A review by shaebaybee07
Carolina Built by Kianna Alexander

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

They say to avoid judging a book by its cover but I couldn’t resist! The cover of this book is just gorgeous and immediately piqued my curiosity. Kianna Alexander did a great job crafting a fictionalized story inspired by the life of Josephine Napoleon Leary. This reimagining of ambition and perseverance in a newly freed Black woman in the South made my heart swell with pride. Alexander’s research shined as she intertwined accurate historical details of the time period within Josephine’s story- she even included a bibliography! The prologue and author notes are an excellent  inclusion, as are the photos of the storefront, that still stands to this day. Also, I really enjoyed the slice-of-life feel of this book- It is very rare to find a historical fiction with Black protagonist that isn’t rife with trauma and pain. My only critique is that the story should have been in third-person POV instead of first because it was a bit limiting. For example, her husband’s POV was not as necessary due to the inconsistent use. I understand why because it brought a nuance to his experience although a third person POV would have easily remedied that. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book and recommend it!