This book is about loss, grief, low self esteem, racism and faith. It is also a book about love, self sacrifice, helping others, family and friends. Katia is a 40 year old black woman who is the director of a group home for boys who have gotten into trouble and have no family willing to take care of them. Besides being a caring director, she is strict and instills manners into her charges. She also takes them under her wing and sometimes becomes too attached. She has a very low self image of herself. She feels she is unlovable and overweight. Other people see her as an attractive, voluptuous woman. She lives with her mother and has twin brothers. One of those brothers came home from Vietnam after being MIA while the other brother is still MIA. This has been a source of grief for the whole family. Her father died when she was a young girl and she still misses him immensely. The book is told in Katia's POV and she does tend to harp on her lack of value all through the book which did become a bit depressing. The story is a good one. It has some heart break and some joy. All in all I am glad I read it. It enlightened me to the hardships young black men face on a daily basis.
Thanks to #netgalley, #harpermuse and @angelajacksonbrownauthor for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

A heartwarmer-and a heartbreaker. Katia has devoted herself to the boys at the group home and she's especially fond of Chad and Peewee. Her twin brothers have gone MIA in Vietnam and she's, well a bit untethered as she worries about them and pushes off her mother's suggestions for a husband (who seems humorless at minimum but just wait). And then her brother Marcus comes home a shell of himself at almost the same time that Seth, the boy she tutored in high school, turns up to do work at the home. He's a veteran who has his own issues but he's devoted to helping other. Katia brings Chad and PeeWee home for Thanksgiving and it's wonderful until....no spoilers. This is a hard emotional read in spots that doesn't pull punches. If the epilogue seems like it ties things up too abruptly, that was still ok by me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC This is a good one.

Untethered by Angela Jackson-Brown is a deeply moving exploration of family, identity, and the struggle to find one’s place in the world. Jackson-Brown’s writing is poignant and vivid, capturing the complexities of the human experience with grace and authenticity. A powerful and thought-provoking read that will resonate long after the final page.

A heartbreaking story about family, love and self discovery set in Alabama during 1967 and the height of the Vietnam War.

Kate serves as the director at the Pike County Group Home for Negro Boys when she learns her twin brother are MIA. As she grapples with the uncertainty of her brother's safety, she also struggles to care for and protect the boys in her care, especially Chad and Pewee.

My heart broke often while reading this novel but I think this is a powerful and moving reminder of the power of love and community.

Trigger Warnings: racism, child abuse, death, grief and loss, PTSD

Thank you Harper Muse for the ARC

This beautifully written novel had some emotional moments that made me think I couldn’t continue, but I finished and am glad I did.

DNF'd @ 26%.

Thank you HarperCollins Focus and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was super excited to read this book. It just wasn't for me. I would encourage people to read this. Don't be discouraged by this review!

What a sweet story about such strong and impressive woman Katia. In backdrop of 1967, Katia Daniels is the Executive Director at the Pike County Group Home for Negro Boys. The narrative follows her as she simultaneously deals with her twin brothers being MIA as Marines in Vietnam, several serious and heartbreaking situations with the boys in her care, and coming to terms with her own infertility while her high school crush has come back to town showing interest in her.

Katia is a protagonist we can all root for- she’s selfless and kind and hearing about the struggles of her life was a beautiful ride. There were some tragic aspects as well but overall the novel ends on an uplifting note.

I enjoyed.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance e-copy of this book.

This is a. The arc. It was a good read. If you're looking for something that dives into the past and will keep you included in the story.

Angela Jackson Brown's work just keeps getting better. Set in 1967 in the small town of Troy, Alabama, Katia Daniels, unable to have kids of her own, pours her love into the boys at Pike County Group Home for Negro Boys. This story resonated deeply with me due to my own experiences with raising and loving a foster child. The emotional depth of the story, highlighting the neglect and abuse of two boys to whom she was particularly close, made it impossible not to become attached to the boys and admire Katia's immense heart for them.
Aside from looking after the boys, she also assumes the role of caregiver for her family. PTSD is another significant theme in the book, with her twin brothers missing in action during the Vietnam War. Katia has given up hope for a true romantic relationship, settling instead for a comfortable friendship with an older man. I was jumping for joy when her high school crush came back into her life. I was wildly rooting for them to become more than friends! Although the story has big moments of suspense and drama, it is really a story about love, not only for others but for oneself.

