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This Here Is Love: A Novel
Longlisted for the 2026 Aspen Words Literary Prize
One of the New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Historical Fiction Books of 2025
A Library Journal Best Book of the Year
“A luscious storyteller, Princess Joy L. Perry brings to light the profound moral and emotional dilemmas her characters face, making the reader feel the weight of their impossible choices and everyday courage. A fierce and luminous debut.” —Sheri Reynolds, author of The Rapture of Canaan and The Tender Grave
Three people—two enslaved, one indentured—living beside each other, struggling against their circumstances, trying to bend destiny.
As the seventeenth century burns to a close in Tidewater, Virginia, America’s character is wrought in the fires of wealth, race, and freedom.
Young Bless, the only child left to her enslaved mother, stubbornly crafts the terms of her vital existence. She stands as the lone bulwark between her mother and irreparable despair, her mother’s only possibility of hope, as Bless reshapes the boundaries of love.
David is a helping child and a solace to his parents, and he gave a purpose to their trials. His survival hinges on his mother’s shrewd intellect and ferocious fight, but his sustenance is his freed Black father’s dream of emancipation for the entire family.
Jack Dane, a Scots-Irish boy, sails to Britain’s colonies when his father sells him into indentured servitude as an escape from poverty. There Jack learns from the rich the value of each person’s life.
A breathtaking, haunting, and epic saga, This Here Is Love intimately intertwines us with these beautifully drawn, unforgettable American characters. Bless, taken to serve the slaveowner’s daughter, must decide where she with the enslaved or above them. David, sold away from his people, retreats into himself even as he yearns to unite with others. Jack, acting impetuously, changes his fortune, but will doing so sacrifice his humanity?
All three come together on Jack’s land. As they face and challenge each other, they will relinquish and remake beliefs about family and freedom, even as they confront the limits of love.
One of the New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Historical Fiction Books of 2025
A Library Journal Best Book of the Year
“A luscious storyteller, Princess Joy L. Perry brings to light the profound moral and emotional dilemmas her characters face, making the reader feel the weight of their impossible choices and everyday courage. A fierce and luminous debut.” —Sheri Reynolds, author of The Rapture of Canaan and The Tender Grave
Three people—two enslaved, one indentured—living beside each other, struggling against their circumstances, trying to bend destiny.
As the seventeenth century burns to a close in Tidewater, Virginia, America’s character is wrought in the fires of wealth, race, and freedom.
Young Bless, the only child left to her enslaved mother, stubbornly crafts the terms of her vital existence. She stands as the lone bulwark between her mother and irreparable despair, her mother’s only possibility of hope, as Bless reshapes the boundaries of love.
David is a helping child and a solace to his parents, and he gave a purpose to their trials. His survival hinges on his mother’s shrewd intellect and ferocious fight, but his sustenance is his freed Black father’s dream of emancipation for the entire family.
Jack Dane, a Scots-Irish boy, sails to Britain’s colonies when his father sells him into indentured servitude as an escape from poverty. There Jack learns from the rich the value of each person’s life.
A breathtaking, haunting, and epic saga, This Here Is Love intimately intertwines us with these beautifully drawn, unforgettable American characters. Bless, taken to serve the slaveowner’s daughter, must decide where she with the enslaved or above them. David, sold away from his people, retreats into himself even as he yearns to unite with others. Jack, acting impetuously, changes his fortune, but will doing so sacrifice his humanity?
All three come together on Jack’s land. As they face and challenge each other, they will relinquish and remake beliefs about family and freedom, even as they confront the limits of love.
381 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 5, 2025
175 people are currently reading
7204 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
July 21, 2025
'The first thing slavery severed was love'.
