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Kin
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Kin is the kind of all-encompassing reading experience I’m always hoping to smart and funny.
ANN PATCHETT
Vernice and Annie, two motherless daughters raised in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, have been best friends and neighbors since earliest childhood, but are fated to live starkly different lives.
Raised by a fierce aunt determined to give her a stable home in the wake of her mother’s death, Vernice leaves Honeysuckle at eighteen for Spelman College, where she joins a sisterhood of powerfully connected Black women and marries into an affluent family.
Annie, abandoned by her dissolute mother as a child, and fixated on the idea of finding her and filling the bottomless hole left by her absence, sets off on a journey that will take her into a world of peril and adversity, as
well as love and adventure, and culminate in a battle for her life.
A novel about mothers and daughters, about friendship and sisterhood, and the complexities of being a woman in the American South, Kin is an exuberant, emotionally rich, unforgettable work from one of the brightest and most irresistible voices in contemporary fiction.
ANN PATCHETT
Vernice and Annie, two motherless daughters raised in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, have been best friends and neighbors since earliest childhood, but are fated to live starkly different lives.
Raised by a fierce aunt determined to give her a stable home in the wake of her mother’s death, Vernice leaves Honeysuckle at eighteen for Spelman College, where she joins a sisterhood of powerfully connected Black women and marries into an affluent family.
Annie, abandoned by her dissolute mother as a child, and fixated on the idea of finding her and filling the bottomless hole left by her absence, sets off on a journey that will take her into a world of peril and adversity, as
well as love and adventure, and culminate in a battle for her life.
A novel about mothers and daughters, about friendship and sisterhood, and the complexities of being a woman in the American South, Kin is an exuberant, emotionally rich, unforgettable work from one of the brightest and most irresistible voices in contemporary fiction.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 24, 2026
25033 people want to read
About the author
Tayari Jones
22 books29.7k followersTayari Jones is the author of the novels Leaving Atlanta, The Untelling, Silver Sparrow, and An American Marriage (Algonquin Books, February 2018). Her writing has appeared in Tin House, The Believer, The New York Times, and Callaloo. A member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, she has also been a recipient of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, Lifetime Achievement Award in Fine Arts from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, United States Artist Fellowship, NEA Fellowship and Radcliffe Institute Bunting Fellowship. Silver Sparrow was named a #1 Indie Next Pick by booksellers in 2011, and the NEA added it to its Big Read Library of classics in 2016. Jones is a graduate of Spelman College, University of Iowa, and Arizona State University. She is currently an Associate Professor in the MFA program at Rutgers-Newark University.
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January 24, 2026
This book is the literary hit of 2026—full stop. It’s gut-wrenching, thought-provoking, empowering, heartbreakingly realistic, deeply embracing, and profoundly resonant. It takes the word kin and restores its true meaning: kin isn’t defined by blood, but by the people who truly see you, who hear the words you can’t say, who touch your soul, who hold space for your flaws, your mistakes, your missteps, and still call you theirs. Your real kin is your person—and this novel captures that truth with unforgettable clarity.
Vernice (Niecy) and Annie’s story begins in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, where both girls are raised not by their mothers, but by the imperfect, complicated, loving “kin” who stepped in when their mothers stepped out.
Niecy’s mother was murdered by her own father, who then took his own life—an unthinkable tragedy that left Niecy in the care of her eccentric, once-wayward aunt. This aunt, who fled Honeysuckle years before, returns with every intention of not just raising Niecy, but mothering her, filling the fractured spaces left behind.
Annie, on the other hand, was abandoned at birth by her mother and never knew her father. Her grandmother raised her with a stern kind of love, but Annie always carried the raw, aching absence of the woman who left her. That absence becomes her compass—her obsession—shaping every choice she makes.
From their earliest years, the girls form a bond so private it almost feels sacred. Annie is bold, restless, animated—a girl determined to fill the void her mother left by searching for her someday. Niecy is the opposite: obedient, careful, loyal, observant, the one who follows rules while Annie breaks them. Their bond is exquisite in its contradictions.
But when Annie decides to escape Honeysuckle at eighteen—right before prom—Niecy’s heart shatters. Abandonment comes back for her a second time, this time wearing the face of the person she loved most. Their lives split apart, and for years, their only bridge is the letters they exchange.
Niecy goes to Spelman College, where the world opens to her in ways both beautiful and brutal. She discovers the power and elegance of Black womanhood, the complexities of class and wealth, the breathtaking force of civil rights activism—and the sting of inequality that catches her off guard like a slap. She befriends Mrs. McHenry, a refined woman of influence who climbed her way up from poverty, becoming an unexpected mentor and mother figure.
Annie’s path is wilder, more precarious. She runs away with a group of friends, and when their car breaks down in the least likely place, she ends up living in a world she never expected—one filled with danger, oddity, and surprising tenderness. There, she forms a deep bond with Lulabella, reading her Bible passages, combing her hair, offering comfort in small, intimate ways that shape them both.
Both young women find unusual, eccentric mother figures who guide them, teach them hard-earned lessons, and nudge them toward identities they never imagined for themselves. And both make choices—some brave, some reckless—that carry weighty, life-altering consequences. When tragedy finally strikes, it pulls them back toward each other, stitching their lives together once more in the most devastating and beautiful way.
This book is a punch to the gut—in the best possible way. It’s emotional, haunting, and powerful. It is an extraordinary character study not just of Annie and Niecy, but of the women who raise them, the community that shapes them, and the people who walk beside them.
Along with the unforgettable leads, the supporting cast shines. Miss Jamison, Mrs. Ola Mae, and even Babydoll become characters you genuinely grow to love. And the men—Bobo, Franklin, and Mr. Daniel, the bar owner—bring depth, dimension, and emotional richness that elevate the story even further.
At its core, this book is a luminous exploration of sisterhood, found family, sacrifice, self-discovery, dignity, the brutal reality of inequality and racism, the fire of social justice awakening—and above all, a story about love: pure, unguarded, raw, and real.
I loved this book even more than An American Marriage, and I’m absolutely convinced it will become one of the biggest breakout novels of 2026. Its storytelling is unique, intimate, and fiercely moving in every chapter.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for sharing one of the most anticipated books of 2026 with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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Vernice (Niecy) and Annie’s story begins in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, where both girls are raised not by their mothers, but by the imperfect, complicated, loving “kin” who stepped in when their mothers stepped out.
