I love secrets. I also love stories with secrets. And this book abounds with secrets! This is one terrific novel, with many layers.

"Black Cake", deals with one specific family and all the people who have come into their lives. It also deals with racism, the environment, and sexuality. In a nut shell, it has a little something for everyone. It deals with exotic places like the Caribbean, Italy, England, Scotland, and lets not forget New York and California. But what it has most, is a whole lot of heart. For love abounds from beginning to end. There is parental love, sibling love, and romantic love. And the ending definitely satisfies.

This novel was very well written. And I hope that this new voice in literature continues to write many more books. "Black Cake", is truly a tasty confection.

Reading other reviews of the book so far, I am the odd one out. I had high hopes and thought I was going to love this one based on the description but it was just okay for me at best. The storyline seemed to drag out at spots and I would find myself bored. The book felt like it jumped all over the place which made it hard for me to keep interested in it. The chapters being told in different timelines and and by different characters just didn’t work well for this book. I didn’t love the characters, especially the mother who I just felt was very deceitful. This book just wasn’t for me!

Thank you Net Galley and Random House- Ballantine books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Black Cake is a complicated novel about family and the lengths you might go to to protect a secret.

Benny and Byron, estranged siblings, come back together at the death of their mother. They are summoned to hear their mother's last wishes that she recorded for them.

They find that their mother is not all she seemed. There are lies upon lies, cover up upon cover up and the truth of where she comes from and who she is. It's a very complicated tale that will pull at your heart and make you feel bad for the things that were forced upon her. She did take good care of her kids though and it's very sweet how she protected herself and them.

This book was so moving. The dual timelines were so engaging and the characters were likable. Thank you so much for this ARC .

Eleanor Bennett leaves instructions before dying for her lawyer Charles Mitch to contact her children Benny (Benedetta) and Byron, and play some recordings she made before she died.

The story goes back and forth between life in the 1960’s and present time (2019). It’s filled with secrets, one after another, navigating through the West Indies, Italy, England, and California, as we learn who the real Eleanor Bennett really is.

Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel is a solid 5 stars! Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the wonderful ability to read an advance reader’s copy. This novel will be released on February 1, 2022.

I enjoyed the family history in the novel. Two siblings, estranged, are reunited after their mother’s death. Only they discover there is a third sibling and many secrets their parents harbored from them. The narrative goes back and forth from the 1960s to 2018. The author does introduce a number Iof characters thst took some time to sort out. It’s a good read.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson was a good book especially for a debut novel. The book is a family saga with estranged brother and sister. When their mother passed, many family secretes came out. I enjoy books that jump between timelines. This book is set in present day California, an un-named Caribbean island, and some UK and European countries. The book is a family history with the center revolving around a Caribbean black cake and the ocean.

The story is well written and unfolds throughout the book. I do not want to write a review with spoilers so enjoy the journey of Byron, Benny, Eleanor, Bert as well as other family members and friends. The book will be available on February 1, 2022.

I would like to thanks NetGalley for an advance copy for an honest review. #NetGalley #BlackCake #CharmaineWilkerson #BallantineBooks

I really wanted to like this book but the writing is killing me!

While reading, I have no idea where places are or what they look like. Also, what do these characters look like? As readers, we only get little breadcrumbs here and there. Nothing solid. It took way too long to figure out which city and country these characters were located in. Where are they?? Who are they??

The writing is like diary entries, where we get nothing but feelings and hints at past wrongdoings. Almost everything is in summary, very little dialogue drama.

This writing style might be someone's ideal. It isn't mine. I'm stopping at 10% because I can't handle a full book of this cloudy miasma.

I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

While I enjoyed the completed, whole story itself, I greatly disliked the structure and style in which it got there. This really is 2.5 stars rounded up simply because I thought the story of the resilience and love the family and friends had for each other was commendable and interesting.