As the 17th Century closes in America, vast tracks of land are being served and toiled over by slaves stolen from across the world, as well as indentured servants who believed that payment for this promised dream might be better than the bereft life they lived in Ireland or elsewhere. A slave who remembers their homeland, a slave who has bought his freedom but his family remains enslaved, an indentured servant who by a twist of fate becomes a master and slaves who were born into servitude, we read all their POVs. We read of their trauma, their fears, their bitterness but also their love for their children and the hope that somehow they might help them towards a better future, 'What if it ain't always gon' be like this? What if you live long enough to get back one thing they took from you? One thing. Ain't that worth holding out for'? As their stories collide together, it becomes clear that although you may try and immunise yourself from the pain of loss, opening yourself to love and connection with others, is the only real way to survive, 'The enslaved were to their love for one another...For the sake of that love, they would do anything - run or stay, fight or surrender - withstand anything'.
This is one of those difficult, confrontational reads that is so worthwhile. Slavery is such an abhorrent word, and enslavement an unutterable verb, but this book examines its reality with lyrical, visceral stories that will break your heart while shining a mirror on our sense of humanity and what it means to love and be loved. Well worth a read.
'Don't seem real there's a world where men lay claim to other men's children'.
As the 17th Century closes in America, vast tracks of land are being served and toiled over by slaves stolen from across the world, as well as indentured servants who believed that payment for this promised dream might be better than the bereft life they lived in Ireland or elsewhere. A slave who remembers their homeland, a slave who has bought his freedom but his family remains enslaved, an indentured servant who by a twist of fate becomes a master and slaves who were born into servitude, we read all their POVs. We read of their trauma, their fears, their bitterness but also their love for their children and the hope that somehow they might help them towards a better future, 'What if it ain't always gon' be like this? What if you live long enough to get back one thing they took from you? One thing. Ain't that worth holding out for'? As their stories collide together, it becomes clear that although you may try and immunise yourself from the pain of loss, opening yourself to love and connection with others, is the only real way to survive, 'The enslaved were to their love for one another...For the sake of that love, they would do anything - run or stay, fight or surrender - withstand anything'.
This is one of those difficult, confrontational reads that is so worthwhile. Slavery is such an abhorrent word, and enslavement an unutterable verb, but this book examines its reality with lyrical, visceral stories that will break your heart while shining a mirror on our sense of humanity and what it means to love and be loved. Well worth a read.
'Don't seem real there's a world where men lay claim to other men's children'.
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August 5, 2025
The Best New Books of August in Every Genre:
The lives of three young people in seventeenth-century Virginia, a girl born into slavery, the enslaved son of a freed father, and an indentured servant making the crossing to America, cross paths on the same plot of land. While each of them face horrific circumstances and hardship, they'll all have to decide how to face it and what it will turn them into in this haunting tale of slavery, indentured servitude, and survival.—Rachel Brittain
The lives of three young people in seventeenth-century Virginia, a girl born into slavery, the enslaved son of a freed father, and an indentured servant making the crossing to America, cross paths on the same plot of land. While each of them face horrific circumstances and hardship, they'll all have to decide how to face it and what it will turn them into in this haunting tale of slavery, indentured servitude, and survival.—Rachel Brittain
August 6, 2025
THIS HERE IS LOVE
By Princess Joy L. Perry
Unforgettable Characters and Powerful Storytelling
This Here Is Love is a powerful and moving debut novel that pulls you deep into the lives of three unforgettable characters living at the close of 17th century Virginia. Princess Joy L. Perry writes with heart and honesty, showing how love, family, and freedom are tested in the harshest of times. Conveying the grit and sorrow of slavery and indentured servitude.
Bless is taken from her mother to serve the slaveowner’s daughter and must decide where she truly belongs. David, sold away from his family, keeps his feelings hidden while quietly longing for connection. Jack, an indentured servant, tries to change his future, but risks losing his sense of right and wrong in the process.
Their lives come together where they challenge each other and confront painful truths. As they struggle with their pasts and their choices, they each must decide what love and freedom really mean.
I really enjoyed this beautifully written, haunting, and captivating novel, filled with unforgettable characters. The emotional depth and historical detail pulled me in from the start, and I found myself thinking about the characters long after I finished. It’s hard to believe this riveting saga of love, betrayal, and resilience is the author’s debut—I’m excited to see what she brings us next.
Thank you to BookBrowse for the ARC of this riveting read.
By Princess Joy L. Perry
Unforgettable Characters and Powerful Storytelling
This Here Is Love is a powerful and moving debut novel that pulls you deep into the lives of three unforgettable characters living at the close of 17th century Virginia. Princess Joy L. Perry writes with heart and honesty, showing how love, family, and freedom are tested in the harshest of times. Conveying the grit and sorrow of slavery and indentured servitude.
Bless is taken from her mother to serve the slaveowner’s daughter and must decide where she truly belongs. David, sold away from his family, keeps his feelings hidden while quietly longing for connection. Jack, an indentured servant, tries to change his future, but risks losing his sense of right and wrong in the process.
Their lives come together where they challenge each other and confront painful truths. As they struggle with their pasts and their choices, they each must decide what love and freedom really mean.
I really enjoyed this beautifully written, haunting, and captivating novel, filled with unforgettable characters. The emotional depth and historical detail pulled me in from the start, and I found myself thinking about the characters long after I finished. It’s hard to believe this riveting saga of love, betrayal, and resilience is the author’s debut—I’m excited to see what she brings us next.
Thank you to BookBrowse for the ARC of this riveting read.
August 25, 2025
IG review: https://www.instagram.com/p/DNx0uktWl...
Whewwwww this book just about took me out😭😭 I don’t cry in books (something may be wrong with me) but I had emotional, lump-in-my-throat feeling no less than 5 times reading this story.
THIS HERE IS LOVE places us in late 1600s Tidewater, Virginia where we follow the lives of three people. David is the enslaved son of a free Black man. Jack is a poor Scots-Irish boy coming to America to be an indentured servant with his family. And last but never least, Bless, an enslaved girl recently taken into the big house to work personally for her enslaver’s family.
What this book showed so brilliantly, is how terrifying and brave to love was for those enslaved. To love someone was to know that that was your deepest pain point and it could and often would be used against you in the most cruel and excruciating ways. Children stolen away from mothers. Husbands sold from their wives. Mothers bringing new life into a hellish world.
Princess L. Perry please never stop writing. Your words are so beautiful. This prose was moving and rich and evocative. I still can’t believe this is a debut!
In saying all of that, because of the subject matter this book is a dark, horrific, painful read. I had to go through it slowly. So just know yourself and protect your peace if this isn’t the right book for you right now!
But I can’t recommend this book enough. One of my favorite books of the year and a new all-time favorite.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the egalley!!
Whewwwww this book just about took me out😭😭 I don’t cry in books (something may be wrong with me) but I had emotional, lump-in-my-throat feeling no less than 5 times reading this story.
THIS HERE IS LOVE places us in late 1600s Tidewater, Virginia where we follow the lives of three people. David is the enslaved son of a free Black man. Jack is a poor Scots-Irish boy coming to America to be an indentured servant with his family. And last but never least, Bless, an enslaved girl recently taken into the big house to work personally for her enslaver’s family.
What this book showed so brilliantly, is how terrifying and brave to love was for those enslaved. To love someone was to know that that was your deepest pain point and it could and often would be used against you in the most cruel and excruciating ways. Children stolen away from mothers. Husbands sold from their wives. Mothers bringing new life into a hellish world.
Princess L. Perry please never stop writing. Your words are so beautiful. This prose was moving and rich and evocative. I still can’t believe this is a debut!
In saying all of that, because of the subject matter this book is a dark, horrific, painful read. I had to go through it slowly. So just know yourself and protect your peace if this isn’t the right book for you right now!
But I can’t recommend this book enough. One of my favorite books of the year and a new all-time favorite.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the egalley!!
April 16, 2025
Beautifully written, heart wrenching, an important book that everyone should read.
