Sadeqa Johnson writes books that are very readable. Her prose is just that good. This book was a bit predictable but no less enjoyable. It won't necessarily grab the reader as it was a more methodical read. Johnson used two timelines to show how racism existed in several social classes. Johnson also wove in the treatment of unwed pregnant black women, and their babies, in the 1950s.
Both Ruby and Eleanor had goals that they wanted to achieve. Each was waylaid by a romantic relationship that changed their trajectory. Neither romantic relationship seemed to truly have much depth in my opinion and there is where one of my issues with the book lies. It wasn't necessarily what I expected but I wasn't disappointed.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

Another fantastic book by Sadeqa Johnson - however, I loved The Yellow Wife a bit more. This is an incredible story of two women, loss, family, connection, adoption, and societal pressures. Excellent story - thanks so much for my copy!

Such a beautiful read. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this book! Add this to your list ASAP! It’s so heartwarming.

I loved This historical fiction. It was a great book with great story lines. I enjoyed How the story went back and forth between the two girls story lines. It was very well done and kept me interested the entire time.

Book 42 of 2023 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2
Vivid, Powerful, Memorable
The House of Eve is set in Philadelphia and D.C. in the 50s and tells the stories of Ruby and Eleanor with dual POV. Initially it’s not clear how the two women’s lives will intersect, but I was engaged in both of their stories and was eager to keep reading to find out. Many books have dual or multiple POV and in this particular book I feel like the dual POV really contributed to the story. I was invested in both of these characters and found them both to be well developed and memorable. This is an excellent read. The ending definitely provided resolution, but felt a bit rushed, which is why I gave it 4.5 stars instead of 5, but I would definitely recommend! #bookstagram #bookreview #thehouseofeve #sadeqajohnson

The House of Eve trades off chapters between Ruby, a 15 year old girl from Philadelphia, and Eleanor, a Washington DC wife. Ruby is a brilliant girl who has lived through her fair share of trauma. Ruby's mother provided her no stability and so Ruby found herself living with various family members. Ruby winds up pregnant and at a loss for what to do. Eleanor is married to William. William hails from a well-to-do family and Eleanor finds it difficult to fit in. Eleanor is unable to carry a child to term and we bear witness first hand to her struggles. This dual perspective narrative is full of incredibly powerful themes. Sadeqa Johnson poignantly intertwines these 2 women's lives on their journies of grief, loss, motherhood, and discrimination.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this book.

I always love a story set in a time when women's experiences were so drastically different than mine. Not that I hope for that for myself but I find it so fascinating how much women have endured. This story was fast paced, a bit predictable at times, but overall engaging. This is a story about race and classism and the history that still plagues us today (in my opinion.) I figured out the twist earlier on but I wasn't mad about it. Overall a good read for those who like historical stories.

This was fabulous! I was born and raised near Philadelphia so this story really drew me in right away. Two women and two stories yet so much the same when it comes to the struggles they endured. I am fascinated by women's history and this author nailed it! Every aspect! The story of unwed mothers is always a sad one but this book made it an enjoyable journey for the reader. Thank you Netgalley

My first 5 star read of 2023!

A beautiful story of two women living two completely different lives that are joined together by motherhood in its own ways. Birth, adoption, loss, love and life. The house of eve is about a temporary home run by nuns for unwed girls while their babies are sold off to wealthy families directly after birth. At the time when pregnancy for an unwed mother was noticed as a crime and a sin, made even more challenging for those living during segregation and racism. This well written story will open eyes to what women faced during those unprecedented times and what challenges they had to endure and how they make the best of what life throws their way.

This book was amazing! Sadeqa Johnson did it again. She was able to make me fee as though I was a character in the book, but watching everything unfold on the sidelines. Johnson's attention to detail proves that she's done thorough research and is now my new favorite historical fiction author.

Another wonderful story by Sadeqa Johnson. This story tells us about a very strong woman from a middle class family who meets her husband, who is from wealth. The secrets Eve keeps and the trouble with her mother-in-law is not helping her or her marriage. As a reader you are in for a surprise.

See full review on Atlanta Journal-Constitution website:

Virginia author Sadeqa Johnson’s second work of historical fiction, “The House of Eve,” is a provocative and heartrending tale about two young women forced to face the limitations of their reproductive choices in 1950s America. Ripping open the complex intersection of classism, colorism and gender inequality, Johnson has delivered a powerful statement on the cost of suppressing female autonomy that’s stunning to experience and impossible to forget.

