I can only imagine the amazing movie this book could make. Hard to imagine this life and the consequences of having to choose what skin color you have. Brilliant writing, believable dialogue, dynamic story!

Riveting and informative. Study of Black and White in small town America. Two sisters have completely different experiences due to being different in skin tone and the story that is woven from that is stunning. Wonderfully written.

Ranging from the 1950s to the 1990s, this book explores the relationship of twins, Stella and Desiree, separated in young adulthood and how their lives intertwine in unforeseen ways. Brit Bennett tackles race and the concept of passing as white in an intricate and gripping way.
I could not put this down and am mad at myself for how long it took me to pick it up! I enjoyed the characterization of the two sisters as well as their daughters. Each woman is flawed, aimed at self-preservation and self-actualization. Bennett explores the complexities of relationships--romantic, familial bonds, sibling, mother-daughter, husband-wife--so astutely, I found myself sympathizing with each character even through the frustrations and lies. Beautifully written, visceral, and utterly engrossing.

When I initially started to read this book, I read the first chapter and it wasn’t the right time for me to read it. I am so happy I picked this book back up because the writing was phenomenal. I’m from Louisiana and I know of those small towns the twins were from. In fact, my family was from a town that no longer “exists” on the map anymore. I was captivated in every way how the twins split, one becoming a white woman and the other kept to her roots and maintained she was indeed a black girl. Creoles live a lonely life, they never seem to fit in any category because of their “yellow skin”.

I loved that this went past multi generations and how the two nieces grew up with such different life’s because of the color difference of the skin.

This is a moving, touching and makes you realize just how important family is to you. No one can truly understand you like your family can.

My only downside was that there wasn’t that first chapter hook.

A riveting novel! A story is of two sisters, who are twins, spanning their lives from the the 1950s to the nineties, about their trials and tribulations, living in the south with it’s prejudiced attitudes. This a story of two women wanting to someone else other than theirselves, heartbreaking and jubilant at the same time!

Read this to screen it for our high school library, as we've had several requests for it (staff & students, but mainly staff).
Great read. I can see the reason behind the hype.
Thanks for the ARC!

I always think that I don't like historical fiction.... until I read historical fiction and remember that I really love it! I especially love books that are set in more modern history and have some deeper relevance than some singular issue that was happening at the time (although those books are nice too). Brit Bennett's writing is just so literary yet down to Earth and I really enjoyed reading through her strong character development. I am excited to go back and read her debut, The Mothers. Also, the cover is gorgeous so that obviously counts for something :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Riverhead books for the opportunity to read a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story of two sisters lives divided. They were twins and inseparable until one day one decided to leave and become a whole new person. The effect of her choices on the town, each other, and their mother make ripples for decades.
When I first started this book I had a hard time getting into the story. However, after getting through the first few chapters I could not put this book down. There are so many intense topic such as race, gender, love, family, etc. that it made me take a hard look at many different things. Reading and learning how these sisters and their children's lives are changed because of race and one decision is fascinating. I highly recommend this book if you want a thought provoking story on race and how this factors into who you are as person. This is not the normal discussion on race and stereotypes from others but more on how we define ourselves.

It’s no surprise that Bennett’s book has garnered so many accolades. This book tells the story of sixteen-year-old twins who run away from home and end up living totally separate lives. One sister, Desiree, the instigator for the escape from the stifling small town, lives a harsh life that she longs to escape but her quest runs into more difficulties. Her twin, Stella, accompanies her sister and takes advantage of her looks and the opportunities that come her way. She may not have inspired the plan to abandon their home but she embraced the world that opened up before her.

What Bennett does so brilliantly is explore the reality of blackness, of the varying treatment of Blacks with light skin. The fictional hometown of Mallard, Louisiana is a community of fair Blacks who were descendants of mixed-race children of plantation owners. But even there, attitudes toward the darkness of one’s skin can cause derision.

Though the twins are identical, their personalities are unique and their lives take divergent paths. But the question of their choices and their satisfaction with how their lives turned out is fascinating and thought-provoking. The issues of family relationships, personal identity, motherhood and race are so beautifully rendered. There are many questions that the book will evoke and that only adds to the richness of the plot.

An enthralling novel about sisters, twins, race, mothers, daughters, love, ambition, expectations, perceptions, and so much more. Richly layered and brilliantly woven together.

The Vignes sisters, Stella and Desiree, while identical twins, choose very different paths for their lives. While both grow up in Mallard, LA., an African American community where light-color is valued, Stella chooses to pass for white, while Desiree keeps her African American identity. Stella marries an affluent white man and spends her life hiding her identity until her daughter Kennedy meets Desiree's daughter Jude, who reveals the truth about their identities.
This is a story about identity and family and the measures that one will go to to cover up her past.

A good historical book that covers many decades. I enjoy reading books like this and this one fills all the boxes. I knew it would be one of the books that people talk about. I enjoy being able to read NetGalley books so I can encourage others to read the many excellent books.

Amazing description of a pair of twin sisters with vastly different experiences because of the choices they made. Excellent.

Was assigned this for a book club and had heard a lot of buzz about it, but didn't find the time to pick it up sooner. Now I'm wishing I had! It touches on so many relevant topics for today's world like racism and trauma and overall is just a beautiful story about families and the choices they make, how they end up in different places, etc.

This book has generated a lot of buzz. Rightly so. The multiple stories all contain a lesson for the times.
Is it about family ? Is it about race ? It is about status ? The characters deal with all the pertinent issues of
our time. It is a fast and engagning read that I would highly recommend.

Simply immaculate. I loved this so much more than The Mothers.

The layers of racism, colorism, whiteness, and memory (of all four women in both generations) is interwoven so well. My only want was for just a bit more closure to the funeral and finality to the conclusion.

Riveting story about race, generational trauma, and the price we'll pay to get the lives we want for ourselves and our children.

A book about families, siblings, and the choices we make and how they guide our life. The characters are well developed, and the language moves the story and brings everything and everyone to life, in vivid detail. I highly recommend this book.

So much has been said and written already about Brit Bennett’s superb novel that It doesn’t need promoting by me, a humble bookseller. Of course I will recommend it, praise it, discuss it. I adored sharing the emotional lives of all these believably developed characters! The magic of the book for me is how the author allows the reader to access the private wishes, doubts, and motivations of each character. A truly exceptional reading experience.

Stayed up all night to finish this compelling book! Told from multiple characters points of view and spun together in a beautiful spider web of secrets, identities, love and family. Each character faces questions of who they are and whether they can create their own identities. The book spans many decades and reveals each character slowly over time, though not chronologically. Each piece of the characters' personal puzzles carefully falling into place. Highly recommended.