This book is just as stunning as its cover - both are absolutely unforgettable. If you loved Take My Hand by this author, you'll be captivated by this deeply moving story of history, family, and resilience.

In the hills of Appalachia, a community of formerly enslaved men and women built a kingdom inspired by their African heritage - a place where they could finally be free. But freedom doesn;t always last.

When Nikki is called back to North Carolina by her estranged grandmother, she expects answers about her own past. Instead, she learns about Queen Luella, her great-great-great-grandmother, and the powerful history of the land they stand on. As she pieces together the past, Niki realizes how much her identity is tied to this place - and how important it is to protect what was nearly lost.

This book beautifully weaves history with the present, shining light on a forgotten past while telling a deeply personal story. The writing is lyrical, the characters and setting felt so real, and the message of reclaiming one's roots is unforgettable.

A must read - 5 stars!!

This book about a kingdom in the mountains of the Carolinas was incredible!!! The dual story was not only compelling, it was gripping. I enjoyed reading about "Happy Land," while enjoying an alternate POV to another story I've previously read. Great read!

This book had me so mesmerized from the first chapter. The story within a story that Dolen Perkins- Valdez weaves is magical and I was stunned to find out that Luella Montgomery and the Happy Land Kingdom are in fact real and it made me swell with pride. I felt like the characters were so drawn out and I was so emotionally invested in the story of the Happy Land Kingdom and also the story of Nikki and her grandmother, Mother Rita. I feel like the characters could have been built out more and the story of the falling out between Nikkis mother and Mother Rita felt like an after thought to the story. Also, the strained relationship between Nikki and her daughter didn't seem built out well also.

I loved the relationship that Luella had with the Montgomery brothers and how over time each relationship was worked out. I can tell that the author did a lot of research for this book and it showed in the historical accuracy of the time period. To think that a Black woman owned land during this time and had the tenacity that Luella possessed is just amazing and I will definitely recommend this book to all of my friends. I just loved it so much!! Probably one of the best books I read this year so far.

Did y’all know that Black Americans lost upwards of $326 billion in land/wealth between 1910 and 1997?! Reading that in the authors note pissed me off so bad that I was up researching more about it.

This was such a rich multi-generational story that blends elements from both fiction and research. Since I read Take My Hand and loved it, I knew I had to get my hands on Happy Land. The deep ties between generations of Black Americans and land is at the center of this book. Without spoiling, we follow timelines set in the past and present that describe The Kingdom of Happy Land, a Black community ran by a King and Queen in North Carolina during the late 1800s (a real place btw!!). Woven into these timelines are stories about family, forgiveness, tradition, land ownership, community, family secrets… all of it!!

This was a character driven story from beginning to end, which I loved. What I love most about Dolen Perkins-Valdez’s writing is her ability to write such rich characters who experience a range of emotions and you’re forced to feel emotions right alongside them. I loved Nikki and empathized with her role as the glue to her family. Mother Rita was complicated lol but her stubbornness reminded me of the Black women in my family. Reading this book can feel slow for some people, but I personally enjoyed the pacing and development more than anything else.

After reading this book, I found myself desiring a relationship to land as someone who wasn’t born in the South, but knows that both sides of my family’s roots was tied to somewhere here at some point. I also found myself tempted to throw myself into knowing more about my family, who we are, where we came from, how we documented our lives. I always appreciated books that make me reflect deeply about my real life. Def recommend for all of my historical fiction girlies who like character driven stories!

I absolutely loved this book! This story was engaging and kept me wanting to know more throughout. We have two timelines both past and present. Both timelines were engaging but the past timeline was the star of the show.

Nikki’s grandmother has asked her to come fly down and see her, only she is a little hesitant because her mom and grandmother had a falling out that no one speaks of years prior.

Upon her arrival her grandmother tells her of her ancestors and a kingdom they created in the mountains that her great, great , great grandmother was the queen of. Is her grandmother crazy or could this really be her family history?

Read this book if you like
🌺Hope Admist Hardship
🌺Coming of Age
🌺Forbidden Romance

Thank you @netgalley & @berkleypub for this advanced E-Arc!

This is a story of tradition. This is a story of family. This is a story of community. This is a story of forgiveness. This is a story of secrets. This is a story of the past and the present. The past meets the present through Land, Nikki is in a season of uncertainty. Her life will change as she navigates this season and learn of her family’s past and navigates her future. If you love a dual time line and multi generational story that is full of history, family and a little drama and a lot of secrets then I recommend you read this book.