The Bennetts and those around them had a story filled with love, grief, forgiveness and determination. And that part I would have liked reading about, had it not felt like the book had ADHD, constantly bouncing between characters, timelines, and back again, unable to just let you get into the story and focus. Just when you think you are moving in a coherent line, able to really grasp the story and the characters, it starts darting all over again to either a different character or a different time, and such short snippets of it in a shot. It was so hard to focus and actually get a picture of what was going on, and was so frustrating. I almost left it, because I lost interest completely not even half way thru it. But again, the story line itself was the only thing keeping me, and needing to review the ARC. I would not have read it if I’d known how unfocused it was. It would have been a terrific story if it was more consistent and stopped the back and forth.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Black Cake by @charmspen1 is part family drama and part historical fiction, all based around the traditional Caribbean black cake and what it means to this family. The story opens when estranged siblings Byron and Benny get together for the reading of their mother’s will. What they get instead is an hours long recording revealing family secrets beyond what they could have imagined, culminating with instructions to eat the black cake that’s been left in the freezer when the time is right: “you’ll know when it is.” As Byron and Benny untangle mysteries from their mother’s past, can they heal their strained relationship and begin to see each other with more compassion?

This book left me speechless. Gorgeous prose and a heartfelt story with just enough twists, Black Cake is a book that sticks with you. I love the underlying message that we are all so much more than just one thing, we are all complex beings with unique histories that make us who we are. The way the story is written in tangent-like chapters that all come together is the absolute perfect way to do a story like this one. I felt an incredible connection to the characters and was so emotionally invested in every one of them. If you enjoyed Where the Crawdads Sing, I think you will love this, and even if you didn’t, I can’t imagine anyone not liking this book. This has easily become one of my favorite books of all time, and I truly can’t believe it’s a debut!

Thank you so much to @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for the eARC. Black Cake will be released on February 1, 2022.

Like the cake named in the title, this is a book meant to be savored. Benny and Byron were once inseparable as children. But Benny suffered a rift with her family 8 years ago. Now, her mother is dead and she returns home. As their mother’s lawyer thinks “They’ve lost their mother and they can’t seem to find their way back to one another.” The lawyer also has a recording their mother has left, one that speaks to her secret past.
The siblings are about as different as can be. Byron is a media darling, an oceanographer. He reminds me a little of Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Benny, on the other hand, is still trying to find herself at age 37. She’s bisexual, an artist, looking to open a coffeehouse.
The story of the siblings is interspersed with their mother’s story.
This book demands that you pay attention. At the beginning, it can feel confusing. But stick with it, as things do become clear. The sections about her mother’s past also include segments containing others’ thoughts, like Bunny, her father and Gibbs.
The story is about loss, about the decisions we make that we can never take back, the sacrifices we are forced to make. It’s a reminder that sometimes our stubbornness gets in the way of a happy life. But it’s also about being a survivor. It’s a powerful, moving story on a personal level. But it’s also an important story on a universal level as Wilkerson writes about racial identity and what it means to be black in America.
My thanks to Netgalley and random House for an advance copy of this book.

I honestly didn't think I would like this book. When I first started reading it, I was just like "this is just okay." But, as I kept reading and the author pulled me into the other stories, I was fully engaged with this book. Yes, it is heavy. Yes, you are questioning where the book will lead. There were so many things that I didn't know historically, and I feel like the author did an amazing job describing people's (fictional) experiences. I was fully invested in this book and I highly recommend it.

I promise you've never read anything like this!

Upon the death of their mother, Eleanor Bennett, estranged siblings Byron and Bunny are called in by their family lawyer to meet together after years apart. Eleanor has left them an audio recording sharing parts of her life the two siblings never knew existed. As these secrets are revealed, Byron and Benny are faced with a whirlwind of emotions and the reality of who they are and what they can be.

What I loved:
-How beautifully written and wovon together this story is
-The explaining of the origins of the black cake and how it tied the generations together
-How the author incorporated so many diverse voices and POVs into the story (black and white, gay and straight, male and female, young and old)
-The historical references and learning about the Carribean culture
-The dual timelines that spanned multiple years
-The powerful themes of loss, identity, family and traditions

Black Cake is such a captivating debut novel that I recommend to everyone!! Great for fans of the Vanishing Half.