3.5 rounded up

I did really enjoy this book and the characters in it. Honestly, it probably is a 4 star book and definitely could of been a 5. I enjoyed the plot and found the characters interesting and intriguing. My main issue with this book, is it started extremely slowly - I almost gave up reading at some points. I think I could of looked past the pacing issue if I was already interested in the characters (e.g. a sequel) but I think the slowness of the start was overall detrimental to the book.

I would however highly recommend the book after you get through the first 100 or so pages.

I have so many mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, the protagonist is incredibly relatable to me because we work in similar fields, but on the other hand, she can be frustrating and overwhelming. Like Katia, I also work with young boys who have been failed by the system or come from families dealing with their own struggles. These boys make tough choices just to survive, even if those choices are dangerous. And as an adult who wants to protect and nurture them, it’s easy to lose yourself in the work—so much so that you forget to take care of yourself.

Katia is a strong Black woman in her 40s, still living at home, stuck in a half-hearted relationship, and never really given the space to grieve. She's the rock for her family and the executive director of a group home where she cares for troubled young boys, guiding them toward success. She constantly reminds them that being a Black boy in today’s world will make them a target, but no matter how hard she tries, she can’t save them all. On top of everything, her two brothers go missing in Vietnam, and only one returns.

Katia’s self-esteem is shattered, and her view of herself is harsh. She’s convinced she lacks beauty or value, especially because she can't have children. With a love interest she ignores, two boys she feels she can't save, a mother with no boundaries, a job where the racist owner wants to see her fail, and the weight of all her worries, Katia is like a ticking time bomb. No one can carry that kind of load forever.

While I appreciate how the book addresses the trauma and tough decisions young men face—things that need to be discussed—the repetition of Katia’s struggles was a bit much. The book covers a lot of heavy themes: abuse, trauma, death, love, nourishment, and the power of prayer. Losing faith and hope is a recurring theme, but through it all, the support, and prayers from those around her provide a constant sense of comfort. There’s a beautiful focus on the complexity of faith and the journey of understanding versus questioning God.

Despite all of Katia’s struggles, there’s an undeniable beauty in her character—one she’s reluctant to see but deeply deserves to feel. She may be far from perfect, but she’s fighting for something better, and by the end of the book, I truly hoped she would find a happy ending.

Stressed out Katia is forty-years old, living with her mom, working as Executive Director of the Pike County Group Home for Boys. Self-conscious about her size (5'10" 190lbs), Katia is panicked about her younger twin brothers MIA in Viet Nam, her board of directors being mostly against her, and recently having been told by doctors she'll never bear children. Although admirable in her ability to handle anything that arises, strong as a rock, capable and sensible, she is also so incapacitated by grief, anxiety, and overwhelm that she seemed unable to address what I would have prioritized: vehicle repairs, and finding amenable appointees to a hostile board of directors.

I felt this book started up slow, which made me nitpicky: I wondered why half her staff had been hired so recently, I was struck by the overabundance of food at home and at work, and found some details a bit hard to believe, ie "for their first week in class, I sat outside of their classroom window so that if they got scared, they could look outside and see me" (what 19 yr old girl has that kind of free time?).

But in the second half, plot points ramped up quickly, and all that painstaking attention to detail paid off as characters took action, and I was completely riveted. Untethered is the kind of Romance novel that can pass for historical fiction; its multi-leveled story line proves so complex and compelling that the sappy happy ending comes as a very welcome surprise.