June 5, 2025
I read this book as an electronic ARC and my god, it is one of the most profound, captivating, and truthful accounts we have of American slavery. It is likely going to be one of my favorite books of this year if not all time. The storyline weaves together the lives of no less than four different families, from white indentured servants to slave owners to African slaves sold into slavery at the beginning of the North American slave trade.
This book by its description and nature is a heavy topic and features the realities of slavery that are horrific. However, I applaud the author for handling these horrors and suffering in a manner that only
the suffering inflicted. I think this work deserves to be read to completion and needs to so that more people truly understand the physical and psychological horrors of slavery.
The writing style itself is deep, rich, evocative, and captivating. Truly some of the best prose I have read, and all the more laudable considering this is a debut work. It helps create a rich tapestry of stories that effectively weave so many different characters and people and worldviews into one cohesive unit.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, W. W. Norton and Company, and the author for a copy of this electronic ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!
This book by its description and nature is a heavy topic and features the realities of slavery that are horrific. However, I applaud the author for handling these horrors and suffering in a manner that only
the suffering inflicted. I think this work deserves to be read to completion and needs to so that more people truly understand the physical and psychological horrors of slavery.
The writing style itself is deep, rich, evocative, and captivating. Truly some of the best prose I have read, and all the more laudable considering this is a debut work. It helps create a rich tapestry of stories that effectively weave so many different characters and people and worldviews into one cohesive unit.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, W. W. Norton and Company, and the author for a copy of this electronic ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!
December 17, 2025
"You don't have to see a thing to know its power to harm."
"The first thing slavery severed was love."
"All of these people found themselves stranded in the present with nothing to do but survive it."
"Esther discovered that it was only possible to live enslaved if she did not feel deserving of more."
"Don't seem real there's a world where men lay claim to other men's children."
"The enslaved were bound to their love for one another and that alone. For the sake of that love, they would do anything -run or stay, fight or surrender-withstand anything."
"The first thing slavery severed was love."
"All of these people found themselves stranded in the present with nothing to do but survive it."
"Esther discovered that it was only possible to live enslaved if she did not feel deserving of more."
"Don't seem real there's a world where men lay claim to other men's children."
"The enslaved were bound to their love for one another and that alone. For the sake of that love, they would do anything -run or stay, fight or surrender-withstand anything."
July 13, 2025
This Here Is Love by Princess Joy L. Perry is a sweeping historical novel set in 17th-century Tidewater, Virginia. The lives of three unforgettable young people intertwine in powerful and unexpected ways: Bless, an enslaved girl with fierce determination; David, the son of a freed Black man holding tight to his family’s dream of liberty; and Jack, an indentured Scots-Irish boy learning the true cost of freedom. As their paths converge on the same piece of land, each must face what love, identity, and belonging mean in a world shaped by race, power, and survival.
This was a deeply emotional and challenging read. There were moments that cut straight to the heart, and the heavy subject matter offered few bright spots, which reflects the harsh realities of the time. The writing is lyrical and evocative, with language shaped by the voices of the period, which at times made it harder for me to stay fully engaged. It is also a quiet novel, one that unfolds slowly and demands patience. I occasionally struggled to connect with the shifting perspectives, but Bless’s story especially stayed with me.
While it was a difficult book to sit with, I admire the author’s dedication to historical accuracy, the textured details of the setting, and the emotional weight carried by every page. This Here Is Love is an important and meaningful story that highlights injustice and resilience. I’m giving it four stars for the depth of its message and the thoughtful care that clearly went into its creation.
Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton and Company for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a deeply emotional and challenging read. There were moments that cut straight to the heart, and the heavy subject matter offered few bright spots, which reflects the harsh realities of the time. The writing is lyrical and evocative, with language shaped by the voices of the period, which at times made it harder for me to stay fully engaged. It is also a quiet novel, one that unfolds slowly and demands patience. I occasionally struggled to connect with the shifting perspectives, but Bless’s story especially stayed with me.
