In 1960s Memphis, a young mother finds refuge in a boardinghouse. Sara King has nothing except her secrets and the baby in her belly, but she is welcomed with open arms by Mama Sugar, a kindly matriarch and owner of the popular boardinghouse The Scarlet Poplar.

Like many cities in early 1960s America, Memphis is still segregated, but change is in the air. News spreads of the Freedom Riders. Across the country, people like Martin Luther King Jr. are leading the fight for equal rights. Black literature and music provide the stories and soundtrack for these turbulent and hopeful times, and Sara finds herself drawn in by conversations of education, politics and a brighter tomorrow with Jonas, a local schoolteacher. Romance blooms between them, but secrets from Mama Sugar’s past threaten their newfound happiness and lead Sara to make decisions that will reshape the rest of their lives.

A disclaimer for this one- even though this is the prequel, I think it works best if you read this one AFTER you read Saving Ruby King. We don’t get to know a ton about Sara’s backstory and why she’s running in this one, and it helped me understand her as a character having known her backstory.

Right away, you can tell Sara has a complicated relationship with her son Lebanon. She is very guarded and not one to let people in, but the people she meets at the boardinghouse are so welcoming, she can’t help but thaw. You’ve got this story about two complicated and strong women set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement- i love that the author was able to incorporate current events of the time.

The writing in this book is outstanding- I recommend the audio, because the narrator Adenrele Ojo really brings the characters to life, but i liked having a hardcopy too to highlight.

This is a bittersweet story about Friendship and making tough choices, and what happens when you have no choice but to carry on. I really enjoyed it.

The Two Lives of Sara is *almost* a prequel to Saving Ruby King. I'm not suggesting reading Saving Ruby King first but it does help to understand this book better.

Now, on to the quick rundown: Sara moves to Memphis to make a new life with her baby. Although she has created a new family with her new community, happiness doesn't last long for Sara. She is forced to make decisions that affect her and her son forever.

This book is mostly about family. Family doesn't have to be blood related; family is who loves you and chooses you. Sara tried to move on from her past, but in the end, secrets and resentment showed its ugly head.

The Two Lives of Sara by Catherine Adel West is an incredible story that focuses on community, trust, motherhood, race, trauma and faith (or the lack thereof). I had read West’s earlier book Saving Ruby King, which actually has connecting characters. I didn’t realize it at first, so I can assure you that this book can be read as a standalone.

The book is set in Memphis after Sara, the main protagonist, leaves Chicago, pregnant and angry. West was able to get across her feelings and emotions with poignancy and grace. Even the hard things, like trauma, abuse, post-partum depression and grief were handled with care.

Her new life working with Mama Sugar is her salvation and I could smell the biscuits and pies baking. We all need a Mama Sugar in our life, someone to tell it like it is, but wraps it in a cocoon of love.

One of the strengths in the book was West’s character building of the misfits at the boardinghouse. They were multi-dimensional with layers of goodness and pain. There was a good amount of tension in the book which kept me turning the pages with fury. I will absolutely be adding this author to my list of auto-buy authors. Great storyteller and excellent with the written word.

Quotes I liked:
"Wishing is for children and I haven’t been a child for a long time.”

“I don’t hate anyone, Sara. Not white people. Not my momma’s husband. Not my Momma. Nobody. If I hate, I’m giving up one set of chains for another. Hating is a habit. Like loving is. And I make it a p oint to never take on bad habits if I can.”

“…mercy is in short supply. Giving a little of it, surely means you can find some yourself you’re in need of it.”

“But grief and loss don’t go by a calendar, and they really don’t give a damn about your sanity or your schedule.”

Beautifully written but a challenging read just due to the sheer number of misfortunes that the characters come across. Overall still a really well-written story with well-developed characters though.

This was an amazing read! Catherine Adel West's 'The Lives of Sara' introduces us to Sara living in Memphis with a child she appears to not love much. Through flashback chapters, we read of Sara's previous life in Chicago and the series of events that had her quickly looking for an escape. Sara grows and changes in Memphis and begins to live freer. She begins to love those around her and turn them into her family. She eventually finds love with Jonas and begins to dream again of having her own family and happiness. In a tragic accident, Jonas loses his life and she quickly retreats and suffers at his loss. Sara eventually decides to leave her daughter by Jonas with their friends who could not have children and venture back to Chicago with her son to try to rebuild some semblance of a life. This was a touching, moving read which detailed Sara's struggles and those of many black people in Memphis in the 1960s.

