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.

Every once in awhile, a writer comes along that impresses you so much that you want to tell the world to read her books. Dolen Perkins-Valdez is that kind of author. Having read and loved "Take My Hand", I was so excited to get a chance to read her new book "Happy Land" that will be published April 8, 2025. I'm sitting here with a smile because this was a heartwarming story based on an actual event. After the end of the Civil War, former slaves settled outside Hendersonville, NC on a mountain they called The Kingdom of the Happy Land. This dual timeline story of Luella Montgomery in 1882 and her present day ancestors as they struggle to preserve the land that has been in their family for generations. Exceptionally well drawn characters are recognizable in their strength, determination and human fragility as they work together to build and hold on to what is theirs. I love historical fiction that teaches you about events you knew nothing about - and sends you searching the internet to verify that yes, this really happened. This book does that with wonderfully strong resilent women at the forefront of this novel. A satisfying read that would make a wonderful choice for reading groups. I want to thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this one - will be buying for my store. Explores a part of American history I doubt many have heard about and raises really good questions about reparations, land ownership, and what justice looks like.

I love this book and Historical Fiction. I felt so many emotions and so much pride reading this book. I didn't know that this was based on a true story and that makes it even better. Wow. This book made me want to go start a garden and also go find out more about who I come from. A beautiful story about legacy, land ownership and the ancestors that paved the way for us.

This is my second book that I've read by this author and she did not disappoint. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

Dolmen Perkins-Valdez’s historical fiction book, “Happy Land,” embraces a people, land, and culture unknown to many. The story unfolds when Mother Rita calls on her granddaughter for help in keeping her land. Through her grandmother, Victoria discovers the story of an established Kingdom of Happy Land, its kings and queen, and how it came to be. She learns of its struggles to endure and why the land means so much to her grandmother.
The book appealed to me because the story revolves around family (present and past) conflict and resolution. In addition, it started me on a search to learn more of this kingdom that was!

I loved this story about a little piece of history that I had heard nothing about! Another reason why historical fiction is my favorite genre.. entertainment with the added value of educating myself. :). I loved the way the author went back and forth between decades and characters to tell the story of Happy Land and all of the characters involved.

I love historical fiction books that jump between the past and the present. I think it really showcases how much the past influences the present even if it was generations ago.

I had never heard of a Kingdom in the US and I found this fascinating and inspiring to see how a group of people banded together and created a loving society that worked together for the good of the people.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.

This book is an inspiring exploration of the courage it takes to confront the past and protect what is rightfully yours. It’s a poignant reminder that our family stories shape who we are, and in this case, Nikki’s journey is as much about reclaiming her heritage as it is about honoring the dreamers who came before her. A must-read for fans of historical fiction with a rich emotional core.

This is a historic family saga with a dual timeline. In the present time we follow Nikki who is reconnecting with her grandmother she barely knows. Her grandmother, Mother Rita, wants to teach Nikki about their rich family roots. In the past we dig into those roots and we see a family that has endured, including slavery. If that's a trigger for you I would be careful because this book does not hide any of the monstrosities that comes with. Overall, this was a stunning novel with powerful characters that were rich and distinctive. And the prose was fruitful and beautiful. This was definitely a 5 star read for me.

I loved this book from the first page to the last and want everyone to read it!

In this dual timeline, Nikki (present time) is summoned from D.C. to North Carolina by her estranged grandmother, Mother Rita for an unknown reason. Before she'll tell Nikki why, Mother Rita insists that Nikki learn about her ancestors, specifically her great-great-great grandmother and their history with the physical land in N.C., once known as the Kingdom of Happy Land.

As with most dual timelines, I liked the present time but loved the past. Without giving any spoilers (this part is in the book description), I'm in awe of the men, women and children who came out of slavery physically and emotionally beaten and broken, and had the wherewithal to create new lives. Happy Land provides stunning insight into a real group of freedpeople who established their own community. The characters' connection and linkage to the land was beautifully told and so impactful.

