Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson is a fabulous novel. I am not sure I can add anything to the discussion that has not already been said, but it's certainly one of the book's I've recommended the most this year. Stunning.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

This book has lots of twists and turns through family drama in several generations. An interesting story throughout linked by a mystery and murder from years ago. I enjoyed the relationships between the siblings and learning about the culture of the Caribbean family and exploring how food is interwoven into our culture.

I’m sorry, WHAT? How is this books so INCREDIBLE? And why did I wait so long to read it??

Black Cake is the story of Eleanor Bennett as told to her children in a series of voice messages played to them after her death. It’s full of wild twists and turns, friendship, love, and loss, and I savored every second of this powerful story.

I loved that this story was told through multiple perspectives and over the course of several different timelines. It made the story feel like there was always something hugely important happening, which kept the pace fast and the stakes high. I loved that I never knew what was going to happen next.

I loved all of the amazing characters in this book and I loved the lyrical writing style. I loved that the central theme of this book was identity and how the sacrifices you make can define who you are throughout your life. It was just so perfect and so incredibly impactful.

If you’re hoping to read this one before the end of the year, I definitely recommend the audiobook version! I loved the narrators SO MUCH.

Overall, five gigantic stars for this one!!

Wow! I'm so glad I prioritized this. Black Cake took on a ton, but it was well worth the read. It's sweeping and I learned a lot about cultures outside of my own. The plotting was excellent and held up to the strong premise. Cant wait for this author's next book!

Cool story with an epic reach. Loved the mix between past and present and the almost fairy tale like elements. Great debut!

I'm always a sucker for a good family saga, and Black Cake did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the characters and how the story played out.

I am sure others will love it but I just couldn’t get into this one, thanks for the review copy. I really appreciate it.

This book was so not for me. I know it's getting rave reviews and it was certainly well written, but I couldn't wait for it to be done.

It felt like the author had 15 ideas for 15 different books and incorporated every single one of them into this one novel. It was long, went into extensive and detailed histories for way too many characters, and dealt with just about every issue you could come up with (race, sexism, adoption, rape, arranged marriage, domestic assault, coming out/LGBTQIA+, familial drama and rejection, murder, death, secret pasts, secret siblings.... shall I go on?).

Oddly, for a long book, many of the chapters felt like they had abrupt endings. It may have just been how the narrator conveyed the story, but it read a little choppy.

I did like the narrators - Lynnette Freeman and Simone McIntyre - and thought they did an excellent job.

Again, it was well written and I'm sure it deserves the hype, but it just was not for me.

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the copy.

An impressive debut about two adult children learning about their mother's secret past. Creatively plotted and beautifully written.

Upon her death, Eleanor Bennett leaves behind a voice recording for her two children, Byron and Benny. Through her recorded recollections, we learn about the parts of her life she never shared with anyone. Benny, Byron, and the reader are taken back to an island in the Caribbean in the 1960s and move through a tumultuous life full of adventure, heartbreak, and love.

I love a good family saga, and that's exactly what this book is. There's heartbreak, miscommunication, family secrets, and serendipitous coincidences that bring characters together. Eleanor's black cake recipe is the common thread through it all. I enjoyed the use of food and family recipes as a plot device that moved the story forward because I found it personally relatable. Family history, memories, and even trauma are held in food and cooking, and this book beautifully captured that.

Although I enjoyed this read, I did find it lacking towards the end. After the major revelations and secrets had been revealed, the plot dragged a bit. Benny and Byron's inner monologues were repetitive and didn't reveal as much growth as perhaps the author intended. Also, I felt like certain connections and coincidences were a little *too* perfect. Sure, stars can align perfectly in real life, but that rarely happens. I'm a pessimist, so that's definitely a "me" problem, but it nonetheless prevented me from getting fully immersed in the story. At least everything gets tied up neatly in the end.

Black Cake was, overall, an enjoyable read. I liked it, and I think it's a great book club pick. It addresses issues like systemic racism, SA, and colonialism in a way that is easy for a wider audience of readers to digest and process.

