Second House from the Corner

by Sadeqa Johnson

"So good!" NY Times best selling author Jennifer Weiner

Second House from the Corner centers on the story of Felicia Lyons, a stay-at-home mother of three drowning in the drudgeries of play dates, lost pacifiers and potty training who occasionally wonders what it would be like to escape the demands of motherhood. But when an unexpected phone call threatens to destroy her life, Felicia is forced to return to her childhood home where she must wrestle with an ex-lover and long buried secrets to save the family and home she loves despite the daily challenges.

Felicia Lyons is a character who mothers can identify with and laugh along with. You can't help but cheer for her in Johnson's engaging and well-written novel.

"Novelist Sadeqa Johnson should take a bow for her latest effort. Fans of 2011's Love in a Carry-On Bag (12th Street Press), her first offering, will devour every word of Second House From the Corner." -Essence Magazine

"Johnson is a skilled storyteller with a breezy style, and the journey of Felicia, a strong African American woman, will have particular appeal for Terry McMillan fans." -Booklist

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, African American, Audiobook, Contemporary, Family, Drama

304 pages, Hardcover

First published February 9, 2016

About the author

Sadeqa Johnson is the New York Times best-selling author of five novels. Her accolades include being the 2022 Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy finalist, a BCALA Literary Honoree, and the Library of Virginia’s Literary People’s Choice Award winner. She is a Kimbilio Fellow and teaches in the M.F.A. program at Drexel University. Originally from Philadelphia, she currently lives near Richmond, VA with her husband and three teens.

website: www.sadeqa.net
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadeqasays
https://linktr.ee/Sadeqasays

Reviews

[jv poore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore absolutely everything in this heart-tugging tale of love and lines blurred. I'm looking forward to more from Ms. Johnson, for sure.

[Vivian Diaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 ⭐️ Not my favorite by this author but still a pretty okay read for me. This story is told in the POV of Felicia. She is a mother of 3 little ones and she has been keeping a big secret from her husband for the entirety of their marriage. Once someone threatens to bring that secret to light, it turns her life completely upside down.

I really wanted to shake Felicia at times. Her actions and stupidity had me livid! I understand that she was basically groomed by Martin when she was a teen but for her to still be intimate with him as an adult and cheat on her husband with him just didn’t sit right with me at all.

I did appreciate the good commentary on motherhood and the struggles of being a stay at home mom but Felicia’s actions throughout this book just made me mad. I honestly just couldn’t sympathize with her.

[Monica **can't read fast enough** · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid three star read for me, but Felicia...DANG! My whole relationship with her came down to "No, she won't. No, she won't really. Damn, she did." There are two big problems that Felicia has to navigate and they both resolve pretty easily in the end, which was a little disappointing. I hate to say it, but in a story like this one I really expected a higher degree of messiness that would need to be painfully cleaned up. Still, I'm glad that I picked this one up and I would very happily read another book by Sadeqa Johnson.


Where you can find me:
•(♥).•*Monica Is Reading*•.(♥)•
Twitter: @monicaisreading
Instagram: @readermonica

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Y'all are the only people I'm telling that I read this foolishness.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great book! Second House from the Corner is a standalone, women's fiction novel written by Sadeqa Johnson. This story follows a stay-at-home mother: Felicia Lyons as she struggles with her present-day role as "mommy", her aspirations for something more to fulfill her, and the resurfacing demons from her past. Ms. Johnson excels with Felicia's character development which allowed me to become effortlessly engaged and thoroughly invested, even when this character's choices felt cringe worthy to me. Her story felt so real and my curiosity about Ms. Johnson's inspiration for Felicia's character had me doing a google search. I found an interview with Sadeqa Johnson HERE in which she discusses the behind-the-scenes of her writing process. Although this novel is indeed a work a fiction, the backstory was inspired by personal stories passed down though Ms. Johnson's relatives. This revelation added a level of intimacy to the reading experience and I quickly understood how the emotions could feel so palpable. In reference to Felicia's character specifically, Ms. Johnson says:

"Felicia represents all women. We are all flawed in some way. What I like about her is that she has to strip down to her bare core to figure out who she is so that she could rebuild her life. Often we walk around with baggage and secrets and have to stay two steps ahead of our personal demons. At some point there is no place to run and I like how Felicia responds when her back is against the wall. I think she is a character that we can all relate to."

