Sadeqa Johnson – författare

''Amazing'' Reese Witherspoon''Heart-rending'' Taylor Jenkins Reid ''Luminous and moving!'' Kate Quinn''Unforgettable'' Kristen HarmelThe heartbreaking and completely unputdownable instant New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick about the pain and sacrifice of forbidden love, the lengths a mother will go to protect her child, and survival against the toughest of odds.Philadelphia, 1948: Fifteen-year-old Ruby''s dreams are almost within reach. She''s going to be the first in her family to attend college, despite having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising her only daughter. But falling madly in love with the one boy she is forbidden from threatens to pull Ruby back into poverty and desperation. When she''s imprisoned in a home for unwed mothers - locked in the House of Eve with other ''fallen girls'' - everything she''s worked so hard for starts slipping through her fingers.Washington, DC, 1948: Eleanor arrives in the city with ambition, hope and a past she''s trying her hardest to run from. When she meets William at Howard University, with his inky black eyes and broad shoulders, it''s love at first sight. But William hails from one of Washington, DC''s elite Black families, who don''t let just anyone into their inner circle - especially not a girl from ''the wrong side of the tracks''. Eleanor hopes that a baby will mean they finally accept her, and that her secrets won''t see the light of day - but fate has other plans in store...In the dawn of the 1950s, Ruby and Eleanor are complete strangers - until their paths unexpectedly collide. Forced to make the most heartbreaking decisions of their lives, will their choices save them... or be their undoing?Fans of Kate Quinn, Lisa Wingate and Kristin Harmel will fall head over heels for this totally gripping and heart-wrenching historical-fiction page-turner.See what readers are saying about The House of Eve:''All the stars!!!... It absolutely blew me away. I finished it several days ago and am still thinking about it! It packed one powerful punch... I still don''t have the exact words to describe how it made me feel... So many emotions... It will hit your heart hard... Will have your heart breaking time and again. I could not put it down'' Goodreads reviewer, *****''5 brilliant stars! I''m definitely not crying right now. That''s a lie. I totally am. This book was A LOT!'' Goodreads reviewer, *****''Everything. This book was everything. The House of Eve will not only be a favourite of the year, but a favourite of all-time. I ADORED THIS BOOK. You can''t tell me that Ruby and Eleanor aren''t real people because they''re real in my heart, and I will never forget them. I''m jealous of you all who get to read this for the first time. ALL THE STARS'' Goodreads reviewer, *****''I read this book in one sitting and loved it!!... I was blown away... I couldn''t read this fast enough'' Goodreads reviewer, *****''WOW! I''m still processing this book! I devoured it in three days'' Goodreads reviewer, *****''I LOVED THIS BOOK!... Grabs you from the first page and holds you until the satisfying conclusion. The House of Eve is a timely, redemptive, powerful, beautifully written yet haunting novel of resilience and sacrifices women make for themselves and their families'' Goodreads reviewer, *****

Virginia, 1850: ''Ain''t many choices for a slave woman. Just know everything I do is for you. You are meant to see freedom. I''s makin'' sure.''

Pheby Delores Brown was born on the Bell Plantation in Charles City, Virginia. The daughter of the estate''s medicine woman, and cherished by the Master''s sister, her days as an enslaved girl are almost over... She has been promised freedom on her eighteenth birthday.

But when she finally turns eighteen, the life she has dreamed of is tragically torn from her. Instead of being free, she is thrust into the bowels of slavery at the infamous Devil''s Half-Acre, a jail where slaves are broken, tortured and sold every day.

Her life flashing before her eyes, Pheby is forced to become the mistress of the jailor, the brutal man who owns the prison. Yet even in hell, Pheby never loses sight of her freedom. But how much will she have to sacrifice? And in the face of such darkness, will she survive?

Just as transfixing as it is devastating, this page-turner is inspired by the true story Mary Lumpkin, the enslaved woman who forged her own path to freedom. Perfect for fans of The Help and The Forest of Vanishing Stars, this heartbreaking read is about hope in a world of hate and the heart-wrenching price of survival.

Readers love Yellow Wife:''Will literally stay with you forever. It was absolutely heartbreaking... I could not put it down. My heart was pounding throughout the entire book.'' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

''Uhhhhhhh... My heart aches!! This was such a powerful and heart-wrenching read... Amazing read!'' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

''Whew... One of the best historical fiction novels that I''ve ever read... Phenomenal.'' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

''The fastest page-turner ever and a heart-pounding read... With riveting prose, the pages fly and your heart races.'' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

''I ended up crying all the way through... Yes, I cried over these pages.'' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

''My heart aches!! Such a powerful and heart-wrenching read.'' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

''I was completely captivated by the first page and couldn''t put this book down.'' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

''Beyond amazing.'' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

''A harrowing, emotional, incredible historical saga!... I felt I right there with Pheby every step of the way. Equal parts heartbreaking and triumphant and inspiring.'' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

