To understand the end, you must go back to the beginning…

Chronologically, this book is set before Star-Crossed.

",{"_152":71,"_33":76,"_211":246,"_213":64},301,"August 3, 2026","August 3","B0HCND7TV3","#020101",[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/5225i/125d65b6-6edf-44ab-b9f5-880fb12c0904.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F5225i%2F125d65b6-6edf-44ab-b9f5-880fb12c0904.jpg","South Kenton Stories: Foe Dub Fo' Life","c0625707-554c-4415-89f5-8c3a2ba808fa","order",{"_152":277,"_33":135,"_182":278,"_217":279,"_218":-5,"_219":280,"_221":281,"_223":47},"a7ce1d66-25fd-48e3-bc1f-daadbca4be93","13-jessica-a","Jessica is an LA girl that has been writing fiction and poetry since middle school. She holds a BA in English from Xavier University in Louisiana, and an MFA in Fiction from San Diego State University. She's a dog mommy to the infamous Dijon Mustard, and in addition to writing all the stories that play out in her head, she enjoys yapping on facetime with her homegirls and long walks on the beach.",11,[224],"c1ba8b61-e1a0-458b-901d-7ad4c8bcd310",5050,"4.38",12,[],[306],"Hurricane Summer","ec322601-6cc7-410f-bdad-5f2455271f54",2021,"May 2021","2021-05-04","5111-hurricane-summer","Tilla has spent her entire life trying to make her father love her. But every six months, he leaves their family and returns to his true home: the island of Jamaica.

When Tilla’s mother tells her she’ll be spending the summer on the island, Tilla dreads the idea of seeing him again, but longs to discover what life in Jamaica has always held for him.

In an unexpected turn of events, Tilla is forced to face the storm that unravels in her own life as she learns about the dark secrets that lie beyond the veil of paradise—all in the midst of an impending hurricane.

Hurricane Summer is a powerful coming of age story that deals with colorism, classism, young love, the father-daughter dynamic—and what it means to discover your own voice in the center of complete destruction.",{"_152":68,"_33":73,"_211":212,"_213":64},"Wednesday Books",400,"May 4, 2021","May 4","9781250622235","1250622239","#418e9d",[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/5050i/ec322601-6cc7-410f-bdad-5f2455271f54.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F5050i%2Fec322601-6cc7-410f-bdad-5f2455271f54.jpg",{"_152":307,"_33":130,"_182":308,"_217":-5,"_218":-5,"_219":42,"_221":309,"_223":47},"693d30fa-4458-4ef9-9613-df151a4a4021","614-asha-ashanti-bromfield",[224],"cfef46ef-c8c8-4645-88f4-679b2bfdd266",4854,"4.42",13,[],[337],"All For Me","2074b690-9e0b-4221-ac4f-acc3ba1de5e3","Jun 2026","2026-06-29","4904-all-for-me","Love didn’t exist in East Norris’s world. He learned early on that the only things you could put your trust in were yourself and your money. When his best friend is locked up, he makes a promise to look out for his little sister, but he had no idea that bringing a young, broken girl into his home would change his life in ways he never imagined.

Lyric Joseph carried the weight of the world on her shoulders when her brother was taken. Life went from bad to worse, and she begins to believe there is no way out. Broken, desperate, and afraid, she finds refuge in an unexpected place. What starts as an innocent crush blossoms into a love so deep, neither of them knows how to handle it.

Two souls who were let down by the world find themselves navigating through love, life, and parenthood. Mistakes are made, relationships are tested, and the past threatens to tear apart the sacred world they’ve created. Will love prevail, or will it tear apart at the seams?",{"_152":71,"_33":76,"_211":246,"_213":64},445,"June 29, 2026","June 29","B0H6X85BP5","#0d1508",[331],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/4854i/2074b690-9e0b-4221-ac4f-acc3ba1de5e3.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F4854i%2F2074b690-9e0b-4221-ac4f-acc3ba1de5e3.jpg",{"_152":332,"_25":333,"_334":335,"_336":64},"9fcf6607-588f-4184-b1ad-abb9fe7e24dc","https://amzn.to/4vCyFXf","label","Amazon","sponsored",{"_152":338,"_33":136,"_182":339,"_217":20,"_218":-5,"_219":228,"_221":340,"_223":47},"03763e60-f5b1-449f-b19d-a8cb2711a5e1","147-kami-holt",[224],"da60e9f1-4d44-43c0-8012-3db1d7df4a31",5890,[],[360],"This Beautiful Life","f3ed8eb5-0bff-46b1-918d-53f61bbf7206","Sep 2026","2026-09-01","6005-this-beautiful-life","

After a series of reckless mistakes and fractured bonds uproot his family, Robbie Burleson finds himself living in August Creek, an isolated town hidden in the California mountains where everything feels just a little too perfect.

