The Blackwoods

From Boston Globe/Horn Book Award–winning author Brandy Colbert comes the story of four generations of a Hollywood family—an unforgettable tale of ambition, fame, struggle, loss, and love in America.

The Blackwoods. Everyone knows their name.

Blossom Blackwood burst onto the silver screen in 1962, and in the decades that followed, she would become one of the most celebrated actors of our time—and the matriarch of the most famous Black family in Hollywood. To her great-granddaughters, Hollis and Ardith, she has always just been Bebe. And when she passes away, it changes everything.

Hollis Blackwood was never interested in fame. Still, she’s surrounded by it, whether at home with her family or at the prestigious Dupree Academy among Los Angeles’ elite. When private photos of Hollis are leaked in the wake of Blossom’s death, she is thrust into the spotlight she’s long avoided—and finds that trust may be a luxury even she can’t afford.

Ardith Blackwood has always lived in the public eye. A television star since childhood, she was perhaps closer with Blossom than anyone—especially after Ardith’s mother died in a drug overdose. Ever since, she has worked to be everything her family, her church, and the public want her to be. But as a family secret comes to light and the pressures from all sides begin to mount, she wonders what is left beneath the face she shows the world.

Weaving together the narratives of Hollis, Ardith, and Blossom, award-winning author Brandy Colbert tells an unforgettable story set in an America where everything is personal, and nothing is private.  

This sweeping multigenerational story explores the weight of a legacy, the price of fame, and the secrets that bind a family:

• A Rich Black Hollywood Legacy: Meet the Blackwoods, a Hollywood dynasty founded by legendary actress Blossom Blackwood, whose passing unravels the carefully constructed lives of her great-granddaughters, Hollis and Ardith.
• Devastating Family Secrets: When Blossom’s long-hidden past comes to light, the entire family must confront a truth that could tear their legacy apart.
• The High Price of Fame: For private Hollis, a shocking leak of personal photos thrusts her into the spotlight she dreads. For TV star Ardith, the pressure to be perfect becomes unbearable as the world watches.
• Friends to Lovers Romance: Amid the family chaos, Hollis finds her lifelong friendship with Dwayne tested as their feelings deepen into something more, forcing her to question who she can truly trust.
• Old Hollywood Flashbacks: Journey back in time to the golden age of Hollywood and discover the ambition, sacrifices, and impossible choices that launched the Blackwood dynasty.