I appreciated some of the poetic prose in this book, as well as the journey of the family as they navigate the homeownership as Black people in the United States. Redwood Court is the family's home, hub and saving grace as they grapple with love, loss, incarceration, and rites of passage. "Redwood Court" reminds us that home is not just rooms, its the dreams and loves that the people in those rooms can hold. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, The Dial Press for permission to read this work prior to its publication date.

Redwood Court tracks the course of multiple generations of one family in Columbia, South Carolina. While many individuals were highlighted, the bulk of the book is seen through the eyes of Mika, the granddaughter of the Weesie and Teeta who first moved into Redwood Court after the end of the Korean War. Weesie cares deeply about her neighbors and helps out where she can. She and Teeta have two children- their daughter Rhina is Mika's mother. I appreciated that Dameron put an index of characters and how they relate to one another in the beginning of the book because for much of the beginning I had to reference how they knew one another, though it was easier as the book progressed. This was a really nice debut- overlapping the familial dynamics, the reader is also able to encounter how living as a Black person in the South has changed (and not) over generations. I would not say a lot of plot happens, but this is a moving novel that I would recommend to others.

Thank you to Random House, the Dial Press via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

Redwood Court is a multi-generational story about a Black family from Columbia, South Carolina. The story is told from a few different perspectives but is mostly narrated by the youngest grandchild named Mika. She is a child of the 1990s and early 2000s. At first glance, you wouldn't think this white woman from Wisconsin would have much in common with Mika and her family, but this story made me so nostalgic for summers spent in Tennessee with my grandparents who lived in a cul-de-sac reminiscent of Mika's grandparents' neighborhood. This is definitely a character-driven story. Not much happens, but the characters are richly drawn and I found them all to be very relatable. This was a 5-star read for me.

Thank you to Random House, The Dial Press, and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy of Redwood Court.

A beautiful ode to family and oral history as told to Mika her whole life. Mika's family lands post Korean War in Columbia, South Carolina. More specifically, the family home is chosen with the utmost care by the matriarch, Weesie, in a black, middle-class neighborhood on Redwood Court.
It is from that home we the reader and Mika the granddaughter of Weesie, learn about her people both far and near. From grandparents to distant cousins and relatives, Mika is exhorted to write it all down, to be the keeper of the stories.
At times a bit choppy with the POV changing and some people coming and going without staying long enough to understand their purpose in the book, Redwood Court reads like a tale told often around BBQs, games of Spades, and Sunday Dinners. Racism as experienced in America from the 1950's - 1990's is as much a part of Mika's family history as are family trips, Sunday church, loss of beloved family members, and Little Debbie snacks.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I really tried getting into the book but I just couldn’t. This my first time reading this author not sure if it was her writing style. I also felt the book was all over the place and it ended abruptly.

I love when a coming-of-age storyline comes together with a family saga. This book covers over three decades of family life, but the longer chapters and the multiple POVs made the book feel a bit more drawn-out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

"Redwood Court" is something special—a story about nothing in particular.

In a lesser author’s hands, that would be a bad thing, but DéLana R. A. Dameron crafts a novel reminiscent of the warm but low-stakes storytelling one might find in, say, a Beverly Cleary book.

There’s no drama here except what one might expect in the average person’s life. Questions of identity and origin arise, but not with the earth-shattering weight we are accustomed to in stories like this. Instead, they are presented with the matter-of-factness with which real people would respond—“Oh, this is something new to factor into our lives.” This resistance to melodrama means that Dameron has no narrative shortcuts at her disposal, and she hinges everything on the strength of her characters. Thankfully, it’s a wise gamble. Very rarely am I struck by a narrator’s voice, but "Redwood Court" is a rare exception, and the author approaches each of her characters with care.

As the book settles into its cadence, it feels increasingly like listening to someone share a story, complete with all the extraneous details, digressions, and interruptions that make our friends idiosyncratic and lovable.

I can see some readers being annoyed at the story’s lack of momentum, but in a climate where fiction glorifies trauma narratives, I found it really refreshing. If anything, it made me aware of how unhealthy our appetites are for dark stories from BIPOOC authors. Those stories have their place and are necessary, but it’s telling that I was primed for this to take a horrible turn. A book that has the maturity to avoid such a shift is inherently praiseworthy, even more so when it’s actually good at it.

I didn’t love this one. I liked the concept and the characters but there just wasn’t enough plot to keep me fully engaged.

Thank you to NetGalley gift providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A coming of age story that will resonate with those that grew up in the eighties and nineties. It’s the world seen through the eyes of a girl growing into her teenage years, reflecting on the lives of the people she loves, the family she’s always known and the street that served as the family's anchor. I thought it was well done. As someone born in the eighties, who grew up in the nineties there were plenty of moments filled with nostalgia. I could see some of my own relationships with family members reflected on the pages and remembered moments similar to what the author described. While I loved how reflective this novel was, there were moments where the writing felt disjointed. The pacing of the book was fine, but the change in narrative, sometimes within chapters, didn’t lend itself to the story as well as I hoped and wanted it to.

This was a coming of age novel set it in 90's in a Black community in the South. I enjoyed learning about a family experience different from my own.

I'd describe the storytelling as episodic and I found some chapters of the book more engaging for me that others. I especially enjoyed when the point of view as from Mika.

Redwood Court is the strong debut novel by DeLana R. A. Dameron, who also writes poetry. The novel is told mostly through the eyes of Mika, a young, Black girl with strong ties to her family, especially her grandfather. At times, we get the first-person view from other characters in the novel, which I love, as it a varied perspective, deepening the story.

Redwood Court will be enjoyed by those who love coming of age novels. I fell in love with Mika, who is strong, sassy and warm. And based on the author’s note, somewhat autobiographical. This is very much a character-driven novel and one I will remember for a long time! I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Random House, Dial Press for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

What a wonderful story about the importance of intergenerational relationships and learning your history through the stories shared. DeLana R. A. Dameron has created a story with rich characters, compelling relationships and wonderful history. Thanks #NetGalley #RandomHouse

I enjoyed getting to know the characters and family in Redwood Court by DéLana R.A. Cameron.

This is a heavily character based story and DéLana writes these characters beautifully. I fell in love with them and the realness of their portrayal. As a reader I felt like I was witnessing these precious events in their family history. While there isn't necessarily a steady plot line, each chapter is an important glimpse into the family's life.

At the beginning of the book we get a few family member's perspectives but about 25% in the focus is mainly from Mika. I liked and could somewhat relate to Mika as a person who lived through and grew up during the 90's. There are several nostalgic references that brought me straight back to that time but this time I lived it through a new lens.

In some ways I wish this book had a little more focus and that readers got follow up on events that were mentioned that we never saw resolved. Especially since the beginning of the book was told through multiple points of view, I wish we had gotten a little more of that in the second half of the book.

Thank you for the advance copy of this book!

Unfortunately, this one was clunky and hard to follow. I had a hard time knowing which POV was happening, and it demanded too much of me as a reader. I love family sagas and coming-of-age books, but a tighter edit would have made this one far better.

I'm a really big fan of family saga-type books with timelines spanning several generations. I really loved that aspect of this book. It was definitely more character driven than plot but with a great "slice of life" type story. I also liked that it was told in the POV of multiple characters but mostly by Mika, who starts out a young girl and is 16 by the end. Her innocent observations about life and her relatives on Redwood Court were so sweet and poignant and her relationship with her grandpa (Teeta) brought tears to my eyes at certain moments! The only thing that would have made the read more enjoyable to me is if there was more dialogue and less being told what happened as if in a diary. That said, I would definitely read more from this author!

A beautifully written story of a black family spanning three decades. It is a loving and close knit family with no high end drama. Very enjoyable.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Mika Tabor, the youngest of a southern black family living in a suburb of Columbia, South Carolina collects the stories of her family and intertwines them with her own story. The characters just come to live in this book filled the struggles and triumphs of the Tabor family. So enjoyable!

Redwood Court is a coming of age story and an exploration of a southern Black family, told (mostly) through the lens of their youngest member.

This book was beautifully written. Dameron painted an amazing picture of this family where you could feel their love for one another and you wanted them to succeed. I especially loved the neighborhood with all of the different personalities and nosy neighbors.

Toward the end of the book there was one chapter that randomly switched to second person pov, which really thew me off. But other than that I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for the ARC!

This is a very gentle book, a sweet coming-of-age of a young girl and her middle class black family in Charleston, South Carolina. Mika is the primary narrator, but others have their say, in explaining their familial history and how they came to be living there, to the best of their knowledge. Beginning with a school assignment in which she is to present an artifact explaining her ancestry, Mika goes back over what is known and what is supposed in order to present as accurate a picture as possible. Unlike so many histories of black families, there are really no secrets, no dramas, but loving affection and support. And this is what sets it apart.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the copy of Redwood Court by DéLana R. A. Dameron. I loved the storytelling in this book. I was kind of taken aback at the number of characters at first, but then decided to enjoy learning more about Mika’s family. If you’re looking for an eloquent coming of age story, with an engaging main character you will root for, check out this book!