Review & Giveaway – Higher Love by Joanne Kukanza Easley

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Higher Love

By Joanne Kukanza Easley

Women’s Literary Fiction

Publisher: Red Boots Press

Pages: 380

Publication Date: May 12, 2025

Synopsis

Higher Love – the new release from Joanne Kukanza Easley, the multi-award-winning author of Sweet Jane, Just One Look, and I’ll Be Seeing You.

In 1986 Austin, Texas, sixteen-year-old Stephanie steps into sixty-two-year-old Lauren’s life, her uncanny resemblance cracking open a buried past. Claiming to be the daughter of the child Lauren gave up for adoption forty-five years ago, Stephanie upends Lauren’s life—already complicated by her remarriage to Brett after thirty-three years apart. Stung by her adoptive grandmother’s deception, Stephanie stays, her past of tragedy and self-harm forging a fragile bond with Lauren and Brett. When Stephanie’s trust fund evaporates, crushing her college dreams, Lauren sacrifices all to give her a future—only to face a bittersweet twist that echoes the past and changes everything. This heart-wrenching family drama delves into the enduring impact of secrets, the power of unconditional love, and the strength found in facing our pasts.

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Review

This brought memories of high school and college rushing back! The 80s were my era, so the shops mentioned, the parties, and the trials of high school were something I could relate to.

I had forgotten that this was a sequel to I’ll Be Seeing You. Once I started reading, memories of the first book came rushing back. I liked seeing where Lauren’s story continued.

This novel is told primarily from Lauren’s point of view, but it also includes chapters from Stephanie’s perspective. There is a significant age gap since Stephanie is a teenager, and Lauren is her grandmother (but a young one). Each chapter reflected each woman’s age and the corresponding thoughts associated with that age. Stephanie is definitely an angsty teen. She has endured a lot, from losing both her parents, learning some truths after her grandfather passed away, and then being stuck with a grandmother who is not in tune with someone so young. Stephanie is brave and reckless at the same time.

This novel embraces family. Stephanie ends up at Lauren’s home unannounced, yet is welcomed with open arms. It is not something Lauren expected, and it presents a test to her sobriety, as she takes in her granddaughter. The road is not smooth, and the choices Stephanie makes alter her future. I won’t share those because they would spoil some of the story.

Both women learn a lot about themselves and each other in this novel. Lauren still harbors some past resentment towards her husband, Brett, which causes her to withhold information. We all know that is not the way to have a healthy relationship. Several secrets must come to light for this family to move forward. No spoilers!

This novel was a delight to read, and I hope that there will be another book that continues Stephanie’s life. There is so much I want to know about her future.

We give this book 4 paws up.

About the Author

Joanne Kukanza Easley, a retired registered nurse with experience in both the cold, clinical operating room and the highly charged world of psychiatric hospitals, lives in the Texas Hill Country, where she writes fiction about complicated, twentieth-century women. Her multi-award-winning debut, Sweet Jane, was named the adult fiction winner at the Texas Author Project and shortlisted for the Sarton Award and Eric Hoffer Award, among others. Just One Look, Joanne’s second novel, was a May 2022 Pulpwood Queen Book Club Pick. I’ll Be Seeing You, her third novel, features characters from Sweet Jane. Look for her fourth novel, Higher Love, a sequel to her third book, in Spring 2025. Her prize-winning short stories and poetry have appeared in several anthologies.