It’s a story about finding light in the darkness. Finding strength in your weakest moments. Speaking up. Expecting more. Settling for less. It’s about fighting to survive.

Catherine Adel West’s novel Saving Ruby King was a tough read for multiple reasons. Firstly, it just so happened that I started reading it right when the world exploded into chaos in response to the death of George Floyd. Reading a story about a black family’s struggle through life on the south side of Chicago after reading yet another news article about yet another act of senseless violence in my home country felt like too much sadness all at once. Too much reality.

Secondly, it was tough because racism was the least of the characters’ worries. It was simply another cross they had to bear, on top of a history of emotional and sexual abuse within the family that was perpetuated across generations. The abuse was then made worse by the fact that no one would talk about it. Everyone involved simply pretends nothing is wrong, even when they know it’s not right.

I’m not going to lie to you and say this was an enjoyable read. It was beautifully written and I loved that the neighborhood church had its very own voice. But, it also made me sad, it made me mad, and it made me feel helpless.

Nevertheless, in the end, it also gave me hope. Hope that no matter what our history, we can forge our own path. We can create light and spread love where there was none before. We can be different.

This book also served to support the advice that many people have wisely given during this historic and divisive period in our lives. Get uncomfortable and get communicating. About everything. About every single detail that makes each and every one of us who we are. Listen and learn. Secrets and ignorance breed hatred and misunderstanding, and I think we’ve had enough of that. It’s time to forge a new path.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ruby was born to a loving, but weak, mother, and a tormented and violent father. Her life, and the lives of others close to her, are visited by demons from their pasts. The novel is wonderfully written and has identifiable characters.

I love this novel.

This book was such an incredible surprise. I requested this book on a whim. I kept hearing about it and the I loved the sound of the premise. This book is about a black community in the South side of Chicago, dealing with family secrets, police brutality, racism, and domestic violence. There were a number of characters and I thought the author did an incredible job of developing each of them and giving them rich backstories. I think my favorite point of view was that of the Calvary Church itself. Since the church was such an important part of the fabric of the community, I loved that added touch. Those chapters gave a more nuanced look at some of the happenings with the other characters of the book. The author’s writing was incredibly detailed and vivid and she did a wonderful job of drawing me into the story. I loved the mystery of the characters and the secrets and the author built up an incredible conclusion that was both shocking and satisfying. I definitely recommend this one.

What a powerful story! This isn't just a family saga, but a community saga. We learn about the horrors of growing up in the King family through generations and see the effects that those atrocities have on so many people. In the end though, this is a story of forgiveness, hope, and the bonds of friendship. I enjoyed the different POVs that are used to narrate the story and the element of suspense that kept the story moving. There was a lot of shifting between the past and the present, which can be challenging to follow. If you liked this book, I would recommend "Monday's Not Coming" by Tiffany D. Jackson. It's a YA book, but tackles some hard topics and would be a good read-alike. Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row for the digital ARC!

I really struggled with this book. There should be some major warnings with it. I was disgusted by the amount of people that ignored or looked the other way when it came to abuse of the main character as well as abuse of characters in the past flashbacks. Nothing excuses that, especially when it comes from a minister. Don't get me started on the abuse committed by a minister. Also, I'm not a fan of making things like a building a main character. Yes, a building narrates a portion of the book. This was not a book for me.

This novel packs a heavy punch from the beginning! Told through multiple point-of-views, the narrative is constantly shifting between characters and periods of time. The novel mainly follows two best friends, Ruby and Layla who live on the South Side of Chicago. Layla is a Preacher’s daughter and her father is hiding secrets. Ruby is broken after the death of her mother and wants to desperately escape her abusive father.Alice King’s untimely death is shrouded in mystery and opens up many secrets about the past.

Everyone has so many secrets in this novel that feel like it’s going to burst at the seams. People keep up appearances, but on the inside they are broken and filled with regrets. West really connects the readers with the characters and reveals the hidden depth of their thoughts. Among the mystery plot West tackles numerous subjects in her story such as racism, gentrification, church, abuse, and police brutality.

"That’s where we all end up anyway— dead, with some kind of ball in our hands or paraded around in front of reporters and carted off to cages. History comes around to visit sometimes and the repeats ain’t always pleasant. That’s what they think about us: we’re entertainment or sacrifice of some sort.."

It’s interesting to see how all of the narrative intertwines as the story progresses. When the past starts to repeat itself then things feel very real. Saving Ruby King is a difficult read, but a well written story. The characters and the plot have such depth to them. The multiple pov aspect had me heavily invested in the story. As soon as West gets to a cliffhanger point she switches characters viewpoints to reveal yet another piece of the puzzle.

