Loved this book, especially Covey's story. No edge of the seat drama, but that's where it kept you. Turning pages. Immersed. A story of family and underdtanding and acceptance. I look forward to the next book by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley for an electronic ARC of this book

Estranged siblings Bennie and Byron reunite when their mom Eleanor dies. She made a recording for them to listen to along with instructions to eat the black cake she made when the time is right. Upon listening to Eleanor tell her story, they learn news that leaves them shocked and unsettled. They question whether they knew their mother at all, and they both engage in some soul-searching of their own. This is a beautifully written story that kept me engaged from the first page. I highly recommend it for book groups and solo readers alike.

I can't believe this is a debut novel for Wilkerson! The writing is just beautiful and this might be the most gorgeous cover of the year!

BLACK CAKE follows two estranged siblings who must set aside their differences to deal with their mothers death and her hidden past. If you’re a lover of multi-generational family dramas and looking for your next rec — this is it! This book is 400+ pages, but the chapters are short which lets you really fly through it. This book was thought-provoking and had a lot of different layers. The book skipped around between time periods and POV’s and it was all interwoven really well! I really have no complaints about this one and I loved how all my questions were answered by the end.

I had no idea what to expect going into this one, but I'm very glad I chose to read it. I think I would classify this is as historical fiction mixed with a family drama, and little mystery thrown in. At least 50% of the novel is told in flashback stories, sometimes of characters that you haven't quite figured out who they are yet in the real-time story...but this aspect of the book made it really interesting. I found it fascinating to see how the author wove the multitude of characters together, diving into the secrets each character kept from another, and by the end left you with a very satisfying, though still complex family dynamic. This book is a bit outside the typical genre I read, but I'm so glad that I chose to read it anyway. I think most would enjoy this one!

This book is just as beautiful inside as it is on the outside. The novel centers around Byron and Benny learning the truth of their mothers life before them after she passes.

Eleanor’s story is one of so much heartbreak and loss, but the strength and resilience she had through everything she endured was awe inspiring.

I think what gets to me the most with novels like Black Cake is that I know at some point, somewhere in the world, this was someone’s story. And the atrocities that happen…especially to women…and even further, women of color…breaks my heart. I can’t even begin to fathom the journeys that some people have to walk. But reading brings us a little glimpse into these stories, and I think it’s one of the best ways to increase empathy and compassion.

Thank you so much to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review, and a bigger thank you to @charmspen1 for gifting us with this novel ❤️

I loved this book! I enjoyed the short chapters. There was some mystery I really wasn’t expecting from the description. Such a well-written beautiful story! One of my favorites so far this year!

A story of survival and hope and secrets that a mother has kept for her whole life and her families discovery and reaction

Great premise focused on family secrets and drama, plus the dual timelines make for a compelling read. There are a lot of prevailing themes here: identity, loyalty, etc, surrounded by even more vehicles for those themes: workplace discrimination, assimilation, women's rights, etc. This made it difficult to be fully invested in all of them; my attention was changing focus constantly. Still, the characters are likeable enough that you want to find out what happens to them.

What a delightful story Black Cake was! I had an early review copy and I admit that I slacked on reading it prior to publication. My mom got this book as her BOTM choice in January and immediately said that I needed to read it and that it was one of her favorite books of all time.

After that profound statement I knew that I needed to start this book asap. Black Cake follows a girl named Covey into her adulthood. The timelines shift back and forth between present day and when Covey was growing up in the Caribbean. The later timeline follows Covey’s two adult children after the loss of both of their parents and the discovery of her mothers secrets.

What I found in this story was a sweeping tale of love, longing, and loss. The characters in this book felt so intensely real and personal to me and I will always remember them. I will also be checking out the Hulu adaptation once it airs.

I also immediately started looking up recipes for Black Cake.

5 glorious stars!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book!

