but it was hard to hear her internalized self hatred and anti-Blackness.
I received an ARC on Netgally. All opinions are my own.
I received an ARC on Netgally. All opinions are my own.
dnf-nfn
February 2, 2022DNF (Did Not Finish) @ 7%
So, I totally missed the whole "spy" part in the title when I decided to pick up this book... *face palm*. I had heard it was a really cool romance that had social justice and completely tuned out the part about it also being kind of an espionage thriller type book, which just isn't my thing! The social justice themes were VERY good in the beginning of the book, though, so if you like spy stuff and social justice, give it a try!
So, I totally missed the whole "spy" part in the title when I decided to pick up this book... *face palm*. I had heard it was a really cool romance that had social justice and completely tuned out the part about it also being kind of an espionage thriller type book, which just isn't my thing! The social justice themes were VERY good in the beginning of the book, though, so if you like spy stuff and social justice, give it a try!
July 19, 2021
This one was readable most of the time, but the writing felt amateurish occasionally. There seemed to be a lot of unnecessary detail and I could have done without the graphic sex. It seemed there were some holes in the plot too. Just ok.
November 4, 2021
Shelf This! Book Club pick Nov. 2021. Can't wait to discuss this one! I've already said this 100 times but if you are interested in When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole, this is very comparable. Aya de Leon narrates the audiobook herself!
January 23, 2021
First time reading this author and it was enjoyable! I was not expecting it to reference current events, such as Covid, blm etc. Imagine she wrote this fast!
June 2, 2021
If you enjoyed this book then you'll love my interview with Aya on the Crime Writers of Color podcast!
Check it out here: https://www.crimewritersofcolor.com/c...
robert
Check it out here: https://www.crimewritersofcolor.com/c...
robert
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February 17, 2021“My situation was unique . . . being an African-American woman working undercover is exceptionally stressful . . . When I wasn’t on assignment . . . I would stay in bed, isolated and along, for days. ” – From Clean Dirt: A Memoir of Johnnie Mae Gibson, FBI Special Agent
Aya de Leon’s A Spy in the Struggle is not the typical spy novel but I’m here for it. Who says James Bond is the only spy that matters? We’ve heard his story already so let’s hear about the Johnnie Mae Gibsons and Yolanda Vances of the world.
Yolanda Vance had her heart set on working as a lawyer in Manhattan. As an African-American woman, Yolanda went against whatever stereotypes were in her way to become a lawyer. She seemed to run into the argument of whether she was too black or not black enough, depending on who was doing the questioning.
She was still succeeding in her plan for a legal career until the law firm was investigated by the FBI. Then Yolanda turned over evidence that would end that law firm and also her career in corporate law. So she had to say goodbye to all of her fancy Manhattan dreams. She was a whistleblower and wasn’t exactly sorry about doing the right thing.
Yolanda isn’t a quitter but she was blackballed by most law firms so she has to find a new path to success. To make ends meet, she became part of the legal team at the FBI. Yolanda’s first post is in New Jersey. It’s not fancy but it is a stepping stone.
After a short time at the New Jersey post, Yolanda is given an undercover assignment in the San Francisco area. She went to college at Cartwright College, which is in the San Francisco Bay area in this book.
Yolanda is given the assignment because she is African-American with ties to the area. They don’t want her to stick out like former agents have in the past. She is given the task of infiltrating a black extremist organization, Red, Black and GREEN!, who is supposedly harassing Randell Corporation, an industrial contractor with the U.S. Government. Yolanda quickly catches on that RBG is just trying to defend the people in the community.
A local woman, Anitra Jenkins, has been killed. The cops say it’s a heroin overdose but Anitra’s grandmother is telling anyone who will listen that her granddaughter was murdered. Grandmother Jenkins believes that Anitra saw something while working at Randell Corporation and she was killed for it.
Yolanda wants to do the right thing for the people in the community and the RBG group. She believes that the group has been helping the youth and also the homeless community. Her boss wants to protect the corporation and accuse RBG of doing terrible things. How can Yolanda do the right thing and stay alive? Will she be able to keep her relationships with the RBG group and her new boyfriend if they find out that she’s been spying on them? She is really walking a dangerously thin tightrope.
