Sweet Pea - a woman's journey through loss, found family, and forgiveness.

The story begins in 1972 when Paulette is 29 years old. She is a young Black woman from St. Kitts living in London. Her grandmother affectionately called her Sweet Pea. Paulette works as a nurse and is madly in love with Denton, who she expects to marry, build a family together and have a happy life. But her dream is shattered when Denton dies in a car accident. Denton's friend Garfield tries to fill his shoes and together they have a child, nicknamed Bird. Paulette has an encounter with Frank, the man responsible for Denton's death, and she is filled with rage. She discovers that Frank is raising his young grandson Nellie on his own and the boy is close in age to Bird. Paulette encourages a friendship between the boys, and she becomes a surrogate mother to Nellie. Paulette longs for St. Kitts and preserves her memories by cooking dishes taught to her by her grandmother. Teaching Nellie to cook creates a special bond between them. As the boys grow older, Paulette observes the different ways a Black and white child are treated, especially when they start getting into trouble. Their paths will soon take a significant shift.

Sweet Pea by Kit de Waal is a story of a woman's journey through love, loss, betrayal, found family, and forgiveness. Although she is a loving, compassionate woman, making her a character to root for, she makes some poor decisions stemming from her ongoing grief and has to learn from her mistakes to find her way. The characters are all so well crafted. This tender tale of resiliency touched my heart.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for the advance.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Literary Fiction.

Publication Date: November 3, 2026. (U.S. Release)

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