Ms Catherine made me feel so many emotions in this story. I don’t think I’ve ever cared for book characters this deeply before. Also, spent the last 30 minutes of this story crying so there’s that.

Listen, this is a hard book to read, ok? But it is so good and beautifully done. I know many people were wanting that happy ending but this ending is real life. It’s not butterflies and rainbows. And quite frankly it is a good ending for them, even if we can’t see it just yet. They will be ok.

If you are interested in this book, go in knowing it is hard. I think you will really enjoy it. Catherine has the gift of storytelling.

Another @netgalley book over here!! Thank you so much @parkrowbooks for allowing me to read The Two Lives of Sara by Catherine Adel West. I also used @hoopladigital to listen to the audiobook. This released in the beginning of September.

The Two Lives of Sara is kind of a prequel to Saving Ruby King. We are following Ruby’s grandmother, Sara. In this book we are able to finally understand Sara’s past and understand what made her be the character we meet in Saving Ruby King.

❤️Review❤️

It’s hard to say that it was great to see where Sara was coming from. I say this because Sara’s past is no easy read. Sara is the type of character who encounters disaster after disaster. Every time you find hope it shatters. You might be asking, what makes this book so enjoyable then? The answer: Catherine Adel West’s writing is everything. She’s descriptive in the most beautiful way. Each character, event, food item, etc is done with such purpose and finesse that you can’t help but to be engaged in the story. I definitely tested up a couple of different times. Sara does not have an easy life. If you enjoyed Saving Ruby King, like historical fiction, or enjoy seeing the backstory of an unlikable character, then this book is for you!

4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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I absolutely adored Saving Ruby King, so picking up this novel was a no-brainer for me. Catherine Adel West is a magician when it comes to an immersive plot and well-written characters. There were some moments where I wish the pacing was a little faster, but overall I truly could not put this book town.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Saving Ruby King was one of my favorite books of 2020. I was SO excited when I heard there was a prequel coming out and Catherine Adel West did NOT disappoint us. While this could be read as a standalone, I got so much more out of it knowing the contents of SRK. Read that first, but then DEFINITELY pick this up!

In the 1960’s, an unmarried, pregnant Sara leaves Chicago to escape her family with their secrets and problems. She has nothing, except her secrets to take. In Memphis, she ends up in a boarding house with her baby in Memphis where she finds friendship and more. At the boarding house she works for Mama Sugar (the landlady) in the kitchen and raises her baby boy. Memphis is still segregated but Martin King is fighting for equal rights. Sara is drawn into conversations of education, politics and a brighter tomorrow with Jonas, a school teacher. They fall in love but Mama Sugar’s past threatened their love with each other. What is in Mama Sugar’s past? Sara ends up making decisions that will change their lives.

The author writes a novel about the stories we tell to protect ourselves and our secrets. It is a novel of motherhood, family, grief and reinvention of one’s life. There is hope, resilience, and unexpected love in Sara’s life. I loved how inclusive the novel is with the background of a woman on her own and what was currently happening in the time period she lived in. It’s an excellent novel that will “stick “with you.

From my blog: Always With a Book

A few years back, I read, and absolutely loved, Saving Ruby King. Since then, I have been waiting for Catherine Adel West’s sophomore novel and let me just say…it did not disappoint. Catherine Adel West has proven, at least to me, that she is a must-read author and I will for sure be reading anything she writes.

This new book, a companion novel to Saving Ruby King, is the type of book that is bound to evoke so many emotions and yet I cannot recommend it enough. I am actually jealous of those who get to read it for the first time, for those who get to experience that beauty and heartbreak that they will encounter while reading this story because all of that is contained within this novel.

One of my favorite parts of this story is just how complex the characters are, especially Sara. When we first meet her, she isn’t the most likeable of characters and is very closed off to everyone she comes into contact with. Slowly, over time, she starts to let others in, and in doing so, we start to learn more about her. This is where the other characters come into play, specifically Mama Sugar and the others at the boarding house that Sara has run to. I loved these characters and how they taught her that family isn’t always created by the people related to you.

This book explores complicated family secrets and the idea of letting go. It also fully immerses us into the Black culture and that in and of itself is worth the read – the food, the music, the literature mentioned within these pages really brought this all to life and had me going down a rabbit hole on Google of all that I wasn’t familiar with. This is why I love historical fiction – because I am constantly learning!

This book is as powerful as it is heartbreaking. It is hard not to feel all the emotions while reading this and yet there is the sense of hope throughout. I highly recommend this book, and her other book, too if you haven’t already read it.

