I really enjoyed the earlier books in this series, but this one fell a little flat for me. The main character wasn’t as developed or mature emotionally as a I would have liked, and I really wanted to read the story from the point of view of Kimiko and her family. I also wish Naomi was more than briefly mentioned in passing. I still love this author, just not my favorite of hers. I received a copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is my 1st book by this author and I found the subject matter fascinating, the effectsof WW II, including the internment of the Japanese Americans, told through the eyes of pair of friends in Berkeley, CA. This is the last book in a series, and except for some references to earlier family, can be read as a stand alone.
Kay and Kimiko, best friends, next door neighbors, sharing a business and raising their children together are deeply impacted by internment, rations, racism, job changes as the men go to war. It was a clean book, with no crude language, sex scenes or graphic war scenes, although there are some war scene illusions from some of the characters, it was appropriate for the book.
It is clearly a well researched book, with well known facts and other surprising information that was new to me. There are several themes, family conflict, PTSD, Unitarian beliefs, friendships among some a variety of entities. There was some uneven writing intermittently with some plots not fleshed out and a bit of jumpiness between the characters, making it a 3.8 vs a 4 for me. Overall, a good book to read with a very interesting view ofWW II in the US.
A big note of gratitude to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC, it was a pleasure to be part of this. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Next door neighbors, the Brooke family and the Fujiokas are living in Berkeley California at the dawn of WWII. The wives, Kay Lynn and Kimiko, are best friends who are in business together typing reports and papers for university students. A little too coincidentally, the young daughter and son of each family are also best friends. Then Pearl Harbor is bombed by the Japanese and everything changes.

Laila Ibrahim had written a book which gives insight into how war affects ordinary people and how systemic racism and prejudice takes its toll on Americans of minority origins. Kay Lynn and Mitch Brooke must make do with rations while they worry that sometime soon, fathers will be drafted. The Fujiokas, American citizens of Japanese descent, are sent off to an Internment Camp far from home , guilty of nothing but their ancestry. Eventually Mr Fujioka is allowed to fight for the USA on the European front while his family remains captive.

When the war ends and the families reunite forces beyond their control keep the friends apart. Restrictions of minorities remain alive in the post war USA. A lot to think about here.

Although this book is part of a series, it is a stand alone story that will hang together for new readers. Laila Ibrahim does a good job of crafting a plot that not only explores past American history, but leaves cause to think about current race relations. Some parts moved faster than others yet all in all it was a good read with food for thought. Four stars for this one. Many thanks to netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. It is being released today, August 20,2024. Look for it.

How I wish I could have read this book years ago! It has left me with so many questions I would like to be able to ask my own parents about their experiences living during World War II. Historical fiction puts such a personal spin on events that we only touched briefly on during history class. I do not recall learning about Japanese internment camps until reading various novels as an adult long after high school. The impact of war on family life has always been of interest to me. It was even a theme I chose for one of my college writing assignments. Falling Wisteria truly showed many ways that war impacted family life. It touched on so many issues, several of which people did not openly discuss at that time. I didn't realize that this was part of a family saga series, but it reads fine as a stand-alone novel. No doubt I will eventually read the rest of the series. Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author for an advance copy to read and review.

Falling Wisteria by Laila Ibrahim is set during World War II Berkeley, California. Two close female friends have kids the same ages and start a document typing business to help their families financially. Though they have much in common, race separates them. After Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941, anti-Japanese sentiment grew, even against innocents.

Kay Lynn's husband enlists in the war and she must take care of their children, finances and running the household. Not only that but the emotional toll of wondering how her husband is crushing. Her closest friend Kimiko's Japanese family is forced into an internment camp, though they were born in America. Propaganda tells a very different story to bleak reality. The story covers the war years and is poignant, gripping and emotive. Seldom do readers experience the Japanese in America perspectives.

I like that the author includes letters back and forth showing various points of view and emotions, a heartbreaking Japanese evacuation notice and list of characters at the back. There are African-American characters, too. My favourite aspect is the lovely female friendship between Kay Lynn and Kimiko.

My sincere thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this engrossing novel.

Don't worry if you, like me, have missed some or all of the preceding books in this multi-volume family saga- this stands just fine on its own. It's a somewhat lightened version of the impact of WWII on Californians, most notably Japanese Americans. That's not to say that it isn't a good read- it is- thanks to the storytelling. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Ibrahim's fans will be pleased to see the story continue and new readers will enjoy as well.

Falling Wisteria is an exquisitely written, sad, yet beautiful novel. It is set in Berkeley, California right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Ms. Ibrahim lays out a story of two families….one forced into a Japanese internment camp and one who remains in Berkeley, but experiences another kind of horror of war. The friendship between the two main character remains steadfast, even after physical separation through 3-4 years of the war. They come to realize that prejudice exists for Japanese Americans after the war ends. They have taught their children better and begin to reach out into the world to try and stop what they fought against in the war. A beautiful story of family and friendship and what is really important in the world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC. This is the fifth book in the Yellow Crocus series. It is focused on the descendants of earlier characters in the series. It was very enjoyable while tackling very complex issues. A well developed family saga.