This is my first Dolen Perkins-Valdez book (although truth be told, Take My Hand has been on my TBR for two years). Her writing is so lovely and easy, and flows nicely between timelines, a testament to her talent as that can easily feel choppy and messy but doesn't get even close here. The imagery is so vivid and clear I can picture every scene. The author's note gives more details on the community she based the book on, and I immediately began looking it up to learn more. She also touches on Blacks having their land wealth taken from them, which has true far-reaching and devastating impacts.

I would highly recommend Happy Land!

TY to BookBrowse and NetGalley for the digital ARC! I'll absolutely be buying a physical copy when it's released.

In the 1870s, a group of formerly enslaved people settled in the mountains outside Hendersonville, North Carolina, and established the Kingdom of the Happy Land. This land was inspired by and thrived like the African kingdoms of their ancestors. Fast forward to the present day: the Kingdom is long forgotten, but a descendant remains who wants to preserve her family’s legacy, and the land connected to it. She reminds herself—and all of us—that honoring and understanding our ancestors’ past helps their descendants thrive.

This is a wonderfully written historical novel with complex characters who had me rooting for them from page one. I loved this book and highly recommend it.

I adore historical fiction based on real events, especially those like the Kingdom of the Happy Land, which would be lost to history without writers like Dolen Perkins-Valdez bringing these stories to life.

Thank you to BookBrowse and Berkley for an early read in exchange for a fair review.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this book galley in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed this unexpectedly delightful book based on part on historical truth. Loved the characters, the storyline and the redemption of promise as the story concluded. It is so easy to see how these individuals banded together to bring back their culture, traditions and lifestyle of “all for one and one for all” that they experienced before being enslaved. It was surprising to me that they all readily agreed to pool their treasury, especially given what ultimately happens to their land. I enjoyed the complexity of the mother-daughter-granddaughter relationships and how it informed their life choices. It was frustrating to read and understand about how the happy land residents were so naive to believe that the honor they bestowed on others was not respected. Greed and years of inaction didn’t help. Highly recommend.

I love a good historical fiction book and Happy Land delivered. It is an emotional family drama told by two different generations of women. The present is told by Nikki, a woman reconnecting with her grandmother and by extension her ancestors back to post-civil war time. The past is told by Luella, a freed slave living in a self-sustaining kingdom built by a community of other free slaves. The two stories merge to an emotional, fitting conclusion.

I quite enjoyed the author's previous book, Take My Hand, so I was excited to get my hands on this one.

The topic of this book is one that needs to be told and it was written in an interesting way. We are given 2 POV's with time periods in the 1800's and current. Both black women of the same family. The main point of the book is surrounding black owned land, how it was acquired and how it was stolen from them through "legal" means. I've known of this aspect of history, so it wasn't new to me, but I appreciated a deeper dive into how it was handled. With that we are given emotions as we follow these strong women and the unfairness of the position they are placed in. I love that the women were the focus rather than men.

While I loved this subject, I found that the story dragged. At about the half way point I was needing the plot to pick up or become more complicated to keep me invested. While it did a little bit, I still felt that I had to push myself to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the gifted e-copy of this book.

A tale of family, land ownership, and freedom. Learning the history of this intentional community shows the perseverance of a people. The love and heartbreak we can feel within our families is shown throughout this book. It gives hope through history.

This is another great story told by the author of Take My Hand. Another historical fiction tale that had me completely engaged. The author's skilled writing made me feel that I was right there with her characters. Bravo!

Another winner from Dolan Perkins-Valdez. A beautiful mix of historical fiction in a place in the USA I had never heard tales like this of, and the power of family and the history families share was a wonderful bonus to her words. A powerful celebration of the success some former enslaved men and women worked for and triumphed with. A moving novel.

I love a great historical fiction book, especially when I learn a piece of history that I knew nothing about, especially with US history.

This story is told in alternating sections, one is current time with Nikki, as she heads to see her Grandmother, Mother Rita, who she has not seen in many years. Mother Rita has reached out to Nikki as she needs help with something but once Nikki gets there, Mother is not immediately forthcoming with what she needs help with. Nikki pieces things together during her visit & it has to do with multi generational history.