This started off a bit slow, and I wasn’t sure if it was going to be for me. But when the story really got going, I couldn’t put it down.

Told in dual timelines, we follow Veronica (Nikki) as she visits her estranged grandmother in Henderson County, North Carolina. Her grandmother tells her the story of the Kingdom of Happy Land, from which they are descended. A group of freed slaves escaping the KKK and other forms of intimidation in South Carolina flee to the Blue Ridge Mountains in 1873. From there, we follow Luella, The Queen of Happy Land as both timelines go through ups and downs and legal battles, while both citing the importance of land ownership.

I am always fascinated by history, especially learning about something I had never heard of before. This takes place very close to where I live, so it was extra fun to read about these places. This story was heartwarming. Both timelines were enjoyable, as we learn about this kingdom and the oral history passed down from mother to daughter. I think this is a very important read. It focuses some on the after effects of slavery, but it also focuses on the joy these people found. There are some tough moments, but there’s plenty of happy ones to be found in Happy Land!

I did not want to give a star rating for this book as I chose to stop reading at the 20% mark. I was extremely interested in reading this book after reading a book published last year about Happy Land. Prior to these two books I never heard of Happy Land and was eager to learn more.

The decision to dnf was a personal one. I just didn’t like the creative direction of the book. I know there isn’t much to go off of information wise when it comes to Happy Land and a lot of the story about Luella and her family has to be filled in by the author. I just didn’t prefer the way this one was told. Thank you for the opportunity to read a advance copy.

3.5 stars, rounded up
Happy Land is an historical fiction that tackles the idea of “intentional Black communities”. These communities developed after the Civil War as a way for Blacks to govern themselves. This story is based on one community that actually existed in western North Carolina from 1873-1919.
Told using the dual timeline method, we learn how the community came to be founded in the Reconstruction era and then the status of the property in the current day. Nikki has come to visit her grandmother in the North Carolina hills near Hendersonville. Her grandmother and mother had a falling out years ago, so Nikki knows little about her grandmother or her heritage. Her grandmother, Mother Rita, seeks to remedy that. But she’s a prickly old woman and doesn’t share information on any terms but her own.
I adored Take My Hand, Perkins-Valdez’s prior book. This one didn’t grab me in quite the same way.
As is too often the case, I was way more engaged in the historical story than the present day. Luella was a way more interesting character than Nikki could hope to be. And I never felt I got a solid grasp on the rift between Mother Rita and her daughter. I did appreciate that in both storylines, the land was as much a character as the people. Perkins-Valdez did an excellent job of making me feel I was walking the land right along with the characters.
The Happy Land community really existed and was founded on the idea of pooled wealth. I enjoyed seeing how the residents were able to work together for the betterment of the community. The present day storyline hinges on the problem of heirs property, which occurs when an estate fails to clear probate. It’s seen as a major historical problem in the lack of generational wealth among blacks.
The book fulfilled my hope of teaching me something new. I was aware of the heirs property predicament thanks to another book, What You Leave Behind (not a book I recommend however) but not the idea of intentional Black communities. But it lacked the spark to truly engage me.
My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for an advance copy of this book.

What a moving book! I had no idea there was a kingdom in the mountains of the Carolinas, but I loved reading this story about it. The current and past points of view were equally compelling.

Thank you, publisher, for the eGalley!

This book was such a pleasant surprise for me. I loved how rich the history was. It was atmospheric, with beautiful storytelling.

I especially loved Luella’s POV and cherished the time we got with Nikki and Mother Rita.


I will be picking up the author's backlist!

4.5 stars

Take My Hand is one of my favorite audiobooks so receiving this was exciting! I loved it so much. Her writing just completely draws you in and you feel for all her characters.

Every so often, a writer captivates you so completely that you want to tell the world. Dolen Perkins-Valdez is that kind of author. After loving Take My Hand, I was thrilled to read her upcoming novel (April 8, 2025), Happy Land. This heartwarming, fact-based story follows former slaves who, after the Civil War, settled outside Hendersonville, NC, on a mountain they called The Kingdom of the Happy Land. With a dual timeline—Luella Montgomery in 1882 and her present-day descendants fighting to preserve their land—the novel showcases resilient, well-drawn characters. I love historical fiction that uncovers forgotten events and sends you searching for the truth. This book does exactly that, with powerful women at its heart.