I wholeheartedly agree. This would have been a five star reading experience for me if it weren't for Felicia's husband. IMO, he became such an unlikable character when things hit the fan and I just abhorred the way he responded when Felicia needed him most. However, I can recognize that a difficult character like him was needed to allow Felicia's character to shine. I'm conflicted about the ending. After all his ridiculousness, I really wasn't sure if I supported her desire to work things out with him. But again, she rose above it and I can respect that. If you enjoy various themes of the women's fiction/family drama genre, then check out Second House from the Corner. This is the first book I've read from this author and I can't wait to read more!

My favorite quote:
“At what point do I get to shout What the f#ck do you want from me? I wouldn't drop an F-bomb in front of the mommy crew at the park, and I hate to see parents on the street cursing out their kids. But here in my kitchen with everything working against me, I would like to liberate myself just once and let the profanity rip. It's the nipping at my nerves that gets me. The feasting on my flesh like starved sea urchins. Them, fighting like thieves for their individual piece of me. Me feeling like I have nothing left to give. Any mother who says that she has never felt like her whole life was being sucked out through her nostrils is a damn liar. I feel it every day.”

[La Tonya Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you want that Kodak picture perfect life, at what lengths would you do to make it a reality? The lies you tell finally catches up with you like a spider spinning her web. This is what occurs with Felicia Lyons. She is a stay-at-home mom with three beautiful children in the suburbs of New Jersey with the pefect husband.

The phone rings one morning and it is Martin her ex-lover. Faye's past has caught up with her and there is no way out. Felicia Lyons goes on a journey of self-discovery and realizes the past can heal you, if you turn around and face the past straight in the eye. Take the journey with Felicia (Faye) you will not be disappointed. A good read.

Quote:

She said she would never forgive me for cheating her out of that moment, but I didn't care.

"I need you to put your house up so I can get Brave out." "Bitch, please" leaves my mouth before I could filter it.

When the bubble of trust and honesty burst, nothing is off-limits.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only part I didn't like was when Foxy cheated on Preston with Martin. More than once I might add.

[ReadAlongWithSue recovering from a stroke★⋆. ࿐࿔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

If anyone’s a mom or have been bringing up children with a husband/father that works long hours, you may relate to this!
It’s hard work raising children and it’s constant. It’s rewarding too of course!

But fretting, Childrens tantrums arguments and constant demands can get a mom pulling her hair out and wanting to run away. For most, they don’t leave though! And they love and adore their kids desperately despite all of this.

But this mom hasn’t been truthful. She harbours secrets from her past that domino affects on herself as a parent, as a person, as a human being and most definitely as a woman.

She needs to return to where she was raised.

I did enjoy this book and in some parts I can relate when my children were young.
However, I don’t think I have any disturbing secrets!

If you like books based around secrets, family life and anything I’ve mentioned in my review then I’d say, yep pick it up.

[Laura.125Pages · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on [www.125pages.com] The beginning of Second House from the Corner was amazing! A frustrated mom who feels like she is drowning, a husband who is an asshat, aspirations to be more true to herself. I was in book love. Then the "drama" started and it all went downhill so very fast. Felicia is struggling, feeling weighed down by her three children and a husband who won't even get his own dinner from the stove, she is trying everything to gain access to an exclusive social club in town. A former actress, the family life just doesn't give her the high she craves. Then with the introduction of an old friend, the story changed. Felicia will do anything for her husband to not find out about her past. That is where I lost the plot. The decisions she made were nonsensical and the only path they could lead to was badness.

Sadeqa Johnson can write and she started with an amazing voice. Then the plot took over and it was not great. The emotions I should have been feeling, sadness and empathy towards Felicia, were turned to anger and WTF. The world created was vivid and the pacing was solid. My issue was mainly in the characters. They did not drawn me in, they pushed me out. At times I knew I should have felt for Felicia, but really I just wanted to shake her and yell.

Second House from the Corner was a mix of two stories; harried housewife and women with secrets. Either one would have been great, but the mash-up just didn't work for me. Sadeqa Johnson can craft an impressive sentence and she does have a way with words. It was the way she crafted her characters and blended her plot lines that lost me. I was disappointed as the beginning showed such promise, but at the end of the day Second House from the Corner was just not for me.

Favorite lines - It’s the nipping at my nerves that gets me. The feasting on my flesh like starved sea urchins. Them, fighting like thieves for their individual piece of me. Me feeling like I have nothing left to give. Any mother who says that she has never felt like her whole life was being sucked out through her nostrils is a damn liar. I feel it every day.

Biggest cliché - "Everything I did was for a good reason."

 Have you read Second House from the Corner, or added it to your TBR?

[Rashawnda · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a mother then you are Felicia Lyons!!! As a stay at home mother of three she was drowning in chicken nuggets, feisty toddlers and breast milk. And when the baby wasn’t hanging from her tit, her husband was 😩😩

She had dreams for herself and wanted a life outside of her family but she lived during a time where taking care of home was all a woman needed to be deemed “successful”.

In an effort to create some excitement in her mundane life, Felicia conjures up people from her past that threaten to destroy everything she worked hard for and now that boring mom life that she wanted to break free from doesn’t sound so bad after all!

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

*audiobook

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved this book when I first started reading it and immediately felt a connection with Felicia and couldn’t help sympathising with her as she strived to get through each day as a mum- getting the kids up, fed, washed, dressed and out to school etcetera and then home again and ready to start all over again, a job not helped much by the fact that husband Preston really is the oldest kid in her family – incapable even of getting his own meal dished up let alone looking after their children.

Whilst the story did start strong, for me it really went off the boil rather quickly, as soon as Felicia’s life started to spin out of control. My main concern was that her “fall from grace” for want of a better description, was brought about really by the bad decisions she makes over and over and over again in the story. She never seems to learn her lesson and just compounds each bad decision with yet more of the same. I should have been firmly in her corner, yet I just wanted to shake some sense into her. Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for the review copy.

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Second House from the Corner by Sadeqa Johnson is a woman whining about her life (the complaining never stops). Felicia Lyons is an actress turned stay-at-home mom in New Jersey. She has three children under the age of four and a husband who is rarely home (as well as sexist, lazy, has a temper, and keeps her on a tight leash). Then one day she gets a call from her past. A past that Preston, her husband, knows nothing about. This call (really the man behind the call) has the power to ruin her life (if she lets it). Will Felicia make the right choices?

I did not enjoy reading The Second House from the Corner. I had a hard time getting through Felicia’s whining (about her kids, her husband, housework, etc.). Felicia is an extremely unpleasant character. The Second House from the Corner contained foul language (too much of it) and sex (explicit). It also had an extremely odd ending. I give The Second House from the Corner 1 out of 5 stars. I just found the book to be unenjoyable, and I really had to force myself to finish it (not a good thing).

I received a complimentary copy of The Second House from the Corner from NetGalley in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.

[Whit · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real good page-turner but a sad one too. I felt sorry for Felicia, felt compassion for Felicia and then wanted to strangle Felicia all in the same paragraph! 15 year old Felicia wanted a family so badly, that she allowed an older, smooth talking man (monster), from her church, to control and violate her.

15 years later she allows him back in her life, thoroughly jeopardizing her life with her husband and three kids. Felicia made some really stupid decisions, because she just didn't understand how to say no to the deceitful people who should no longer be a part of her life.