While it was a difficult book to sit with, I admire the author’s dedication to historical accuracy, the textured details of the setting, and the emotional weight carried by every page. This Here Is Love is an important and meaningful story that highlights injustice and resilience. I’m giving it four stars for the depth of its message and the thoughtful care that clearly went into its creation.
Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton and Company for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 6, 2025
To all my Historical fiction, African American fiction and Women's fiction lovers (or friends that just love GOOD story telling), this book is for you! This Here is Love is a heartbreaking story of sacrifice and love that captures your heart within the opening pages of the book. What do you call an author who knocks her first novel “right out of the park?” SIMPLY GIFTED! 💐
This novel is a MASTERPIECE, full of passion, that carried me on an emotional, thought-provoking, historic journey. I love a book that grabs my attention and holds it, but also teach unforgettable lessons in the process. (I’d rated it 5⭐ BEFORE p. 30). It was THAT good.🧡
For those of you who were fortunate to be a part of the book tour and have read it, YOU ALREADY KNOW. If not, I encourage you to pick up a copy and see for yourself. Absolutely one of the best historical fiction novels I have ever read! 💯
Thank you @princessjoywrites.
My Favorite Quotes:
“The enslaved were bound to their love for one another and that alone. For the sake of that love they would do anything---run or stay fight or surrender---withstand anything.”
“They clapped as Cassie dipped her torso and rippled her back. Her hip shakes were celebration, prayer, and summons. She wanted and took more than joy from the dance. Odofoley danced things that only they, fellow marooned souls, could decipher and echo and answer with their throats and thighs and feet.”
“Where Shango came from, it was uncommon but possible for a servant to become a chief, because everyone, even the most arrogant masters, respected the one inviolable imperative of nature: Man was born for the utter and absolute service of God and God only.”
This novel is a MASTERPIECE, full of passion, that carried me on an emotional, thought-provoking, historic journey. I love a book that grabs my attention and holds it, but also teach unforgettable lessons in the process. (I’d rated it 5⭐ BEFORE p. 30). It was THAT good.🧡
For those of you who were fortunate to be a part of the book tour and have read it, YOU ALREADY KNOW. If not, I encourage you to pick up a copy and see for yourself. Absolutely one of the best historical fiction novels I have ever read! 💯
Thank you @princessjoywrites.
My Favorite Quotes:
“The enslaved were bound to their love for one another and that alone. For the sake of that love they would do anything---run or stay fight or surrender---withstand anything.”
“They clapped as Cassie dipped her torso and rippled her back. Her hip shakes were celebration, prayer, and summons. She wanted and took more than joy from the dance. Odofoley danced things that only they, fellow marooned souls, could decipher and echo and answer with their throats and thighs and feet.”
“Where Shango came from, it was uncommon but possible for a servant to become a chief, because everyone, even the most arrogant masters, respected the one inviolable imperative of nature: Man was born for the utter and absolute service of God and God only.”
May 15, 2025
Well developed characters and storylines. VERY hard to read due to the realities of slavery.
September 15, 2025
Felt surprisingly epic in scale considering it’s under 400 pages
August 11, 2025
One wouldn't expect a book about 2 enslaved children and an indentured boy in the 17th century to be upbeat and that. would be correct. Perry's This Here Is Love is not a cheerful story and at times seems quite dismal, but there is a brutal honesty to it.
David, Bless and Jack stories begin in various locales, and Perry gradually builds on their stories so the reader begins to know and feel for these children. The book shifts with each chapter from one character to another.
The book does end on a positive and life affirming note for those who are concerned that it will be to depressing.
It is a book that gives you much to think about and I will be thinking about it for a long time.
David, Bless and Jack stories begin in various locales, and Perry gradually builds on their stories so the reader begins to know and feel for these children. The book shifts with each chapter from one character to another.