Sara arrives in Memphis with only her secrets and the child growing in her belly. Luckily she finds Mama Sugar, who starts as a boardinghouse to stay at, but becomes her family. While the freedom riders are fighting, segregation has certainly not disappeared from the town. Will Sara and Mama Sugars secrets ruin everything they have built?

I absolutely adored Saving Ruby King! I was so excited for this one but I honestly thing it might be wrong time for me. While I really enjoyed it, it didn’t give me the same feels as Saving Ruby King. I did love the story of Sara, Lebanon, and the rest of the characters, and the writing was just beyond gorgeous. Overall I really liked the story, I was just expecting a bit more after Ruby King. I think part of it was that it has been so long since I read Ruby King, I don’t fully remember Sara’s character in that book. That said, it was a truly beautifully written book and I loved diving into Saras’s back story, it just made me want to re-read Ruby King!

Book review for my latest read, The Two Lives Of Sara by Catherine Adel West

Thank you to @netgalley for this copy to read and review. This book was published on September 6, 2022 so you can grab it at your local bookstore. Our virtual bookclub will be discussing this one and I can wait for that with @bookfriendsbookclub.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a powerful, sad, frustrating book. Sara King is running from a bad situation in Chicago and finds a home at a boarding house in Memphis. She is pregnant and alone and the owner of the boarding house, takes her under her wing.
Sara is short tempered, angry and sometimes at first you struggle to love her. As she grows and you meet all the rich characters, Mama Sugar, Will, and Jonas, you see her open her heart to the love that they poor on her.
Sara has had a lot of heartache and she is a cool cookie in that she trusts no one. I struggled with the ending though. The probably last 6 chapters made me mad. I am anxious to discuss this one in the author chat!
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The Two Lives of Sara follows a young woman in trouble as she struggles to deal with her painful past, hopeful for a better future.

The novel is set in Memphis. As someone who lived in Memphis for several years, I really enjoyed reading this book, and the setting rang true to me.

Set in the 1960s at the cusp of the civil rights movement, the book isn’t actually all that political. Although there are snippets throughout.

Instead, West focuses on the day-to-day struggles of Sara and her newfound family at the Scarlet Poplar. I appreciated how West used to the ordinary lives of her characters to showcase broader themes. This was especially true in the way each character grapples with faith in the midst of tragedy.

Three stars. This is a good book but the pacing feels off and it at some point I felt like I was reading two different books. It goes both fast and slow after at the half point. I did enjoy this book but not as much as I wanted to. I felt myself rushing towards the end and then being pushed towards it.

Saving Ruby King was one of my favorite reads and I'm thrilled to say that The Two Lives of Sara is just as memorable and another 5 star read for me!⁣ I was happy to see Sara King return. In this story she is pregnant and fleeing the violence and secrets of her home.This is a sad book full of grief and loss, BUT also a hopeful one due to Sara's resilience and never-ending pursuit of a better way. The prose was poetic and the character development were done so well that I felt like I knew them. I fell in love with Sara even though she has a rough exterior. She is so strong and tough. I just wanted to hug her. With the help of her best friends, she escapes Chicago, seeking refuge with strangers in Memphis. Mama Sugar (in Memphis) welcomes Sara into her boarding house as an assistant in the kitchen where Sara learns more than just recipes. The kind hearted matriarch and her boarders create a family and support network for Sara as she learns how to move forward.
For such a young woman, she has already felt too much. And seen much worse. ⁣I am also a Memphis, so this was extra cool to read!

Deeply touching story about life for a single mother of color in Memphis in the 1960s. West expertly draws you into the characters' lives, adversities, and triumphs. Would highly recommend this read.

Shirt and sweet review:

Get ready to visit 1960s Memphis in this new novel called The Two Lives of Sara! Sara travels to a boarding house in Memphis with only a baby in her belly. She has lots of secrets, but Mama Sugar takes her under her wing. This book is slower paced, but beautifully told. Stick with it and you won't regret it!

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for my gifted copy. I recommend it! 💗

DNF. Unfortunately, this was a book I started multiple times but could just not get into. I loved Saving Ruby King but I just struggled to engage with this one.

I appreciate having the opportunity to read this book, it was just not a good fit for me as a reader at this time.. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted review copy.

Powerful. How do you find the power to love yourself and also forgive yourself. Sara is a young girl running from her past with a secret. The future and family she comes to know will have you feeling all the emotions she does and waiting for what happens next. Spectacularly written with characters that come alive on the pages and carry you from one page to the next.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley, Catherine Adel West and Park Row Books for hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner