The Indie Next List
Give audiobooks, support local bookstores!
Start gifting
Bookseller pick
Send as gift
Add to Wish List
Almost ready!
In order to save audiobooks to your Wish List you must be signed in to your account.
Log in Create account
Shop small, give big!
With credit bundles, you choose the number of credits and your recipient picks their audiobooks—all in support of local bookstores.
Start gifting
Limited-time offer
Get two free audiobooks!
Now’s a great time to shop indie. When you start a new one credit per month membership supporting local bookstores with promo code SWITCH, we’ll give you two bonus audiobook credits at sign-up.
Sign up todayThe Truth According to Ember
Narrator
Siena East
This audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn more
Length
9 hours 7 minutes
Language
English
Bookseller recommendation
“This was such a fun, sweet, and steamy read with a flawed main character just trying to catch a break in a society that creates so many obstacles for marginalized individuals. Ember is such a relatable character who has parental trauma and always tends to find herself in the 'fixer' role for her family, to the detriment of herself. I love Ember and Danuwoa's chemistry and their banter is hilarious. Danuwoa is truly a 'Native Daddy' with a dirty mouth. I absolutely loved this and 100% recommend it!”
— Keeley • Ink Drinkers Anonymous
Bookseller recommendation
“Ember - a down-on-her-luck Chickasaw woman who manages to score a job in the Oklahoma City tech sector by lying on her application - and Danuwoa, the fellow Native man she meets at work, stole my heart. I loved their relationship, I loved the back and forth and slow burn of it all. And I really loved the way Nava wove in the ways Native peoples are treated and the struggles and triumphs they have. Siena East did a remarkable job narrating, capturing the essence of each character. I didn't want to stop what I was doing so I could keep listening! An excellent romance. ”
— Melissa • Watermark Books
Bookseller recommendation
“STOP I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!! This book was a TRUE ROM COM!!! Ember was such a complex fmc and while some of her actions were frustrating, she was so funny, endearing, and hard working. I was rooting for her from page 1. While this book overall was hilarious, I loved the emotional undertone when this book highlighted family, especially Embers. I loved Ember and Danuwoa’s instant connection and how quickly they fell into their friendship. Their slow burn forbidden romance is one I won’t be forgetting any time soon. DANUWOA ?????????????? The dirty mouth on him was so unexpected but so right. The Dear Listener on the audiobook had me tearing up. I need EVERYONE to go read this book!!! ”
— Meghan • Lark & Owl
A Chickasaw woman who can’t catch a break serves up a little white lie that snowballs into much more in this USA Today bestsellin rom-com by critically acclaimed author Danica Nava.
Ember Lee Cardinal has not always been a liar—well, not for anything that counted at least. But her job search is not going well and when her resumé is rejected for the thirty-seventh time, she takes matters into her own hands. She gets “creative” listing her qualifications and answers the ethnicity question on applications with a lie—a half-lie, technically. No one wanted Native American Ember, but white Ember has just landed her dream accounting job on Park Avenue (Oklahoma City, that is).
Accountant Ember thrives in corporate life—and her love life seems to be looking up as well: Danuwoa Colson, the IT guy and fellow Native who caught her eye on her first day, seems to actually be interested in her too. Despite her unease over the no-dating policy at work, they start to see each other secretly, which somehow makes it even hotter? But when they're caught in a compromising position on a work trip, a scheming colleague blackmails Ember, threatening to expose their relationship. As the manipulation continues to grow, so do Ember’s lies. She must make the hard decision to either stay silent or finally tell the truth, which could cost her everything.
Danica Nava is an enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and works as an Executive Assistant in the tech industry. She has her MBA from USC Marshall School of Business. She currently lives in Southern California with her husband and daughter. The Truth According to Ember is her debut novel. You can find her on Instagram at the handle @danica_nava.
Featured in these playlists...
Reviews
“The Truth According to Ember is a truly funny and wonderfully heartfelt comedy of errors with a plucky, lovable heroine I rooted for from page one. Danica Nava is a fresh, exciting new voice in the world of romantic comedies and I can’t wait to see what she does next.”—Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Funny Story
"It's the details that really bring this book to life...It's funny and messy in the best way, and I was rooting for Ember even as she dug herself deeper and deeper."