The book does end on a positive and life affirming note for those who are concerned that it will be to depressing.
It is a book that gives you much to think about and I will be thinking about it for a long time.
August 4, 2025
I received this ARC book, "This Here is Love", from BookBrowse. This is a vital book that every Caucasian should read. The author, Princess Joy L. Perry brings to life a world of slavery not written about in books. While this book is called a novel, it felt real to me, so much so that I had to regularly put the book down & walk away from it because of all the feelings it evoked in me. Is it disturbing? Yes. Might it trigger some people because it talks about rape and abuse? Also yes. But it is so beautifully written that I am so very glad I read it. This is NOT a book that leaves you after reading it.
We all have our own definition of love. It's personal. Sometimes we interpret love as just a selfish kindness shown. But if that is all we have...
We all have our own definition of love. It's personal. Sometimes we interpret love as just a selfish kindness shown. But if that is all we have...
September 7, 2025
probably the best book I have read in 2025! I never wanted this to end even though the pain the kidnapped and enslaved people suffered was intolerable, I just wanted to sit with Bless, David, Jeremiah and Cassie longer....
the intertwined worlds of these characters who didn't seem like characters at all but rather ancestors and truth tellers.
the intertwined worlds of these characters who didn't seem like characters at all but rather ancestors and truth tellers.
August 22, 2025
This is such a special story.
Another book that I knew nothing about, that was sitting in just the right spot in the bookstore.
I always love these unknown books just a little bit more than the ones that get all of the buzz. They are magic all on their own.
Another book that I knew nothing about, that was sitting in just the right spot in the bookstore.
I always love these unknown books just a little bit more than the ones that get all of the buzz. They are magic all on their own.
September 10, 2025
"What was slavery if not life stealing?"
From Virginia Colony of 1692 through 1710, Princess Joy L Perry weaves the tale of three people: Bless,Jack and David as they live their lives in a world of accepted slavery.
Bless is the last child, the one promised by Cassie's owner to stay with her as the others were sold. But promises aren't worth anything as Bless is forced to be the house maid of the owner's daughter until something changes and she is sold
David is the son of a freedman and his journey is one of many tales told of young black men of the time. His father may be free but he and his siblings are scattered as his father does everything he can to find them again.
And then there is Jack, a white boy sold into indenture by his father on the boat taking them to America after his mother dies giving birth to his sister. Is slavery the same for white children? Jack never forgives his father for giving his two children up. But Jack has a better life in some ways because of it.
These three come together on Jack's land. They are now grown and still fighting for the lives they have, however small they are.
This is a powerful book that tells a powerful story. Author Princess Joy L Perry weaves a gentle resilience into these characters struggling with what cards they were dealt and presents a fascinating story that will keep you reading until the end. Highly Recommended 5/5
[ Disclaimer: I won this book in a publishers giveaway however it did not affect my read or review]
From Virginia Colony of 1692 through 1710, Princess Joy L Perry weaves the tale of three people: Bless,Jack and David as they live their lives in a world of accepted slavery.
Bless is the last child, the one promised by Cassie's owner to stay with her as the others were sold. But promises aren't worth anything as Bless is forced to be the house maid of the owner's daughter until something changes and she is sold
David is the son of a freedman and his journey is one of many tales told of young black men of the time. His father may be free but he and his siblings are scattered as his father does everything he can to find them again.
And then there is Jack, a white boy sold into indenture by his father on the boat taking them to America after his mother dies giving birth to his sister. Is slavery the same for white children? Jack never forgives his father for giving his two children up. But Jack has a better life in some ways because of it.
These three come together on Jack's land. They are now grown and still fighting for the lives they have, however small they are.
