✪✪✪✪: the vibes are hopeful

This is a beautiful story about hope and resilience and family and legacy. there is so much history that is lost or forgotten over time or straight up buried and i loved getting the smallest peek into one of these stories.

Like many of the characters, its hard to, at first, embrace the idea of a kingdom in the united states. but once you start to understand what the kingdom-folk were after and why they styled themselves a kingdom, it really does make sense and i wish we knew more about it.

the legacy of land for freed african americans is clearly a very deep subject that this book only scratches the surface of. the founders of the kingdom went from slaves to being free but no less hated or persecuted. that they would want to form a place just for themselves and their families is not surprising.

nor is it surprising how they would eventually end up losing much of the land they fought for, and legally paid for. this story, while narratively slow in some parts, makes up for that "short coming" with how much heart and soul is in the story, and how the characters, torn apart by the law or by distance or sheer stubbornness, can find their ways back to one another.

its a story that celebrates knowing where you come from and that legacy being worth more than money can buy. its a story about what makes a person rich, and how that's not always the number in a bank. i loved the two sides of this story because they give so much insight into the past, into why mother rita is fighting her fight, and who she is fighting it for.

there is a revelation, very late in the book, that took my breath away. and that revelation is the soul of this book, and it doesnt matter that it comes at the end of the tale. it makes every word that comes before it that much more meaninginful.

ARC Review Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Although Happy Land is a work of fiction, the Kingdom of Happy Land was a real place, and the author conducted extensive research into the history of this freed Black community in writing this novel. At times, I felt like I was reading a non-fiction work because of the accuracy and depth of the historical details. After finishing the book, I dove into the resources cited at the end, and I’d hazard a guess that many other readers will do the same.

This is a brilliant novel that takes you into the past, following emancipation and immerses you in the lives of a successful family and community forced to flee South Carolina due to racial terrorism. Successful Black people are viewed as threats. Undeterred by the threats, they move to North Carolina to start over. With dreams of recreating what was stolen from them, they establish a free black community, the Kingdom of Happy Land, modelled after the kingdoms in Africa from which their ancestors were taken. They elect a King and Queen, along with a council to establish their own rules and order. It is inspiring to read about this egalitarian community which thrived on hard work, communal values and entrepreneurial spirit.

Luella as Queen, was an amazing character - bold, determined, brilliant and resilient. She faces both personal and community adversity with incredible strength. She is the driving force for securing equal rights and a voice for women, and establishing a school to educate the children. Her vision for the community, as well as her belief in the contributions women could make, were key to the success of the Kingdom. Luella is a truly inspiring character. The novel is a testament to the power of women and their business acumen, showcasing how, when their wisdom is respected, women can establish thriving communal spaces. The intrigue of her relationship with the Montgomery brothers, William and Robert, adds interesting twists to the story and showing her personal growth, maturation and her commitment to putting the community first.

“In my imagining of the kingdom, it is both a literal and metaphorical manifestation of a peoples desire to rise into their full humanity.”

This novel highlights the importance of a safe community where one can be free, independent, self sufficient, and dream of better future - something that remains crucial today. The ability to hope, imagine, and envision a better life is what sustains us. The people of Happy Land dreamed of building a successful community, and they achieved it. Nikki and her daughter’s struggles to envision a future for themselves are tied to their inability to dream and see that a bigger life is possible.

The present Lovejoy women serve to demonstrate the disempowerment that comes from being disconnected from your history, and family. Their estrangement and resultant isolation, detachment and lack of purpose were profoundly connected to their lack of community and relationships. Nikki’s rediscovery of her family’s history, as well as her rekindled relationship with her grandmother, empower her and provide her with a sense of identity and belonging.

The book powerfully addresses the historical and current predatory practices that have led to the loss of land for Black families. From racial terror, lynching, to intentionally increased taxes, outright theft, red lining, predatory loans, mortgages and heir’s property, the novel outlines these practices with chilling clarity. The census data, which conservatively estimates that African American’s have lost $326 Billion in land wealth between 1910-1997 is mind boggling. This loss has vastly contributed to the economic disparity that exists today. Something that I was unaware of prior to reading this book.

