This one was really tough to finish. I kept losing interest in the story, characters, general progression. I did finish but this wasn't a favorite.

Sara is living in a boarding house in Memphis , circa 1960. She has an infant son who was born after her arrival from Chicago. Sara works as an assistant in the kitchen with the owner of the the boarding house. Sara has lots of secrets and a life from which she ran away.. But she learns that your past stays with you no matter where you live. I found the story engrossing, but depressing and at times it moved slowly.
I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
#thetwolivesofsara
#catherineadelwest
#netgalley

I just adored Saving Ruby King, and couldn’t wait to read the prequel which tells Sara’s story. Catherine Adel West once again swept me away with her beautiful writing and complex characters that have stayed with me long after I finished reading.

Themes of family, secrets, heartache, trauma and perseverance are woven throughout.

I really loved the narrator, Adenrele Ojo, who brought so much more to the story with her tone and inflection.

*many thanks to Park Row and Harper Audio/Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

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.

Audio thoughts: I had the opportunity to listen to this one and the narrator, Adenrele Ojo, was phenomenal! She made this story come alive with her narration. Her pacing and intonation was spot on and she infused just the right amount of emotion and tension into her voice as needed.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Park Row for allowing me to review the audiobook of The Two Lives of Sara by Catherine Adel West. I was so engrossed in this novel because Sara is from West's debut novel, Saving Ruby King. This prequel takes us back to Sara as young girl, raising her baby boy Lebanon in Memphis just as social changes begins to stir, setting a historical backdrop of the Civil Rights Era. What I liked about this historical fiction was that the history was peppered into the storyline such as during dialogue with the characters or a personal reflection of Sara. It demonstrated how not every African American was at the front lines fighting for their rights. Many were living normal lives, fighting their own day to day personal struggles.
The cast of characters in The Two Lives of Sara is rich and I loved every single one of them (besides Amos & Lucky). The character of Will was my favorite by far. Sara flees her home of Chicago to raise her son, and unexpectedly came to find herself in a whole new life that she could enjoy. She finally was able to stop embracing the bad that happened in her life and focus on the good. To add icing on the cake, Jonas steps into the picture and Sara finds him too good to be true. Does her skepticism keep her from crossing into the threshold of love or does the old adage of "old habits die hard" take root in her and causes her own self destruction? this novel is beautifully written and I was so happy to pre-order it once I found out about it. Catherine Adel West is definitely an automatic buy author!

Let me tell you about this shiny new beauty...⁣
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Saving Ruby King is one of my all time favorite books, and I’m happy to say that The Two Lives of Sara is just as memorable and engrossing, and another 5 star read for me!⁣
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With the help of her best friends, Sara escapes Chicago, seeking refuge with strangers in Memphis. For such a young woman, she has already felt too much. And seen much worse. ⁣
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Her story travels to unimaginable places of heartbreak and trauma all while harboring a devastating secret from her past. But with glimmers of the tiniest snippets of hope in this newly found family - she still struggles to let joy in for fear it won’t last. Does she deserve to be loved? Will she ever feel truly free? ⁣
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I am so in awe of Catherine Adel West’s writing. It’s so evident she chooses every single word so thoughtfully and carefully, and crafts her characters straight from her heart. You’ll want to savor ever single page.⁣
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Set in the time of segregation, with so much generational trauma and devastating tragedy, Catherine expertly sets the foundation for a powerful and emotional story. She skillfully enchants the reader along on Sara’s gut-wrenching journey of fierce determination, and endless resilience and perseverance. Just stunning.

I was happy to see Sara King from her first novel return. Sara is pregnant and fleeing the violence and secrets of her home.
This is an emotional read as Sarah is dealing with crippling anger, guilt and trauma. There is also hope and love as she forms a new family with Mamma Sugar and the colorful cast of characters at the boarding house. My mouth watered as they prepared wonderful soul food for their guests.
Sarah slowly opens her heart to love her child and a new love. Unfortunately, it seems that tragedy is always around the corner.
I reread many passages for the shear depth and beauty of the words. I loved that history of black music, literature and civil rights movement were woven throughout.

I knew Catherine Adel West would be an autobuy author for me after reading Saving Ruby King. Her writing is just soooo good… she put her foot in this one ya’ll! I was expecting nothing less than an amazing story with rich characters and this book delivers! It was definitely an emotional read as well. My eyes welled up through certain parts of this book and then I was full on crying… lawd! Catherine Adel West does this to me every time.

It is a quiet story of sorts but is complex at the same time. It takes place during the ‘60s in Memphis, Tennessee. We have a strong-willed and angry Sara King who enters town pregnant and is holding onto a secret she’s keeping close to the vest. Then you have the lovable Mama Sugar who takes Sara in. Mama Sugar is running a local boarding house and she also has secrets of her own. Sara (rightly so) has been hardened by what has happened to her. She has come to this new place to start anew, but can she? Will she be able to realize that good things are possible for her? Well, you’ll have to read it to find out! I could go on and on about this book! This is a story of love, found family, hard decisions, redemption and how the secrets we keep can either tether us or set us free.

I listened to the audio of this book which was narrated by one of my favorites, Anderele Ojo (a Philly native BTW). There is something hauntingly emotive about her narration that gives the characters life. This story pulled me in from the very beginning and kept me on the hook until the very end!

This book was one of my most anticipated fall reads, especially with its STUNNINGLY beautiful cover and considering how much I loved the author's debut book but sadly I could not get invested. The story was soooooooooooooo slow moving and I just didn't feel like there was enough action to drive the plot (was there a plot?) it felt very random and rambly. Sadly this was one I couldn't finish. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

If there is one author I can trust to bring out all the emotions in me while reading it’s Catherine Adel West. I first discovered West through her debut, Saving Ruby King, and knew I needed to read anything she published. Fast forward to The Two Lives of Sara and West is still breaking my heart with her poetic writing abilities.