—The New York Times
“A dazzling debut filled with hilarious and loveable characters. I couldn’t put this book down and I can’t wait to read what Nava does next!”
—Hannah Grace, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Daydream
"My heart was in my stomach as I watched Ember weave herself a tangled web and have to figure her way out. Danica Nava's The Truth According to Ember gives us a fresh, relatable heroine in Ember, who has been so focused on helping everyone else that she doesn't always know how to ask for help herself. And Danuwoa! No wonder Ember blushes every time the swoony IT technician tells her to unplug it and plug it back in. This book provided the perfect escape mixed with the perfect amount of grounded reality, bringing the characters to life."
—Alicia Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of The Art of Catching Feelings
"Danica Nava has created a fantastic heroine in Ember Lee Cardinal, whose good heart and determination to do the right thing are as admirable as her occasional lies are understandable...Nava guides Ember along a compelling journey of empowerment while tackling complicated issues of identity, racism, corporate corruption, and the pain and joy that family can bring. And the book is so funny, too! The characters shine, each of them unique and interesting and so real they could step off the page. The Truth According to Ember was a delight from start to finish, and Nava delves into both heartbreaking and life-affirming topics with wit and wisdom. Danica Nava's writing is fresh, funny, and romantic, and I will read anything she writes."
—Sarah Hawley, author of A Werewolf's Guide to Seducing a Vampire
“Fresh, funny, and full of heart, The Truth According to Ember delivers a romantic comedy delight. Ember is lovable and laugh-out-loud hilarious, and her journey as she learns to lean into the support of her community, discovers unconditional love, and embraces the power of telling her truth, is wonderfully touching. This is a romance I won’t soon forget.”
—Chloe Liese, USA Today bestselling author of Always Only You
"There are so many reasons to love The Truth According to Ember, from this being a swoony and smart debut, to author Danica Nava's authentic and thoughtful Native representation on the page, to a heartfelt love story with all the delicious workplace romance tropes that will have readers obsessed (like me)."
—Vanessa Lillie, USA Today bestselling author of Blood Sisters
“The Truth According to Ember is a witty, laugh-out-loud delight that deals with important themes and delivers much-needed perspective—all while being an utterly stellar debut of a romance. I can’t wait to see what Nava does next!”
—Lana Ferguson, USA Today bestselling author of The Game Changer
“The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava is a hilarious, heartfelt journey of ambition, identity, and reinvention. Ember Lee Cardinal, a sharp-tongued dreamer from Oklahoma, is fed up with dead-end jobs and the biases keeping her out of the corporate world. Her solution? A well-intentioned lie about her ethnicity. But when her new career collides with Danuwoa, a charming co-worker, things get messy fast. Unapologetically bold and laugh-out-loud funny, Nava’s debut tackles identity and ambition with a side of romance that sizzles.”
—Nikki Payne, author of Sex, Lies and Sensibility
“The author delivers some delicious rom-com moments while also sensitively portraying the overt and covert racism her characters face. ... With wit, smarts, and abundant heart, this office romance is a triumph.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The Truth According to Ember offers readers a modern Native American love story, one that embraces and illuminates the realities of what it is to be a Native person in the U.S., while delivering a heartfelt happy ending.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“A captivating romance that effortlessly balances laugh-out-loud scenes and heartwarming family moments.”
—Kirkus, starred review
“With relatable storylines about identity, family, and self-worth and endearing characters, this steamy rom-com is a strong debut and a must-have for romance collections.”
—Library Journal, starred review
“A big-hearted romp of a first novel.”
—Elle
“This book is more than just a workplace romance; it’s a searing look at all the ways women of color – particularly Indigenous women – must navigate structural injustice and oppression. The sizzling chemistry between Ember and Danuwoa doesn’t hurt either. All in all, a heartwarming and laugh-out-loud read.”
—NPR
“Witty banter, little lies, and juicy scandal make The Truth According to Ember a captivating novel for readers.”
—SheReads
“Ember is a delightful heroine.”
—BookRiot Expand reviews
Give audiobooks, support local bookstores! 
Libro.fm for Business
Start a membership, get two free audiobooks