Will her husband be able to forgive and forget, so they can restore their marriage and reunite their family? I received this book, free, in a GoodReads FirstRead's Giveaway. Thank you!

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally- it feels so good to read contempary African American fictions that isn't street lit, Christian Fiction or Civil Rights related. I really enjoyed this book and think that Ms. Johnson is my new favorite auther. I originally wanted to read this one, but it wasn't available at my library so I read love in a Carry on. I finally got my hands on this one and it was worth the wait.

I really Enjoyed Felicia as a character. At times I was frustrated with her actions and felt that they were out of place for her but as her story unfolded I think it just goes to show how hurt, pain and abuse never really heals. In a sense, it's scary that a person can abuse you twice and I think it goes to show the importance of getting help which is taboo in the African American community as Felicia even quoted that we are often times told to "simply move on, get over it". I will say that I never understood her reaction to Shalya's request but I'm glad it was a side story that didn't really go into much more.

Overall, I couldn't put this story down. I really enjoyed all the characters although Preston did get on my nerves a little. Can't wait to read Ms. Johnson's next book!

[OOSA · Rating 5 out of 5]

That's Life

Full-time wife and mother, part-time actress, Felicia Lyons’ hands are full. Just when it seems she can’t add anything more to her cup which is running over, her past decides to pay a visit.

The opening chapter immediately captures motherhood and never lets go. Johnson creates a believable cast of characters. The narrative is natural, which endears readers to the characters quickly. “Second House from the Corner” is easily recommendable.

This is my first read by Sadeqa Johnson but it certainly won’t be my last.

Reviewed by: Toni

[sweetconnectionswithtoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second House from the Corner

Author: Sedeqa Johnson
Rating: 3.5 💫
Genre: Fiction
Type: 📲

Felicia is an actress who is now a stay at home mom of 3 she loved all her kids especially her baby boy, she did favor her kids but that little boy had a piece of her heart carved out. Lawd, this lady is need of a break from these kids for real, she is unfulfilled and bored.

She’s living the perfect life in front of everybody, her dreams were placed to the side because she had a family so she focused on them.

Martin returns home from jail, he’s her ex-lover and her first and this is where the story starts. Felicia goes on a journey of self discovering, secrets start to unravel and she’s forced to leave her home. She has fallen from Grace.

Overall this was a good read, I rated it a 3.5 because it seems as though the author got tripped up during the writing process. The story served no purpose, I got built up about Martin and Felicia and nothing happened.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page turner. Wonderful read. The author has a very fluid writing style that creates a vested reader in the head of this main character. Unknowingly, the reader is transported into a deep empathy for her, despite the slowly and shocking unraveling of her past. Highly recommend.

[Tiffany Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

No sophomore slump for Johnson! Full review will be posted on my blog during week of publication.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

_________________________

Format:
📖 Paper book

Ratings:
Overall: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5


Trigger Warnings:
- Child abuse
- R*pe
- Domestic violence
- Physical violence
- Loss of a child

Summary:
Felicia is married and a stay at home mom of three children (6, 4 and 10 months). The hustle and bustle of her demanding daily schedule with her home life is starting to get to her. She misses having time for herself, her own identify and her acting career. Aside from all that, her life is good because this is what she wanted. Then one day, her home phone rings and it’s a man from her past calling her from prison….after that, everything changes.

What I Loved:
I loved that when I picked this book up I had absolutely NO IDEA where this was going! OMG! Felicia was very relatable for me. She experienced real life feelings and emotions that moms don’t really have a safe space to verbalize. I felt for her even more once I learned her childhood story. She truly was doing the best she could!

A Few of My Favorite Quotes:
- “He must be mad as a hot tub filled with piss “

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Felicia Hayes is an actress turned stay-at-home mom with three little children and a husband who has her on a tight leash. As much as Felicia loves her children, sometimes motherhood is exhausting, and she wishes she could just get away. Well, be careful what you wish for. A figure from Felicia’s past, whom she wanted to forget, gives her a call, and suddenly Felicia is out the door, accompanied by memories she wanted to stay buried. Felicia can no longer pretend that her past doesn’t exist, but who does that mean she is now?