Walking into this story, I wasn’t sure where things were headed. It’s clear that Sara has a history she wants to keep hidden. Along with an outstanding cast of secondary characters, the reader slowly unpacks these secrets. Sara is a captivating main character with a complicated outlook on life, trust, and love. Her journey in navigating Memphis and her new community pulls the reader in and vividly paints a series of events that will fascinate, fill you with hope, and break your heart.

I hardly ever cry while reading, but there are a handful of authors who can make that happen and West is one of them. The Two Lives of Sara is utterly brilliant and I encourage you to pick up a copy ASAP!

🎧: Highly recommend the audio version! The narrator is the perfect voice for Sara!

A huge thank you to HTP Books for my gifted copy!

I listened to The Two Lives of Sara as an audiobook - it just kept my attention, bummed each time I had to pause to do something else.

If you liked Catherine Adel West's Saving Ruby King, this will not disappoint. Sara is a young Black mother trying to start her life over in 1960s Memphis after trauma in Chicago. You see her struggle with the warmth of others in the community, the risk and reward of forming relationships, and ultimately how she values herself.

Thank you to Harper Audio, Harlequin Audio, and Netgalley for the ALC.

𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨!

A slow burn that captured me since the first pages. Beautifuly written, fantastic characters, full of history, love and second chances. A story that will stay with me for a long time. This is my first book from this author and it won’t be my last!.

Thank you HTP Books Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this gifted copy.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

Easily one of the most emotional and touching audiobooks I’ve listened to in a while. The narrator brought the story to life and differentiated each character with varying accents and character traits. Well done!

You know it's a great book when you want to yell at the main character! Surviving takes different forms for different people. I can see why Sara does what she does. She just can't catch a break. And when she does it is temporary. The ending was giving the third life of Sara.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and the cast of supporting characters. I will have to look into the backlist of the author.

Thank you to the publisher for a physical ARC and audiobook with NetGalley.

Extremely well done and truly connected the generations having first read Saving Ruby King. A story of love, loss, loyalty, motherhood and forgiveness. Set in Memphis in the 1960's Sara tries her darnedest to do more than survive. She wants more for herself and her family - and when she finds the place that feels like home she has no idea that her heart will nearly burst. Well done.

The Two lives of Sara is a sad story of a woman who bears a child after sexual assault. The plot was a bit slow and plodding but the writing is beautiful and quote-worthy!

Set in Memphis in the 1960's this story is ultimately about resilience, love and hope.
When the story starts the main character Sara, a black single mother, is struggling in a boarding house on her own. Surrounded by characters who are flawed but surviving, Sara learns about love and resilience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC in exchange for my review.
I would recommend this as an audio book because the narrator has a lyrical voice and that makes the story easy to listen to.

A leisurely paced historical family saga that takes place in the 1960s. This character-driven tale was informative, insightful, and entertaining.
Sara King has two lives. The life she used to have growing up in Chicago, Illinois; and, the life she currently has a Black, unwed mother in Memphis, Tennessee. After having fled a traumatic past in Chicago, she now works at a Boarding House for Black travelers which is ran by a lady known as Mama Sugar.. Ms Sugar is the family matriarch who steps up and helps Sara raise her sonLebanon, as well as, her grandson Will. Will's teacher. Jonas, sees a lot of potential in him, so he receives a lot of extra literary assignments and tutoring. At first, Sara and Jonas seem at odds with one another; but, they eventually become friends and start dating. After a while, Jonas and Sara get married, and Sara soon discovers that she is with child yet again. Will Sara finally get the happily ever after she so desparately desires?

This tells the story of Ruby King's (previous authors book) grandmother, Sara.. It's the 1960's, she's young and pregnant when she gets on the bus from Chicago to Memphis to live. She is taken care of by Mama Sugar--who is probably my favorite character in the book! She gives so many fantastic, quotable one liners throughout the book.

Being in the South in the 1960's we are presented with the struggles and policy issues that black people faced in the day through the eyes of Sara and those surrounding her.

The book was good...but felt slow and I never really knew where the plot was going or what the point was. I liked it, but didn't love it like I did Ruby King. The narrator Adenrele Ojo does a great job and it was enjoyable listening to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the advance audiobook.

DNF, I think this is one that I would need to read rather than listen, because it seemed like a good story, but it was boring to listen to.

This at its heart is a book about mercy, acceptance and hope. Sara is a young black woman in the 1960's fleeing her home for a new one in Memphis. She takes up residence with Mama Sugar in a boarding house where she births her son and learns about the realities of the world for an unwed black woman in the South. She is surrounded with characters who are flawed and yet surviving. She learns about her faith, how to accept her past and how to hope for the future even in the face of some awful events.

I'll admit, this one was a little hard for me to get into at first. It reminded me a lot of The Love Songs of WEB DuBois but I didn't have the same investment in the characters. Sara is a very hard person to love, her pain is so raw and her reactions so polarizing. But then we learn why Sara is as challenging as she is and my thoughts for her began to turn. I began to be so invested in her, Mama Sugar and Will's lives and was quite heartbroken as the hits kept coming for them. The arc of these characters is very powerful.

This is a super heavy read with lots of very bleak moments, while the writing is fabulous, I'm not sure it's a book anyone can just pick up any day and get into it. I would advise making sure you're in a good headspace before tackling this one. I'm not sure Sara ever gets to where I wanted her to be when the story ends, but that's a lot like life isn't it. We all just do what we can to cope and keep moving forward.

Thanks to Park Row Books via Netgalley for access to this audiobook. All opinions above are my own.