If you are a grassroots activist that truly wants to make a positive difference or if you just want good to overcome evil, then you will probably enjoy A Spy in the Struggle.
Here is a short list of people who will not enjoy this book:
Corporate big whigs who have to win at all costs.
People who choose money above everything.
Proud Boys. Also, whoever enables racists and their groups.
I received this ebook from NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Obviously.
Amazon affiliate links included in this post.
Aya de Leon’s A Spy in the Struggle is not the typical spy novel but I’m here for it. Who says James Bond is the only spy that matters? We’ve heard his story already so let’s hear about the Johnnie Mae Gibsons and Yolanda Vances of the world.
Yolanda Vance had her heart set on working as a lawyer in Manhattan. As an African-American woman, Yolanda went against whatever stereotypes were in her way to become a lawyer. She seemed to run into the argument of whether she was too black or not black enough, depending on who was doing the questioning.
She was still succeeding in her plan for a legal career until the law firm was investigated by the FBI. Then Yolanda turned over evidence that would end that law firm and also her career in corporate law. So she had to say goodbye to all of her fancy Manhattan dreams. She was a whistleblower and wasn’t exactly sorry about doing the right thing.
Yolanda isn’t a quitter but she was blackballed by most law firms so she has to find a new path to success. To make ends meet, she became part of the legal team at the FBI. Yolanda’s first post is in New Jersey. It’s not fancy but it is a stepping stone.
After a short time at the New Jersey post, Yolanda is given an undercover assignment in the San Francisco area. She went to college at Cartwright College, which is in the San Francisco Bay area in this book.
Yolanda is given the assignment because she is African-American with ties to the area. They don’t want her to stick out like former agents have in the past. She is given the task of infiltrating a black extremist organization, Red, Black and GREEN!, who is supposedly harassing Randell Corporation, an industrial contractor with the U.S. Government. Yolanda quickly catches on that RBG is just trying to defend the people in the community.
A local woman, Anitra Jenkins, has been killed. The cops say it’s a heroin overdose but Anitra’s grandmother is telling anyone who will listen that her granddaughter was murdered. Grandmother Jenkins believes that Anitra saw something while working at Randell Corporation and she was killed for it.
Yolanda wants to do the right thing for the people in the community and the RBG group. She believes that the group has been helping the youth and also the homeless community. Her boss wants to protect the corporation and accuse RBG of doing terrible things. How can Yolanda do the right thing and stay alive? Will she be able to keep her relationships with the RBG group and her new boyfriend if they find out that she’s been spying on them? She is really walking a dangerously thin tightrope.
If you are a grassroots activist that truly wants to make a positive difference or if you just want good to overcome evil, then you will probably enjoy A Spy in the Struggle.
Here is a short list of people who will not enjoy this book:
Corporate big whigs who have to win at all costs.
People who choose money above everything.
Proud Boys. Also, whoever enables racists and their groups.
I received this ebook from NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Obviously.
Amazon affiliate links included in this post.
November 14, 2021
All of Aya de León's books are five star reads to me. I love her style of Black feminist political romance. The "spy" is Yolanda Vance, a rookie FBI attorney, who didn't sign up to be a field agent, but was tapped for a surveillance gig because of her race and age. The targeted activist group is Red, Black, and GREEN (RBG), a Bay Area youth-oriented environmental nonprofit--obvious terrorists duping teens into Black identity militancy.
I say that ironically, but bootstrapping high academic and athletic achiever Yolanda thinks the RBG kids are whiners, who inaccurately blame all their woes on racism. It's not like she has a lot of faith in white people, but having attended boarding school and a historically women's college, she's been in majority white communities since her early teens.
Getting to know the RBG crew and seeing how police react to a rally help Yolanda see what she's been missing while living the elite life, which of course doesn't go over well with the FBI. Plus there's a dude...
I say that ironically, but bootstrapping high academic and athletic achiever Yolanda thinks the RBG kids are whiners, who inaccurately blame all their woes on racism. It's not like she has a lot of faith in white people, but having attended boarding school and a historically women's college, she's been in majority white communities since her early teens.
Getting to know the RBG crew and seeing how police react to a rally help Yolanda see what she's been missing while living the elite life, which of course doesn't go over well with the FBI. Plus there's a dude...
