Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

DNF at 33%.
My first DNF ever, which pains me a little since I am a completionist.

I was on board with this novel for the first third. I enjoyed the writing style and the concept, and I was getting invested in the characters.

And then the Luke plot line appeared. To summarize: <spoiler> Luke is a young man (17-19 ish, I don't remember his exact age) engaged to Addy, who is a bit younger than him (15-16 I think). Addy's sister Sabrina (17) loves Luke, but her family wants him to marry Addy, which he agrees to do. He is a member of the Bridge family, and the first to fall to the Bridge family curse. He falls 22 years into the past, becoming enslaved despite having freedom papers, and eventually regains his freedom, fights alongside his uncles, and returns home, arriving 6 days after his initial appearance. He had barely been gone in his family's eyes, but 22 years had passed for him. The family accepts that this stranger is Luke without a whole lot of trouble, and soon decides to move forward with the wedding to Addy. Sabrina and Luke have a heart to heart where they admit their feelings for each other, but the wedding with Addy moved forward. </spoiler> This is where I stopped.

Perhaps later in the book this is addressed, but I could not continue because I was so utterly disturbed by the age gap present between Luke and the two girls after he returned. I could not fathom why moving forward with the wedding was still an option or how Sabrina and Luke could still have a conversation about feelings given that gap. Again, maybe I did not read far enough for this to be rectified, but I simply did not wish to continue knowing that this plot line would be present.

I realize this is not a novel about age gaps or child marriages, that it is more focused on the realities that black people faced in the past and continue to face today. From the portion I read, I can see it relays its main message powerfully. I know that historically, people married younger and age gaps were less of a concern. Nevertheless, It is simply an individual choice that I made to not continue reading after a child marriage occurred.

I think every now and then I find a book that kind of exceeds my expectations and this was one of them.

This book combines history and fantasy. Spanning the 1750s through the 1960s, The Fallen Fruit is a sweeping multi-generational epic about the Bridges, a family of free Black Virginians who have a dark secret: in every generation, one offspring from each Bridge family unit vanishes and is mysteriously whisked back in time.
Fate is a central theme of the book. We have Cecily, who learns about the family curse and is desperate to prevent it so that she won’t be parted from her family. In an attempt to stop the curse, she breaks one of the Bridge family rules: Never interfere with past events, and she enacts a plan to find the answers that will free her family forever. The story then follows different members of the Bridge family as they lose family members to this time-traveling curse.
This book is a great portrayal of the grief that comes with loss, both for those who travel backward in time and for those they leave behind. From the perspective of mothers, sisters, and lovers, we get a multi-faceted look at what it means to leave and to be left behind without closure. I also enjoyed the snippets of history the author gave us regarding free Black people living in the colonies before the Revolutionary War. One of the rules the Bridges developed in response to the curse is to always carry freedom papers as protection in case they fall back in time. Madison touches on how this tactic does and doesn’t work in the family’s favor. Though much of the history is skimmed over, not going into too much detail about any specific events or experiences, it was just enough to color the story and give the setting some dimension.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I did not appreciate the abrupt ending. I felt shortchanged. It felt to me as if it was rushed and incomplete, and I missed conclusions that should have been provided. Overall, I gave this 3 stars primarily because of the ending.

A time twister is this book! The unearthly blessing(curse?) spread through the dna of one particular Bridges family is the subject of this writing, a roadtrip through history with the sci-fi overtones that ask ?how is it done?. Take notes, my friends. They'll help you stay grounded.

This read is for anyone who is ancestry-bound, history-intrigued and time-travel-fascinated. Such a reader will appreciate the work of wonder Shawntell Madison has placed on our bookshelves. The Fallen Fruit is a great read, and one that will bear re-reading as well.

*A sincere thank you to Shawntelle Madison, Amistad, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.*

"The Fallen Fruit" by Shawntelle Madison is a compelling exploration of love, identity, and the impact of past choices. The rich, immersive world-building draws readers in, creating a vibrant backdrop for the characters' journeys. Madison's writing is both poignant and engaging, balancing moments of humor with deeper emotional themes. The protagonist's struggle to reconcile her past with her present adds a layer of complexity that resonates throughout the narrative. Overall, this novel is a beautifully crafted story that invites reflection on the nature of belonging and the power of forgiveness.