I loved everything about this!!! Katia is one of my favorite FMC. It's a story of self-discovery, family, love, and the complexities of womanhood. Set in Troy,Alabama in the 1960s. Katia, the executive director of Pike County Group Home for Negro Boys, pours all of her heart and energy into caring for her boys. She is the person everyone leans on and she always has to be strong. When her high school crush comes back to town, she realizes her life was not as fulfilling as she thought. As things at work, with her family, and her love life take a turn for the worst, she must learn how to accept the support she's so used to giving. Katia's character was so relatable. I too find myself packing away my feelings to be supportive to others. She focuseson her flaws and uses them to deem herself as undeserving. The love story, although not the focus, was sweet and beautiful. This was an amazing story.I would highly recommend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Set in 1967 Alabama, this novel follows the life of a beautiful Black woman named Katie Daniels. As the executive director of a group home for boys, she faces realistic and relatable challenges, balancing her commitment to her community with the complex burdens of her personal life. Her story sheds light on themes of grief, undergoing a hysterectomy, military experiences, and racial barriers within the community. I appreciated the more awkward moments with Katie, which revealed her insecurities and the personal walls she has built. These moments made her character feel authentic and relatable, especially for Black women. This book was inspiring and resonated with my own experiences in the human services and social work field. Angela Jackson-Brown keeps you engaged and emotionally invested in both the characters and the plot.

what can i say about untethered? this book was decently written, easy to follow. i fear this may be a wrong book wrong time situation, - i had a hard time staying engaged in the story but at some points i was fully invested. BUT the cover is beautiful :) thank you for the arc netgalley!!

Angela Jackson-Brown is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. All of her stories leave me wanting more and this one was no exception. set in the south, during Vietnam War, it is the story of a young woman and her responsibility to her family as well as her dreams of her own heart. Definitely add this to your pile and read it now!

Now I did not think this book would have me sobbing like it did. My heart broke so many times but I also smiled through out. Katia had a heart of gold and I really loved how she loved the boys of the group home.

Chad 💔

Seth’s patience.

The reality of how the war affected the men.

Leon & Mama 😂😭😂 A mess.


I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Untethered is a stunning novel that left me breathless. Angela Jackson-Brown masterfully tells a deeply emotional and compelling story about identity, resilience, and the complexities of relationships. The protagonist’s journey is heart-wrenching and empowering, and I immersed myself entirely in her world. Jackson-Brown’s writing is lyrical and poignant, with each page drawing you deeper into the characters’ lives and struggles. The themes of self-discovery and breaking free from past burdens resonate powerfully, making this a novel and an experience. Every twist and turn was thoughtfully crafted, leaving me reflecting long after I turned the last page. It is a must-read for anyone who loves beautifully written, character-driven stories that touch the soul. This one is unforgettable!

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author.

𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 📙
ℙ𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝔻𝕒𝕥𝕖:𝟙𝟚/𝟛/𝟚𝟜
4⭐️

This is the third book I’ve read by @angelajacksonbrownauthor and you don’t miss sis. I was so excited when I saw this one on @netgalley and found it in my email. This story is told from the POV of Katia Daniels. She is the manager of the home for negro boys in Troy Alabama in 1967. I was impressed from this alone because to be a black woman in an executive position in this era was unheard of. Trust me she dealt with her share of political crap from a board of directors but she did it was such grace. She pours her heart into this place and the children that come. What I loved most about her was she loved the family of those kids also especially if they were willing to do the work. She cares for everyone else but no one takes care of her until her high school crush walks back into her life Seth Taylor. The romance portion of this one gave me all the warm fuzzy feels. I mean even her mom got her second chance at happily ever after 😍. The topics like Vietnam, ptsd, child abuse, murder and white privilege all come to play in this plot. Have the tissues ready as you read this one because like many of the authors other books, it’s an emotional unforgettable journey.
Thank you to @harpermusebooks and @netgalley for my ARC of this one.

🏷️#booklover #bookstagram #bookcommunity #booksofinstagram #readingtime #ilovebooks #bookblogger #bookblog #booknerdigans #bookobsessed #bookishfeatures #bookphotography #yalit #yabooks #currentlyreading #igreads #instaread #bookworm #booknerd #bookaddict #bookdragon #love #drbooksreads #historicalfiction #alabama #negro