Niecy’s mother was murdered by her own father, who then took his own life—an unthinkable tragedy that left Niecy in the care of her eccentric, once-wayward aunt. This aunt, who fled Honeysuckle years before, returns with every intention of not just raising Niecy, but mothering her, filling the fractured spaces left behind.
Annie, on the other hand, was abandoned at birth by her mother and never knew her father. Her grandmother raised her with a stern kind of love, but Annie always carried the raw, aching absence of the woman who left her. That absence becomes her compass—her obsession—shaping every choice she makes.
From their earliest years, the girls form a bond so private it almost feels sacred. Annie is bold, restless, animated—a girl determined to fill the void her mother left by searching for her someday. Niecy is the opposite: obedient, careful, loyal, observant, the one who follows rules while Annie breaks them. Their bond is exquisite in its contradictions.
But when Annie decides to escape Honeysuckle at eighteen—right before prom—Niecy’s heart shatters. Abandonment comes back for her a second time, this time wearing the face of the person she loved most. Their lives split apart, and for years, their only bridge is the letters they exchange.
Niecy goes to Spelman College, where the world opens to her in ways both beautiful and brutal. She discovers the power and elegance of Black womanhood, the complexities of class and wealth, the breathtaking force of civil rights activism—and the sting of inequality that catches her off guard like a slap. She befriends Mrs. McHenry, a refined woman of influence who climbed her way up from poverty, becoming an unexpected mentor and mother figure.
Annie’s path is wilder, more precarious. She runs away with a group of friends, and when their car breaks down in the least likely place, she ends up living in a world she never expected—one filled with danger, oddity, and surprising tenderness. There, she forms a deep bond with Lulabella, reading her Bible passages, combing her hair, offering comfort in small, intimate ways that shape them both.
Both young women find unusual, eccentric mother figures who guide them, teach them hard-earned lessons, and nudge them toward identities they never imagined for themselves. And both make choices—some brave, some reckless—that carry weighty, life-altering consequences. When tragedy finally strikes, it pulls them back toward each other, stitching their lives together once more in the most devastating and beautiful way.
This book is a punch to the gut—in the best possible way. It’s emotional, haunting, and powerful. It is an extraordinary character study not just of Annie and Niecy, but of the women who raise them, the community that shapes them, and the people who walk beside them.
Along with the unforgettable leads, the supporting cast shines. Miss Jamison, Mrs. Ola Mae, and even Babydoll become characters you genuinely grow to love. And the men—Bobo, Franklin, and Mr. Daniel, the bar owner—bring depth, dimension, and emotional richness that elevate the story even further.
At its core, this book is a luminous exploration of sisterhood, found family, sacrifice, self-discovery, dignity, the brutal reality of inequality and racism, the fire of social justice awakening—and above all, a story about love: pure, unguarded, raw, and real.
I loved this book even more than An American Marriage, and I’m absolutely convinced it will become one of the biggest breakout novels of 2026. Its storytelling is unique, intimate, and fiercely moving in every chapter.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for sharing one of the most anticipated books of 2026 with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
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December 9, 2025
Separate life journeys of two young black girls growing up together in Honeysuckle, Louisiana as best friends unfold in this moving and so well written novel. Both are orphans , one by death of her parents, the other by abandonment. One raised by an aunt reluctant to be a parent . The other by her grandmother. Both wanting to leave, but with different hopes and dreams.
Alternating chapters take us on the roads they travel with their intimate points of view . One off to college to Atlanta. The other to Memphis to find the mother who left her as an infant . A beautiful story of two unforgettable characters facing the impact of the racism of Jim Crow in the 1950’s. Their journeys are separate , but connections are impossible to break when the bonds are deep. A different story from An American Marriage, but equally as thought provoking and moving. I loved the inclusion of letters in both novels. Tayari Jones is a wonderful storyteller reminding us what family means.
I received a copy of this from Knopf through NetGalley.
Alternating chapters take us on the roads they travel with their intimate points of view . One off to college to Atlanta. The other to Memphis to find the mother who left her as an infant . A beautiful story of two unforgettable characters facing the impact of the racism of Jim Crow in the 1950’s. Their journeys are separate , but connections are impossible to break when the bonds are deep. A different story from An American Marriage, but equally as thought provoking and moving. I loved the inclusion of letters in both novels. Tayari Jones is a wonderful storyteller reminding us what family means.
I received a copy of this from Knopf through NetGalley.
Want to read
January 6, 2026the only thing better than family sagas is found family sagas
October 27, 2025
4.5
Vernice and Annie, two black babies born in Honeysuckle, Louisiana who shared a cradle after birth.
Both baby girls were left motherless as infants..Vernice’s mother shot dead by her husband before he killed himself, her Aunt (her mother’s sister) raising her up …and Annie’s mother just taking off and leaving Annie with her grandmother to raise.
Both girls bonded by the cradle and the loss of their mothers.
The time frame for their coming up years was the 1950’s and 60’s, the time of segregation in the South.
So the story follows this close relationship until the time in their teens when Annie up and leaves taking up with a boyfriend to get out of town, following her leaving.. Vernice is off to Spelman College as her Aunt saved and saved and the church plate was often passed around to help with expenses.
Both their lives change immensely..
Vernice gets through college Annie’s life is complicated by the search for her mother and it takes her to Tennessee and then Georgia.
The girl’s relationship.. mostly by letters stays close throughout their different situations and romances and difficulties
This is a story of friendships and sisterhood and the power of love.
Loved it… but the ending is not concrete…we are not given the final outcome straight out..but still a very enjoyable read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the free ebook in exchange for my honest review!
Release date February 24
Vernice and Annie, two black babies born in Honeysuckle, Louisiana who shared a cradle after birth.
Both baby girls were left motherless as infants..Vernice’s mother shot dead by her husband before he killed himself, her Aunt (her mother’s sister) raising her up …and Annie’s mother just taking off and leaving Annie with her grandmother to raise.
Both girls bonded by the cradle and the loss of their mothers.
The time frame for their coming up years was the 1950’s and 60’s, the time of segregation in the South.
