This was my first time reading Terah Shelton Harris, and I received Long After We Are Gone as an ARC from NetGalley. The novel presents a deeply emotional and engaging narrative that explores the complexities of family, legacy, and personal redemption. The character development is one of the book's strongest aspects. Each of the Solomon siblings is well-drawn and unique, with their own distinct voices and struggles. Junior's internal conflict about his sexuality, Mance's battle with his temper, CeCe's moral dilemmas, and Tokey's search for belonging are all handled with sensitivity and depth. The alternating viewpoints allow readers to fully understand and empathize with each character's journey. The plot is compelling, with the fight to save the family home serving as a backdrop for the characters' personal growth and reconciliation. The themes of intergenerational trauma and the burden of familial expectations are explored thoughtfully, adding layers to the story. Overall, Long After We Are Gone is a beautifully written and thought-provoking novel. Despite a few pacing issues, it is a strong debut that showcases Terah Shelton Harris's talent for creating rich, multifaceted characters and emotionally resonant stories. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. #netgalley #longafterwearegone

"Long After We Are Gone" tells a touching story about a family dealing with loss and trying to protect their history. It makes you think about family, what we leave behind, and fairness in society. The writing is beautiful, and the characters feel real with their struggles and mistakes. Sadly the pacing is very slow during the first half of the book and the plot borders on melodramatic at times with abrupt turns or coincidences.

Enjoyed this family drama and there was A LOT. It alternated between slow burn and a steady pace but wasn’t unbearable. The author does a good job of exposing and confronting the issues being presented.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Long After We Are Gone by Terah Shelton Harris.

This is one of those instances where I wish I didn't have to give a star rating, because it's so much more nuanced than a 1-5 star rating, I guess that's why we write reviews, lol!

King Solomon has just died, and his dying request was to not let the white man take the house. What started as a plantation that ran off the backs of the enslaved, is now called "The Kingdom" where Solomon single handedly raised his four children. Now those children are back at home after years apart. Despite the mess of their individual lives, they need to somehow figure out how to save this house.

I love me a good dysfunctional family story, and this had the ingredients for just that, I just didn't enjoy the execution as much as I hoped to. The dysfunction almost became the whole personality of the story, to the point that I became exhausted. And yes, I'm completely aware that such is the cost of such dynamics, but I maintain that a book should have some level of enjoyability to the reader. Essentially, I was turned off enough that I started slipping in interest.

Not a terrible book, just not for me. I can completely see why folks love it.

Long After We Are Gone follows the Solomon children as they bury their father and try to save the family land. This is an interesting family drama full of flawed individuals, who are doing the best they can, while keeping secrets from one another.

I enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more by this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, and Terah Shelton Harris for an ARC of this book!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Long After We Are Gone by Terah Shelton Harris is a beautifully crafted story that explores family, forgiveness, and resilience in the wake of trauma. The novel centers on the journey of a mother and daughter returning to the mother’s hometown, where past secrets and old wounds resurface. Harris’s writing shines in her nuanced portrayal of complex relationships and her sensitivity to themes of healing and redemption. The narrative is both heart-wrenching and hopeful, with characters that linger in your mind long after reading. It’s a poignant debut, perfect for readers who appreciate emotionally layered family dramas.

I'm giving this 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. I had a hard time getting into this one, and the characters were all unlikable. They seemed to make endlessly bad decisions that made them difficult to root for.

Overall, though, the storyline was fine. This was my first time learning about heir property and I found all of that very interesting.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A beautiful, moving book. The four siblings at the heart of this book are incredibly well drawn and feel like real people, flaws and all.

What an interesting and touching family story! I felt really connected to many of the characters, and it was interesting to see their development after a family tragedy. I will say at the start I struggled to connect with the story and the characters, but once I got into the story, I was in it. I appreciated how different each of the siblings lives and journies were as it added to the story to get the different perspectives and see the different effects of their loss.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an arc of this title.

Terah Shelton Harris is classy and beautiful and it was an honor to meet her at NVNR. Alabama was well represented!

In her new book, Long After We Are Gone, the four Solomon siblings come together after their father's death to save his legacy, the Kingdom. King's last words to them about the old plantation house on 200 acres was not to let the white man take the house.

But these siblings have secrets. Junior is still chasing his father's approval and the chance to love who he wants to. Mance is trying to stay on the straight and narrow now that he has his son with a disability. CeCe is being blackmailed by a coworker who found out she has embezzled money as a fancy NYC attorney. And Tokey is trying to eat her way to happiness. The siblings all need different things from the Kingdom. As they learn to navigate and trust each other, they find out that there are other secrets that the family has kept from them. How far are they willing to go for the Kingdom?

I gave this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫. Terah definitely built strong characters! I didn't love them all the time or agree with their choices, but I understood pieces of them like CeCe's inability to be vulnerable and Tokey's eating away her problems. I love messy families and this is definitely a messy family with a lot of drama! It also taught me about air property which was interesting.

