Sweet Like Sugar Cane

by Leah T. Williams

Before Gwen Richards became a mother navigating life in America, she was a teenage girl growing up in St. Kitts, learning how to balance tradition, desire, and her own voice.

In Sweet Like Sugar Cane, Gwen's story unfolds in sun-warmed kitchens, quiet classrooms, and cane fields heavy with possibility. As her feelings for Lenwell begin to bloom, Gwen finds herself pulled between family expectations and her own becoming. With a gentle romance at its core and a deep reverence for Caribbean life, this novel is a tender coming-of-age journey rooted in identity, girlhood, and self-discovery.

This prequel to Neither Out Far Nor In Deep stands powerfully on its own and is ideal for readers ages 12 and up. A vivid, culturally rich addition to school and library collections.

"An evocative coming-of-age story set in the heart of the Caribbean."

- Kirkus Reviews