Pros:
•This book had all the makings of a good book- the writing is solid, the characters are flawed, the pace is easy.

Cons:
•BUT unfortunately, I constantly wanted to rip this book into shreds every time I picked it up. There are small things, like detailed a bunch of detailed sex scenes that I didn’t need.
•The men in this book are HORRIBLE, and maybe this was an intentional choice by the author, but it seems like neither Felicia nor the author really understood that. Martin, at age 28, took advantage of a 15-year-old…hi everyone, I understand that Felicia thought she wanted it, but children can’t consent so that is RAPE. Felicia acts as if he’s a deadbeat boyfriend from her past, not someone who took advantage of a child and caused her a lot of pain. Meanwhile, Preston is apparently excused for his behavior because of his money, but he’s emotionally abusive (or in the very least, unable to communicate well with his wife) and also throws a hissy fit, without giving Felicia a chance to explain anything, primarily because he thought she was a virgin when he met her….um PRO TIP @all men, if a woman doesn’t want to tell you her sexual history, it MIGHT be because it’s traumatic. RESPECT IT.
•After being treated totally unfairly by all these men and thinking she deserves it, Felicia turns around and treats Crystal with the same disrespect that Preston gives her. She judges Crystal harshly for her clothes, her taste in music, and for things that happened to her that were weirdly similar to what happened to Felicia. Gran and Felicia chalk it up to the fact that Crystal is “crazy”, which was disappointing. Crystal and Felicia both had a lot going in on their past, but instead of getting to explore how it impacts them, Crystal is declared crazy, and Felicia “moves on”. What a waste of an opportunity for a character study.
•The reader can’t follow why Felicia makes any of her decisions, especially those related to the men. I understood why she was drawn to Martin as a kid, but what’s his hold on her now? This lack of development (in favor of what? More graphic sex?) made Felicia’s decisions seems nonsensical and frustrating. Her decisions at the end felt weird too, and it didn’t seem like she learned any lessons.

Recommendation: I guess I recommend if you’re looking for a women’s fiction book with good writing, if you’re okay with graphic sex scenes, terrible men, and many infuriating moments. This is a weird one for me, because the book seemed like it could have been a great book about a tired mom, and it turned into a frustrating mess of a book about a woman who doesn’t understand what healthy relationships are and maybe won’t ever learn? The good news is that the kids are cute. I imagine that some other readers would either like the unexpected negative twist on this story (maybe giving the author more credit on her intentionality) or not notice it. I would consider reading more by this author, but was not enthralled by this one.

[Katrina Burchett · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
Felicia Hayes Lyons lives in New Jersey with her husband and their three children. She loves her family and works hard as a stay-at-home mom. Her life is so much better than it was back in Philly years ago. Even when she's overwhelmed and can find no time for herself, she appreciates how far she's come. When an unexpected call dredges up bad memories and gets her involved in unhealthy relationships once again, will her marriage survive?

The incident that happened when Felicia was twelve years old was sad and senseless and, I believe, the root cause of her bad choices. I felt for her younger self. But the decisions she made as a grown woman with a good husband? Wow. As soon as she got the phone call it was like she didn't have a mind of her own, which was surprising and disappointing because she seemed to be such a strong woman in the beginning. Even though motherhood got to be a bit much for her at times, she still got the job done. And if her husband said something she didn't like, she had no problem speaking up for herself. After all she had been through with the caller in the past, how could this person still have such a hold on her? This woman was searching for peace in the wrong places, trying to ease her pain in the wrong ways.

The cover grabbed me - the red top pops, the natural hair is cool and I wish I had that figure - and then I noticed five star reviews, so I decided to read this novel. I wanted to love the story. It was okay, but there was quite a bit of content I did not expect. Looking at the nice cover, I never thought "gritty". Too much profanity for my taste. Sex scenes - TMI. And I was not comfortable with Chapter Thirty-Seven, because something was going on that I do not believe in and will always stay away from. Far away. The author does deal with important topics, though: mental illness, spousal abuse, adultery, abandonment and low self-esteem.