Long After We Are Gone by Terah Shelton Harris
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King Solomon has died and now his four children must fight to keep their family home.
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This book really drew me in. Each sibling had their own unique situation and problems they struggled with. They each managed to frustrate me by making such awful choices too. 😅
The ultimate problem in this book was the property. This house used to be a plantation that a Solomon ancestor worked as a slave before it came to belong to the family. Since then it has been passed down to the next Solomon son. The people who are claiming ownership are super shady and untrustful. The house situation was a very tense part of the book for me and I LOVED the outcome of that situation. It was perfect.
I wish the character could have been more likeable, but alas I did not really care for any of them. They obviously all improved by the end, but by that point I was mildly happy to say goodbye to them.
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3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Gorgeous characters, fun back and forth, and the worldbuilding is crafted so gorgeously. it is definitely searing and strong.

Family Legacy, Racial Injustice, Resilience

Long After We Are Gone by Terah Shelton Harris is a gripping family saga set in North Carolina. The story centers around the Solomon family, consisting of four siblings who reunite following the death of their father, King Solomon. His final words to his son were, "Don't let white men get the house," setting the stage for an exploration of family legacy, racial injustice, and personal battles.

Evaluation Long After We Are Gone stands out for its powerful storytelling and deep exploration of complex themes. Its strengths lie in its well-drawn characters and the emotional depth of the narrative. However, some readers may find the intertwining personal battles of the siblings a bit overwhelming. Regardless, Harris's ability to tackle difficult subjects with sensitivity and insight makes this novel a worthwhile read.

In conclusion, Terah Shelton Harris's Long After We Are Gone is a beautifully crafted novel that resonates with its exploration of family, legacy, and the enduring struggle for justice and identity.

I am the first to admit that I am not a lit fic girlie, even though I really would like to be. However, this book I really enjoyed so much.

This writing begins as poetic and at a point turns a little less so, but you still get the visceral feeling from each character as they try to navigate life in The Kingdom, without King. Each trying to decipher if they need to appear as he would have wanted them to or as they truly are.

Ms. Shelton Harris gave us a bouquet of personalities in each of these characters and I loved how the hardest of times brings family together.

This book is beautifully written and sheds a light on the happenings all across the US as older generations pass on and their younger generations try and fight for the very land that is rightfully theirs.

VTerah Shelton Harris masterfully weaves a poignant family drama in Long After We Are Gone. Her richly developed characters, each grappling with the aftermath of their patriarch's death, resonated deeply. King's inner demons, Mance's anger, Cece's trust issues, and Tokey's yearning for love are explored with nuanced depth.

The book delves into the concept of heir property, a topic I was unfamiliar with until reading this. Harris not only tells a compelling story but also provides a valuable historical context. While the narrative is emotionally heavy, it offers a glimmer of hope as the characters begin to acknowledge their generational trauma.

Wow, This is a powerful story. I did non like the narrator at all. I kept wanting to ;quit the book.
glad I finished it. The characters were annoying but I was happy with the ending. The ending lines will stay with me for a while.

Wow, the issues and problems 4 siblings bring with them as they reunite to save their ancestral home! Sex, lies, corruption, etc. It was a beautifully written page turner!

A brilliant book! I loved this authors debut but man, this book was just so good. I loved how a mess the siblings were and that it was such a big character arc book. Shelton is such a great writer.

The story of these four siblings coming together after their father's death and battling to save their family estate is heart breaking and uplifting all at the same time. Each of the siblings is living a flawed life, all equally painful, but each of them tries so hard to hide it from the others. I loved the storyline and the character development in this book. The historical information about the way land is inherited in the south was eye-opening! This was a very interesting book and I was quite invested in how these characters realized that finding out about their histories and the history of their family was tantamount to untangling and resolving their issues.

Terah Shelton Harris' "Long After We Are Gone" is an exploration of family, legacy, racial injustice and resilience. The novel follows the Solomon family, who are dealing with the death of their father, King Solomon, and the unknown fate of their ancestral land.

Their respected father leaves the four Solomon children without a will, creating a struggle over the family’s 200 acres. He has one wish which is to keep the property in the family.

Junior, the eldest, struggles under the pressure of his father's expectations. He is also a vice president at his company, a husband, and a father. His brother Mance, a talented carpenter, battles his own demons, including a volatile temper and the challenges of raising a deaf son. Their youngest sister Tokey is burdened by years of caregiving, and faces her own crisis manifested through an eating disorder. Meanwhile, CeCe, the estranged sister living in New York City, grapples with financial insecurity and moral compromises.

Unfolding through alternating viewpoints, each sibling's story contributes to the familial and societal challenges presented. The weight of the history and emotional trauma involved in this story is beautifully incorporated into this novel. Harris' ability to create dynamic characters and engaging situations is impeccable.