So the story follows this close relationship until the time in their teens when Annie up and leaves taking up with a boyfriend to get out of town, following her leaving.. Vernice is off to Spelman College as her Aunt saved and saved and the church plate was often passed around to help with expenses.
Both their lives change immensely..
Vernice gets through college Annie’s life is complicated by the search for her mother and it takes her to Tennessee and then Georgia.
The girl’s relationship.. mostly by letters stays close throughout their different situations and romances and difficulties
This is a story of friendships and sisterhood and the power of love.
Loved it… but the ending is not concrete…we are not given the final outcome straight out..but still a very enjoyable read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the free ebook in exchange for my honest review!
Release date February 24
January 16, 2026
“Before I opened the door, I said, “I love you,” tossing the word over my shoulder like a handful of wildflower seeds.”
Once in a blue moon, a novel arrives that doesn’t just tell a story but claims a piece of your heart. Kin is that rare kind of book. Tayari Jones, already known for her rich explorations of family and belonging, delivers a sweeping, emotionally charged masterpiece.
Set across several decades of the Jim Crow South and beyond, Kin begins with two baby girls Vernice, known as Niecy, and Annie born into nearly parallel lives yet fated for different paths. Both are motherless from infancy. Niecy’s mother is murdered by her abusive father, leaving behind a grief that never entirely fades. Annie’s mother abandons her early on, a loss that drives her lifelong search for connection and meaning.
Jones traces their journeys with breathtaking intimacy. Niecy’s path leads to Spelman College in Atlanta, a place of both discovery and danger. Annie’s takes her through the working class bars and backroads of the South, where she learns to survive on grit and grace. Across the years and miles, the two women exchange letters intricate, tender, and fierce that serve as the heartbeat of the novel. Through them, we witness the evolution of friendship, womanhood, and the enduring power of hope.
“You could only fight scripture with scripture,” Jones writes, a line that captures both the moral weight and the poetic rhythm of the book.
Kin is more than a story of two women; it’s a meditation on the meaning of family, the scars of history, and the resilience required to live and love in a world determined to deny one’s humanity. Jones’s prose is lush yet deliberate, her storytelling both intimate and epic in scope.
“It’s a future butterfly,” one character reflects. “If we were together, I’d have treated creatures gently too. But we were not together, and I didn’t care that one day this worm would fly.”
There is a scene that takes place in a bus station, where we watch a little girl who anxiously needs to use the restroom. Tayari Jones manages to make us on edge, like a thriller, to see if she will use it responsibly. I anticipated a racist attack against her if she were to go on the bus station floor, and I was anxious to see what would happen next. This tone is meticulously done.
“Finally, the colored folks trickled in, drained from the trip but glad to be where it was that they were going. The lady’s husband was dressed smart in jeans, starch-stiff. He dipped his wife and kissed her like that one soldier did in Life Magazine. Then he picked up his daughter who looped her arms around him like a life preserver. Despite everything that led up to it, it was nice to watch.”
That image fragile, defiant, and beautiful captures the essence of Kin. It is a novel about transformation, about becoming, and about the quiet acts of survival that make us who we are.
Do not miss this extraordinary book when it’s released on 2.24.26
Once in a blue moon, a novel arrives that doesn’t just tell a story but claims a piece of your heart. Kin is that rare kind of book. Tayari Jones, already known for her rich explorations of family and belonging, delivers a sweeping, emotionally charged masterpiece.
Set across several decades of the Jim Crow South and beyond, Kin begins with two baby girls Vernice, known as Niecy, and Annie born into nearly parallel lives yet fated for different paths. Both are motherless from infancy. Niecy’s mother is murdered by her abusive father, leaving behind a grief that never entirely fades. Annie’s mother abandons her early on, a loss that drives her lifelong search for connection and meaning.
Jones traces their journeys with breathtaking intimacy. Niecy’s path leads to Spelman College in Atlanta, a place of both discovery and danger. Annie’s takes her through the working class bars and backroads of the South, where she learns to survive on grit and grace. Across the years and miles, the two women exchange letters intricate, tender, and fierce that serve as the heartbeat of the novel. Through them, we witness the evolution of friendship, womanhood, and the enduring power of hope.
“You could only fight scripture with scripture,” Jones writes, a line that captures both the moral weight and the poetic rhythm of the book.
Kin is more than a story of two women; it’s a meditation on the meaning of family, the scars of history, and the resilience required to live and love in a world determined to deny one’s humanity. Jones’s prose is lush yet deliberate, her storytelling both intimate and epic in scope.
“It’s a future butterfly,” one character reflects. “If we were together, I’d have treated creatures gently too. But we were not together, and I didn’t care that one day this worm would fly.”
There is a scene that takes place in a bus station, where we watch a little girl who anxiously needs to use the restroom. Tayari Jones manages to make us on edge, like a thriller, to see if she will use it responsibly. I anticipated a racist attack against her if she were to go on the bus station floor, and I was anxious to see what would happen next. This tone is meticulously done.
“Finally, the colored folks trickled in, drained from the trip but glad to be where it was that they were going. The lady’s husband was dressed smart in jeans, starch-stiff. He dipped his wife and kissed her like that one soldier did in Life Magazine. Then he picked up his daughter who looped her arms around him like a life preserver. Despite everything that led up to it, it was nice to watch.”
That image fragile, defiant, and beautiful captures the essence of Kin. It is a novel about transformation, about becoming, and about the quiet acts of survival that make us who we are.
Do not miss this extraordinary book when it’s released on 2.24.26
October 21, 2025
The symmetry in this book is stunning - 4.5 ⭐️
October 15, 2025
This is a beautiful and amazing novel from an author I am a huge fan of. I was captivated by the relationship between Vernice and Annie and their plight is relatable in so many ways. An amazing look at what it is to be a black woman in the world while navigating grief, trauma, friendships, family, hardship, The characters are so complex yet so well explained to the reader. The writing is beautiful as always and this is certainly a book with a plot that will stick with me for a long time. Realistic and raw - this book is meant to be devoured. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 21, 2026
Klay Thompson playing in Game 6’s, Beyoncé dropping surprise albums, Tayari Jones writing characters. Those moments when you witness the best cook, that’s this.
