And Then There Was Me: A Novel of Friendship, Secrets and Lies

by Sadeqa Johnson

Overview

Bea and Awilda have been best friends from the moment Awilda threw her fourteen year-old self across Bea’s twin-sized bed as if they had known each other forever. Bubbly, adventurous Awilda taught sheltered, shy Bea how to dress, wear her hair and what to do with boys. She even introduced Bea to her husband, Lonnie, in college, who pledged to take good care of her for the rest of their lives. But philanderer Lonnie breaks that promise over and over again, leaving Bea to wrestle with her self-esteem and long time secret addiction.

Recently Lonnie has plopped the family in a New Jersey upper class suburb, which lacks the diversity that Bea craves but has the school district and zip code envy that Lonnie wants. The demands of carrying a third child and fitting into this new environment while pretending that her husband is not cheating on her again, is more than she can handle. And just when she thinks things can’t get any worst, the ultimate deception snaps the little thread that was holding her life together and all comes tumbling down.

Sadeqa Johnson's And Then There Was Me is the story of love and friendship, heartache and betrayal. It’s the journey of a woman stripped down to her lowest point and needing to find the will to press on.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250074164
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/11/2017
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 8.70(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

SADEQA JOHNSON is a former public relations manager who spent years working with well-known authors such as JK Rowling, Bebe Moore Campbell, Amy Tan, and Bishop TD Jakes before becoming an author herself. Her debut novel, Love in a Carry-on Bag, was the recipient of the 2013 Phillis Wheatley award for Best Fiction and the 2012 USA Best Book award for African-American fiction. She is also the author of Second House from the Corner and resides in Virginia with her husband and three children.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Second House From the Corner:

"I loved Second House from the Corner." -23 Books You Should Read This Winter, Brenda Janowitz, PopSugar

"Johnson is a skilled storyteller with a breezy style." -Booklist

"Rich with complex characters...The first-person narrative reads like a warm conversation, and the pace stays sharp and steady." -Romantic Times

"[An] excellent novel." -NJ.com

"I loved the characters that Sadeqa Johnson created...The author outdid herself with this book and I can't wait to see what she puts out next." —Read in Colour (4 stars)

“Felicia is a protagonist that you’ll laugh with and cry for.” –Pride

"A captivating tale to savor about a woman whose buried past threatens her picture perfect family life. Felicia is a wonderfully flawed, compelling main character, one who has stayed with me long after I finished the book. A winning novel from a writer to watch." -Benilde Little, bestselling author

From the Publisher

2017-01-23
A woman tries to keep herself together while struggling with an unfaithful husband and an eating disorder.From the outside looking in, Bea's life seems perfect. She lives in an upscale New Jersey suburb with a great school district for her two children. Her husband, Lonnie, is handsome and a good provider. She seems to have everything—but Bea, with her Dominican and African-American heritage, always feels like an outsider in her mostly white suburb. She's also hiding some secrets. Her husband is a serial cheater, and he has a son with a former mistress in Miami. Bea struggles with bulimia, and her disease is triggered by Lonnie's repeated infidelity. Bea is pregnant, acting as a surrogate for Lonnie's cousin, so she tries to avoid binging and purging for the sake of the baby, but as her marriage crumbles she finds it harder to resist. Bea feels pressure to keep everything together for her family, but how long can she deal with her husband's cheating? Through it all, Bea leans on her best friend, Awilda—but when Awilda betrays her, Bea is forced to make some big changes. Bea faces so many challenges at the same time—bulimia, infidelity, broken friendships, and surrogacy—that it can be hard to keep track of the plot. However, readers will relate to Bea's response to adversity and cheer as she fights against her self-harming behavior. A story of one woman's journey toward the life she deserves, with plenty of satisfying and surprising twists along the way.

Kirkus Reviews