Sadeqa Johnson's Yellow Wife was a book that I found totally engrossing. I was excited to receive an ARC of Johnson's newest release, The House of Eve.

This is a story that tugged at my heartstrings. What will a mother endure for her child? What will a mom do to offer a better life for her child? What will a woman do to have a baby?

Set in the 1950s in Philadelphia and Washington DC, this is a story about Eleanor and Ruby.

I loved how Johnson tied all the characters together in the end.

Again, I will be anxiously awaiting future releases from Sadeqa Johnson.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Two different girls and how their lives intersect. The story was captivating.
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Two women…two cities…same situation…two different outcomes.

15 year old Ruby Pearsall is determined to earn a college scholarship, in order to escape poverty and a mother who put a man before her child. Meeting a Jewish boy named Shimmy only made the journey more difficult. Caught Up in a situation, forces Ruby to make a life-altering decision.

Eleanor Quarles is a young lady, whose family sacrifices to send her to Howard University. It's here that she meets William Pride and falls in love. Unfortunately, his elite family turns to their nose down to their union. She is determined to deal her position and approval by providing an heir. But, it isn't as easy as Eleanor thought, and what happens when her husband finds out that she's been holding a secret.

The introduction of the House of Eve plays an important role in the lives of both of these women. This house for unwed mothers offers an option for some and an answered prayer for others. This really touched my heart.

This is by far, is one of the best books that I've read this year. The storyline was intense and educational. My favorite character would probably be Ruby, because she overcame so much, in order to fulfill her dreams. Ironically, her mother was my least favorite character. She was just TRASH! I also loved the way @sadeqasays have the readers an update on a few characters from The Yellow Wife, at the end.

This book was my first read from Johnson and it was beautiful! The story of Eleanor and Ruby two African American women who are both trying to succeed in life in the 1950s when everything was against them not only for being African American but also female. Ruby is doing everything she can to win a scholarship to college and be the first in her family to make it out of Philadelphia and succeed in life. While Eleanor’s parent have given their lives ensuring she would attend college and she’s trying to fit into the elite crowds in DC that the man she falls in love with is a part of. Ruby finds herself in love with white man who pursued her and promised her the world, eventually falling pregnant and being sent away to hide the pregnancy and give the baby away. Meanwhile Eleanor has become pregnant by her boyfriend and is rushed into marriage to protect the family name, however soon after she loses their baby. Eventually these two ladies paths will cross in a tale of loss, love and second chances. This book steals your heart and has you deeply invested in each woman’s journey.

Ruby Pearsall is only 15 when her mother kicks her out of the house. Ruby turns to her aunt Marie for a place to stay so she can finish the We Rise program, and earn a scholarship to college. She falls for a boy she cannot marry and ends up alone and pregnant. It’s the 1950’s so she’s sent to a Catholic home for unwed mothers. There Ruby confronts firsthand the abdication of all rights concerning her and her baby's future.

In another storyline, a different young Black woman, Eleanor Quarles, is impressed when light-skinned William Pride, a Howard University student, falls for her. Enamored by his smooth manners and affectionate ways, Eleanor tries to imagine a future for them. But she doesn’t fit in with his upperclass Black family and is uncomfortable around his parents and their friends. But when she too becomes pregnant, they decide to marry, despite objections from his family.

Johnson covers a lot of territory with this story of teen pregnancy, interracial relationships, abusive homes for unwed mothers, light vs dark skinned Blacks and adoption. Ruby has so few choices while Eleanor has a loving partner to protect her. The two women’s stories run parallel to each other, finding an intersection at the end. It’s interesting and informative as well as moving.

Sadeqa Johnson writes books that are very readable. Her prose is just that good. This book was a bit predictable but no less enjoyable. It won't necessarily grab the reader as it was a more methodical read. Johnson used two timelines to show how racism existed in several social classes. Johnson also wove in the treatment of unwed pregnant black women, and their babies, in the 1950s.
Both Ruby and Eleanor had goals that they wanted to achieve. Each was waylaid by a romantic relationship that changed their trajectory. Neither romantic relationship seemed to truly have much depth in my opinion and there is where one of my issues with the book lies. It wasn't necessarily what I expected but I wasn't disappointed.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

Another fantastic book by Sadeqa Johnson - however, I loved The Yellow Wife a bit more. This is an incredible story of two women, loss, family, connection, adoption, and societal pressures. Excellent story - thanks so much for my copy!

Such a beautiful read. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this book! Add this to your list ASAP! It’s so heartwarming.

I loved This historical fiction. It was a great book with great story lines. I enjoyed How the story went back and forth between the two girls story lines. It was very well done and kept me interested the entire time.