I haven’t loved a book this much in a while. The type of book I wanted to immediately run back at page 1. And shit, I might even do it.
Here’s why:
-The narrator’s voice is astounding. She captures Niecy and Annie over shifting seasons as kids, teens, and adults perfectly.
-It’s efficient in its profundity. Every sentence felt carefully placed, yet never overdone. And every 150th sentence there’d be some deep, Southern generational passing down on a front porch type wisdom that stopped me in my tracks.
-It’s sharp. Not exactly funny, but filled with character types that we all know and can’t help but make you smile in their accuracy.
Read this when it comes out February 24th—unless you hate incredible books, then do whatever you want.
Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for the ARC.
I haven’t loved a book this much in a while. The type of book I wanted to immediately run back at page 1. And shit, I might even do it.
Here’s why:
-The narrator’s voice is astounding. She captures Niecy and Annie over shifting seasons as kids, teens, and adults perfectly.
-It’s efficient in its profundity. Every sentence felt carefully placed, yet never overdone. And every 150th sentence there’d be some deep, Southern generational passing down on a front porch type wisdom that stopped me in my tracks.
-It’s sharp. Not exactly funny, but filled with character types that we all know and can’t help but make you smile in their accuracy.
Read this when it comes out February 24th—unless you hate incredible books, then do whatever you want.
Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for the ARC.
December 22, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 (rounded up)
A special thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC.
Kin is an emotional, character-driven novel that has stayed with me after I finished. The story explores sisterhood, found family, self-discovery, racism, and segregation, set against the backdrop of the Jim Crow South.
The novel follows Vernice and Annie, who have known each other since they were babies and grow up without mothers. Though raised side by side, their lives take very different paths as they leave home in search of independence, belonging, and identity. The book alternates between their perspectives, giving readers a picture of how their experiences, choices, and circumstances shape their lives.
Tayari Jones does an excellent job with storytelling, creating rich, emotionally grounded characters. While I found the novel moving, I did wish there had been a bit more at the ending. Even so, this was a powerful and thoughtful read that I would happily recommend.
A special thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC.
Kin is an emotional, character-driven novel that has stayed with me after I finished. The story explores sisterhood, found family, self-discovery, racism, and segregation, set against the backdrop of the Jim Crow South.
The novel follows Vernice and Annie, who have known each other since they were babies and grow up without mothers. Though raised side by side, their lives take very different paths as they leave home in search of independence, belonging, and identity. The book alternates between their perspectives, giving readers a picture of how their experiences, choices, and circumstances shape their lives.
Tayari Jones does an excellent job with storytelling, creating rich, emotionally grounded characters. While I found the novel moving, I did wish there had been a bit more at the ending. Even so, this was a powerful and thoughtful read that I would happily recommend.
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January 7, 2026
Book Riot’s Most Anticipated Books of 2026:
From the bestselling, award-winning author of An American Marriage comes a tale of sisterhood, mothers, and daughters in the American South. Vernice and Anne are two motherless girls who grow up as best friends in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, but whose lives are set on very different trajectories. Vernice eventually goes to Spelman, where she enters into a world of affluent and connected Black women. And then there's Anne. The hole left by her mother's absence sends her on an all-consuming journey, which takes her down a road of love and hardship. Throughout it all, we see the various permutations and complexities of women and girls in community. —Erica Ezeifedi
From the bestselling, award-winning author of An American Marriage comes a tale of sisterhood, mothers, and daughters in the American South. Vernice and Anne are two motherless girls who grow up as best friends in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, but whose lives are set on very different trajectories. Vernice eventually goes to Spelman, where she enters into a world of affluent and connected Black women. And then there's Anne. The hole left by her mother's absence sends her on an all-consuming journey, which takes her down a road of love and hardship. Throughout it all, we see the various permutations and complexities of women and girls in community. —Erica Ezeifedi
January 20, 2026
Two motherless daughters, two different life paths. I loved this book. The way Vernice and Annie stayed each other’s best friend and sister throughout their lives was so inspiring. If you love exploring sisterhood, friendship, found family, and love in all forms then this is the book for you.
January 18, 2026
This was incredible
January 20, 2026
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The setting: two lifelong friends--"cradle friends"--Niecy and Annie, both motherless daughters raised in Honeysuckle, Louisiana. Niecy (Vernice) is raised by her aunt [her father shot her mother] and ithrough community efforts, is able to go to Spelman College in Atlanta. Annie, raised by her grandmother, is fixated on finding Hattie Lee, the mother who abandoned her, She sets off with friends Babydoll, Clyde and Bobo to Memphis in search of Hattie.
Niecy and Annie are bound together but are polar opposities, Annie the less controlled, Niecy, the careful one. Both have hopes and dreams--though they differ as do their paths.
Of mothers and daughters, friendship and sisterhood, opportunity or lack thereof, rich vs poor [Black society], and being a woman in the segregated American South in the 1950s/60s [?].
Annie and company run out of money--which they especially need when their car breaks down. In search of lodging, etc., they meet Lurelia who sends them to her twin sister Lulabelle--who runs a whorehouse. Annie, Babydoll, Clyde, and Bobo end up working for Lulabella--but behind the scenes to pay off their debts, get room and board, and enough money to repair their car and continue their journey to Memphis.
Other characters who enter the narrative along the way--a teacher, bar owners, Niecy's roommate Joette and her cousin Marylinda [very interesting backstory], and more. Enter the McHenrys--who Niecy meets--first Mrs. McHenry--who aims to set up her up with her son Franklin, who has a withered leg and limps due to polio.
I was captured from the start although I thought the book sometimes uneven. Niecy's story--from Spelman on, was particularly interesting and illuminating re Black society. Letters back and forth from Niecy and Annie move the story forward when they leave Honeysuckle and end up in Atlanta and Memphis.
I didn't love the ending, but was satisfied.
My review will not do this book justice--it is so much more than what I have written.
Recommend!
The setting: two lifelong friends--"cradle friends"--Niecy and Annie, both motherless daughters raised in Honeysuckle, Louisiana. Niecy (Vernice) is raised by her aunt [her father shot her mother] and ithrough community efforts, is able to go to Spelman College in Atlanta. Annie, raised by her grandmother, is fixated on finding Hattie Lee, the mother who abandoned her, She sets off with friends Babydoll, Clyde and Bobo to Memphis in search of Hattie.
Niecy and Annie are bound together but are polar opposities, Annie the less controlled, Niecy, the careful one. Both have hopes and dreams--though they differ as do their paths.
Of mothers and daughters, friendship and sisterhood, opportunity or lack thereof, rich vs poor [Black society], and being a woman in the segregated American South in the 1950s/60s [?].
Annie and company run out of money--which they especially need when their car breaks down. In search of lodging, etc., they meet Lurelia who sends them to her twin sister Lulabelle--who runs a whorehouse. Annie, Babydoll, Clyde, and Bobo end up working for Lulabella--but behind the scenes to pay off their debts, get room and board, and enough money to repair their car and continue their journey to Memphis.
Other characters who enter the narrative along the way--a teacher, bar owners, Niecy's roommate Joette and her cousin Marylinda [very interesting backstory], and more. Enter the McHenrys--who Niecy meets--first Mrs. McHenry--who aims to set up her up with her son Franklin, who has a withered leg and limps due to polio.
I was captured from the start although I thought the book sometimes uneven. Niecy's story--from Spelman on, was particularly interesting and illuminating re Black society. Letters back and forth from Niecy and Annie move the story forward when they leave Honeysuckle and end up in Atlanta and Memphis.
I didn't love the ending, but was satisfied.
My review will not do this book justice--it is so much more than what I have written.
Recommend!
January 11, 2026
“Nobody is saying that we are not girlfriends. I am just saying that we got different circumstances. Miss Irene been training you to be a young lady since the day they told her that she had to raise you. My granny just wants me to be able to put food on my plate without laying on my back for it.”
This is a story of best friends, similar but different, bonded in love and loss, growing up in the Jim Crow south. Both motherless, having finished school, they each set out to find their place in the world. The story is riveting, the characters rich and vivid, and the writing is spectacularly alive, bejeweled with wit and wisdom.
For example:
“What got your attention about him was his smile, and not really in a good way. It was like he opened up his mouth and God tossed in a handful of teeth, not caring what went where.”
“How do you plan to keep her away from the mens?” Granny’s speech was different when she had her teeth in. It was like listening to someone try to talk left-handed.
“They never walked barefoot or scarred their knuckles on a washboard with lye soap. It would be many years before I learned that soft feet were often mangled by pretty shoes,”
Thanks to NetGalley for an opportunity to read this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a story of best friends, similar but different, bonded in love and loss, growing up in the Jim Crow south. Both motherless, having finished school, they each set out to find their place in the world. The story is riveting, the characters rich and vivid, and the writing is spectacularly alive, bejeweled with wit and wisdom.
For example:
“What got your attention about him was his smile, and not really in a good way. It was like he opened up his mouth and God tossed in a handful of teeth, not caring what went where.”
“How do you plan to keep her away from the mens?” Granny’s speech was different when she had her teeth in. It was like listening to someone try to talk left-handed.
“They never walked barefoot or scarred their knuckles on a washboard with lye soap. It would be many years before I learned that soft feet were often mangled by pretty shoes,”
Thanks to NetGalley for an opportunity to read this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
December 29, 2025
3.75/5
December 7, 2025
Releasing Feb 2026
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
“We come to love people in many ways. Much is made of the burning love that hits like the smoldering remnants of a star hurled down to earth. Yet this is not the only type of love anymore than the camellia is the only type of flower.”
I was lucky enough to receive an advance reader copy of Tayari Jones’ newest novel, Kin, from Knopf publishing. My hopes were high, as Jones has written some of my favorite books of the last decade, and Kin lived up to every expectation.
The novel follows the lives of “cradle friends” Vernice (Niecy) and Annie, as they grow up in (and eventually go from and to) Honeysuckle, Alabama in the 1950’s/60’s segregated south. Both motherless for different reasons, the girls rely on each other in various capacities as they search to find their place in the world. Vernice finds herself living in the upper crust of her community after attending college while Annie desperately tries to find the mother that abandoned her as a child, and finds herself living a life she didn’t expect, or deserve.
Jones is at her literary best in this book, bringing the themes of marriage, female friendships, sisterhood, and living as a person of color in America that she has explored in her previous works and combining them all in a sprawling yet intimate story. Her ability to write characters that feel real is unmatched, this book jumped off the page (and is begging to be made into a movie). I could’ve read 500 more pages and been enthralled from beginning to end.
Along with her ability to write lyrical, devastating stories and characters, Jones brings to the surface questions about what it means to be family, what it means to be loved by those who birthed you, and whether that love defines who you are. At 340+ pages, there isn’t a single word wasted, Jones takes advantage of every page.
If you’ve been moved by any of Jones’ previous works, you will likely be moved by this one. If you haven’t read her writing before, this is a great way to immerse yourself (and then check out Silver Sparrow or An American Marriage) I have a feeling this time next year we will be seeing Kin on many of the Top Books of the Year lists.
Thanks again Knopf for giving me the chance to enjoy this novel early. I laughed, I cried, and it made me want to hug my own, real life “cradle friend” who I wouldn’t know how to do life without.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is a literary novel following Annie and Niecy, two motherless daughters raised in Honeysuckle Louisiana, whose lives go in opposite directions.
Niecy, who is raised by her aunt after her mother is murdered by her husband, leaves Honeysuckle to attend Spellman college. Once there, she finds sisterhood in her fellow classmates and even sparks a romance.
Annie, whose mother abandoned her when she was just a baby, also leaves Honeysuckle - on the hunt to find her missing mother and to get answers that she has been searching for for years.
Both girls are haunted by the loss of their mothers, and are yearning for a mother's love. This affects a lot of the relationships they form and makes them question a lot about themselves.
It was interesting and heartbreaking to see the parallels between these girls' lives as they went their separate ways.
Through it all, they never lost contact with one another, and supported each other through every hurdle of grief and struggle they came across.
This is a novel of friendship, sisterhood, loss, and grief.
I really enjoyed it, although I did feel the ending was a tad weak.
[Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]
Niecy, who is raised by her aunt after her mother is murdered by her husband, leaves Honeysuckle to attend Spellman college. Once there, she finds sisterhood in her fellow classmates and even sparks a romance.
