Before I Let Go. Kennedy Ryan. 2022. Forever. 400 pages. [Source: Public library.] Before I Let Go isn’t the first book I’ve read by Kennedy Ryan, but it is absolutely the one that’s solidified her among the authors whose releases I’ll run to. This story of a newly divorced couple finding a new normal is an emotive read that pulls back a curtain on grief and healing. Yasmen and Josiah Wade thought they’d be forever, and those around them looked to them as a model for a successful relationship. The pair had two beautiful children, a growing restaurant, and were truly seeing their wildest dreams come true in all facets of their life togther. But those dreams became a nightmare after back-to-back losses in their family, causing devastating ripples at home and work. Now, Yasmen and Josiah are forced to navigate coparenting kids who have their own new resentments and fears, running a business that was recently on the brink of collapse, and treading into relationships with other people. To say this was all unimagible is an understatement, but it’s the life they’re adjusting to. While the idea of a couple divorcing and coparenting isn’t a novel idea, their close…

Brooklyn. Tracy Brown. 2024. Griffin. 324 pages. [Source: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]  So thankful to have been chosen to give a review of this book. I’ve been a fan of Tracy Brown and knowing this was her last piece of work made it extra special. Very “Coldest Winter Ever” – esque, I both loved and loathed Brooklyn. Life dealt her a bad time but she has a special knack for turning a bad hand into the worst possible scenario. The book had moments of intense momentum and other times it felt like it dragged – something I find consistent with Tracy Brown’s works. Thankfully, she endears you so strongly to the characters that you ride the wave with no objections. 5 stars.

The House of Eve. Sadeqa Johnson. 2023. Simon & Schuster. 384 pages. [Source: Public library.] In her latest release, Sadeqa Johnson skillfully weaves together the lives of two women, seemingly worlds apart, whose paths eventually cross, leaving both forever changed. The resulting story is one that explores the lengths one will go to for acceptance and the pursuit of their happiness. It’s 1949. In Philadelphia, 15-year-old Ruby fights nonstop obstacles to obtain a prestigious scholarship that she knows are her only path out of poverty. In Washington, D.C., Eleanor is a focused undergraduate at Howard University who’s determined to make the most of her opportunity in a city far from home. Both find themselves in tempted by relationships that threaten to derail the carefully laid plans they’ve created for themselves. Ruby finds herself getting close to a neighborhood Jewish boy whose family isn’t as open-minded toward her as he is. Eleanor faces a similar situation, with a med student who comes from the “right” family with the “right” background, something she doesn’t share. For both, the book explores how they navigate their environments in their attempts to create stability and a sense of belong for themselves. Johnson has a way…

The Two Lives of Sara. Catherine Adel West. 2022. Park Row. 320 pages. [Source: Public Library.] The Two Lives of Sara opens with the titular character musing about her new life. Having fled Chicago only months prior, she’s still adjusting to life in Memphis, not only as a newcomer in the community but as a new mother as well. Her son, Lebanon, is a responsibility she’ll take, but bringing herself to connect with and love him is a task almost too much to bear because of what he represents to her. As she gets her bearings, she joins a tight-knit group of residents who make their home in The Scarlet Poplar, a boarding house run by Mama Sugar. To say Sara has trauma is an understatement. She is reminded constantly of her abusive life in Chicago, and is still grieving the loss of relationships with her loved ones. Much of this book felt like watching Sara try to settle into her new community and while simultaneously fighting against the feeling of trust and safety among people who came to care deeply for her and Lebanon. She spends a lot of time and energy resisting relationships and the possibility of building…

Brunch at Ruby’s. DL White. 2015. 408 pages. [Source: personal copy.] I love a good story about lifelong friends experiencing the ups and downs of life. Brunch at Ruby’s is no exception. The book centers three thirty-something year old women who’ve experienced myriad ups and downs of life, and share it over a meal at one of Atlanta’s beloved diners. Renee left the nest but came back to care for an ailing father. Debra is a married mother who finds herself embroiled in a scandal at her school. And Maxine is an upwardly mobile real estate mogul who just wants to find her match. Brunch at Ruby’s stands out to me because as much as this book is a romance, it’s about so much more. The complexities of life, love, and career all play out in different ways for the three women. Even their friendship is complex. There’s an honesty here about the unspoken challenges of adulthood and it plays out differently for each of the three women. I had such conflicted feelings about the main characters while reading this book. So often books are written to make the reader root for the main characters simply because they’re the focus….