Ruby Pearsall is a character born from Johnson’s family’s history. In the author’s note she reveals that her grandmother became pregnant at age 15 in 1955. Her grandfather was light-skinned and affluent while her grandmother was “mahogany brown and from the lower-class section of North Philadelphia.” Taking these kernels from her origin story, Johnson expands the narrative to explore the experiences of a handful of women who battle not just poverty and unwed pregnancy but discrimination from within their own community...

https://www.ajc.com/things-to-do/sadeqa-johnson-explores-classism-colorism-in-house-of-eve/W2R55JPCVBCHHNGHMLWED3LT5Q/

Amazing! The House of Eve is a book that will capture your heart and attention from the first to the last page.

This book deals with so much! Racism and how it affects so many in Philadelphia in the 50s. Two different perspectives, but both equaling dealing with struggles. Amazing book!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this book. I was not compensated for this review.

I devoured this story! Like her previous novel, The Yellow Wife, Sadeqa Johnson has a way of placing in you the timeline of history with her characters. Also, note that the connection between the two novels is brilliantly connected. The harsh reality of the times for young women and especially young black women is powerfully conveyed through the situations that both protagonists are faced with. At first, I didn't understand why one character's point of view was told in the first person and the other in the third person, but Johnson tied it together beautifully by the end. There's a juxtaposition of wanting each of these characters to succeed in their own story but also knowing that they both have to endure sacrifices to get there. The novel is compellingly moving and wonderfully written. Capable of evoking the heartbreaking emotions of young love, impossible choices, and difficult loss The House of Eve has been one of the best novels I've read this year!

I was so excited to get approved for The House of Eve after reading and loving The Yellow Wife. Sadly, this one didn’t deliver and I was a little let down. I’ll definitely check out more from the author.

Intersectionality: the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage. (Definition provided by Dictionary.com)

It’s fair to say that any challenging situation for a woman is much harder for a woman of color. While there are many historical fiction novels about white women who got pregnant before Roe v. Wade, there aren’t many books available about what this time period was like for Black women. In her latest novel, The House of Eve, Sadeqa Johnson offers an important look at this traumatic experience through the eyes of two young Black women in the 1950s whose burdens include more than unplanned pregnancy.

For the complete review, click on the link below.

This is really 3.5 stars rounded up. This book was touching, emotional, and at times, poignant. It straddles two women’s lives in the 1940s and early 1950s. Unfortunately, I felt this took a little too long to get to the meat of the story. I was intrigued with the history and settings of the book, but I wish this moved a bit quicker. I will be looking forward to all of this author’s work though as she does an amazing job of weaving in-depth and touching historical narratives.

The House of Eve is a thought provoking, moving work by Sadeqa Johnson.

It is 1948. Ruby is a smart, determined black high school student in Philadelphia. She she has the goal to be the first person to attend college in her family. In eighth grade she qualified for the "We Rise" program which provided tutoring as well mandatory enrichment classes on Saturdays. She was one of twelve selected who now have the carrot of competing for two full scholarships for college dangling in front of them.

She has no support from her mother, who throws Ruby out when her lech of a boyfriend makes Ruby kiss him on the mouth and gropes her while offering her a quarter for the bus to class. She moves in with her aunt, who had little to offer, but was willing to share.

Eleanor is a a student at Howard University, a HBCU in Washington, D.C. She is studying to become an Archivist. She has worked hard to get to Howard and wants to be involved in all of it, beginning with the Alpha Beta Chi sorority. She is crushed when they reject her. He roommate tells her "Honey, everyone knows they only pick girls with hair as straight as a ruler and skin paler than a paper bag."

The House Of Eve follows these two women as they pursue their dreams, fall in love and search for themselves. You would think these paths would not be so very different from each other. In some ways they are not - choices and sacrifices are made, relationships and bonds tested, determination and strength forged by the scorching fires of life. But they live in a world where provenance matters. Their choices result in different consequences.

I loved this book. The characters are very well developed - there are flaws and redeeming values in each of them. I would love to read a sequel to this novel as I so want to know what happens next in each of their lives. I will be following Sadeqa Johnson in anticipation of her next work and welcome her as a breath of fresh air and new perspectives to my bookshelves.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the DRC of this book.

Is there a better case scenario than receiving an ARC that turns out to be a 5-star read? I think not. Thank you so much to @booksparks and @sadeqasays for the opportunity to receive and review one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. This Reese’s Book Club pick is set in 1950s Philadelphia and Washington, DC, and explores what it means to be a woman and a mother, and how much one is willing to sacrifice to achieve her greatest goal.