Annie, whose mother abandoned her when she was just a baby, also leaves Honeysuckle - on the hunt to find her missing mother and to get answers that she has been searching for for years.
Both girls are haunted by the loss of their mothers, and are yearning for a mother's love. This affects a lot of the relationships they form and makes them question a lot about themselves.
It was interesting and heartbreaking to see the parallels between these girls' lives as they went their separate ways.
Through it all, they never lost contact with one another, and supported each other through every hurdle of grief and struggle they came across.
This is a novel of friendship, sisterhood, loss, and grief.
I really enjoyed it, although I did feel the ending was a tad weak.
[Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]
January 26, 2026
Tayari Jones has touched my heart in her newest book Kin. It is a book about sisterhood and the complexities of being a woman. It is about two life long friends Annie and Niecy who grew up motherless in Honeysuckle, Louisiana and then grew into motherless women. They called each other cradle friends. Even though they grew apart for part of their life they were always there for each other when they needed a friend and a shoulder to lean on. The sister-like bond they had is what every woman hopes to have with that special friend.
As I finished this book I received a phone call from my life long friend’s husband that my friend passed away. The timing was so surreal. Our friendship was very similar to Annie and Niecy’s. This book will stay with me forever because of this.
Tayari Jones did an incredible job bringing all of the charachters in this book to life. I felt like I knew every one of them intimately.
Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. It touched my heart. It gave new meaning to the word kin. I will highly recommend Kin to my friends.
As I finished this book I received a phone call from my life long friend’s husband that my friend passed away. The timing was so surreal. Our friendship was very similar to Annie and Niecy’s. This book will stay with me forever because of this.
Tayari Jones did an incredible job bringing all of the charachters in this book to life. I felt like I knew every one of them intimately.
Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. It touched my heart. It gave new meaning to the word kin. I will highly recommend Kin to my friends.
December 23, 2025
4-1/2 stars. Kin is the story of two Black women, as close as sisters from early childhood, coming of age in the South in the late 1950s to early 1960s. Niecey and Annie called themselves “cradle friends” and shared everything as girls, with never a secret between them. But as young women, their lives followed different paths, even as they remained in frequent contact.
I enjoyed this novel right to the end, but was disappointed by the abrupt ending. Up to that point, I'd very much enjoyed following the well-developed characters through their ups and downs during a challenging time in our country's history. The differences in the two women's lives made for interesting, if bittersweet, reading. Reading on my Kindle, I was actually quite surprised to realize I had reached the end; the final chapter felt a bit tacked-on, as if starting a new section, when just as quickly as it started, it was over. I still recommend the book, and will check out other reviews to see if my reaction to the ending was shared.
Thank you to Alfred A. Knopf, publisher and #NetGalley for providing a complimentary eARC in exchange for an objective review.
I enjoyed this novel right to the end, but was disappointed by the abrupt ending. Up to that point, I'd very much enjoyed following the well-developed characters through their ups and downs during a challenging time in our country's history. The differences in the two women's lives made for interesting, if bittersweet, reading. Reading on my Kindle, I was actually quite surprised to realize I had reached the end; the final chapter felt a bit tacked-on, as if starting a new section, when just as quickly as it started, it was over. I still recommend the book, and will check out other reviews to see if my reaction to the ending was shared.
Thank you to Alfred A. Knopf, publisher and #NetGalley for providing a complimentary eARC in exchange for an objective review.
January 18, 2026
3.75 rounded down
Kin is one of the most anticipated books of 2026! In it, we meet Niecy and Annie. Self-described as “cradle friends”, they’re as close as you can get without being related by blood. Once they come of age, life separates them as Niecy heads to Sheelah College in Atlanta, and Annie finds herself on a journey to Tennessee to find her long-estranged mom.
Set during the 1950s, you can imagine the kinds of themes you’ll find in this book - segregation, racism, misogyny - as well as motherless daughters, found family, estrangement, and perseverance.
For much of the book, I was left wanting. It felt like there was something brewing just below the surface, but it wasn’t ever able to crack through. On a sentence level, this book is beautiful - no doubt Tayari Jones is a talented writer. But the story never got its hooks into me. As time passed, I felt myself becoming less and less motivated to pick it up.
Having said that, the last 15% of the book was BEAUTIFUL! If only the whole book could have been that simple, raw, and emotional. That’s where I kept thinking Jones would get us, but it took too long to get there.
I still believe this is going to be a hit for a lot of people. For me, the little payoff I got wasn’t enough to overcome the long, slow, and meandering journey it took to get there.
Kin is one of the most anticipated books of 2026! In it, we meet Niecy and Annie. Self-described as “cradle friends”, they’re as close as you can get without being related by blood. Once they come of age, life separates them as Niecy heads to Sheelah College in Atlanta, and Annie finds herself on a journey to Tennessee to find her long-estranged mom.
Set during the 1950s, you can imagine the kinds of themes you’ll find in this book - segregation, racism, misogyny - as well as motherless daughters, found family, estrangement, and perseverance.
For much of the book, I was left wanting. It felt like there was something brewing just below the surface, but it wasn’t ever able to crack through. On a sentence level, this book is beautiful - no doubt Tayari Jones is a talented writer. But the story never got its hooks into me. As time passed, I felt myself becoming less and less motivated to pick it up.
Having said that, the last 15% of the book was BEAUTIFUL! If only the whole book could have been that simple, raw, and emotional. That’s where I kept thinking Jones would get us, but it took too long to get there.
I still believe this is going to be a hit for a lot of people. For me, the little payoff I got wasn’t enough to overcome the long, slow, and meandering journey it took to get there.
January 3, 2026
"Love requires bravery, but it fortifies you at the same time. I don't know anything else in the world that gives back the exact same treasure it demands."
WOW! A stunning knock out of a novel! This book's power crept up on me until I was a full-on mess by the end. Tayari Jones has crafted a masterpiece of friendship, family and the diverging path that can alter the course of our lives. There was a soothing symmetry to the book, with the alternating view points of our main characters, Annie and Niecy, motherless friends, or cradle mates, who grew up together in a small Louisiana town. There's so much care in the way Jones tells both of their stories, that I zoomed through most of the book in a single sitting. I can't recommend this one enough and even though it's only the second day of 2026, I already know this book will be one of the best I read this year.
Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest review.
WOW! A stunning knock out of a novel! This book's power crept up on me until I was a full-on mess by the end. Tayari Jones has crafted a masterpiece of friendship, family and the diverging path that can alter the course of our lives. There was a soothing symmetry to the book, with the alternating view points of our main characters, Annie and Niecy, motherless friends, or cradle mates, who grew up together in a small Louisiana town. There's so much care in the way Jones tells both of their stories, that I zoomed through most of the book in a single sitting. I can't recommend this one enough and even though it's only the second day of 2026, I already know this book will be one of the best I read this year.
Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest review.
December 10, 2025
Tayari Jones's KIN is a compelling narrative centered on the parallel lives of two motherless friends, Annie and Niecy, as they strive to define their futures. Niecy, raised by her aunt after her parents' deaths, pursues an academic path and finds a fiancé. In contrast, Annie's mother's absence spurs her to leave for Tennessee in search of her. The novel explores each woman's personal navigation of love, grief, loss, and friendship, leading to painful and unexpected truths that one friend must ultimately face alone.
Jones demonstrates her mastery of storytelling through atmospheric settings, a cast of diverse yet flawed characters, and a plot that is often gut-wrenching. This book earns a solid 4 out of 5 stars, guaranteeing readers will be invested in both women's journeys until the very last page.
Jones demonstrates her mastery of storytelling through atmospheric settings, a cast of diverse yet flawed characters, and a plot that is often gut-wrenching. This book earns a solid 4 out of 5 stars, guaranteeing readers will be invested in both women's journeys until the very last page.
January 22, 2026
The premise of this book was really interesting to me but ultimately it fell a little flat in terms of pacing. Niecy and Annie both grow up without their mothers in Honeysuckle, Louisiana. Niecy’s mom died at the hands of her father, while Annie’s mom just up and left. Both are stuck with the grief and longing of living in a mother-less world.
The middle is where things got tough for me. If I read the words “cradle friend,” Hattie Lee or Bobo one more time I was gonna lose it. Maybe that was the point, to make it feel so repetitive and suffocating as a reader.
I also read this after These Heathens and Harlem Rhapsody - those are stronger historical fiction books of the time. This felt like a literary fiction through the lens of a historical fiction. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy! Beautiful writing, just thrown off by the pacing and some repetitive storylines.
The middle is where things got tough for me. If I read the words “cradle friend,” Hattie Lee or Bobo one more time I was gonna lose it. Maybe that was the point, to make it feel so repetitive and suffocating as a reader.
I also read this after These Heathens and Harlem Rhapsody - those are stronger historical fiction books of the time. This felt like a literary fiction through the lens of a historical fiction. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy! Beautiful writing, just thrown off by the pacing and some repetitive storylines.
January 23, 2026
What a gift it is to be alive when Tayari Jones is writing books!
Go read Konrad’s review for a much more thoughtful, humorous take on this book— we both can’t get enough of it!
Go read Konrad’s review for a much more thoughtful, humorous take on this book— we both can’t get enough of it!
December 3, 2025
A beautiful story of family and friendship during the Jim Crow South filled with Black traditions, superstitions, and history. I’m not
the biggest fan of historical fiction, but like Tayari’s last novel I spent days highlighting passages that touched my heart. The writing feels like a warm hug from an old sage passing down bits of wisdom.
The story of two childhood friends going down completely different paths. Hearing about Annie’s search for her mother and Vernices’s life at Spelman college was a journey of passion, motherhood , queer exploration, sacrifice, and loss.
Netgalley Arc released date Feb 24
the biggest fan of historical fiction, but like Tayari’s last novel I spent days highlighting passages that touched my heart. The writing feels like a warm hug from an old sage passing down bits of wisdom.
The story of two childhood friends going down completely different paths. Hearing about Annie’s search for her mother and Vernices’s life at Spelman college was a journey of passion, motherhood , queer exploration, sacrifice, and loss.
Netgalley Arc released date Feb 24
November 21, 2025
Kin opens with a strong sense of Southern atmosphere, generational weight, and a girlhood bond that feels both fragile and unbreakable. Vernice and Annie grow up side by side in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, yet their lives move in completely different directions. Vernice’s path at Spelman was one of the most engaging parts for me. Watching her enter a world shaped by legacy, privilege, and sisterhood while still holding on to where she came from gave her chapters a quiet steadiness that felt genuine.
Annie’s journey brought out a different emotional reaction. Her life is shaped by the absence of her mother, and that kind of wound affects every choice she makes. Her path is full of danger, heartbreak, and moments of unexpected tenderness. There were times when I wanted to shake her and hug her in the same breath because she feels so honest in her flaws and determination.
What stood out most is how deeply the book explores the complexity of womanhood in the South. It shows how friendship can ground you, how loss settles into a person over time, and how two people can love each other fiercely even as their lives separate. The story carries both heartache and hope, and the writing brings a warmth that made the characters feel real and memorable.
If you enjoy stories that focus on sisterhood and the emotional ties that shape us, this one is worth adding to your list.
Thanks Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf for the ARC and opportunity to provide an honest review.
Annie’s journey brought out a different emotional reaction. Her life is shaped by the absence of her mother, and that kind of wound affects every choice she makes. Her path is full of danger, heartbreak, and moments of unexpected tenderness. There were times when I wanted to shake her and hug her in the same breath because she feels so honest in her flaws and determination.
What stood out most is how deeply the book explores the complexity of womanhood in the South. It shows how friendship can ground you, how loss settles into a person over time, and how two people can love each other fiercely even as their lives separate. The story carries both heartache and hope, and the writing brings a warmth that made the characters feel real and memorable.
If you enjoy stories that focus on sisterhood and the emotional ties that shape us, this one is worth adding to your list.
Thanks Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf for the ARC and opportunity to provide an honest review.
November 19, 2025
The prose in Kin was beautiful. Tayari Jones has a way with language that's gripping and emotional, while remaining honest to the story. I felt that way about Kin, and in both An American Marriage and Silver Sparrow.
Annie's and Vernice's stories of growing up being motherless daughters by differing circumstances remained paralleled in their pain. Neither POV was more interesting than the other, which I appreciated, and the way that you got to see both the main and side characters' reflection of who they were because of their mother--whether they were mothered or motherless--was done very well.