I absolutely loved Dolen Perkins-Valdez's last book so I was highly anticipating reading this one. It did not disappoint. We learn of the Lovejoy family. The land that was worked on and owned by the Kingdom with Queen Luella and King William in North Carolina after the Civil War. We move forward in time to their descendants fighting to keep the land. A part of history I never of and found very interesting. Highly recommend.

I found it a joy to read Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez and learn about this kingdom that I'd not heard of before. Historical fiction told in two timelines, and I found both to be rewarding. (It did help that there was a modern-day character who was a librarian!)

My eyes were opened as I imagined what life was like for those fleeing such hardship and settling in this land and becoming independent. Such proud people. Such adaptive people. Such love.
I'd recommend this as an introductory read for those who, like me, had no knowledge of Happy Land and want to learn more! I'm going to check out the author's website and see what else I can find.

My local book group will be reading another novel by this author, Take My Hand, in a month or two, and I am sure we will have plenty to discuss. I will likely also recommend my group add Happy Land to their TBR list this year!

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ebook. All opinions here are my own.

This story was both heartbreaking and redemptive as it details the lasting impact of enslavement on Black families, the loss of generational wealth through exploitation, and the need for connection through friends and family.

This is also a Story of self discovery and finding one’s place in the world. Told in a split-time format, it was interesting to see some of the parallels in Queen Luella's and Nikki’s lives. Both women lived and made decisions based on
What would happen to others and not necessarily
What was best for them. In the end, Queen Luella's choices gave Nikki freedom.

The side characters were well written and equally well developed. My favorite was Maddie Mae, mother Rita's best friend. She just seemed so real... Like an auntie.

I enjoyed the budding romance between Nikki and Bryan, the librarian, and like to think they got married. I want to believe that Nikki and her daughter resolved their issues and found some measure of happiness.

I received this as an advance copy for a fair review. First, and most interestingly, the topic is an unknown part of our history: a black settlement known as " The Kingdom of the Happy Land." This actual "black communal society" existed in Western North Carolina during Reconstruction. Not much is actually known as most of it has vanished, but it's possibility "reflects on a curious story of a Black Appalachian utopia" as Danielle Dukin writes in her webpage, "A Black Kingdom in postbellum Appalachia." But this premise is intriguing.

Valdez starts her book in present day with a fictional relative of the founders of this kingdom going to visit her grandmother, Mother Rita. Mother Rita has called Nikki "home" as she needs help staying on her land and since Nikki is a real estate agent, Mother Rita believes Nikki can help her. The book then switches to the past with the founding "queen," Luella Bobo, of Happy Land telling her story of how this kingdom came to be. Alternating between past and present, the interlocking stories have a similar theme: achieving ownership of the land and evading unscrupulous provocateurs, though this is a lighter theme compared to the stories of two women discovering what they are capable of doing and achieving.

I enjoyed the modern story a bit more than the story of the founding of Happy Land because of the legal aspects involved in Mother Rita getting her land back. While Luella's story was essential, I just didn't resonate as well with it.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read as well as an opportunity to learn more about black history.

As she's done in her previous books, Perkins-Valdez again dives into lesser-explored history that deserves to be better known, this time the little known history of the kingdom founded by freedpeople in the 1870s along the NC/SC border. A contemporary storyline contributes to the sense that the past isn't dead, it isn't even past. Stirring and beautifully written.

Dolen Perkins-Valdez has written another stunning novel in Happy Land. The story follows the Lovejoy family of women as the timeline moves between present day and the time of the Kingdom of the Happy Land. I enjoyed both sides of the story and was especially interested to learn that the story was based on actual historical facts. These are strong women who want nothing more than to restore the land of the Kindgom and allow future generations to thrive there. Characters are well-developed and you’ll find yourself rooting for them right to the very satisfying end.

When you pick up a Dolen Perkins-Valdez book, you know you are in for something special. She will weave a remarkable story that threads historical events into a beautiful narrative that sticks with you. I had never heard of post-Civil War Black communities and kingdoms. She shared her knowledge, mixed in with descriptive writing to teach me something new. It even sparked me to do more research into the topic.