Happy Land is an eye opening exploration of crucial historical events that continue to impact communities today.

Every once in a while a writer comes along that impresses you that you want to tell everyone to read it. A heartwarming story based on actual events . This would make a great book club read .

Dolen Perkins-Valdez did it, AGAIN, folks. She has officially become my favorite historical fiction author! 👏🏻 (Take My Hand is a MUST READ and my favorite book from 2022). Perkins-Valdez does such a beautiful job of sharing history that should be known. And she shares it so well that it makes me want to do more research on it myself!

Happy Land provided insight into a group of freedpeople who established their own community. The deep ties between African Americans and their land is a common theme in this book. Did y'all know that they lost more than $326 BILLION in land and wealth between 1910 and 1997? Absolutely maddening, RIGHT?

I really loved the weaving of this duo-POV, multigenerational story. I loved the hope amid the hardships. I wasn't expecting the forbidden romance, but I loved that, too!

If you're a fan of duo-POV, multigenerational historical fiction with themes of family, tradition, forgiveness, community, and land ownership - this book is for you!

Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
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Nikki has been asked to come visit her estranged grandma at her home in North Carolina. She doesn’t know why her mother cut off contact with her grandma and is ready to get some answers. Instead her grandma tells her the story about the land and how it was once a Kingdom, and their ancestor was the Queen.
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This book had an excellent hook with the injustice of how land ownership was going on. It’s outrageous how greed makes monsters out of people. I was so upset for both Mother Rita and Luella.
I really enjoyed Luella’s story of her people finding a place where they could start their own community.
The way Nikki’s story ending was sweet and had enough justice to it to leave me content.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I enjoyed this story. It wasn’t as great as Take my Hand, but it is a good historical fiction story about a subject I had never heard of.

Historical fiction readers, if you aren’t reading Dolen Perkins Valdez - RUN! She quickly became one of my favorite historical fiction authors last year after reading and falling in love with Take my Hand. I immediately added her upcoming novel, Happy Land, to my TBR, and scouted Netgalley for an e-arc. Huge huge thank you to Netgalley, Berkley, and the author for my free copy!

Dolen’s books are about less known historical events but my goodness are they meaningful. In Happy Land, Nikki reconnects with her estranged grandmother who teaches her about her ancestry and surprises her by revealing her great-great-great grandmother was a Queen. Inspired by true events, 205 acres became the home of over two hundred freed-people who built their own kingdom with a named queen and king. Now, Nikki must play a part in reclaiming that land to secure her family’s legacy.

This book bounces between a present and past timeline. While the storylines were very different, multi-generational family themes were the stand out in both. Dolen has such a talent in storytelling and connecting dual timelines! I would highly recommend this as a Women’s History month read - she writes some of my favorite strong female leads. 4.5 stars because the present timeline got a little slow at times, but overall, I fell in love with the characters and how the Kingdom of Happy Land came to be.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Dual Time-lines in this book were incredible. Never once did I feel confused as I normally do when a book starts without warning of Dual Timelines. When Veronica (Nikki) is called by her grandmother, Mother Rita, to come to North Carolina with the ruse of learning more about family history and where she came from. Nikki was amazing and I loved her character. I also loved Luella and her POV. In the end, Happy Land made me happy and sad at the same time in so many ways. I love Historical Fiction and I love what the author did with this book!

Powerful! Once I started, I couldn’t put this book down. The intertwining of generations of women was skillfully done, laying the foundation of why Nikki’s role was so essential in helping her family. As a North Carolinian, born and raised, this was an amazing journey through American Black history, from generations of slaves to the freed people of the Kingdom, to the current descendants, some who don’t believe there ever was a kingdom. The author effortlessly delivers on the human struggle and incredible sadness for Black people post Civil War, while also centering the beautiful, lighthearted, and often messy pieces of family relationships.

Interesting premise and loved the dual timelines. Characters felt a bit flat and didn't love the writing style.
Loved the author's previous book more.