This is a powerful book that tells a powerful story. Author Princess Joy L Perry weaves a gentle resilience into these characters struggling with what cards they were dealt and presents a fascinating story that will keep you reading until the end. Highly Recommended 5/5
[ Disclaimer: I won this book in a publishers giveaway however it did not affect my read or review]
December 2, 2025
This is a gorgeous, gut-wrenching book with trauma alongside of joy. It's set in the late 1600s and early 1700s, mostly in the new colony of Virginia. It deals with the intersecting lives of Jack, the son of an indentured Scots-Irish indentured servant who is hoping for a better life than starving on the streets of London; Bless, a Black child born into slavery who is separated from her mother and is afraid to feel love; and David, the enslaved son of a Black freedman who fears he will never be reunited with his parents and siblings. How do people learn to be cruel? How do they learn to protect themselves from harm? How do they remember how to love and trust a new relationship? The novel is beautifully written and handles big questions about being human in an untrustworthy world. It's very painful to read, but rewarding. I might read another by this author.
November 1, 2025
This is an impressive debut! Set at the turn of the 18th century in the colonies of the south, the author explores the relationships and emotional hardships of enslaved people, and how, for slaves and enslavers alike, the system of slavery is a constant checkmate. As the wealth of southern planters grew on the backs of the Black bodies they owned, there were always aspects of the lives of the enslaved that they could not own. While the white enslavers sought to justify the practice of slavery with their own slant on the thoughts and emotions of those they bought and bartered for, the convenience of looking away didn’t mean they were right, just that they didn’t see what they didn’t want to see. This story follows the lives of one Black family that was deceived and scattered, a young woman separated from her mother after she was raped and punished for being the victim, and a dirt poor indentured English immigrant who learns how to turn a profit in the slave trade at the hand of his master turned father figure. These people and their loved ones harden and soften as they find and lose connection and love. All are challenged, and the character growth throughout the novel is believable and heart wrenching. Enslaved mothers have to face the question of whether their children are better off alive or dead, and what their love for them will mean. Love is a central character in the book, as the characters grapple with their choices and lack of ability to choose. The paths of the characters are complex, and you’re left at the end of the novel with a sense that there is so much more to come.
November 25, 2025
This Here is Love, is a heart-wrenching yet heartwarming story of family, friends, lovers, and the things that tie these bonds together - love. It is a story in which the characters display that love - true love - is shown by the act of sacrifice. Of putting yourself second so that the one you love can be put first. Of accepting the harder burden to carry, so the one you love can walk light-footed. Of letting your loved one feel alive, even if it means you must be dead - inside or out. It is the love that asks the most of a person. The love that tells you to give - with no expectation of ever receiving.
Read
November 26, 2025No
A book I borrowed from the library to try before I buy (tired buying hundreds books and hating half)
I do not rate these “tested”
books. This is really for me. I will not be buying, reading borrowing this book.
I read first ch or more -first 10-100 pages skim around at times. I read many of my GR friend’s reviews. This is what I did and didn’t like:
Pretty cover
Oh this one is sad. Good reviews. Not many though only 400 and it’s been out for four months. Hum
I tried to read it but the writing really isn’t for me. It’s not bad it’s just idk 🤷♀️ boring poetic eh
A book I borrowed from the library to try before I buy (tired buying hundreds books and hating half)
I do not rate these “tested”
books. This is really for me. I will not be buying, reading borrowing this book.
I read first ch or more -first 10-100 pages skim around at times. I read many of my GR friend’s reviews. This is what I did and didn’t like:
Pretty cover
Oh this one is sad. Good reviews. Not many though only 400 and it’s been out for four months. Hum
I tried to read it but the writing really isn’t for me. It’s not bad it’s just idk 🤷♀️ boring poetic eh
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 18, 2025
A beautiful and complex story about a dark period of human history and how only love is strong enough to transcend hate.
December 31, 2025
I appreciate the importance of this book… but man, the character building took up 80% of the book. Exhausting. Definitely heavy read. It was fine.
September 1, 2025
I read this via Whispersync and the narration was excellent.
January 14, 2026
I thought this was just okay - a very promising story and I had high hopes but the writing just didn't hit me or move me the way I had expected it to.