Want to read
December 3, 2020Thanks to BookishFirst for giving me a chance to read an EXCERPT of this book!!
This book had me drawn from the first sentence!! Just the way everything was illustrated, and how relatable, and likeable the main character was, made this book wonderful. I've never read any books by Aya De Leon before, so I didn't know what to expect in her writing style or voice, but 'A Spy in the Struggle' did NOT disappoint! If given the chance to read the complete book, I think it would be on my favourites of 2020 list, because just the way the beginning is written, and the way it's shaping up was fantastic!!
I don't know how the rest of the book will be, and all I know is that I can't wait to get a copy, and learn more about Yolanda, and where her journey takes her! I'm also going to try out Aya de Leon's other books because she seems like an author whose writing style I will LOVE!! Here's to hoping I win this raffle (🤞🤞), because I know that I will DEVOUR this book!!
This book had me drawn from the first sentence!! Just the way everything was illustrated, and how relatable, and likeable the main character was, made this book wonderful. I've never read any books by Aya De Leon before, so I didn't know what to expect in her writing style or voice, but 'A Spy in the Struggle' did NOT disappoint! If given the chance to read the complete book, I think it would be on my favourites of 2020 list, because just the way the beginning is written, and the way it's shaping up was fantastic!!
I don't know how the rest of the book will be, and all I know is that I can't wait to get a copy, and learn more about Yolanda, and where her journey takes her! I'm also going to try out Aya de Leon's other books because she seems like an author whose writing style I will LOVE!! Here's to hoping I win this raffle (🤞🤞), because I know that I will DEVOUR this book!!
September 24, 2025
Liked it a lot super interesting loved the ending
March 4, 2021
A fast-paced, light read. I enjoyed this title overall. I think it'd be a great vacation read!
I love having a read with Black and brown characters doing things and driving the action (and the white folks are in supporting roles!)
The twists and turns were fun; a bit clumsy at times, but surprising. Yolanda changing her mind and opinions about the FBI and RBG seemed somehow clunky.
I also thought the background sections were excessive and unnecessary. Her father, her mother, the hot Latino cop, etc...all that could have been more efficiently done.
I love having a read with Black and brown characters doing things and driving the action (and the white folks are in supporting roles!)
The twists and turns were fun; a bit clumsy at times, but surprising. Yolanda changing her mind and opinions about the FBI and RBG seemed somehow clunky.
I also thought the background sections were excessive and unnecessary. Her father, her mother, the hot Latino cop, etc...all that could have been more efficiently done.
March 14, 2021
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2021 - A book about a social justice issue
I tried to like Yolanda, but I really couldn't. I liked Jimmy even less, if that's even possible.
I tried to like Yolanda, but I really couldn't. I liked Jimmy even less, if that's even possible.
April 13, 2021
I honestly found this book a little puzzling. The concept was unique and I like how it touched on real issues and was topical (there is even a Covid reference) but the main character was so flat. Her thinking was very black and white and childlike. It was very difficult to believe she was an adult woman. I finally had decided that the book must have been aimed at high school aged kids or younger (there is a storyline with student activists and the entire plot of the book is presented in a very simplistic way) when about 3/4 of the way through there is a lengthy and fairly explicit sex scene. Which is fine but hardly YA fare and honestly made me slightly uncomfortable because the main character never felt like an adult woman to me. I know she was supposed to be in her late 20s but she easily could have been a decade or more younger in her inexperience and mindset.
One nitpicky thing— the book also kept referring to the main character a “whistleblower” but I don’t think she was—she didn’t seem to have any idea her company was doing anything illegal until one morning when they told her to shred some documents and she thought it was weird so she stuck the documents under her sweater and headed down the hall to presumably look at what they were. Then the next second, the FBI was there raiding the office and she still had the documents under her sweater. Wouldn’t the whistleblower be the person who tipped off the FBI in the first place? She gave them evidence but that’s not quite the same thing. It was brought up again and again.
I had high hopes for this book but they weren’t met. Disappointing because I had been eager to read it for many months now.
