This story is historical fiction but reads as if it's nonfiction, which speaks positively to the story's details and character development. I was quickly captivated by the main character, Drunetta, who I perceived to be brave, strong and inspiring. The story goes back and forth through different time periods, which I typically don't enjoy, but I thought that it worked well for this story. Drunetta found the courage to leave her cheating husband to start a new life away from everything that she knew for the sake of herself and her children. I appreciated the relationships between the characters as well as the historical settings that center around a changing society. My only criticism is that I felt like the ending of the book lacked a solid conclusion for the characters. If you enjoy audiobooks, I highly recommend listening to this one. The narrator has a nice voice and uses her acting skills well to portray the different characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Poetic Gems Publishing for approving my request. I got approved for the audio book and the e-book and I really enjoyed both. The story was very much organized like the book, Black Cake, and shares similar themes of generational trauma, multiple generations, and the healing journey. The book also spanned from 1957-2011, with some chapters going as far back as 1914. What I loved about the book were the multiple perspectives and individual stories of most of the characters. I really enjoy reading the back story of characters and knowing how they came about, why they behave the way they do. The main character of this book was Drunetta Brown, an oppressed black housewife and mother , and most of the book was from her POV. It was her story of leaving her drunkard husband, surviving in a new city, forming long lasting friendships with Sister Rose and Raycie and the journey of healing. She was a strong and courageous woman, and I was so happy to read about other strong woman characters as well, which was very uncharacteristic during the time the story was set in. There were many religious aspects in the story as well, where many references to God, the Bible, and hymns were made, and for someone who is not as religious or believes in God, they might like the story less. I, however, did not mind the references and liked how everything flowed so well. It is also important to note that some of the words used, or sentiments described, are dated, and no longer accepted in today's society. For example, during 1960-1970s, people were not very accepting of homosexuality and you will see a little glimpse of that in the story. Words like "loose" to refer women who had sexual relations with multiple men or "sweet" to refer gay men were probably used back in the day, but is not acceptable today. However, the whole story in general was very progressive, and the characters were admirable, and relatable. I really liked Raycie's character because she was unapologetic about how she was, did not judge others and did not care what people thought of her. She lived her life on her own terms and I love having characters like that in the story. Overall, the novel had multiple layers , multple timelines and perspectives, but flowed very well.

Overall, the novel had multiple layers , multple timelines and perspectives, but flowed very well.

The writing style is so simplistic, it was getting on my nerves within the first few minutes of listening. Won’t be continuing.

How We Healed was a great audiobook. The narrator was soothing and I enjoyed listening to the story. This is a story about family-biological and chosen, mistakes-made and forgiven, and friendship. Dunetta Brown is the main character and the story follows her as she figures out her life and the choices she makes to help her family. It begins in the 1950s and continues through the 2000s and I enjoyed how the characters grew and changed over the years.

I highly recommend this beautifully written story.

How We Healed is filled with life lessons about being a mother, daughter, spouse and friend, The main character inspires with her courage, strength and determination to love and care for her five children.. But she also tells you about her flaws and the mistakes that she has made that affected her children and those around her.

How We Healed is about Drunetta Brown, a young black women who escapes her marriage in the late 1950s. She flees to a city with three of her five children to start a new life. She has nothing with her except what they could carry and does not know a single soul in the new city..

Drunetta has strong family roots that support her throughout her life. She also develops some very special "sisters" in the new city that help and support her. This story jumps around in the life of Drunetta, which can be confusing at times. Just pay attention to the years at the beginning of each chapter. This would probably be easier to understand in a book form.

Kimberly Yvonne Steele was an excellent narrator of this story. She helped make it come to life for me.

Drunetta, a black housewife, leaves her drunkard husband in the south and moves to New York City with her young children.

This is a story about friendship, determination, and the journey of Drunetta's life. Drunetta struggles with trying to teach her children invaluable life lessons while learning a few of her own. The characters are vibrant and lovable, I was immediately drawn into the story by the narrator and felt like I was right beside of them. If you are looking for a raw, inspiring read, pick up this book!

All opinions stated above are my own. I received the audio version of this title from Poetic Gems Publishing via NetGalley.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for advanced access to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

The quality of the audiobook recording was exceptional and sounded more "crisp" than other books I have listened to!

This story follows Drunetta Brown as she navigates life with her children after leaving her husband. I loved the premise of the story and the message it conveys. However, around the 30-40% mark the timelines of multiple characters became difficult to follow. I think the potency of this novel's narrative was diluted from how back and forth it went.

Thank you Net Galley for an audio copy of How We Healed by Melody Fowler and Arric Fowler. This Novel was co-written by a husband and his wife. Many life and personality discoveries are withing these pages. It is a worthwhile read.

This book hooked me in. I loved all the characters, each dealing with their own demons and pasts and trying to find their way in the world. I loved that they were all there for each other regardless of what they were personally dealing with and loved each other, seeing past their preconceptions.
A study in what it means to be human. Beautiful.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5504698606

I wasn't expecting a lot from this book, but it was amazing. In fact, it reminds me of one of my favorite books of all times Yaa Gyasy's Homegoing.

In this book, we follow the story of Juneta across many years of her life, but in a non-linear fashion. Many times the narrator switches to follow other important people in her life. We start the book at a turning point in her life - when she decides to leave her drunk husband and move to NY - but we get flashbacks of the past and the story shifts to different points in time.
For me, this is a story about family, the complicated relationships that we build with our relatives, and how they affect the future generations. It's beautiful to see how Juneta perceives herself, her mom, her ancestors in her kids, grandkids and so on.
Juneta is by no means a perfect character, she has flaws, but she also learns with her mistakes. She learns to be patient, to understand why she gets angry and I think its amazing to hear her inner thoughts while she is growing as a person.
The only reason why this is not a five star for me is that I think some times the narrator doesn't spend enough time in someone's story and then shifts to the next person. I wish we could see some of the narratives (like Rose's) be a bit more developed.

A beautifully written story about Drunetta Brown, a young black women who escapes an abusive and adulterous marriage, in the late 1950s, fleeing with her children to start a new life.

Despite her strength and determination, Drunetta recognises, and acknowledges, her flaws as a wife, mother and friend. There are many life lessons written about in this book, and the Drunetta’s determination, against the odds, is inspiring.

Drunetta forges strong friendships with Rose and Raycie and although they are all very different women, from differing walks of life, they support each other unconditionally throughout the decades of their lives.

My only criticism of this book would be that there are possibly too many characters, and because the timeline jumps all over the place, sometimes quite randomly, it can be confusing and hard to keep up, however, overall this is a beautiful book and I would strongly recommend it.

The narration by Kimberly Yvonne Steele was excellent.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.