A multigenerational family cursed with time traveling. One child born from a Bridge family will one day disappear and find themselves back in time. This was an interesting story about a woman determined to break her family’s curse and stop them from “falling”. There are many characters to keep track of and sometimes I did get lost but the story was so well told that you can figure out who’s who. Plus the author put in a family tree which was somewhat helpful. This a story filled with strong willed women who are able to survive in any time period. I recommend this book to fans of Kindred.

Involuntary time-travel for black people is always an interesting premise and The Fallen Fruit deals with several generations of one family and their experiences with traveling back in time. The story is told from multiple perspectives with rich historical context. It is sometimes hard to read, to see the struggle that the families live through and the the impact the fear of disappearance impacts each generation. Overall an immersive read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

An interesting take on the time travel trope. Fun and unique elements of fantasy and science fiction. Great debut!

Oh my goodness. What a story. The Fallen Fruit by Shawntelle Madison, which I'd consider historical fantasy, is a unique and heartfelt story that combines family, tradition, and a touch of magic. It follows a family with a curse... a curse where each generation, one child born from a Bridge man will fall back in time before they turn 27. They can’t control when this occurs, nor how far back in time they'll travel. In an attempt to escape the inevitable, the main character Cecily attempts to change fate.

I adored the author's ability to paint pictures of the lives of these characters and their stories, and the way the author weaves in cultural themes made it really special. The emotional depth caught me off guard in the best way, and I loved seeing the character's growth throughout the book. Madison also provided a look into the lives led by free Black Americans in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, which was really powerful and something I was grateful to learn more about. It was a really great read as someone who loves speculative fiction, and I will be recommending it to many others.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Fallen Fruit for free in exchange for an honest review!

Sorry, I didn't get going. with this book. After reading the synopsis more carefully, I realized I wouldn't like it - I'm not a fan of gerenerational sagas with time travel. Thank you for the opportunity. 5 stars for shits and giggles.

📖: The Fallen Fruit-a standalone

✍️ By: Shawntelle Madison -a debut author

📃 Page Count: 448 eBook

🗓️ Publication Date: 9-3-24, Read 10-8-24

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Amistad, and the author Shawntelle Madison for this ARC❤️! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

🌎Setting: Charlottesville, VA 1760s-1920s

Genre: Historical Fic/Fantasy, AA Interests, Women's Fic, Time Travel

Tropes: quest, family drama, hidden truths

POV: multiple, 3rd person

⚠️TW: slavery, racism, misogyny, estranged father, family disappearances, murder, depression, physical abuse, miscarriage, surprise pregnancy


💭Summary: Cecily Bridge-Davis has inherited 65 acres of land from her father's family that she knows nothing about. She travels to VA and discovers the Bridge family secret of time travel. Through her research she discovers lost family members in an attempt to break the curse.

Heroes

🚹1880-Luke Bridge-The 1st Bridge male to time travel, marries Addy (Bree's sister) but was in love w/ Bree. Went missing for 22 years-fought in American Revolution

🚹1919- Isaiah-Millie's brother prepared to fall through time always carrying survival packs and has a heart condition. He disappears

🚹1919-Uncle Oswald-takes Millie to Washington D.C. where she goes to college to become a doctor. He's married to Alma+ 2 daughters

🚹1758-Matthew Abramson- an African field hand, falls in love w/ Emily

Heroines

🚺1817-Rebecca "Reba" Raley-Bridge-a teacher, husband Herbert + 3 kids Jimmy, Annie and Georgie
🚺1880-Sabrina "Bree" Humbles-raised by grandparents, sister Addy marrying Luke

🚺 1919- Amelia "Millie" Bridge/Emily Bridge-every year she and her brother Isaiah search for lost Bridges in the apple orchard. Her parents Dinah +Albert-both deceased

🚺1964, current day-Cecily Bridges-Davis- husband Winston + 2 sons

🤔 My Thoughts: This was an epic family saga featuring different characters' POV. Cecily's ancestors endured war, slavery, grief at losing their loved ones. The book also addressed the trails of motherhood, marriage, and the importance of education. A 5 ✨ debut, congrats S. Madison!

Range of emotions: 😬🤔🙄
🌶️: Spice 2/5-all off page
😭: Emotion 5/5
⭐️: Rating 5/5

Incredible depth, every character felt real and powerful. You can tell how much love the author had for this story.

However, I’m not sure what my takeaway is supposed to be from it. That everything happens for a reason? That we’re bound to a fate we can’t control? That hope and love are all we can live for?