I loved this book.... so much. It made me think of my family. All the differences, the distance, the mess and the love. Recently I started making black cake for Christmas. I wanted to get closer to my Trini roots and this seemed like a good first step, this and music. So seeing that there was a book called Black Cake, I had to read it.
Wilkerson is a GENIUS. The way that this was set up, gave such ease to the reader. I never felt lost, even when it jumped time and narrators. I was 100% in and needed to know what happened to Covey! This is family has so many trial, so many barricades. I mean there are a ton of TW, but not anything that would keep me from recommending this to everyone.
I think the West Indian culture is so beautiful, so similar to each other. There is so much pride in the people and that really resonated in this book. Please pick this up... read it... and go out and get some black cake, you won't be disappointed.
Thank you so much NetGalley for this opportunity to read this book, albeit a little after pub time, in exchange for an honest review!

Black Cake has absolutely been one of my favorite books this year. The story structure, with bite sized chapters, had me flying through pages. The enormous cast of characters never felt too much, as Ms. Wilkerson deftly introduced each as she built the story, brilliantly weaving past and present. Beautifully executed!

In this book we are take along the journey of Benny and Byron as they navigate their estranged relationship, the death of their mother, and the secrets that she held onto for her lifetime.

The story is told in the present through Benny and Byron while learning their mother's long held secrets and the reason for keeping them. We travel back in time experiencing the past through their mother's eyes as we learn her journey, the secrets she has kept, and the reason for keeping those secrets.

This is well written and well told story by a debut author. I will definitely be picking up future books by Charmaine Wilkerson.

I loved the scene setting of this novel. I really felt like I was there in all the timelines.. at times it was almost too detailed and I wished there was a little more dialogue. The sunny setting was a great contrast to the dark family secrets and drama which really added to it.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. I just finished what might end up being my favorite book of 2022! This debut novel featured truly eloquent writing plus it touched on many sensitive topics. We learn about the main characters in a series of flashbacks. We read about parental loss, sexual assault, adoption, racism, murder plus many other issues. Then of course, there’s talk about cake too! This book comes out on February 1st! Get yourself a copy! Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Anne Tyler has done it again. Let a French braid, the Garrett family is woven together. A good read

I really enjoyed this book. It was an uplifting book! I would definitely recommend this book! I will look for more books by this author!

This is definitely one of the best books of the year. I love the brother/sister drama. It’s nice to see how different they were and how they handled the revelations. I felt really connected to the characters. The writing was succinct yet also descriptive enough to really provide an adequate picture.

A great debut novel, Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson, explores family dynamics, family secrets and overcoming obstacles to be your authentic self. Estranged siblings Benny and Byron are re-united when their mother, Eleanor, dies and leaves an audio version of her will for them to listen to together. Eleanor has several secrets to share with her children to fully understand their mother and heritage. A tale woven through multiple points of view in the past and present, Black Cake portrays Caribbean food and culture, obstacles as a woman, dirty family secrets, finding true love, and what one will do to erase their past.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Although I finished reading Black Cake nearly a month ago, I still remember the vividness of all the characters–a family including a mother and father (recently deceased) with secrets and their children; estranged siblings who lead very different lives in the present.

The book moves back and forth between present day and the past in a way that’s pretty masterful. I think most college-educated adults could identify with either the brother or sister. There’s Benny, the sister who’s still figuring herself out as a fully-grown adult, and her brother, Byron, who lives a much more conventional life, though he’s pretty unfulfilled throughout, just like his sister.

Family rituals (cooking, thus, the titular Black Cake) are depicted well. It was deep. I loved it. If this were the 60s or 70s I’d say I dug it.

Looking forward to more by Charlaine Wilkerson.

Black Cake is a multigenerational story, a sifting and searching back and forth through time to piece together the story of a life, of a family, of traditions and connections. After Eleanor Bennett dies, her two children, Byron and Benny, are gathered together by their mother’s lawyer to listen to a recording their mother prepared, which tells the real history of her life, and her identity. The story is beautifully written, the characters well defined, but at times, the story gets bogged down with the addition of a multitude of social issues, from forced adoption, police brutality against Blacks, environmental issues, domestic abuse, gambling, work-place rape, abandonment, racial discrimination, gay and lesbian issues, and arranged marriage, sometimes weakening the thread of a solid, intriguing story line. Overall, a promising debut which could have benefited from some restraint, Black Cake is about tradition, and family, the importance of being true to who you are, and honoring the things that connect us and carry us forward.