Annie's and Vernice's stories of growing up being motherless daughters by differing circumstances remained paralleled in their pain. Neither POV was more interesting than the other, which I appreciated, and the way that you got to see both the main and side characters' reflection of who they were because of their mother--whether they were mothered or motherless--was done very well.
November 19, 2025
Left me breathless… I couldn’t be more in awe of this book. Niecy and Alice will always be with me.
December 1, 2025
My goodness, Tayari Jones, does it again. Kin reads like sitting in your living room with two women who have lived the hard, beautiful edges of life—telling you everything, little by little, in their own voices. That intimacy is the novel’s heartbeat.
The story follows Vernice and Annie Kay, childhood friends from a small Louisiana town who bond over being motherless and growing up with relatives. Vernice’s mother was tragically killed, and Annie Kay’s mother becomes almost a mystical presence that Annie spends her life trying to find in unexpected ways. The girls leave home and head to Spelman/Atlanta and Memphis, shape their young adulthood, and we follow them as they become women whose lives diverge and, later, converge around grief, memory, and what it means to be kin.
If you care about place—about Atlanta, the South, the real textures of Black life—this novel is intoxicating. The writing is rich with promise, and the sense that the author has lived, studied, or deeply knows the places she invokes makes everything feel real. Reading on a business trip in Memphis, staying at the Peabody Hotel, as an Atlanta resident who’d spent time in Louisiana, the scenes leapt off the page. Historic Black Atlanta, the echoes of Cascade, Auburn Ave, Spelman’s campus, downtown Atlanta, Venetian Hills, felt less like fiction and more like memories or an invitation to actually go see. That specificity is rare and thrilling.
You can almost feel the layers of research and lived experience in every description. The friendships, the schools, the neighborhoods: Jones uses them not just as backdrop but as characters themselves, shaping choices, loyalties, and futures. As the story unfolds, the emotional stakes rise, and the bond between Vernice and Annie Kay keeps the narrative taut even when their paths run far apart.
If I have one critique from reading an ARC, it’s that one central plot point felt unresolved, perhaps a function of advance material, perhaps by design. I will follow up on the book publication to be sure. It didn’t diminish my overall love for the book, but it did leave me wanting just a little more closure in one thread. Aside from that, everything else is so compelling, so alive, that it barely mattered. For me, Kin is probably the best book I’ve read this year.
If you want historical fiction that feels true, urgent, and inspired by the kinds of real stories that could have happened, or did, this is it. It’s a novel that invites you into a world, makes you care fiercely about its people, and leaves you thinking about what binds us to one another long after the last page.
Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for a Digital ARC of this title.
January 9, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for an eARC of this novel.
Tayari Jones is an incredible writer, from her meaningful messages and prose, her heartbreaking stories, and her well written and deep characters, I definitely enjoyed this novel to the very end. Although the middle was a bit slow and really was more focused on the character development between Annie and Vernice, I felt like I did enjoy the pacing of the novel. I didn't feel too rushed and the I feel like the ending didn't leave me with really any questions as heartbreaking and not as happy as I'd hoped it would be.
Annie's struggle of trying to find her mother and her purpose while staying loyal to her and Vernice's friendship was prominent throughout the novel. Even after meeting her and seeing her other kids in Memphis, she comes to realize that meeting her mother didn't fill the gap she left in her life, and unfortunately her desperation to find her mother leads to her relationship with Bobo ending and her life kind of falling downhill from there.
Vernice's pressure to abandon the past and her identity to fit in after marrying into a wealthy black family in Atlanta. She rejects the expectations put on her by Franklin's parents and admits everything to Franklin, about her life in Honeysuckle and at Spelman with Joette. Her loyalty to her true identity and Annie over social standing is also prominent towards the end, really highlighting how important Vernice and Annie's friendship crosses the boundaries of blood and kin.
The ending is so important to the story, showing how even though their lives diverged in different directions and both of them had so much pressure to do "the right thing," they chose themselves and their bone remained the most stable foundation in the adult lives despite having to save themselves when their traditional family structures fail. I really liked their dynamic and seeing them grow into women throughout the book, and as said as each of their stories were, I felt so connected to them. I also peeped the switch from Vernice to Niecy at chapter 43 TAYARI YOU GENIUS UGH I'M IN PAIN AHHH. This story could've only have been written by Tayari Jones as she is such a good writer. From writing a story that makes me feel something, having characters with so much depth, I will definitely have to read her other books.
Tayari Jones is an incredible writer, from her meaningful messages and prose, her heartbreaking stories, and her well written and deep characters, I definitely enjoyed this novel to the very end. Although the middle was a bit slow and really was more focused on the character development between Annie and Vernice, I felt like I did enjoy the pacing of the novel. I didn't feel too rushed and the I feel like the ending didn't leave me with really any questions as heartbreaking and not as happy as I'd hoped it would be.
Annie's struggle of trying to find her mother and her purpose while staying loyal to her and Vernice's friendship was prominent throughout the novel. Even after meeting her and seeing her other kids in Memphis, she comes to realize that meeting her mother didn't fill the gap she left in her life, and unfortunately her desperation to find her mother leads to her relationship with Bobo ending and her life kind of falling downhill from there.
Vernice's pressure to abandon the past and her identity to fit in after marrying into a wealthy black family in Atlanta. She rejects the expectations put on her by Franklin's parents and admits everything to Franklin, about her life in Honeysuckle and at Spelman with Joette. Her loyalty to her true identity and Annie over social standing is also prominent towards the end, really highlighting how important Vernice and Annie's friendship crosses the boundaries of blood and kin.
The ending is so important to the story, showing how even though their lives diverged in different directions and both of them had so much pressure to do "the right thing," they chose themselves and their bone remained the most stable foundation in the adult lives despite having to save themselves when their traditional family structures fail. I really liked their dynamic and seeing them grow into women throughout the book, and as said as each of their stories were, I felt so connected to them. I also peeped the switch from Vernice to Niecy at chapter 43 TAYARI YOU GENIUS UGH I'M IN PAIN AHHH. This story could've only have been written by Tayari Jones as she is such a good writer. From writing a story that makes me feel something, having characters with so much depth, I will definitely have to read her other books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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