If I could recommend only one book for 2025, it would unequivocally be Dolen Perkins-Valdez's 'Happy Land.' The captivating cover immediately drew me in, but the story itself held me spellbound. Unlike my usual binge-reading habits, I savored every word of this multigenerational historical fiction, reflecting deeply on its poignant themes. Based on a true, yet largely unknown, event in U.S. history, the dual POV narrative, spanning past and present, follows two resilient women fighting to preserve their family's land. This is a powerful story of love, family, and the enduring strength of generations of women. 'Happy Land' delivered chills and sparked a fervent desire to learn more about Luella Montgomery and the Kingdom of the Happy Land. This is a vital piece of American history, and I predict this novel will be a defining release of 2025.

Reading Happy Land felt like uncovering a hidden piece of history that had been waiting to be told. Dolen Perkins-Valdez masterfully brings to life the journey of formerly enslaved Black women who are sent to Iowa’s tobacco fields after the Civil War—a narrative I had never encountered before. The story is both heartbreaking and hopeful, filled with moments of deep struggle and quiet triumph.

The novel is beautifully written, deeply researched, and emotionally gripping. This isn’t just a book—it’s an experience. If you love historical fiction that sheds light on untold stories and leaves you thinking long after the last page, Happy Land is absolutely worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for this free copy for an honest review. I enjoyed this book. I also found it very informative, in a very tragic way. Naively, I have so much to learn about the history of slavery in our country and in this story, I learned that that 90% of the generational wealth has been stolen from African Americans and their descendants, often through violence or nefarious means. The book also illustrated how any gains made through the right to vote or purchase land, were quickly recalibrated by racist people by almost immediate violence. It's terrible and heartbreaking and still happening today. But I am glad I read it, it's so important.

I loved(!) @dolenperkinsvaldez previous novel, Take My Hand, so I know this would be another important and emotional book shining light on historical truths. In this case, heir property.

I first learned of heir property loss after reading Long After We Are Gone last year (also highly recommend) so this wasn’t a new topic to me but that didn’t make it any less astonishing.

I loved the past timeline, diving into the rich history of the Kingdom—the community they built and the way they fought to hold onto it. I also found myself enjoying the present timeline as well, as Nikki embarks on a journey of self-discovery, realizing how profoundly our identities are shaped by the legacy of our families.

A must read story inspired by true events. Thank you @berkleypub for the #gifted e-arc. HAPPY LAND comes out April 8th.

The Kingdom of Happy Land resided in North Carolina, far in the mountains. Ruled by Queen Luella, the kindgom was a haven for freed slaves, ready to start over and have pride in owning their own land. But 100 years later, the decendants of the kindgom are at risk of losing the remaining land due to the heirs property law.

In present day, Nikki heads down to North Carolina to help her failing grandmother, Mother Rita. Mother Rita is stubborn and speaks in riddles, always talking about the kindgom land, The secretative nature and riddles drive Nikki crazy. So while visiting Mother Rita, she decides to do some more research into the kingdom and her ancestors, and what she finds not only helps her understand Mother Rita more, but also brings her a sense of pride in her heritage.

As the past and the present are woven together in this story, I felt all the emotions. Fascination at this real life kingdom here in the US, anger at the treatment of the slaves, frustration with some of the characters and their choices, pride and love for the strength ofNikki and Mother Rita and their ancestors, adoration for Queen Luella and ultimately tears through the end of the book.

First off I don’t even like historical fiction and I loved this book. It was so riveting and heartbreaking. I loved the tie in with the estate law information. Luella is a bad ass. I’m glad Nikki is getting a second chance. And I would be so scared of mother Rita

As a historical fiction lover. As a Black Woman. As a Black Woman with North Carolina Roots. This book is EVERYTHING. I loved the dual timeline, I loved the family dynamics, I loved the raw truthfulness of the story of the HappyLand. Luella is everything beautiful and vibrant about the elders in my own family. Lorelle and Nikki are my mother and my own pressures and obligations as the next generations. Hands down one of my favorite Historical Fiction books I’ve ever read.

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing for the eARC!

What an incredible book! Dolen Perkins-Valdez has such a way with words and storytelling. Happy Land is the story of free people that built their own kingdom with it's own King and Queen. This is a story. based on a true events told from a dual-timeline POV. One of my biggest takeaways from this story is that you dreams are never too far out of reach and to keep you imagination alive. Even the most far-fetched can become a reality.

