Heart of the Green Leaf

by Carla Harrison

One summer. One farm. One girl finding the courage to grow.

Fans of Where the Crawdads Sing, The Secret Life of Bees, and Where the Watermelons Grow will be drawn to this richly layered Southern debut, full of heart, hope, and the wild beauty of a girl finding her place in a complicated world.

In the summer of 1964, fourteen-year-old Maralee Truett faces the hardest season of her life-on the land she loves and in a family strained by unspoken pain.

Life on her family's Eastern North Carolina tobacco farm is far from easy. Her father, haunted by WWII, grows more volatile by the day. Her mother retreats into silence, and her brother rebels against family expectations. Maralee, caught in the middle, quietly tends to the animals, her talent overlooked, her voice often unheard.

As the summer unfolds, she finds an unlikely friendship in Josie Billings, a bold Black girl who challenges how Maralee sees the world. And when sparks fly with the new boy in town, Maralee begins to see herself differently.

But when a crisis with her father forces her to act impulsively, Maralee sets off an alarming chain of events that changes everything. In the aftermath, she must wrestle with guilt, loyalty, and the question of whether she can be more than just the girl who keeps the peace.

Heart of the Green Leaf is a moving coming-of-age story about resilience, tackling mental illness, racism, and the legacy of trauma with grace and grit. Written for teens and adults alike, it explores what it means to grow strong-even when the roots are tangled.

318 pages, Paperback

Published September 23, 2025

About the author

Carla Harrison, a native of North Carolina, is a proud graduate of UNC Chapel Hill. After spending years as a dedicated stay-at-home mom to her two now adult children, Carla considers herself "retired." She resides in Charlotte, NC with her husband and her beloved pup, Maisie, while also spending time at Folly Beach, SC. Carla's experiences and deep connection to the Southern culture inspired her to write Heart of the Green Leaf, a novel that explores historical, mental health, and family issues. Her work aims to resonate with young teens, young adults, and women alike, offering a piece of the South in every page.

Reviews

[Amanda]

What a charming story!! I loved delving in to the life of 14 year old Maralee Truett. Maralee echos so many of the same issues that all teenagers face. She struggles with being a young woman in a male dominated family within a male dominated society. She is challenged with losing the only friend she ever had, while simultaneously making a new friend, crossing the lines of racial divide. She is insecure, and courageous all at the same time. She has a natural talent working with animals, is a fiercely loyal daughter and sister, and bears the weight of parents who are traumatized and grieving. With young love in the air, and change on the horizon, we get to honor of walking with Maralee through the summer of 1964. This book left me with questions that begged for answers in the best way. I simply wanted to know more!! I loved this debut novel, and will look forward to reading more works by this author.

[Rane Sterling · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Heart of the Green Leaf, the sweltering tobacco fields of 1964 Eastern North Carolina serve as a vivid backdrop for Maralee Truett’s poignant transformation from a silenced observer to a young woman of grit and agency. As her family fractures under the weight of her father’s post-war volatility and her mother’s retreat into a hollow quiet, Maralee finds her moral compass tested through an eye-opening friendship with Josie Billings and a burgeoning romance that challenges her self-perception. The narrative masterfully balances the atmospheric beauty of the Southern landscape with the harsh realities of racial tension and mental illness, culminating in a high-stakes crisis that forces Maralee to confront the consequences of her own impulsive survival instincts. It is a richly layered, emotionally resonant debut that captures the painful, necessary process of outgrowing one’s roots to find a place in a complicated world.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sarah Letts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This historical fiction took readers through a journey of overcoming much silenced traumas of veterans and the judgement and lack of help there was and probably still is in some ways upon their return. It also journeys through expectations that females and males have different roles and that sometimes their is blindness to what the other is able to do and or achieve. Well written and great character development.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Melly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

Heart of the Green Leaf pulled me in from the first page. The writing is vivid, the characters feel real, and the connection to nature adds a calming, reflective layer. I loved the themes of healing and self-discovery—they hit hard without ever feeling forced.

It loses a little momentum in the middle, and some side characters could use more depth, but overall it’s a heartfelt, immersive read I won’t forget.

Thank you Booksprout and the author/publisher for the eARC.