The narrative is tightly woven throughout the story, but as the plot progresses the secrets start to slowly unravel as secrets come to life. Each character is dealing with immense trauma that is shown in different forms. The more I read, the deeper I was pulled into the characters web. I liked the intense dialogue, realistic characters, and the suspense factors that gave it a mystery feel. This novel also packs in a lot of social commentary that is relevant without bogging down the story as a whole.

This book overall packed a powerful punch. It never lost its momentum over the entire course of the story. West’s writing kept me invested in the story that paints of vivid portrait of Chicago’s community, but also a story of characters who’s lives are forever changed by subsequent events. This is a fantastic debut novel!

TW: Violence, Death, Abuse, Rape

“Saving Ruby King” was a great debut novel from Catherine Adel West! The story flowed smoothly, and the writing was so beautiful it had an almost poetic nature to it; I simply couldn’t put it down!

This book paints an emotional picture of the lineage of trauma throughout Ruby’s family, and the friendships that held them together over generations. I loved how dynamic the characters were, both the good and the bad, but I also loved the personification of the church, as if it were an innocent bystander following the lives of these characters.

Overall, I loved the story and was very surprised by who murdered Ruby’s mother. While the book didn’t end how I originally thought it would, I believe it still left the reader with a message of hope and redemption. Highly recommend!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3414377114

Stop what you are doing and order this book. Right now. I will wait. Every now and then a book comes along that is so impressive, so gripping, so absolutely spectacular in scope and execution that I want to just run through the streets and hand out copies to everyone that I meet. Saving Ruby King is that kind of book. Catherine Adel West, you deserve all the awards and I am forever a fan of your work after reading this stunning debut about the King and Potter families. This is easily one of the best books I have read all year - a million stars to you.

Ruby’s mother has been murdered, but it’s the south side of Chicago, so the cops aren’t exactly worried about finding her killer. Unfortunately for Ruby, it means she is left with only her abusive father as family. Her best friend Layla wants to help her, but for some reason Layla’s father always bows down to Lebanon (Ruby’s father.) While Ruby tries to escape, and Layla tries to help, the accidentally unlock the secrets of the past.

Wow. That’s really all there is to say with this one. This book was excellent! Besides loving the characters, one of my favorite parts was having the voice of the church be one of the points of view. I have only seen that done in one other book but I really love that it adds another layer to the story. The deep dive into abuse as it travels through generations was fascinating and sadly I think incredibly accurate. There was so much hurt, anger, grief, and sorrow in this book, and right now felt like the perfect time for this book to make its debut into the world. I think everyone needs to read this one (especially if you have ever even thought about muttering the words “Black people kill each other more than the police kill them.”) Also, if that’s your response to police brutality, kindly unfollow me. The writing in this book was so beautiful and I cant wait to read what Catherine Adel West comes out with next! This one is on shelves now and I promise, you DO NOT want to miss out on reading it.

"Rebellion even in its smallest forms can eventually birth great change," and we are able to see this great change in many characters within this book as they deal with death, abuse, secrets, and a friendship that withstands it all. I typically avoid realistic fiction preferring to leave real life behind when I read but this book is a must read! I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be recommending to friends.

Thank you to the publishers for giving me a copy of this book for free on NetGalley for an honest review

Book Review: Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West
Harlequin / Park Row Publication Date 16 June 2020
Genre: Literary Fiction / OwnVoices (I got an e-ARC from Netgalley)

I downloaded this book a day or two before the publication when it was available on Netgalley, as I wanted to read something different from the usual genre fiction.

Detailed review at: https://anups.net/2020/07/01/book-review-saving-ruby-king-by-catherine-adel-west/

If the walls could talk...⁣
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Oh where to begin with this beautiful and powerful book? Saving Ruby King has everything...friendship, family drama, faith, murder, mystery, secrets, love. Told across alternating timelines with multiple POVs, one of the book’s most powerful narrators is Calvary Hope Christian Church. And this church, as a witness to generations of human turmoil, weaves this intricate tale of complex characters together. It’s truly amazing. ⁣

Thank you @parkrowbooks and @netgalley for the e-galley.

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I wanted so so much to like this book after reading all the positive reviews.

First, what I appreciated. The themes that were explored in this novel - racism, love, class, friendship and family, and how secrets meant to protect can break families apart. The idea of the novel was brilliant.

I did, however, figure out the twists from earlier on. But the ending was pretty unexpected.

The whole novel would've been so much better with better plotting and characterization. I just couldn't feel for the characters, whose voices felt similar to me at times. There were times it felt a little preachy too.

Maybe this book just wasn't for me. Many other readers enjoyed this.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Saving Ruby King is a powerful and timely debut novel from Catherine Adel West that explores topics such as domestic violence and trauma alongside a complex family multigenerational drama. Much more than a typical family drama, there are also elements of mystery and discussion of racial tensions, making this book as important as it is entertaining.