January 2, 2026
Beautiful, heartbreaking, hopeful, and devastating in turns, Perry’s characters are deeply drawn. A great first read of 2026.
November 13, 2025
fave book of this year…
a sad, horrible and painful read but also beautiful in the writing and story.
a sad, horrible and painful read but also beautiful in the writing and story.
December 31, 2025
Quite possibly the best book I’ve ever read. Powerful and heavy story telling without frills and fluff. Not a light book but one everyone should experience.
August 6, 2025
This is one of the most painfully beautiful reads I’ve ever had the honour of reading (and is currently my favourite book of 2025). The story, whilst using fictional characters, tells the historical truth of lived experiences and traumas of many 17th Century negro slaves and also touches on indentured servants whom travelled vast oceans to come in search of a new life in America, which was better than the poor and hungry lives they left behind. It’s an incredibly emotional and gruelling read at times, but boy - such an important read, which I highly recommend.
The writing is moving and I felt so many of the character’s repressed emotions, their horror, anguish, torment, the love, the pain. We know through history that this period of 17th Century American slavery is one which cannot be remembered (by most) without utmost shame, but it still does not fail to shock us when reading how cruelly human beings treated other humans, with such disdain, as commodities and business transactions like cattle, or much worse.
The richly developed characters are brought to life, rising off the page, often as if they were in the room with me, along with palpable painful realities of so many hardships, horrors and their utterly despicable treatment. Goodness there’s so much learning to be done from how we have treat other humans historically, but even today, sadly those lessons are not always learnt. One of the characters in particular (I’m avoiding spoilers!), learns a great life lesson from his own mistakes, and it is through him that the book twists, turns and teaches both him and us so much.
‘This here is love’, despite the dark subject matter is also, surprisingly very much about family, loyalty, bonds and love, and this shines through despite itself. My only criticism would be that I wish the book was even longer, as I didn’t want it to end; I would have loved to hear more from many of the characters - Bless’ future, David’s new life and what happened to many of the others whom we became invested in. Does this leave the book open for a second instalment? I sure hope so.
I highly recommend this book to anyone whom enjoys historical fiction which is strongly character driven. Big thanks to NetGalley for this tremendous read. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could.
The writing is moving and I felt so many of the character’s repressed emotions, their horror, anguish, torment, the love, the pain. We know through history that this period of 17th Century American slavery is one which cannot be remembered (by most) without utmost shame, but it still does not fail to shock us when reading how cruelly human beings treated other humans, with such disdain, as commodities and business transactions like cattle, or much worse.
The richly developed characters are brought to life, rising off the page, often as if they were in the room with me, along with palpable painful realities of so many hardships, horrors and their utterly despicable treatment. Goodness there’s so much learning to be done from how we have treat other humans historically, but even today, sadly those lessons are not always learnt. One of the characters in particular (I’m avoiding spoilers!), learns a great life lesson from his own mistakes, and it is through him that the book twists, turns and teaches both him and us so much.
‘This here is love’, despite the dark subject matter is also, surprisingly very much about family, loyalty, bonds and love, and this shines through despite itself. My only criticism would be that I wish the book was even longer, as I didn’t want it to end; I would have loved to hear more from many of the characters - Bless’ future, David’s new life and what happened to many of the others whom we became invested in. Does this leave the book open for a second instalment? I sure hope so.
I highly recommend this book to anyone whom enjoys historical fiction which is strongly character driven. Big thanks to NetGalley for this tremendous read. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could.
September 29, 2025
Many characters living in late 1690s and early 1700s in slavery - very difficult to read as trauma after trauma is described. Slaves are repeatedly ripped from their loved ones, tortured, harmed, raped, and abused. Written has fully developed characters and thus painful to read. Truly captures the pain of slavery, the difficulty of daily living, the inequity of opportunities based on class that characters are born into, and the struggle to farm, harvest, and survive.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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