Thanks Ballentine Books and NetGalley for the ARC. Pub Date: 2/4/22

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson is a novel of many intricately woven secrets of several well-developed characters that gradually are revealed through an audio recording after the main character's death. It is truly a fascinating tale, well- told until the end. I highly encourage reading it.

Fans of multigenerational family dramas with a mystery thrown in are going to love this debut novel by Charmaine Wilkerson. Many books start off interesting, but as the pages turn the story begins to drag. Not this one! The story within the story continues to get more and more engaging.

This is a story that describes how our lives, our families, and our histories are defined by our choices and the secrets that we keep or decide to reveal. Following their mother's death, two estranged siblings are brought back together to listen to a recording left for them by their mother and to learn about the deep secrets that their parents kept hidden for so many years. We are taken on a journey from the Caribbean to London to California.

I felt that this story was very well crafted and beautifully written and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a digital ARC of this book. Publication date: February 1, 2022.

What an impressive debut, I was truly fascinated by how Charmaine Wilkerson approached this complex family drama. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the chance to read and reflect on Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson.

I was impressed by how this book used the idea of a cake recipe, a family tradition/history surrounding this cake (And a cultural tradition as well) to unveil a generational family drama. I was surprised, in a good way, by the tension and suspense around a family mystery and intrigued by the unfolding of the stories from different perspectives and timelines. I appreciated how the author chose to let the story unfold in small stories, memories, and through the story of this cake/the recipe, it was clever and engaging. I am not sure if I have quite read a family drama like this one and I admire the thoughtful elegance in how this story conveys interesting ideas about identity, culture, race, and family.

My one quibble likely stems from my having to read this over several days and in short chunks, ( work/sickness, life got in the way) as I found it hard to keep track at times of characters and timelines. I think this book would have been more powerful for me if I had the time to read it in a shorter amount of time; this is no fault of the book or author and more a tip for future readers! Others of course may like to savor the short chapters and how this story is told.

I look forward to more from Ms. Wilkerson, it is exciting to read such a powerful and thoughtfully written debut. I can see this being a popular book for readers and book groups, especially those seeking to talk about race and culture and identity.

I really enjoyed reading this book and I read it at exactly the right time. I love the dynamics of the family and each page I read kept me wanting more. Cannot wait to read the next book by this author! Thanks for the opportunity to read early!

This book was completely captivating as it whipped between the present and the past. It will keep you wondering and guessing as the characters’ lives take shape. I really enjoyed this book.

This book is in my top ten of 2021, and probably 2022 since it's not out until February. I've been recommending this to everyone. The story starts at the end, with Eleanor Bennett passing away. Her estranged daughter comes home to help her brother.
This is a story about families, good and bad; about starting over. I can't begin to explain how fantastic this story was, especially for a debut author. I vsnt wait to see what else she comes out with.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson is a moving story about family, identity, connection, endurance and love. It's a multi-generational tale written from multiple points of view and dual timelines that ultimately weaves the story of Eleanor, Bert, and their family. After Eleanor passes away, her kids Byron and Benny are brought together for the first time in 8 years to listen to a recording she left for them. What the recording reveals is the truth about her life and identity. Among many revelations and takeaways, they are instructed to take the Black Cake that she made for them from the freezer and enjoy it together when they are ready. You would think this would be easy but their lives have veered away from each other and the new revelations from Eleanor are shocking. Will Eleanor's story bring them back together or push them further apart?

I really loved the title of this book - Black Cake was weaved throughout and used in such a clever way to convey the feeling of home in so many different ways. It was such an integral part to this story and it tied it all together for me. Overall, this was a very special and important book - I enjoyed meeting the characters and the evolution that each went through over the course of the book.

While I found the prose to be mostly engaging, there were parts in the middle where I got a little bored. There are storylines and themes throughout the book that are consistently shared but at times it was a little repetitive. There is also an element of mystery here that reveals itself in a way that I found detracted from the story more than added to it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and feel that it's an important and valuable read for everyone! This story will stick with me for a bit. And I am now desperate to try Black Cake. Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.