First published 2017
Bea met her best friend Awilda when they were fourteen, bonding instantly over a shared dorm bed. Outgoing Awilda transformed timid Bea, teaching her about fashion, hair, and dating. Awilda even set Bea up with Lonnie in college, the man who promised to cherish her forever. Now Lonnie repeatedly betrays that vow through his affairs, while Bea struggles with damaged self-worth and a hidden addiction. Their family has relocated to an affluent New Jersey community that offers the prestigious schools and address Lonnie desires but lacks the cultural diversity Bea needs. Pregnant with their third child, Bea feels overwhelmed trying to adapt to this unwelcoming environment while maintaining the facade of a happy marriage despite knowing about Lonnie's latest infidelity. When an especially devastating betrayal finally surfaces, it destroys the fragile foundation holding Bea's world intact. Everything she has built and endured collapses around her.
Genres: fiction, domestic-fiction, african-american, contemporary, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: New Jersey
Period: 21st-century
304 pages · Hardcover · Thomas Dunne Books
Content warnings: addiction