This is another powerful book by Sadeqa Johnson who also wrote Yellow Wife.

This story is set in the 1950's, and explore what motherhood can look like for young black women. There are two main storylines - one follows teenage Ruby who is overcoming her troublesome home life to get closer to achieving a college scholarship. She falls in love with a Jewish boy and starts to understand how society is unwilling to accept such a relationship. The second storyline focuses on Eleanor who falls in love with William while at university. William comes from an elite and wealthy family who isn't as excited about the relationship between William and Eleanor.

Ruby and Eleanor both experience pregnancies and the journey and struggle to motherhood. This is an eye-opening read about their experiences as young black women.

Sadeqa Johnson is my new favorite Author, this book will grab you from the first chapter, the book parallels two stories, sometimes when you read a book like that you end up liking one story better and you can't wait to get back to that part of the story, well this Author was able to make each story just as good as the other, Two biracial girls, both find themselves in love, and the boys mother not liking it at all, one girl has a mother that loves her dearly, the other, her mother doesn't want her around, afraid her slimy boyfriend might want her Daughter instead of her, thank goodness she has a Aunt who let's her stay there, with great hopes of going to collage and making something of herself. Its so hard for me not to say more about this book, I absolutely loved it.
I received this book from Net Galley, in return for my honest review. I give this book a big 5

Two women. Two stories. Two backgrounds. Two scenarios. One beautifully intertwined story.

Eleanor is in college when she meets the love of her life. They come from two different places. She grew up in a shotgun home, her parents worked tirelessly to afford to send her to college. He, from an affluent DC family…the difference in their upbringing seems to try to tear them apart.

Then there’s Ruby, a 15 year old, bright and intelligent and has her sights set on being the first in her family to attend college. She wants to be an ophthalmologist But her upbringing and circumstance seem stacked against her. She finds herself in an unlikely relationship, and then pregnant by the landlords son.

What I loved: The storytelling. I was enthralled with every other chapter bouncing between the two women’s lives. I found myself, late at night saying, “I can do just one more chapter”…which ended up being many, MANY more chapters!

What I did not love: The pace. I understand how, with so much information and spanning over the course of years, it’s hard to put all the details in real time order. Years passed between each part (which I LONGED to read).

I got butterflies when Eleanor got to know ‘Mr. Back.’ And I wanted to punch a hole through the wall when Leap kissed Ruby. And don’t get me started on Shimmy’s mom!!

Thanks you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this beautiful story!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

"

This is my second book by Johnson. I read Yellow Wife and it was so amazing, I couldn't wait to read another and this book did not disappoint. She is an author I will continue to read and look for her historical fiction. This book seemed very well researched. I loved this story, connected with the two main characters and liked how it was wrapped up at the end. I've not read a book like this and was pulled into the story of two women in the 1950's who dealt with being a woman/ mother in that time , love , and education and the trials they faced. I also appreciated the authors note with her background and her resources that I would also like to look up. I read this very quickly and didn't want to put it down.

I received this ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own

A short, easy-to-read novel about how pregnancies to unwed mothers were handled in the early 1950’s depending on socioeconomic status, and whether the mother-to-be was darker or lighter skinned. Although this book did not have the depth of Yellow Wife, it was well-researched and interesting. I enjoyed the author’s note at the end, and a connection to a character in Yellow Wife; and that the author is local to Richmond and includes references to the landmarks in the area. Worth the read!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was engaging from the first chapter. It is well written, and it is informative as well as entertaining. I appreciate the amount of research that went into ensuring the accuracy of historical references. I will definitely read more of this author’s work.