A well written novel. Was not aware of the interment camps of the Japanese. Racial prejudice is still an ongoing problem in this country. This book was very enlightening. This problem will be ongoing for years and years. Stories like this hopefully will open many eyes. The fictitious part of the book shows how it affects even young children as families try to live a “normal life under this conditions. Laila Abraham’s books are always eye opening.

FALLING WISTERIA is the fifth book in Laila Ibrahim's Yellow Crocus series. But while this one does pick up with a descendant of the earlier characters, it tells a very different story, though also related to systemic racism.

For those who have read the entire series, the protagonist in this novel is Kay Lynn Brooke, daughter of May Wagner and Jonathon Barrow, granddaughter of Sadie Johnson Wagner, and great granddaughter of Lisbeth Wainwright Johnson. But except for a few occasional graveyard visits and one extended family gathering, there are few references to the characters or stories relayed in the earlier books. And, for me, these insertions felt awkward and contrived.

The fourth book, SCARLET CARNATION, ended with the World War I Armistice (November 11, 1918). FALLING WISTERIA picks up on the eve of World War II.

At the beginning, Kay Lynn is living contentedly with her bookkeeper-husband Mitch and their two young children, Lizzie and Timmy. Next door lives the Fujioka family. Conveniently the two oldest Fujioka children are best friends with Kay Lynn's two kids and their Mom, Kimiko, is Kay Lynn's best friend. The two women are also partners in a side business; they type academic papers for students at the nearby University of California in Berkeley.

This fifth book takes a look at how World War II affected families at home. Rationing limits resources and money is tight. Families are separated and left to worry about absent relatives. Kay Lynn's half sister gets a factory job. Kay Lynn and Mitch worry about when fathers will be drafted and how much danger his assignment will bring. Kay Lynn's half brother winds up fighting in the Pacific. Mr. Fujioka ends up in Europe, while at home, his family is sent to a Japanese Internment Camp, even though both he and Kimiko are American-born citizens.

Author Laila Ibrahim continues Kay Lynn's story beyond the end of the war to how ordinary citizens continued to be influenced by the influx of returning soldiers. Women give up their jobs to make space for veterans. Many soldiers return injured, physically or psychologically or both. There is a serious housing shortage resulting in steeply rising prices for both renters and buyers. And there are new housing restrictions, a way to normalize and continue racial prejudices.

FALLING WISTERIA offers an OK storyline. But it didn't seem to hang together as well as Ibrahim's earlier books in this series. I didn't find myself as involved with the characters or as emotionally touched by their troubles. I kept feeling there were too many additional threads thrown in that didn't directly impact the main story. Like the value of religious belief in war time. Or the growing importance of learning to drive a car. And lots of second guessing of how to write a letter to a friend. So, for me, three stars it is.

I just love reading about each generation in the Freedman/Wainwright families and this is another amazingly written story. In Falling Wisteria we follow the life of Kay Lynn and her struggles as WWII breaks out. Her neighbors and close friends are removed from their neighborhood, and her husband knows eventually he will have to sign up or be drafted. Kay Lynn struggles as war impacts everything in the US, and she feels it everyday with trying to hold down a job, while running the household and worrying over her husbands safety. Even though she knows many families are in her same situation, it is hard for her understand that. So when a terrible incident happens at the port, it puts into perspective what she all has, has endured and will continue to fight for as the war seems to have no end in sight and others have lost much more than she has. This novel really touches on so many more subjects and other events that were also happening in the US. I once again learned a few things I did not know about, that happened during WWII on US soil. Loved this one as I have loved all of the others in this series. Thank you to the author for the complementary novel. This review is of my own opinion and accord.

As always Ibrahim writes in a conversation tone letting you see stories through many characters viewpoints as if talking to a well known friend. She brings social injustice issues into the foreground for understanding and conversation. Amazing books for book clubs!

Through #NetGalley, I read an ARC of this powerful read by the talented author, Laila Ibrahim, who has woven together a compelling story with multiple intriguing subplots. This story is about diversity and acceptance. It is about gender, disabilities, race, and sexuality. It is about the complications of family and managing challenging relationships. This book shares the love and deep bonds of loyalty created through friendships. It shines a spotlight on the cruelties of flawed political policies enforced by the United States government during WWII. The author demonstrates the harsh realities of those destructive strategies which had negative ramifications for years. This book celebrates love, the power gained through political action, and the strength and courage of acting on our convictions. I have faithfully read each of the five books in this series and Falling Wisteria is a definite favorite.