A thought provoking novel about a marriage that looks perfect on the outside but is broken beyond possible help. A wife, Mother, whose only way of handling the problems is running away. A husband trying to understand and pick up the pieces.

A powerful debut that explores the difficulties of motherhood, marriage, and finding time for your wants, needs, and desires. I struggled through the first half of the book because the pacing was entirely to slow. I felt like a lot of things could’ve been left out because there were parts of the story I just didn’t care for. The slow build-up almost lost me too.

The second half of the novel is where I became invested and cared to know what was going to occur next. While I enjoyed the author going in depth and really painting a vivid picture of what Efe and Sam were going through. Did she really have to go all the way back to the beginning of everything? I didn’t really find their relationship interesting and honestly I didn’t like Sam.

Usually I’d throw in something to describe the book but today I’m not going to do that. I want to focus on what statement the author was trying to make with the novel.

Motherhood is EXHAUSTING!!! Enjoyable and a blessing yes but at the end of the day it’s not for everyone. If you don’t have a support system which Sam really wasn’t supportive then it gets tiring doing it by yourself. As a mother the responsibilities revolving around the care of the child ALWAYS falls on mom. If dad decides he doesn’t want to do it anymore he can leave and NOBODY will make a huge fuss about it.

So, I actually loved that the author flipped the script and showed what it’s like if mom decides to walk away because it’s all too much. Was Efe wrong for leaving Sam with his kid? Maybe but again if Sam would’ve walked away what would’ve been the difference? He was not understanding at all with what Efe was dealing with because she did exactly what his own mother had done. LEAVE!!!

Overall, the book was pretty decent I changed my rating from 3.5 to 4 only because the last few chapters and that unexpected ending. The author did an amazing job focusing on two tough topics. I do recommend you guys give it a read just be prepared for the slow pacing. Special thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for my advanced copy.

Wow. Just wow. This story took me through a range of emotions. It was so well written. The way time was marked made the book read like a movie. I enjoyed it being set in two countries. The ending was so unexpected. I never saw the story taking that turn and ending the way it did. You just need to read it. It’s like sitting in on someone’s therapy session or something. It gets really deep. No one is innocent which is what I think makes this relatable. At times I hate all the main characters. Then I understand them. I was taken on a journey. I’m not sure I’ll read anything as good and thought provoking this year.

Where to even start? This debut author officially has my undivided attention! I LOVE character driven stories that span over decades and here we get to grow up with Sam and Efe, watching them evolve into a couple and attempt to maneuver what life hands them. It’s sad, relatable, hopeful. I loved Everything about it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was difficult to read, as it reminded me so well of the difficulty I faced after each of my kiddos was born, but I think that just shows how well the characters were written and how realistic the characters felt. This story was done so well, and I enjoyed Rootless even though it’s a little more emotionally fraught than my usual read.

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- this was a messy, complicated, yet raw exploration of a marriage falling apart, and what a mother does in order to pursue what she truly wants in her life.

- the author wrote these characters in a raw, unflinchingly honest way, showing their personalities and motivations through their actions. readers, especially myself, can understand the appeal to these character as we watch them struggle and flourish.

- the writing style flowed nicely across the page, and i didn’t struggle reading through each page. the writing style fit the story matter well.

Do you remember those columns in the women's magazines of the 1970s and 1980s called "Can This Marriage Be Saved?" When I was a kid, I loved reading about marriages and the crises that could occur in one at any time and even from unexpected events. Rootless, the debut novel by Krystle Zara Appiah, focuses on a marriage in crisis, but it's way deeper than a monthly magazine column.

Sam and Efe met in school as tween-age children and stayed friends for years until they realized that they were meant to be a couple. The book chronicles their relationship and subsequent marriage through a variety of life events near London. Efe originally came over from Ghana and quickly makes friends with Sam. He's her rock in many ways, but are they well-suited for one another?

Other questions arise during this book about marriage and relationships between couples and family members, which layer this book in more than the central marriage. You wonder, can a couple in crisis come to a compromise? Should a couple with very different needs, wants, and goals be together and stay together? What makes a marriage stronger or weaker? And can families stay together or reunite despite unfortunate choices and past hurts?

Once I started reading this book, I was hooked. The cover is really stunning, and the story even more so. There are many twists and interesting developments. You really get into the depths of many relationships between the cast of characters. And the characters are nuanced and make very human mistakes. Sure, they were selfish at times, but it went with the characters, and they felt very real to me. I really enjoyed this book for this and many other reasons. And Efe is a complex character who makes choices that you may disagree with, but you understand her motives behind those choices.

Although this is a debut novel, you would never know that this is the author's first time. It's so well-written and captures all the emotions of the characters and the dynamics between everyone. It really kept me captivated and wanting more. Hopefully, the author will write future novels because I will be right there to enjoy them.

Honestly, I should have loved this book. Unfortunately it just didn’t do it for me. For some reason I couldn’t connect or focus on it. I tried reading the e-book as well as listen to the audio version and still could not make it through. I always want to love and cherish books BIPOC so it really troubled me to not finish it.