One nitpicky thing— the book also kept referring to the main character a “whistleblower” but I don’t think she was—she didn’t seem to have any idea her company was doing anything illegal until one morning when they told her to shred some documents and she thought it was weird so she stuck the documents under her sweater and headed down the hall to presumably look at what they were. Then the next second, the FBI was there raiding the office and she still had the documents under her sweater. Wouldn’t the whistleblower be the person who tipped off the FBI in the first place? She gave them evidence but that’s not quite the same thing. It was brought up again and again.
I had high hopes for this book but they weren’t met. Disappointing because I had been eager to read it for many months now.
February 14, 2021
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. When her prestigious New York law firm is raided by the FBI, Yoland turns on her corrupt bosses to save her career. Her determination has taken her to a new position at the FBI, where she is sent undercover to infiltrate Red, Black, and Green, a Black activist group in her California college town that has been dubbed “extremist”. Yolanda is determined that this undercover assignment needs to be a success in order for her to get back to a life in corporate law. All of that is thrown into chaos when a suspicious death and a romantic connection open her eyes.
A spy thriller with a social justice aspect? Sold! Aya de León has created a fun, engrossing, educational, and timely book that spans beyond the crime fiction genre. From the moment I met Yolanda Vance I felt an instant connection that continued to build as I learned more about her past. Watching Yolanda work with and bond with the members of Red, Black, and Green were some of my favorite moments of this story, as we saw walls coming down on all sides and truly got to bond with the characters in this book.
In addition to an all-around delightful thriller, A SPY IN THE STRUGGLE has an intense romantic plotline that I normally wouldn’t be on board for, but found added so much more to this story. I really wasn’t expecting to read this book and find a whole lot of steam packed into the pages!
A huge thank you to BookishFirst and Kensington Books for my gifted copy!
A spy thriller with a social justice aspect? Sold! Aya de León has created a fun, engrossing, educational, and timely book that spans beyond the crime fiction genre. From the moment I met Yolanda Vance I felt an instant connection that continued to build as I learned more about her past. Watching Yolanda work with and bond with the members of Red, Black, and Green were some of my favorite moments of this story, as we saw walls coming down on all sides and truly got to bond with the characters in this book.
In addition to an all-around delightful thriller, A SPY IN THE STRUGGLE has an intense romantic plotline that I normally wouldn’t be on board for, but found added so much more to this story. I really wasn’t expecting to read this book and find a whole lot of steam packed into the pages!
A huge thank you to BookishFirst and Kensington Books for my gifted copy!
January 22, 2021
Aya de Leon, a skilled storyteller, once again showcases her skills in this gritty exploration of social injustices through a Black feminist lens that is not often represented in publishing.
Yolanda Vance is grateful for the job opportunity to be employed as an FBI attorney, after being the whistle blower at a prestigious corporate law firm that was raided by the FBI. Being successful is a top priority for Yolanda, so when she is recruited to go undercover to infiltrate an African American activist group that is deemed “extremist”, she gladly accepts and is determined to make this a “win” for her. But, as the FBI’s goals and reports do not match what she is observing, Yolanda will have to make choices that may be harmful to her safety and her heart.
This is a layered and compelling tale that seamlessly weaves in issues of environmental racism, corporate corruption, and government surveillance in compelling and entertaining way.
A SPY IN THE STRUGGLE is utterly engrossing, entertaining, informative, preceptive as the snappy dialogue and careful characterizations move riveting plot along at quick pace.
I am glad to see more and more spy thrillers with a Black female protagonist and hop to read more in the future.
Yolanda Vance is grateful for the job opportunity to be employed as an FBI attorney, after being the whistle blower at a prestigious corporate law firm that was raided by the FBI. Being successful is a top priority for Yolanda, so when she is recruited to go undercover to infiltrate an African American activist group that is deemed “extremist”, she gladly accepts and is determined to make this a “win” for her. But, as the FBI’s goals and reports do not match what she is observing, Yolanda will have to make choices that may be harmful to her safety and her heart.
This is a layered and compelling tale that seamlessly weaves in issues of environmental racism, corporate corruption, and government surveillance in compelling and entertaining way.
A SPY IN THE STRUGGLE is utterly engrossing, entertaining, informative, preceptive as the snappy dialogue and careful characterizations move riveting plot along at quick pace.
I am glad to see more and more spy thrillers with a Black female protagonist and hop to read more in the future.
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