I almost wish we’d found out about Matthew being Luke’s dad sooner so we could backtrack and understand why the curse is on Matthew’s family. I think I just wanted a clean resolution, but that’s not what the story demands. Life is messy, timelines are messy, and you’ve just gotta accept it.

Cecily was the hardest character to stomach because I felt like her loss was so unbelievable, that she had to lose everything to go back to try to stop it all or at least change it, only to lose it all again and repeat the cycle indefinitely.

This historical fantasy is also an epic family saga that could not be put down. In this pick from the September 2024 book releases, Cecily Bridge-Davis is researching her family curse and trying to figure out how to break it. One member of the family in every generation from her father's side falls back in time. The family has rules that every member of the family is taught from a young age. They learn how to survive in the past.

As she learns more about her family and her past, we also move through the past and meet the members of the Bridge family. Will she ever be able to find out where the curse began and find a way to stop it?

I was not sure what to expect when reading this book but I had high hopes. This book was everything I hoped it would be and more. The narrative is brilliant. As the reader meets more members of the Bridge family, more of the story comes together and we get one step closer to solving the mystery of the family curse of falling through time.

This was a book that I had to take my time reading. I didn’t want to mix up the characters, especially with the timelines going in and out of time. I usually don’t like to work so hard at storylines, but I enjoyed this book. I really liked Emily’s story, although it was heartbreaking at the same time. I’d recommend this book. A twist between Kindred and Time Traveler’s Wife.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love historical fiction! I love time travel. I love the concept of this book. The storyline was hard to follow and although there is a family tree in the beginning of the book....there were too many characters for me to keep up with.

But...I just...I didn't really get it. I enjoyed what I did grasp, but...I'll need to sit down and read this one again.

This was an ambitious story. There are strong character studies, I just got lost in the plot and point of some of the characters that were introduced.

By the last 5% of the book, I was disappointed with the conclusion. But I think with an adjustment of what I thought the book would be I would have liked the book more. Going into the book knowing that it’s more of a character study rather than a family curse mystery with resolutions. Much like family histories, not everything can be resolved.

This was such a compelling narrative of a family told throughout multiple layers and times but they were all connected and woven together as well. There is a great family tree at the beginning to help keep the times and names straight. You could definitely get lost in this book since time is not linear the story moves around and sometimes the characters would be pulled backwards in time. It was devastating having them lose the children or be taken from their families or their loves. But life can be harsh and unforgiving.
The women were so strong and resilient. To be thrust back to the 1700s or 1800s would be terrifying in this country so the number one rule was always have your free papers on you. I need to read The Kindred and The Time travelers Wife which this book is likened to.
Definitely a entertaining, multigenerational epic with magical realism.

This book was such an enjoyable journey! It’s a mix of history and fantasy, where a woman travels through time to break a family curse that’s haunted them for generations. The time travel rules and family connections are so well done, and the emotional stakes really pull you in. Some parts were a bit hard to follow with the jumping timelines, but it’s a super compelling read overall. If you like historical fiction with a twist, you'd probably love this!

This is an imaginative debut tale inspired by the author’s family that blends time travel with historical fiction to offer a layered intergenerational saga steeped in “curses” and secrets. Set in 1964, a history professor, Cecily Bridge-Davis, inherits land and discovers within the family a pattern of strange disappearances that stretches back for generations. This branch of the family is estranged to her and shortly after arriving, she discovers a Bible, Family Rules, and a map. Her curiosity gets the best of her and leans into her academic training to get to the bottom of the mystery.

I found the premise of the novel promising - after all, Octavia Butler’s classic, Kindred, explores similar themes (time travel involving family members, the temptation to manipulate the past to change the future, etc). However, this novel has a few challenges: pacing is uneven, plot flaws (curse origin is not really clear – unless I missed it - which is possible), and a lot of characters to track (the family tree at the front of the novel helps tremendously). Those challenges may be bothersome to more critical readers or can be ignored by those who are just along for the adventure. I admired the experiences of those that traveled back in time – these were colorful characters with original backstories; they kept me engaged to learn their fate and the consequences to the family.

An ambitious debut that explores the black experience within differing American eras.

Thanks to the publisher, Amistad, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review.

The Bridges family is cursed (blessed?) to have one child of each generation fall in and out of time. With this looming fear comes the added complication of being Black and knowing they made end up in a time of slavery.

The storylines get a bit complicated as we jump around the generations but they’re all connected, looping around each other.

All in all a great take on time travel and the complexity of family.