I just loved Rootless! It is the story of Efe" and Sam who together and separately traverse their marriage and their coming into their own as individuals and as a couple. Family of origin, vocation, motherhood, marriage--they face it all. The book engaged me right away and I finished It in one day on the beach. This is a debut novel and I will be eager to read future books from this author.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Rootless in exchange for an honest opinion.. Rootless is on sale now.

Thank you #netgalley for this ARC.
This story of Sam and Efe takes us back to how they met in school, and where they are now in life married, with a child. When Efe leaves Sam, he doesn't know what to do or how to handle it.
The story is told from the point of view of Sam's current life, and the memories of how he and Efe met.

I honestly wasn’t expecting to like this book as much as I did but boy did it draw me in and grip me hard. It took me about a week to get through the first half of the book and then a few hours to finish it. Honestly, if I hadn’t been reading a different book at the same time, the first half wouldn’t have taken nearly that long. It is a very emotional book, or at least it was for me as a mother. I could definitely relate to Efe but also sympathize with Sam. They really were stuck without good answers but sometimes that’s just how life works and you have to find a way through it. I won’t spoil it but that ending… Overall a tough but really good read.

Debut author, Krystle Zara Appiah released an unforgettable novel. This story is engaging, breathtaking, unforgettable, and unpredictable.

This book opens with one of the main characters, Sam coming home to discover that his wife Efe, was missing - gone, no where in sight. Frantically Sam first checks to make sure his daughter Olivia is with the sitter, and then calls around in hopes to learn of Efe's whereabouts.

The author thoroughly develops the character of Efe leaving the reader emotionally attached to this character. Efe experience challenges as a mother, including post-partum depression. She tries hard to overcome and not get swallowed up in a deep dark hole. She struggles with her life as a wife, living up to expectations of her husband. She continues to live a life of pleasing others, especially family members. Efe makes decisions hoping to redefine who she was prior to marriage, motherhood, etc., ultimately making a major decision that interrupts and upsets life as she knows it.

Sam, loves his wife and loves being a husband. He imagines having a family, children and believes his desire is an easy feat. He finds himself reshaping his life with Efe and Liv, but also with his extended family. He is accountable, responsible and believes life with his family is going well. As great as he is, he tends to lack empathy and compassion that is needed to navigate through the crisis that he and Efe will face. With broken promises, he continues to hold a high standard with expectations of Efe notwithstanding what Efe wants, or does not want.

One decision made by Efe, affects the life of everyone around her. Will this couple continue to grow and build together, or will Efe's decision leave this couple uprooted and permanently shattered?

Appiah's storytelling is incredible especially the movement in this book. I enjoyed the alternating settings between UK and Ghana, such a rich perspective, Though I typically do not enjoy reading books that include the use of flashbacks throughout the entire novel, I do applaud Ms. Appiah for her bravery as a debut author to use this literary device.

Sometimes, it's a struggle becoming rooted when everything around you is shaky. Great job Krystalle Appiah.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for allowing me to receive an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed and will follow this author.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I still gave it a 4 because it went a little slow to me. I would still recommend this book.

I enjoyed Rootless, a debut novel set in Ghana and London. It’s the story of Sam and Efe through friendship, marriage, motherhood, and relationship struggles. A powerful love story; I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC.

Wow! I can't believe that this excellent book is a debut. Krystle Zara Appiah has presented a gripping story about family, marriage and friendship with realistic view on the struggles that often accompany those relationships. The author does a good job of showing us life's struggles. Family isn't always easy. Parenthood is not always joyful. Relationships take slot of work. And most importantly, how one can lose themselves by always putting others first. Great book. Thanks #NetGalley #BallentineBooks

I know I’m an unpopular opinion on this one but I just could not get excited about this book. I would read a chapter or two a night and then promptly forget about it and not pick it up again for days. That pattern continued for about a month until I finally decided to DNF at 25%. I was excited for a book along the same vein as Maame but was disappointed. I needed maybe a bit more back and forth between timelines because I was finding myself bored with the story of young Efe and just wanting to know what happened to her!
I didn’t find myself connecting to or even liking any of the characters either.
It almost felt as if there was too much trying to be tackled in this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

this was my first introduction to lit fic / women fiction and i am glad it was. the writing was so very poignant and moving from the first page and the changing from the present to the past for majority of the book was so ingenious and impactful

I started really enjoying this book. I was so curious why Efe decided to leave her husband and child. As the story continued, and we learned about Sam and Efe's lives, I became a little restless. I wanted the story to speed up a little and I didn't really need all that history. Thank you, NetGalley.

{{4.25}}

This book was a bite slow but good. I liked the setup based on dates. I really enjoyed the MC's journey. This book made me look at each character & try to determine if they were right or wrong in certain choices they made.

Wow, this really tugged at my heartstrings. Rootless is engaging and special. It explores heavy topics with sensitivity and love, and I thoroughly enjoyed the angst that came with it. Definitely check this out!