The other section of the story is told from the POV of Luella, a young woman during the Reconstruction era. Her family is now free & a group of them move on to land near the SC/NC border & they form their own "kingdom" called Happy Land.

The old history & new part of the story merge together over time.

There's current family turmoil- 4 generations of women, Mother Rita, her daughter who is Nikki's mom, Nikki & Nikki's daughter. Nikki's mom has never believed the story that has been passed down over generations about this kingdom with a King & Queen, called Happy Land. This causes a rift over many years & Nikki works to find the truth.

A great piece of history that I am sure many of us never heard of before.

Thank you Dolen Perkins-Valdez for researching this & writing this wonderful novel.

This book shook me.

I received a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Land is a novel about a Black woman who is estranged from her roots and while on a trip to visit her grandmother, the first in her life, she discovers that she is descended from royalty. A royal kingdom set up right in the heart of Appalachia, a kingdom of freed men and women. Should she, Nikki, believe all this or are they simply stories passed down and exaggerated with time? This novel is told in dual POV and dual timelines. We get Nikki a forty-year old single mother who is trying to balance career and family, and Luella, the young woman who was the queen of Happy Land, the kingdom of freed peoples. The two voices are very distinct and Perkins-Valdez uses that to her benefit.

While some aspects of this novel hit a little too close to home, there are so many wonderful things about it as well. Nikki is out of touch with her roots, her culture. Because of this, she doesn’t have high aspirations, just like her mother didn’t, just like her daughter doesn’t. Because she has no idea of her proud history, she can’t see the possibilities that life has for her. Nikki just thought she came from a line of only daughters, ones who live simple lives, get married and work. Yet when she goes to visit her grandmother, Mother Rita, all that changes. Understandably, Nikki is skeptical at first, a kingdom of freedmen? There weren’t no kingdoms in the US, and definitely none like that. At least that is what she has always believed, and what everyone seems to believe.

This novel touches on a lot of things, things that may make you need a break from it. I know that I did. For example, the lack of archiving of Black histories and families, land stolen time and time again from Black and brown people, lost hope, motherhood, dealing with family drama. And if any of that is triggering for you, please be warned.

To really talk about this book, I have to go deep. I have to get personal, because it isn’t a novel that you stay distanced from. It is one that pulls you in close and holds you there. As a Black woman I can say without a doubt that many matriarchs and patriarchs have gone on without sharing their story, without the younger generations knowing who they are, who the family is, why certain things are done, why other things are not. The author, Dolen Perkins-Valdez touches on all of this. We get the distinct sense that there is something missing, a puzzle piece thrown away to leave the puzzle forever unfinished. And that hits close to home. But we as readers also see what it is like to be a bridge, which is what Nikki acts as connecting her past and her present, her mother and her grandmother. While I don’t think that is a spoiler, this next bit may be.

SPOILER ALERT: We come to grips with the fact that while we may never know all or even understand it, family is integral. Nikki’s family was barely there because her mother Lorelle refused to listen to Mother Rita’s talks about Happy Land, wealthy Black landowners seemed like a pipe dream, a fantasy to her, and so she ignored it, moved, and cut ties with her mother. It’s only when Lorelle realizes that time is of the essence that she begins to open her mind to the idea that Happy Land and all of Mother Rita’s stories have truth to them.

While I favored Luella’s POV over Nikki’s, both are essential and give us a lot of information that propel us on in the story. And I am not ashamed to say that this novel did bring a tear or two, dealing with family and lost legacies is something I believe all African-descendants of enslaved people understand, there will always be something we don’t know. Yet that doesn’t mean we should continue to hush the narrative or keep silent. We should continue to strive for more and maybe, as Nikki did, do some digging into the lives of our families. Who knows what we may excavate?

At the end of the day, I am glad that I received this ARC and this is definitely a book that will stick with me for a good while, one that I will mull over and consider. It is definitely one that I would recommend to fellow readers, as well. It gave me some things to think about and reminded me of the importance of oral histories, storytelling, and understanding where you come from.