Favorite Character: Gran
Favorite Line: Just because she can't see my scars doesn't mean I don't have them.

[Dez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mostly enjoyed this book although some parts leave the reader hanging. Like, who was the random girl who came to visit Felicia's mother and signed her name in the visitors log? Shayla was another person I would have liked more information on. It seems as if the author initially was going to develop Shayla's story about blackmailing Felicia and use it later on but it just fizzled out with an apology and confession from Shayla.... I would have liked for Preston to find out what type of stupid, risky decision Felicia had made. All that blackmailing just for her to have to confess later ANYWAY.

I guess maybe I missed the whole point of Felicia going to visit her mom in the nursing home....it was mentioned several times in the beginning of the story but also just floats away once she went to visit her, only one time. Where is the closure in going to see her mother once? She spent years not going back home to visit, so I was looking for her to get some type of closure by finally visiting her mom and facing her ghosts that reminded her of her past. Thought maybe she was going to find out something from her visit(s) there. I guess that was it, she never went back again because she ended up going back home. *shrugs*

All in all, this would be a very good read if there were time for more story and character development. Unfortunately, it doesn't make a reader anxious to read more from this author. The potential is there however.

[Big Time Book Junkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great book! Felicia Lyons and her husband Preston quickly drew me into their story and made me want to read more. I'm sure many stay at home moms could relate to Felicia's need to sometimes get away and have 'just me' time. That's what really pulled me in, the knowledge of how being with young kids all day can make you feel like you have mush for brains.

It was easy to see why other choices looked good at certain points. I rooted for Felicia and Preston through the whole book and loved Felicia's grandmother. Sadly, this sort of situation happens all too often in real life and inside while I was screaming NOOOOO at Felicia, I knew why she was feeling the way she did, but so often there are devastating consequences.

I was thrilled with the ending and felt it was much more fitting to the story than the typical happily ever after.

Thank you very much to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read an early version of this wonderful novel in exchange for an honest review. I've already recommended it to some friends and told them to get it when it is published.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

My three children are over 18; however, stay-at-home mom memories conjured up while reading this book. I found the realistic view refreshing - adoring the kids, but also, having many occasions of wanting to be away from them and acting upon it.
But the meat of this story was the naughtiness! Our suburban mom has a past, and it tries to catch up with her in the present.
As a black woman who is familiar with the way of life Sedeqa Johnson writes about; how she described clothes, music, speech, etc. during the time of my youth, I especially enjoyed this page turner. And the added physical lust and heat was a plus. Ha!

[Paula Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lately I've had trouble with books keeping my interest but Second House From the Corner didn't disappoint. A simple statement spoken by Felicia was misconstrued by Preston Lyons. When her past literally comes calling, Felicia's house of cards come tumbling down. The truth fully revealed results in betrayal, mistrust and catastrophe in a perfect middle class family.

I was drawn in from the beginning and was so engaged, I would be upset when I was pulled away from the book. Great characterization and emotionally charged, Second House From The Corner is an excellent read.

[Shone · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page turner from start to finish which tugged at the heart string and before I could wipe the tears away had me cussing and saying Oh No! Well written with character one could identify with. The story read as if the author herself was sitting in front of you telling the story. This would be an excellent book club selection.

#cillasbookmaniacs

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting and quick read. Ms. Johnson writes with honesty and a sharp wit. She really doesn't hold back and it's refreshing.

[diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

OKAY BUT WHAT HAPPENS WITH SHAYLA?

Okay okay, it was an easy read however, I was hoping that we'd get a little bit 'more'? Context, character depth, backstory etc etc.

But I guess I'll take what I'm given 😅

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another amazing book by Ms. Sadeqa. The characters are very realistic and deal with real-world problems.