I love this multi-generational story. It is told from the perspective of Nikki, who has been called by her grandmother, Mother Rita, for help in North Carolina. Nikki takes the opportunity to find out some other information that has caused a rift in her family and ends up learning way more than she could've imagined. We also get the POV of Luella, Nikki's great-great-great grandmother and the Queen of Happy Land.

I really love the dual timelines of the story and how everything connected. I loved Nikki's character and really empathized with her. She really grew as a person, starting as someone who felt somewhat lost and complacent, while still wanting more for her own daughter. By the end of the story she grew so much and found a new life coming into her own. It's never too late to find yourself and find new things to fulfill you. As stubborn as Mother Rita was, I think the bond she forms with Nikki in the short time was beautiful. My favorite part of the story was always Luella's POV. Luella was a young girl and she was thrust into the role as Queen. Overtime the people of Happy Land really looked to her as a guiding light and she never gave up hope even in tough situations that seemed impossible to overcome. It was inspiring.

I also found this book very informative . It made me think of landownership and how much has been lost from our ancestors due to shady business and laws. In the author's note alone I feel like I learned a lot lol. I definitely find this subject really interesting and I find it especially interesting that Happy Land was a real place. I had never heard of this Kingdom until I read this book and I'm excited to learn more about it in general.

Everything I love most about historical fiction is here in this novel. It is based on an actual historical event with the author doing a deep dive to find the facts to base her story on. The characters living in the novel are more than just characters; they were real people with real emotions, fears, and dreams that are living again on the pages. It is absolutely a story that needed to be told.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Company for the ARC to read and review.

Another masterpiece by Perkins-Valdez! This time, we travel to the hills of Appalachia where a kingdom once stood. Modern day, Nikki visits her grandmother, Mother Rita, at her home in these hills. Mother Rita wants Nikki to learn about her ancestry. The story juxtaposes between the modern day with Nikki's story and the past with Luella, the first queen of the kingdom. I really connected with every character in this story. The author creates dimensional characters that could be real life people. This was such a wonderful book and I've already recommended it to others! Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and Net Galley for the advanced copy!

✂️ P L O T L I N E
Nikki Berry reconnects with her estranged grandmother, Mother Rita, who shares an astonishing tale of their ancestor Luella, a queen in the Kingdom of the Happy Land, a once-thriving community of freed people in the hills of North Carolina. As Nikki uncovers the ruins and secrets of her family’s past, she realizes the land is her legacy and it is up to her to protect it before it is lost forever.

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
t takes a lot for me to give a book five stars, but this one was incredibly impactful, a timely and important read. If you were a fan of Dolen Perkins-Valdez’s 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘔𝘺 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥, you will appreciate the storytelling and meticulous research that went into this book. With historical fiction featuring dual timelines, I often find myself more drawn to the present day narrative. However, in this case, the opposite was true. I was completely captivated and inspired by Luella’s story. That being said, I also loved Mother Rita and the rest of the strong female characters. This is an entertaining yet powerful read about love, family, resilience, and the courage it takes to pursue a dream. Be sure to add this one to your TBR!

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
👵🏻Multi-generational
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒Family and legacy
💪🏽Strong female leads
📖Storytelling
💡Self discovery
🗣️Multiple POVs
🔁Dual Timelines

🌷𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾🌷
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

💕Q U O T E: “𝑀𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝒶𝓈 𝐼 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒽𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓁 𝓇𝑒𝒸𝑜𝓇𝒹, 𝒾𝓉 𝒹𝑜𝑒𝓈𝓃'𝓉 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝓈𝓌𝑒𝓇𝓈, 𝑒𝓈𝓅𝑒𝒸𝒾𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝒾𝓉 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈. 𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝒽𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓎 𝓅𝒶𝓈𝓈𝑒𝒹 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓉𝒽. 𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝒽𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓎 𝒸𝒶𝓂𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓂 𝑜𝒻 𝒶 𝓂𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇'𝓈 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝓈𝓅𝑒𝓇."

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, Berkley, and Dolen Perkins-Valdez for this free eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.