It was an amazing story with wonderful, interesting characters. The protagonist is the recently deceased mother of 3 adult children. However, despite the excellent writing, the interesting characters, I found it very hard to appreciate and accept the story-line.

This masterful debut tackles grief and familial discord alongside a compelling multi-generational mystery. When estranged siblings, Byron and Benny are brought together to handle their late mother’s estate, secrets of their mother’s past are revealed. I highly recommend picking this one up, particularly if you loved Malibu Rising!

Thank you to @netgalley, @randomhouse and @charmspen1 for the e-ARC.

When estranged siblings Benny and Byron meet with their newly deceased mother's estate lawyer, they have no idea what they are in for. As they listen to a taped recording of their mother speaking, telling her story, the siblings realize that their mother has been keeping secrets, and big ones.

I enjoyed this family saga laced with mystery and secrets. The life of Eleanor Bennett takes you from the Caribbean to London to California. There were a couple of points where I lost a bit of interest but the story would always circle back to something that caught my attention.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes family sagas, family secrets, or estranged family stories/.

Black Cake is a book about family, heritage, identity. The book alternates between siblings Benny and Byron in current times and in the past by their mother Eleanor who has recorded her history to be listened to after she has passed away including many large secrets she kept from her children. The characters from the past are fleshed out , but the siblings feel a little two dimensional. Overall, a satisfying read.

Secrets of the past are revealed after the deah of their mom, Eleanor, or is that her name? Byron and Benny are to listen to all of a tape made by their mom in which she reveals that they have a sister. She tells the story of her life from her childhood to the present day.
This is an intriguing tale of lies and more lies. The struggles that individuals may have; how they preceive the world about them.
Read this first novel by Charmine Wilkerson.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC.

So I really wanted to like this book, and hear me out, it wasn’t because it was bad, but it just wasn’t for me. I have been trying to expand my reading preferences this year. Trying to read things I normally wouldn’t, to get more out of reading. I typically read a lot of thrillers/mystery and romance, so I wanted to give this one a try.

I really liked how the story started, the death of a parent, Eleanor Bennett, who leaves an audio recording for her children to listen to upon her death. This part drew me in because of my love for thrillers. So the beginning few chapters really had me wanting to know more. But I feel like the more I read, the more I lost interest.

However, even though I didn’t like this book, I don’t want to give a "bad" review. Just because this one wasn’t for me, it could be a wonderful read for someone else. This book was beautifully written. It was hard for me to believe that this was a debut novel for Charmaine Wilkerson. You could feel the beauty just leaping off the page, but for me I just thought the story line fell flat and became too much of everything, and I got lost.

Wow. This was such a great read. I usually don't request or read books that are toted as popular, because I have been disappointed all the time. This book is one of the rare exceptions. Byron and Benny are tasked in burying their mother, but when their mother's attorney reveals her will, there are secrets that are revealed that will shock everyone right up until the very end. With a mix of their Caribbean heritage, and their current lives, the siblings must work together to uncover all kinds of twists and turns.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and the way some of the secrets were revealed shocked me. And my favorite parts were the bonding through the making of the Black Cake, as well as the beautiful writing of the story.

I received a copy of the book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review

Black Cake was a phenomenal journey through a families past of secrets and discovery. Wilkerson entwined this novel together so beautifully, I didn’t want it to end!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC! Liked this book so much bought the hard copy. Highly recommend. Enjoyed all the characters.

I truly enjoyed this book from start to finish. The author was able to go from the past to the present smoothly. Telling the details of the mother’s in a way that was believable and compassionate.

This is, thus far, the absolute best book I've read of 2022. I absolutely LOVED it. I have recommended it to everyone (including on my bookstagram account @ammereads). It's a sweeping story of family, loyalty, love, and the connections that bind us. I love the symbolism of the black cake and especially loved the siblings coming together. An absolute MUST read!

There was A TON of buzz surrounding this book and it did not disappoint. I could see that this is going to end up on many best-of lists at the end of the year. The family dynamics are relatable to many, but it is a powerful story that transports you.

I can’t stop thinking about this book. I have avoided writing a review until now because my words couldn’t do it justice. But I’m still at a loss for how to describe. It’s just SO.GOOD: the rich history, the characters, the family complexity, the depth.

Just read it. Everyone I know loves it so far. If you don’t, please comment and tell me why you hate great storytelling so much.

(Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for a sneak peek. Don’t hate me for waiting so long to review!)

Black Cake is a complex story about family that spans three generations and four countries, yet feels intimate. It's a saga that comes by its drama organically, from the social reality of the times.
Full review to come via NPR.

Black Cake is a debut by Charmaine Wilkerson about two estranged siblings reunited after their mother’s passing. It follows multiple timelines throughout generations to form a cohesive, intricate plot.

By now, you’ve probably heard of this book, as it’s now everywhere…but just reiterating what everyone else says…WOW this book was AMAZING. I have recommended it to so many friends. It had everything: cultures I am not familiar with, family drama, intergenerational stories, and food. The characters were multidimensional, and the dialogue was extremely realistic.

Five big stars. All the stars. I can’t wait to read this book again.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-galley of this book.

✨book review✨ “You can look at a person and truly have no idea what they are holding inside.”

I wanted to love it. This had all the promise to be a winner for me: a multigenerational saga with a dual timeline and Caribbean roots + estranged siblings and an 8 hour video message from their deceased mother who reveals loads of family secrets. I was prepared to be blown away! And just gaze at this cover would you?!

Initially I was drawn to the momentum of the short chapters and alternating narratives, the island food and the mother’s fascinating (and heartbreaking) storyline. Her character was strong and I was captivated when she was speaking and fully invested in her voice.

So where did it fall apart? Let’s break this cake down...
I felt there too many predictable coincidences, inconsistent chapter titles, extra first person narratives of periphery characters, a jumpy storyline, and too many social and political issues were introduced though not developed. This resulted in a chaotic reading experience for me and the focus lost its edge. It really could’ve been spectacular with a tighter edit. It’s unfortunate it didn’t work for me. There are many readers who loved it so I’d encourage you to check it out. I will be interested in what Wilkerson writes next.

Pair with jerk pork, rice & beans, plantains and mango ice cream.

Incredible book by Charmaine Wilkerson! Living the story of Covey, Gibbs and Bunny was an incredible journey and so real. Wilkerson brings the story to life. I could picture this entire book from start to finish and it continuously kept me engaged! I am very much looking forward to reading more by Wilkerson.

I read about 10 pages of Black Cake and it didn’t grab my attention. It didn’t pull me into the story so I abandoned it. I really can’t rate this book because I didn’t read enough of it but NetGalley is wanting me to rate it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (I loved it. Go read this book!)
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My mother was born in British Guyana, which is an honorary member of the Caribbean. Her parents would make a black rum-soaked fruit cake every Christmas, so you can imagine the squeal I produced when I met that very same cake in the pages of this book. The structure of Black Cake also stole my heart (I’ve been a fan of will readings in novels ever since I read The Westing Game as a child). Read this when you are in the mood for dual timelines of dysfunctional family drama with the power of self reinvention as a central theme. It is a Carribbean mishmash of Malibu Rising, Ladder of Years and The Dutch House. Best paired with a black cake frosted with lilac icing. XO, Tara

Few books have been hyped in my circles as much this year as Charmaine Wilkerson's Black Cake, and once I read it I understood why. I have never read anything quite like this book. First I was intrigued because the main character Eleanor and I share a name, which I never see enough of in books! Then I got sucked into this deep family tale. It reminded me of Homegoing in the sense that it spans generations, and I'm so grateful both books exist.

I just can't believe this is a debut! Wow.