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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
After losing her job and marriage, Deena Wood returns to her childhood home in coastal Georgia. Being home isn’t the same after her mother’s passing and her father’s remarriage.
One day while mourning her mother and avoiding her unsatisfying new job, Deena takes a trip out to an island and meets an elderly man fighting to keep his land. When he suddenly disappears and his home is put up for sale, Deena becomes suspicious and begins investigating.
This thriller reminds me of a news article I saw last year about a Gullah woman fighting to keep a property on Hilton Head Island that her family had owned since the Civil War. A real estate development company built around them then attempted to take the property after the family refused to sell. Unfortunately, land grabs of desirable properties like this are all too common. The premise of What You Leave Behind takes a similar type of greedy developers combined with the heirs property laws to form a timely, sinister thriller.
Deena makes such a great flawed but relatable character. I couldn’t help but feel for her given the stream of adversities that she faced and her palpable grief. Plus, she’s passionate and stubborn. Despite being somewhat ill-equipped to conduct this investigation, Deena is determined to get to the bottom of this situation. She’s clearly on to something and the police don’t seem to be interested.
I loved Deena’s dad Jimmie and her Uncle Duke. Everyone needs older, protective men like them in their lives. You don’t play with that OG duo!
Morris immerses readers in this coastal Georgia small town and the Geechee Gullah culture. The uniqueness of these Geechee Gullah people and their ways really comes through and is woven throughout.
This story is a twisty slow burn until the last 75 pages. Then everything started to fall in place, the suspense and tension peaked, and I turned pages as fast as possible to get to the end!
I’ve loved Wanda Morris’ storytelling since I read an early copy of All Her Little Secrets. So it’s no surprise What You Leave Behind is another great read. I can’t wait to see what Wanda Morris writes next!
Thank you to William Morrow for a gifted copy.
One day while mourning her mother and avoiding her unsatisfying new job, Deena takes a trip out to an island and meets an elderly man fighting to keep his land. When he suddenly disappears and his home is put up for sale, Deena becomes suspicious and begins investigating.
This thriller reminds me of a news article I saw last year about a Gullah woman fighting to keep a property on Hilton Head Island that her family had owned since the Civil War. A real estate development company built around them then attempted to take the property after the family refused to sell. Unfortunately, land grabs of desirable properties like this are all too common. The premise of What You Leave Behind takes a similar type of greedy developers combined with the heirs property laws to form a timely, sinister thriller.
Deena makes such a great flawed but relatable character. I couldn’t help but feel for her given the stream of adversities that she faced and her palpable grief. Plus, she’s passionate and stubborn. Despite being somewhat ill-equipped to conduct this investigation, Deena is determined to get to the bottom of this situation. She’s clearly on to something and the police don’t seem to be interested.
I loved Deena’s dad Jimmie and her Uncle Duke. Everyone needs older, protective men like them in their lives. You don’t play with that OG duo!
Morris immerses readers in this coastal Georgia small town and the Geechee Gullah culture. The uniqueness of these Geechee Gullah people and their ways really comes through and is woven throughout.
This story is a twisty slow burn until the last 75 pages. Then everything started to fall in place, the suspense and tension peaked, and I turned pages as fast as possible to get to the end!
I’ve loved Wanda Morris’ storytelling since I read an early copy of All Her Little Secrets. So it’s no surprise What You Leave Behind is another great read. I can’t wait to see what Wanda Morris writes next!
Thank you to William Morrow for a gifted copy.
This one was interesting considering it was based on a place I spent a lot us time in as a teenager. Brunswick,Ga a coastal pocket of southern Georgia. This story definitely had the mystery aspect down but it’s also a story of true life issues that I don’t think are talked about enough. What happens to the properly and homes of our elders when they pass away? Especially when those properties are highly sought after for their views and location. Gentrification! People are being forced to sell their land and property to companies , for said consumes to turn around and price black as brown people out of their own communities. This a the story of What You Leave behind. Deena has moved back home to Brunswick, Ga to hourly start over after her life has been derailed. A strange encounter leads to Deena trying to find out while members of her community are disappearing and why property is being bought up quickly by a mysterious buyer. If we sell everything we have for monetary value we will have nothing to leave for our legacy. Very good and REAL read. The issues within this story effect us today .
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This author does NOT miss‼️ If you’ve never read any books by Morris I beg you to get into it ASAP. The way she crafts her stories to tackle real life issues offers a narrative that is thrilling, authentic, and thought-provoking. This one was a when not minding your business goes wrong but works in your favor in the end type vibe.