Book 42 of 2023 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2
Vivid, Powerful, Memorable
The House of Eve is set in Philadelphia and D.C. in the 50s and tells the stories of Ruby and Eleanor with dual POV. Initially it’s not clear how the two women’s lives will intersect, but I was engaged in both of their stories and was eager to keep reading to find out. Many books have dual or multiple POV and in this particular book I feel like the dual POV really contributed to the story. I was invested in both of these characters and found them both to be well developed and memorable. This is an excellent read. The ending definitely provided resolution, but felt a bit rushed, which is why I gave it 4.5 stars instead of 5, but I would definitely recommend! #bookstagram #bookreview #thehouseofeve #sadeqajohnson

The House of Eve trades off chapters between Ruby, a 15 year old girl from Philadelphia, and Eleanor, a Washington DC wife. Ruby is a brilliant girl who has lived through her fair share of trauma. Ruby's mother provided her no stability and so Ruby found herself living with various family members. Ruby winds up pregnant and at a loss for what to do. Eleanor is married to William. William hails from a well-to-do family and Eleanor finds it difficult to fit in. Eleanor is unable to carry a child to term and we bear witness first hand to her struggles. This dual perspective narrative is full of incredibly powerful themes. Sadeqa Johnson poignantly intertwines these 2 women's lives on their journies of grief, loss, motherhood, and discrimination.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this book.

I always love a story set in a time when women's experiences were so drastically different than mine. Not that I hope for that for myself but I find it so fascinating how much women have endured. This story was fast paced, a bit predictable at times, but overall engaging. This is a story about race and classism and the history that still plagues us today (in my opinion.) I figured out the twist earlier on but I wasn't mad about it. Overall a good read for those who like historical stories.

This was fabulous! I was born and raised near Philadelphia so this story really drew me in right away. Two women and two stories yet so much the same when it comes to the struggles they endured. I am fascinated by women's history and this author nailed it! Every aspect! The story of unwed mothers is always a sad one but this book made it an enjoyable journey for the reader. Thank you Netgalley

My first 5 star read of 2023!

A beautiful story of two women living two completely different lives that are joined together by motherhood in its own ways. Birth, adoption, loss, love and life. The house of eve is about a temporary home run by nuns for unwed girls while their babies are sold off to wealthy families directly after birth. At the time when pregnancy for an unwed mother was noticed as a crime and a sin, made even more challenging for those living during segregation and racism. This well written story will open eyes to what women faced during those unprecedented times and what challenges they had to endure and how they make the best of what life throws their way.

This book was amazing! Sadeqa Johnson did it again. She was able to make me fee as though I was a character in the book, but watching everything unfold on the sidelines. Johnson's attention to detail proves that she's done thorough research and is now my new favorite historical fiction author.

Another wonderful story by Sadeqa Johnson. This story tells us about a very strong woman from a middle class family who meets her husband, who is from wealth. The secrets Eve keeps and the trouble with her mother-in-law is not helping her or her marriage. As a reader you are in for a surprise.

See full review on Atlanta Journal-Constitution website:

Virginia author Sadeqa Johnson’s second work of historical fiction, “The House of Eve,” is a provocative and heartrending tale about two young women forced to face the limitations of their reproductive choices in 1950s America. Ripping open the complex intersection of classism, colorism and gender inequality, Johnson has delivered a powerful statement on the cost of suppressing female autonomy that’s stunning to experience and impossible to forget.

Ruby Pearsall is a character born from Johnson’s family’s history. In the author’s note she reveals that her grandmother became pregnant at age 15 in 1955. Her grandfather was light-skinned and affluent while her grandmother was “mahogany brown and from the lower-class section of North Philadelphia.” Taking these kernels from her origin story, Johnson expands the narrative to explore the experiences of a handful of women who battle not just poverty and unwed pregnancy but discrimination from within their own community...

https://www.ajc.com/things-to-do/sadeqa-johnson-explores-classism-colorism-in-house-of-eve/W2R55JPCVBCHHNGHMLWED3LT5Q/

Amazing! The House of Eve is a book that will capture your heart and attention from the first to the last page.

This book deals with so much! Racism and how it affects so many in Philadelphia in the 50s. Two different perspectives, but both equaling dealing with struggles. Amazing book!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this book. I was not compensated for this review.

I devoured this story! Like her previous novel, The Yellow Wife, Sadeqa Johnson has a way of placing in you the timeline of history with her characters. Also, note that the connection between the two novels is brilliantly connected. The harsh reality of the times for young women and especially young black women is powerfully conveyed through the situations that both protagonists are faced with. At first, I didn't understand why one character's point of view was told in the first person and the other in the third person, but Johnson tied it together beautifully by the end. There's a juxtaposition of wanting each of these characters to succeed in their own story but also knowing that they both have to endure sacrifices to get there. The novel is compellingly moving and wonderfully written. Capable of evoking the heartbreaking emotions of young love, impossible choices, and difficult loss The House of Eve has been one of the best novels I've read this year!