hillysreads's Reviews (381)

I was craving good historical fiction and this book definitely hit the spot! I love World War II novels but there are not a lot of black WWII novels so I was so excited to read it! I really enjoyed reading Sisters In Arms. The beginning was a bit slow but when it picked up about 40/50 pages in, I was hooked! I was so invested in getting to know the characters, knowing what decisions they would make and how it would affect their lives and how they handled serving in the military for a country that did not respect them or believe they were capable of serving their country. These women were passionate and determined to prove their superiors, the government, and even their families wrong and that black women could indeed serve.

Recently, I have been working on my family tree on Ancestry - going through so many records including census records, and finding a bunch of interesting information about my family. Things Past Telling starts with an Ohio census taker coming to Maryam’s home in 1870 to take the names of people living in the house - the man was rude and obviously didn’t care about the family or taking down the correct information. I was completely sucked in because as I am researching my family on Ancestry, I am always finding mistakes in the census, especially in the late 1800s records. After all, we ALL know those census takers didn’t care about getting information on Black Americans.

The book took me on an emotional journey, I really connected with and loved the MC Maryam. She was taken from her village in Africa as a little girl, put on a slave ship and given a new name. The book covers Maryam’s life, from the time she lived in Africa up until the time when she is very old (112) and wanted to tell her whole, true story. From beginning to end, I was engaged the whole time.

Maryam had a JOURNEY, when she arrived in the America’s, she was taken to Jamaica where she was taken in by Caesar, a pirate. He took her in and cared for her like she was his little sister. Then one day, she was taken again but this time, to the U.S. and found herself on an auction block. The book has good moments, then the author takes a huge pivot out of nowhere and tragedy happens. Making it so realistic to the time. I really enjoyed reading this book - it was fascinating to find out the author was inspired by a 112-year-old woman she found in the 1870 Ohio census report.

If you read & loved A Woman of Endurance, you’d love this book.

The Perfect Find is about a 40-year-old woman, Jenna, who was at the top of her career in fashion, hits rockbottom and turns to her rival, Darcy for a job so she can get back on her feet. At this job, she meets 23-year-old Eric who is Darcy’s son and just getting started in his career. Jenna and Eric are forced to work together and at first, they don’t get along AT ALL. But then something clicks, and the chemistry between the two characters sparks ⚡️

4.5 rounded up.