Long After We Are Gone is an intimate look at the family ties that bind siblings even after they have grown apart. It delves into what happens when a powerful patriarch dies, and how secrets eventually come into the light. Shifting narrative focus between all of the siblings, we learn the truth behind each of their facades and come to appreciate the strengths and flaws of these relatable characters. A tribute to the strength of family in the face of historic hardship.

Unbelievable!! This undoubtedly brings an emotional and heartfelt story to the forefront. A part of history is being lost and not only as the author mentions 90% of black Americans suffer the loss of their land due to the way developers are challenging inherited land. In this story set in Dibbs, North Carolina, King Solomon passes away leaving his four children with their home place that has been in the family for 230 years. A developer comes in to challenge it and walk away with the property to build a waterfront resort. Solomon's last words " Don't let the white man take the house."
All four children have a different personality with different secrets and problems.
Junior, the oldest, is a school principal and married to his wife for the past 11 years, but what no one knows is that he is in love with a man.
Mance, the 2nd oldest son, is high tempered and spent time in prison.
Cece, the oldest daughter, is a lawyer and has embezzled money from her practice.
Tokey, the youngest daughter and doesn't fit in with the other siblings. She took care of her father and the house. She abuses her body to cope.
With all children different, they have their own plan of what to do with their home. The book reflects on the power of family and how legally a company can destroy them. This was an emotional read and the family shares the challenges of the company and how they can squeeze out the little people. It is told in 4 POVs and each character has a different idea for the house and they can use it for their advantage.
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this incredible ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I feel in love with the King family's history,drama, romance and all the other facets of their journey. The King siblings have grown up and drifted apart but the death of the family patriarch draws each one back to the Kingdom. Secrets are brought to light, struggles are revealed but family and unity prevail. Drama,Romance, law, history are all contained on the pages of this novel. Told through the eyes of each sibling we get their story and the family history of the Kingdom. A must read novel

"Long After We Are Gone" is a family drama. King Solomon has died and has four children. The children must come together to save the land their father cherished. They do not have a deed by inherit shares in the the land as heirs. The land is valuable and the town businessmen try to get the land for a low price. As the siblings return home they each come with secrets weighing them down. Can they trust each other enough to let go of all the secrets?

What a drama. This book shows the viewpoint from each of the four siblings. Some who just wanted to escape the small town; others just feel trapped. All feel the weight of expectations. I really enjoyed the story and learned something along the way. It was a compelling read. I would recommend reading this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #TerahSheltonHarris, #SourcebooksLandmark for a copy of this book.
#LongAfterWeAreGone

Thank you to @SourceBooks and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #LongAfterWeAreGone. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

At its core, this story is about secrets and the lies we tell ourselves, family obligation and the weight of expectations. The story centers on the adult Solomon siblings. They have come together at the family's ancestral home after the death of their father, King. Each are dealing with their own personal issues - from emotional eating to a disintegrating marriage and more. But they are forced to work together to save the Kingdom.

Harris builds the backstory of each character so you understand their emotional baggage and she expertly weaves their stories together with the right amount of drama and tension. At times I wanted to smack them for their stupid choices, but ultimately, I ended up rooting for them all. Overall, a very satisfying read that kept me up late.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. I didn’t think I could possibly like this book as much as I liked Shelton Harris’ debut, but I was dead wrong. No one writes and develops characters like this author. Even when the characters are so unlikeable and making the worst decisions, you still end up loving them. This book was excellent and I would to see this as a limited tv series too.

When I went into this book I knew I was going to read it because I read One Summer in Savanna. This book was so captivating and I couldn’t put the book down. Lies, secrets, sex, addiction and betrayal. I am not one read books over and there is only a few I will read book and this book has been added to the list.

When King Solomon dies, his last words are “don’t let the white man take the house”. Now the Solomon siblings are trying to stop just that, after King died without a will and a developer is after their ancestral home.

I love fiction where you learn facts about society, as disconcerting as they can be. This story is about heir property, which while the story itself is fiction, is the leading cause of involuntary land loss to Black Americans. In my privilege bubble, I had no idea about this concept but I’m glad I was made aware, especially through an entertaining story and family drama. Every sibling was unique and each had their own issues going on. I wish we spent a little bit more time with Tokey, as her backstory was interesting to me.

“There’s an angel and devil in every family and you don’t get to decide which one you are. It chooses you.”

Long After You Are Gone comes out 5/17.

Terah Shelton Harris is a new to me author and one that I will be reading in the future. Prior to starting Long After We Were Gone, I had never heard of heir property nor its impact on Black involuntary land loss, which is at the core of this book and something that should be more widely known.