Wow. What a beautiful and poignant debut by Wilkerson.

This is a beautiful story, one that takes place after the loss of a loved one. With an elegant writing style, Wilkerson tells the story of Benny and Byron after the loss of their mother, with a letter from her given to them along with a customary black cake. One that yields tradition and memories, as they delve into their mother's past and uncover the secret of a lost sibling.

I felt a lot of things while reading this. I felt moved by the story of Eleanor, I felt bonded by the story of Benny and Byron, and I felt intrigued by the history and culture embedded within. Overall, this was an extremely enjoyable book and I cannot believe it took me so long to read. Lesson learned, and certainly will not happen with another Wilkerson book again!

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine and NetGalley for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

An engaging story that has beautifully complex characters, family drama, grief and secrets all working together to pull you in and keep you engaged until the last page. One of the best books I've read in a long time.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
Publication date: February 1, 2022

Date read: September 30, 2022



Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a traditional Caribbean black cake and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares the story of her childhood in the Caribbean, her escape from the island, and a mystery of a long-lost daughter. As their mother’s story unfolds, Byron and Benny try to make sense of what they thought they knew about their family, as well as attempt to repair their once-close relationship.

I first want to say that I misunderstood the NetGalley/Goodreads plot summary for this book, and I assumed it was going to be Byron and Benny traveling, trying to figure out something from their mother’s past. But it was actually a split timeline story, with Byron and Benny listening, in the present day, as their mother told her story. Not bad, just not what I was expecting.

Byron and Benny weren’t super likable characters, but I liked following their stories as they found things out about their family that they weren’t expecting. Eleanor’s story took a lot of unexpected turns, and while I wasn’t all that invested at first, I soon got sucked in. I really liked Eleanor as a young woman.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable historical fiction story about a woman who has to reinvent herself. It takes a lot of twists and turns that kept it interesting and fun to follow. I didn’t love the present day characters as much, but did like the way they kept the story grounded. This is a very well-written and interesting book that I think anyone who likes historical or contemporary fiction will enjoy.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Content warning: death of a family member/loved one, rape, character forced to give up a child, police profiling, racial discrimination

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Loved this novel and felt transported by it. The island scenes, California scenes and characters all were so well written and seemed so authentic. Can’t wait to see what Charmaine Wilkerson writes next. What an amazing debut!

While I can appreciate the theme and major premise of <i>Black Cake</i>, there was just a lot to unravel and keep track of. The book tells the tale of a brave woman's upbringing through to the secrets leading her to her current day life as her children knew her. Upon her death, she shares her story via recordings she left for them. As I mentioned, there's a lot to analyze through all the detail given and it is overwhelming. There is struggle, heartbreak and deception mixed with lots of love and perseverance.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I absolutely loved this mult-generational book... I was so immersed in the story and the characters. I could not put down this book and I am grateful to have received this book through NetGalley.

Oh my goodness, I did not know the emotional rollercoaster I was in for when I read this one. It is fantastic, the audio is brilliant and I recommend it if you can do it, but I was a mess at several points throughout this one. I loved the storyline, the twists, the characters, and the format of the book which moved from present day to the past letting us slowly get caught up with all that had happened in these characters’ lives that got them where they are today. This is beautifully written, and I love how it is centered around food, specifically black cake that is made by the family’s matriarch and has a long and rich history and special meaning for each of them.

I am so glad I went into this one blind, even if it caused me to unexpectedly cry a few times, and this will be in my top reads of the year for sure. If you have not read this one yet, I highly recommend you do so soon, you will not regret it.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the digital copy to review.

Everyone seems to enjoy this one online but I really couldn’t get into the story. Overall good but just not a story that I would pick up or gravitate toward

I really enjoyed discovering the family secrets at the same time as the children. My only issue was I feel like I missed things because I had a hard time paying attention at the beginning. Thanks to Net Galley and William Morrow for the ARC.