The novel follows Deena Wood’s returning to her hometown in Brunswick, Georgia after the loss of her mother and a nasty divorce. Returning home should’ve been a fresh start for Deena. But when she has a hostile encounter with Holcomb Gardner after trespassing on his land.
Her presence puts him in defense mode because she’s unaware Holcomb’s been in a constant battle over the ownership of his property. Threatening her never to return provokes Deena to do a little snooping. But when she discovers Holcomb’s gone missing, his property is now up for sale, and his sister died a few months back Deena gets suspicious and suspects foul play. Digging through thick layers of lies, secrets in the family, and illegal land grabs that date back to Reconstruction. Deena is in a race against time to uncover the truth before it’s too late and she too may become a victim.
Exploring how heirs properties have become a serious problem in low income black and brown communities there’s so much you can learn from this book. We even get a glimpse of a spiritual entity that kind of assists and protects Deena along the way.
Overall, I loved the book with its vivid depictions and complex characters tension rises with each chapter. If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller, with a compelling plot, and a strong FMC this the one. Special thanks to the author @wandamorris & the publisher @williammorrowbooks for my gifted copy‼️
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
After her mother dies and her marriage falls apart shortly afterwards, Deena is forced to return to her childhood home in Brunswick Georgia. Home doesn’t quite feel like home since her father has remarried her mom’s best friend. She finds herself taking a drive to clear her head and stumbles upon an old widower who mistakes her for a realtor trying to steal his land. Deena begins looking into the man’s claims and realizes something insidious is happening in her hometown.
Wanda M. Morris weaves together history and suspense in such a unique way. Her characterizations are excellent. I was rooting for Deena, she was incredibly relatable as she rebuilt her life after the death of her mother. The story starts off a little on the slower side, but it really ramps up halfway through and becomes unputdownable (my favorite bookish word)!
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
informative
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have read Wanda’s past books and really enjoyed them. This book had a great mystery but also some paranormal content that I was not expecting. This book is also the second new release for this summer that focused on the heir property law.
There is a little romance thrown in that gives the main character more depth. There are some unreliable side characters that will keep you guessing to the end. There are strong themes around grief as well.
Wanda also brings in the Gullah-Geechee culture from coastal Georgia throughout the book with customs and language.
If you are looking for a story about greed and manipulation with a touch of romance, grief and the paranormal, then this book is for you.
I enjoyed hearing from Wanda and learning about her writing process and inspiration for this book. If you like having a playlist for the book, she has one on her website.
I read this book as part of @thoughtsfromapage’s Early Reads program. Thanks to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for providing the ARC.
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to William Morrow Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.
Deena is a non-practicing lawyer, she has been through a divorce and a job loss, as well as the death of her mother. She becomes aware of people being forced off of their property, namely Holcomb, who is killed for his lucrative island land. The premise is interesting, even though Deena is not. There is a love story line, but it falls flat and doesn't bring anything to the narrative. I am rating 2.5 stars rounded up to 3, just because this was boring. It is a great premise, but the execution doesn't live up to the potential. It definitely made me think about how poor people can be "land rich" and be manipulated by equity firms who get them to sell their land insanely cheap. In the story, of course it is dramatic and includes murder, but in the real world, this is still something to consider. The rich get richer.
Deena is a non-practicing lawyer, she has been through a divorce and a job loss, as well as the death of her mother. She becomes aware of people being forced off of their property, namely Holcomb, who is killed for his lucrative island land. The premise is interesting, even though Deena is not. There is a love story line, but it falls flat and doesn't bring anything to the narrative. I am rating 2.5 stars rounded up to 3, just because this was boring. It is a great premise, but the execution doesn't live up to the potential. It definitely made me think about how poor people can be "land rich" and be manipulated by equity firms who get them to sell their land insanely cheap. In the story, of course it is dramatic and includes murder, but in the real world, this is still something to consider. The rich get richer.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This is my first read by Wanda M. Morris and it won't be the last! What You Leave Behind is a legal thriller centered around Deena, our main character, who discovers unfair property practices happening in her hometown. This book delves into family drama, grief and loss, political involvement, and Gullah-Geechee culture. It was so interesting learning about the Gullah-Geechee culture. Many of these people deal with the exact issues Morris writes in this book. Adding the climate crisis to this, these stories must be told to protect their lands. The supernatural elements added so much to the story.
I will say, that my only con to this book is that it started pretty slow. Even though I empathized with our main character I felt like I was waiting for more action to happen. However, once it picked up, I was drawn in!
Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with a digital reviewer copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I will say, that my only con to this book is that it started pretty slow. Even though I empathized with our main character I felt like I was waiting for more action to happen. However, once it picked up, I was drawn in!
Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with a digital reviewer copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.