While I enjoyed the story and writing overall, I feel the characters were a bit flat and could have used a bit more complexity to make them feel more real and let readers empathize more with what's happening.
Still, it was a four-star read and I look forward to reading more from West in the future.

Many thanks to Park Row Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I loved pretty much everything about this book, but especially the role the church building played and how the history was told.

Saving Ruby King was recommended by several of my book friends, and during a Zoom call they got me so excited I had to read it myself! I wasn't even sure what the book was about other than the fact the story line takes several turns your not expecting.Sold! Well I finished, couldn't put it down, and I'm still thinking about it after I finished it. The story line, the characters, and the progression of their relationship really draws you in. I'm so thankful I got the opportunity to read this amazing book.
Alice King is loved by all so when she's found murdered everyone wants answers. The obvious killer would be Alice's husband since he's a known felon and his violent reputation proceeds him. Alice leaves behind her daughter Ruby who will now be her fathers main target. Chicago police are used to crime on the South side of town, just another incident of crime in a poor black neighborhood. Ruby has a very close friend who is willing to do anything to help her escape, even if she'll put her own life in jeopardy trying. The town, the church, even family are willing to hide secrets and lies from the past to protect their own, but that comes at a great price. Can Layla come to terms with her own fathers past and help Ruby start a new life? How can Ruby escape when her father is watching her every move? Will the family and friends find out who killed Alice? So many lies and secrets but in the end the truth will come out.

Saving Ruby King is a really good, slow burning, character driven, literary suspense novel with some elements of mystery. After the initial first scenes where murder of Alice King, Ruby's mom occurs, the first half of the novel reads as a love letter to the South Side of Chicago's people and history. Some may be tempted to rush through the historical, social, and political narratives in the book, but do not because these elements shape the character's choices and influences the storylines. It is set in fictious Black church named Calvary. Ms West writes the novel from multiple perspectives, Ruby, Layla, Lebanon, Jackson, with the church building itself serving as the narrator binding the multiple perspectives and storylines together. The book has a nonlinear timeline going from the 1960s to various points before and after Alice King's death. Tough topics are tackled in this novel incest, suicide, as well as multigenerational trauma. The characters are complex and imperfect but never misunderstood and the dynamics of the characters relationships particularly Jackson and Lebanon as well as Ruby and Layla are riveting. The second half of the novel is where the drama and the secrets of the past start to unfold and because the reader knows the characters backstories so intimately and their relationships with each other so intricately the reader becomes enthralled by the storyline. The second half of the book is where Ms. West's writing and storytelling shines. I look forward to reading more of Ms. West's work in the future. If you are looking for a solid literary suspense novel that will educate you on the trials and tribulations of the Black experience in America, particularly within the microcosm of the Black church, then I think Saving Ruby King is a great book to pick up.

Told from multiple points of view, Saving Ruby King is a multigenerational story of two Black families on the south side of Chicago. Traumatic events over the years have both linked and driven a wedge between the families, and healing the wounds of the past seems impossible.
One of the narrators of the novel was the voice of the Calvary Hope Christian Church and what has taken place within it’s walls. It was such a unique storytelling device and so brilliantly done.
I loved this #ownvoices debut novel. @cawest329 depicted Chicago, a city I’ve sadly never visited, in such a way that I felt like I was in the story. The friendship of Ruby and Layla, and all that they went through for one another, was so beautiful.
I really loved it and highly recommend picking this book up. •
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This is a beautifully written, engrossing story. The author writes beautiful, real, flawed characters and I absolutely love how she wrote the church building as a character with a story to tell. She also made the South Side of Chicago come
alive. I was also happy with the ending. Everything was tied up, but not too neatly. Overall, an excellent book that I will happily recommend.

Saving Ruby King is a powerful story that explores some heavy topics with trauma and domestic violence while weaving a mystery with a family saga that spans over decades, bonds and loyalty through friendship and gives a voice to racial injustice.

Through the voices of a few characters, Catherine Adel West tells us what it is like for a black community of faith living on the South Side of Chicago while painting a clear picture for us. She writes with empathy, grace and gives hope while exploring redemption and forgiveness. At times this picky reader struggled to connect with the characters and preferred to have been shown through their actions more allowing me to feel with the characters rather than for them.

I enjoyed the narrative of the chapters by the Calvary Hope Christin Church that perfectly reveals some turning points to the story that added some suspense to the story for me.

I enjoyed the twist to the mystery that came as a surprise for me. The built-up to the reveal was overshadowed by some excessive drama, however, everything wrapped up well for me and I appreciated this insightful story that left me feeling the author's voice shined through. I highly recommend

"There is a time for war, but peace that's the real prize."
"You need to figure out when to fight and when to be still"

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.