Instinctively perceptive, Robbie can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right beneath August Creek’s idyllic charm. The library is oddly limited, the customs are strange, the residents are unnervingly pleasant.

Oh, and no one ever seems to leave.

As the school year unfolds, Robbie struggles to adapt. Then, like an unexpected storm, a sheltered girl with bright curiosity and a hunger for the world beyond August Creek blows into his life. Through their growing connection, Robbie begins uncovering the truths hidden beneath August Creek’s picture-perfect surface. As the cracks in the town’s carefully constructed façade—and in his own guarded heart—begin to widen, he discovers that some of the biggest secrets have been hiding in plain sight.

Reflective and evocative, this literary coming-of-age story navigates the complicated relationship between power, control, and the gray spaces that blur love, obsession, and protection.

Through moments of quiet rebellion, This Beautiful Life explores how perception shapes reality, how secrets can haunt even the happiest of homes, and how even in the darkest places, connection sparks hope.

",{"_152":71,"_33":76,"_211":246,"_213":64},392,"September 1, 2026","September 1","B0HFPRXXM5","#464441",[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/5890i/f3ed8eb5-0bff-46b1-918d-53f61bbf7206/1788290095.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F5890i%2Ff3ed8eb5-0bff-46b1-918d-53f61bbf7206%2F1788290095.jpg",{"_152":361,"_33":131,"_182":362,"_217":-5,"_218":-5,"_219":42,"_221":363,"_223":47},"f823f949-3f9e-483a-a35e-55e041de4a3e","897-jasmine-cartwright",[224],"57f2ab00-406a-4148-b5c5-991c7856c59e",5964,"4.13",[],[386],"These Heathens","c2aef435-fbb5-4163-b98e-1fbb5a85b33c",2025,"Jun 2025","2025-06-17","6079-these-heathens","From the “razor-sharp and outrageously funny” (Taylor Jenkins Reid) mind of Mia McKenzie comes a vibrant novel exploring how one weekend can change your whole life.

Dear Lord, please forgive me for the sins I’ve committed. And for the one I’m still planning to commit tomorrow. Amen.

Where do you get an abortion in 1960 Georgia, especially if the town midwife goes to the same church as your parents? For seventeen-year-old Doris Steele, the answer is Atlanta, where her favorite teacher, Mrs. Lucas, calls upon her brash, wealthy childhood best friend, Sylvia, for help. While waiting to hear from the doctor who has agreed to do the procedure, Doris spends the weekend scandalized by, but drawn to, the people who move in and out of Sylvia's celebrities whom Doris has seen in the pages of Jet and Ebony, political leaders like Coretta Scott King and Diane Nash, women who dance close together, atheists! And even more shocking? Mrs. Lucas seems right at home.

From the guests at a queer kickback to the student activists at a SNCC conference, Doris suddenly finds herself surrounded by so many people who seem to know exactly who or what they want. Doris knows she doesn’t want a baby, but what does she want? Will this trip help her find out?

These Heathens! is a funny, poignant story about Black women’s obligations and ambitions, what we owe to ourselves, and the transformative power of leaving your bubble, even for just one chaotic weekend.",{"_152":68,"_33":73,"_211":212,"_213":64},"Random House","June 17, 2025","June 17","9780593596944","0593596943","#f2caa1",[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/5964i/c2aef435-fbb5-4163-b98e-1fbb5a85b33c/1788368641.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F5964i%2Fc2aef435-fbb5-4163-b98e-1fbb5a85b33c%2F1788368641.jpg",{"_152":387,"_33":134,"_182":388,"_217":-5,"_218":-5,"_219":42,"_221":389,"_223":47},"1c689fbc-bf69-464e-9f74-36a40143e4dc","915-mia-mckenzie",[224],143,"Coming of Age","category","genre","coming-of-age","/genres/coming-of-age","selectable","sensitive","position","parent","isLoggedIn",["P",401],"result",{"_21":410,"_23":411,"_19":412,"_413":414,"_25":415,"_416":417,"_27":418},"user","themePreference","light","storedTheme","gaId","G-Z1HVZ17GZ3","Blackauthored","%s","Find your next Black authored read and connect with readers with the similar taste.","handle","@blackauthored","https://blackauthored.com","robots",{"_429":64,"_430":64},{"_29":30,"_31":419,"_33":410,"_420":421,"_422":423,"_25":415},"Organization","logo","https://cdn.blackauthored.com/images/og-image.png","sameAs",[424,425,426,427,428],"https://twitter.com/blackauthored","https://facebook.com/blackauthored","https://instagram.com/blackauthored","https://youtube.com/blackauthored","https://tiktok.com/@blackauthored","noIndex","noFollow"]