The story focuses on the four siblings of King Solomon and their quest to save their ancestral home and 200 acres of land after their father’s death. Each of the four siblings are brought to life for the reader through amazing character development and telling of the story through their viewpoints. The siblings demonstrate so many bad life choices from stealing, addiction, anger, violence, lies and secrets. They seem to be continually fighting against each other and failing to see the impact of their behaviors on each other.

The further I read into the story, the more I wanted the Solomon siblings to come together and put aside their differences to save their home and land. I wanted them to use their relationships and connections to help heal each other. I wanted them to be able to keep their home and land and for things to be fair.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.

#LongAfterWeAreGone #TerahSheltonHarris

This is a story of injustice and adult siblings figuring out their new world and relationships after the death of their father. They must work together to save the plantation home which their forefathers purchased and which they call The Kingdom. The adult siblings each have their own demons and challenges which appear insurmountable. Readers with siblings will understand the issues of the siblings and their conflicts and readers with no siblings will be able to see the joy, frustration, and sadness that siblings add to family dynamics.

I loved this book from an author new to me and I have put One Summer in Savannah on my To Be Read Soon list. What a wonderful writing style! So easy to read and yet so clever in conveying wonderfully complete characters and a plot that moves along at a good clip. I appreciated the history and cultural lessons provided along the way and mostly related to the messy family and sibling relationships that are so real. Thanks for an enjoyable and fast read. Thanks for the preview copy.

This author is a true storyteller! A family drama with relatable - imperfect characters that grow and learn so much during the story. Well written and unputdownable!

4.5 ⭐️When the patriarch of the family dies, four siblings come together to try to battle their own vices and save the family land. I love Terah Shelton Harris’ gorgeous yet easy to read wiring style. The four sibling characters are complex, well developed, and at times unlikeable. Despite their flaws, I still found myself feeling deeply for them and rooting them on. I also found it enlightening to learn about heir property and its consequences. If you like family drama with strong character development, then you will love Terah’s sophomore novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an advanced reader copy.

Loved this family drama- the hardships of relationships and the rebuilding of a family after a death is something I can relate to. The story talks about what it takes to right the wrongs with the people who mean the most and to hold on to what is the most important. This book about a family's story is a very well-written, relatable story. There were complicated relationships, hardships, acceptance, and above all love throughout the book. I also really loved that I learned something about how history can continue to have an effect on current land ownership. The unfairness of the things that continue to happen to people of color and their communities is heartbreaking but part of the reason why I liked this book so much- Through this beautiful story, I learned something about the reality of our world and have more knowledge of a topic I didn't know anything about. Terah Shelton Harris is a fantastic writer and I can't wait to read more by her.

Every family has secrets. There are three times in life that can really bring out the best and the worst in someone and death is one of them. So, when Junior, Mance, Cece, and Tokey are all forced to come back to their home once their father passes, they bring with them secrets that none of them want exposed. Yet death does crazy things, like forcing you to face your past, and take responsibility for your choices. This story is a crazy ride with a unique family. Each child has something they either don’t want exposed or they are running from. You can only run so far before time runs out. The one thing they all can agree upon though is saving the Kingdom, their home and birth right. Will the secrets exposed though cause them to lose more than just their home?
Thank you to Sourcebook Landmark and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

4.5-ish, definitely over 4. I liked the story but the storytelling and writing are the stars - they pull you in and keep you there. The characters and their relationships are developed just how I like in books too. Will definitely read more from this author

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

This was a good one. The perfect mix of drama within the family dynamic. The characters were well developed. Overall, a good read.

Familial expectations are heavy but the ties that bind these siblings are strong enough to held them. Each of the Solomon siblings has a secret they are struggling to swallow and eventually everything comes to light. This book was enlightening and well researched on the topic of heir land and how it can get murky in the eyes of the law. Great job

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the copy of Long After We’re Gone by Terah Shelton Harris. Other reviews rave about Harris’s previous book, but since I didn't read it, I didn’t have any preconceived notions about this one. It was not a simple read, which took some getting used to for me. It was ultimately rewarding, as the story and personalities unfolded. I liked learning about the complex family dynamics, something most of us know about. There were explicit scenes that I wasn’t expecting, so be aware! If you love epic family dramas, this is the book for you. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I really didn’t know what to expect with this ARC. Bottom line, this book was amazing! It brought to light a historical injustice that many are probably unaware of. The characters are so well developed as well as so very believable. I highly recommend and thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC.