[Authors Note
The US Dept. of Agriculture has recognized heir property as the leading cause of Black involuntary land loss. It’s estimated that between 1910-1997, Blacks lost 90% of farmland worth billions of dollars.]

There’s so much to unpack in LONG AFTER WE ARE GONE that I don’t know where to start. I had no clue nor the legality of developers challenging inherited land. It’s unconscionable this law is still in existence. We need to push for these inherited land laws + any/all loopholes to be changed. That being said, this is one heck of a powerful family saga that brings to life family legacy, facing adversity, embezzlement and blackmail.

When the larger than life King Solomon dies, his last words to his son are “don’t let the white man take the house.” The house he’s referring to is the Solomon’s 1700’s North Carolina plantation home that sits on the Kingdom.. 200 acres the Solomon’s have had for generations where their descendants were enslaved. King Solomon left no will, but there is a checkered uncle who goes against Kings wishes.

Told in four POV’s, we follow the variously different four Solomon siblings within their own chaotic lives, as they try to keep developers from taking their ancestral land. Each sibling has their own idea how to handle these developers, but can they collectively work together to save it? These siblings felt messy and real, each complex in their own way. I enjoyed the way Harris focused on each siblings personal growth, strong family bond, and of their friendships and romances. After reading this + ONE SUMMER IN SAVANNAH, Harris has become a go-to author for me. I’ll read anything she writes. 4.5 stars — Pub. 5/14/24

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A family drama about the Solomon family - four pretty selfish, shallow, immature siblings who come together after the death of their father. I think the concept of generational wealth in the black community was an important thing to highlight, but the characters made it a little hard to appreciate that part of the story.

Gosh this is gorgeously written. The characters just stick with you. They feel so real. It took longer for me to get through this book. The characters are going through some things and I needed to allow the chapter I just finished to settle for a day or two before picking up where the Solomons left off.

"Don't let the white man take the house." These are King's final remarks before his death, leaving four siblings to fight a bank that claims they own a portion of the almost 200 acres of land in North Carolina. This is not the only book I've read this year that discusses land ownership; it's a hot topic when it comes to African Americans, equity, reparations, and our ugly American history.

When a person dies without a will, the heirs inherit the land and objects. This can cause a large-scale problem if two brothers marry and have children (who have children), resulting in an increasing number of heirs. It is quite easy for a large affluent individual or firm to persuade one of the heirs to sell their stake, resulting in what can only be described as a hostile takeover.

In Long After We Are Gone, we see siblings scramble to address the takeover of their farm following the death of their beloved Patriarch. It is a great story on its own, but Shelton Harris adds four incredibly engaging characters for us to follow. Junior is the oldest and secretly loves another man. Mance, who fights his own fury and loses regularly; CeCe, the first daughter who has backed herself into a corner in her employment in NYC; and Tokey, a lady who has succumbed to her own problems and overeats excessively. The four unlikely protagonists are pulled together and forced to confront their childhood memories, contemporary challenges, and reconcile with one another. I was captivated by this narrative and am still thinking about it days later. Shelton Harris has an excellent ability for immersing you in the story, and you should pick up this book!

Yes it's a family drama but it's one that feels oh so real. These four siblings all have something they've been hiding from each other-and sort of from themselves. Now, though, they come together to deal with their legacy. THere's more here than I expected. Harris writes wonderful characters and she's a great storyteller. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Very good read.

A great premise that has a lot of value to bring to life through a fictional book. An ancestral home and land that is in jeopardy of being snatched by a big company even though it's been in the hands of this family for 200 years.

This book wasn't for me for a couple of reasons.
1. There are a LOT of characters and it was a struggle to keep them straight. I should've taken notes from the beginning to help with this-not my favorite when that feels needed.
2. Pretty much all of the characters were unlikeable. I don't have to love the characters to enjoy a book, but I just kinda got over them and all their poor choices. I feel like there were a lot of problems that were thrown in this book and it was a bit over the top (kind of like her debut).
3. I didn't care for the amount of sexual content and how it was handled. Not normally a problem for me, but in this book it bothered me.
4. It just felt slow. Not a lot was happening. Perhaps it was more about the character development.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the e-ARC.

I had never heard the term heir property, so to learn about it in this fictional story was fascinating and sad. This story focuses on the Solomon children (there are four) dealing with the death of their father and trying to keep their family home. It's told from the alternating viewpoints of the children. It's interesting to see how all of them are dealing with the issue at hand. They already have major issues before the passing of their father. Interesting read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

Honestly, I did not finish this book. I got a little more than half way through and just couldn't bring myself to finish the book. I may pick it back up later to see how everything turns out, but for now, I'm done. The reason I lost interest was the characters. First of all, there are too many characters. The book is written from the point of view of the 4 children, and the chapters rotate between them. However, on top of the 4 children, there are also multiple side characters. It was taking too much to keep up with them

The 4 children have come home to visit when their father, King, passes away. The find out that their family home may be snatched up by a development company, despite the property being passed down through the heirs for decades. The children are terrible people, except for Tokey, who suffers from an eating disorder. I found myself not really caring if the children inherited or not due to their awful choices they made and are continuing to make. From sex for favors, embezzling money, cheating on your wife, and carrying a sledgehammer to solve problems when you are upset.

This just is not the book for me.

What I love about this story is that it is so relatable in Black families where the siblings go their separate ways and only return home when a parent dies, hashing out the years of turmoil by being forced to work together for the same cause.

This was a rough read but extremely well done. I see a lot of reviews complaining that this isn't like the author's debut and the characters are unlikeable... I suppose I'm easy to please. Lots of content warnings apply (self harm, eating disorder, closeted behavior, criminal activity, violence) and I stress yet again that this is a rough read but the skill and the storyline (to me) are well worth your time.

Wow! I love books told from different viewpoints. This shows how everyone can be in the same household and have different viewpoints or outcomes. This story shows the importance of family and vulnerability. I’ll have to look for more books by this author!

Thank you netgalley for this arc!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Terah Shelton Harris for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Long After We Are Gone
I thoroughly enjoyed this emotional story about four siblings after the death of their father. This is a well written novel with a fast moving plot and lots of family drama throughout their lives. An unfortunate history affects these adult children along with poor communication skills that makes this time in their lives extremely difficult. Many secrets and surprises are erupting as the siblings grieve the loss of their father. The characters are well developed and each has a unique personality. The importance of land and home are deep rooted conflicts in this family that need to be solved. Only honesty and the ability to talk about past mistakes will help this family to move on to a brighter future.. Lots of ups and downs keep the story moving along with some interesting twists and turns.
This is the second novel by Terah Shelton Harris and I look forward to many more in the future.

Long After We’re Gone is told from four points of view. All of them are King’s children. As King is dying he tells his son not to let the white man take the house.

The Kingdom has been in the Solomon family for multiple generations. When the heirs learn they’re at risk of losing the house they come back home to try and save it.

All four points of view hold their weight. There was not one story that I felt I needed to just read and get through. Harris does an exceptional job giving everyone a different voice while keeping them engaging and interesting. Definitely recommend reading Long After We’re Gone.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC on this book for my honest review.

This book is about 4 siblings (each having their own personal issues) and how they deal with the sale of some of their land after their father's death. The Solomon's have lived on this land for 200 years and were once slaves. All the children felt their father was someone that they could not live up to. I will honestly say I struggled with the first 30% of this book and almost did not continue. I am not one to give up on a book, so I pushed on. It took me longer than my average time to read it, but I am glad I did finish it.

Wow! What a stunning story of a black family in North Carolina & the threat of their land taken away. I’ve never read a family drama like this before, & I’m still thinking of that ending. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Four Black adult siblings try to save their home and land in North Carolina after their father dies. This is told in alternating chapters by each sibling which made the story feel disconnected. All of them have major issues which made it hard to find any of them likable. Lots to unpack in this book and I learned about heir property so I'm glad I read it.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for my #gifted copy of Long After We Are Gone!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐧𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

★★★★★

Long After We Are Gone is such a beautiful and complex family drama and I absolutely loved it. Told in alternating viewpoints, this is the story of four siblings who each have their own secrets and battles. I love books about family relationships so it’s no surprise that this book really hit the mark for me. I absolutely loved the writing style and just found myself so lost in this book once I started. Heir property is a topic that I know little about, and while this is a fictional story, I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about this topic.

“Don’t let the white man take the house.” Those were the last words King Solomon says to his son before he dies. Now, all for Solomon siblings must return to North Carolina to save their home and land from a development company, who has plans to turn the property into a luxury resort. The four siblings will not only fight to save the Kingdom, but must also save themselves from the secrets they’ve been holding. While trying to save the Kingdom, everything else around them slowly begins to crumble.

I was so invested in this deeply emotional story. It was honestly unlike anything I’ve read and I cannot recommend this one enough!

Posted on Goodreads on May 8, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around May 14, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on May 14,, 2024
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Junior, Mance, CeCe, and Tokey - four siblings face the loss of their ancestral home after their father, King, dies without a will. While all dealing with extreme personal struggles, they must come together to save the land that they have proudly occupied for close to 200 years and reconnect after each taking a very different path in life.

WOW, WOW, WOW. Everyone should read this book. It’s been a while since I read a book that tackled so much - complex familial and personal relationships, grief and loss, systems of oppression - in such a well-done and meaningful way. The individual issues that each character faces is also handled with great sensitivity. Even after reflecting on this book for the past few days, I still can’t really find adequate wording to express how well done this well. The writing is stunning, the characters are flawed and compelling, and the story is just so satisfying.

This was a five star read for me. I would recommend to anyone looking for a deep, meaningful story that will stick with you long after turning the last page.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. These opinions are my own.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I liked the different viewpoints and how the author handled the weight of expectations for each character. The characters are easy to distinguish, and I truly cared about each one. The family dynamics seem true to life but are also entertaining. I was invested in their desire to save the Kingdom.

My one complaint is that the writing is overdone at times. Something will be told or explained in a sentence or two, and we as readers 100% get it. But the author doesn't move on. She gives us 5 or 6 more sentences on the same thing. It made me impatient, and I wondered if the author for some reason does not trust her readers' intelligence.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance e-galley; all opinions in this review are 100% my own.

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.