"Through a lively, engaging performance, Miles shows the dynamic between shy and reserved Bee and her spirited childhood friend, Awilda." —AudioFile MagazineBea and Awilda have been best friends from the moment Awilda threw her fourteen year-old self across Bea’s twin-sized bed as if they had known each other forever. Bubbly, adventurous Awilda taught sheltered, shy Bea how to dress, wear her hair and what to do with boys. She even introduced Bea to her husband, Lonnie, in college, who pledged to take good care of her for the rest of their lives. But philanderer Lonnie breaks that promise over and over again, leaving Bea to wrestle with her self-esteem and long time secret addiction.Recently Lonnie has plopped the family in a New Jersey upper class suburb, which lacks the diversity that Bea craves but has the school district and zip code envy that Lonnie wants. The demands of carrying a third child and fitting into this new environment while pretending that her husband is not cheating on her again, is more than she can handle. And just when she thinks things can’t get any worst, the ultimate deception snaps the little thread that was holding her life together and all comes tumbling down.Sadeqa Johnson''s And Then There Was Me is the story of love and friendship, heartache and betrayal. It’s the journey of a woman stripped down to her lowest point and needing to find the will to press on. A Macmillan Audio production from Thomas Dunne Books

''A powerful and beautifully told novel about hidden secrets and the hunger to belong. I loved it'' Clare Leslie Hall, author of BROKEN COUNTRY''Has future classic written all over it'' Red Magazine''I loved everything about this book'' Julia Quinn, author of BRIDGERTONA BBC RADIO 2 BOOKCLUB PICKA GOODREADS MOST ANTCIPATED BOOK OF 2026AS SEEN ON THE TODAY SHOWFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The House of Eve comes a sweeping story of one woman''s dream in post-World War II Germany and the three lives it changes forever.In the smouldering ruins of post-war Germany, Ethel Gathers - an American woman longing for a child - spots a group of mixed-race children following a nun through the cobbled streets. Compelled by a force she can''t explain, Ethel follows them and uncovers a hidden community of abandoned children, born to Black soldiers and German women. Determined to help, Ethel''s actions set off a chain of events that will echo across generations.In 1948, Ozzie Philips volunteers for the U.S. Army. But in Occupied Germany, he finds that the racism he tried to escape has crossed the ocean with him. Then he meets Jelka, a German woman navigating her own grief in a shattered country. Their connection, immediate and intense, changes everything.By 1965, fifteen-year-old Sophia Clark is chosen to join a prestigious boarding school. When a chance encounter with a classmate reveals a deeply buried truth, Sophia begins a journey to unravel her past and find her place in the world.Against the odds and across continents and decades, these three characters'' lives collide - their fates forever altered.Deeply moving and unputdownable, this is a story about identity, belonging and the ties that endure - even when history tries to sever them.

"A captivating tale to savor about a woman whose buried past threatens her picture perfect family life. Felicia is a wonderfully flawed, compelling main character, one who has stayed with me long after I finished the book. A winning novel from a writer to watch." -Benilde Little, bestselling authorFelicia Lyons, a ­­­­­­­ stressed out stay-at-home mom, struggles to sprint ahead of the demands of motherhood while her husband spends long days at the office. Felicia taps, utters mantra, and breathes her way through most situations, but on some days, like when the children won’t stop screaming her name or arguing over toy trucks and pretzel sticks, she wonders what it would be like to get in her car and drive away. Then one evening the telephone rings, and in a split second the harried mother’s innocent fantasy becomes a hellish reality. The call pulls her back into a life she’d rather forget. Felicia hasn’t been completely honest about her upbringing, and her deception forces her return to the Philadelphia of her childhood, where she must confront the family demons and long buried secrets she thought she had left behind. From a phenomenal fresh voice in fiction, comes the compelling story of what happens when the dream falls apart. Sadeqa Johnson''s Second House from the Corner is an unforgettable tale of love, loss, rediscovery, and the growing pains of marriage.

Bea and Awilda have been best friends from the moment Awilda threw her fourteen year-old self across Bea’s twin-sized bed as if they had known each other forever. Bubbly, adventurous Awilda taught sheltered, shy Bea how to dress, wear her hair and what to do with boys. She even introduced Bea to her husband, Lonnie, in college, who pledged to take good care of her for the rest of their lives. But philanderer Lonnie breaks that promise over and over again, leaving Bea to wrestle with her self-esteem and long time secret addiction. Recently Lonnie has plopped the family in a New Jersey upper class suburb, which lacks the diversity that Bea craves but has the school district and zip code envy that Lonnie wants. The demands of carrying a third child and fitting into this new environment while pretending that her husband is not cheating on her again, is more than she can handle. And just when she thinks things can’t get any worst, the ultimate deception snaps the little thread that was holding her life together and all comes tumbling down.Sadeqa Johnson''s And Then There Was Me is the story of love and friendship, heartache and betrayal. It’s the journey of a woman stripped down to her lowest point and needing to find the will to press on.