This book was fantastic - a well written novel with really dynamic characters that were easy to empathize with. I read through this so fast, and was excited when one of my book clubs selected it… It made for great discussion!

You will love this book if…
…you enjoy family drama. The characters in this book all have their own clear agendas and goals, but uncovering their secrets as the plot unfolds really brings them all together.
…you enjoy books that tackle a variety of tough topics in a way that inspires discussion and action. From the cultural diaspora to parent/child relations to sexuality and more, this boom will challenge your thinking and leave you open to finding and learning more in each chapter. I loved learning more about Jamaican and Caribbean culture as I read it!
…you loved The Vanishing Half, Ask Again Yes, or Meet the Brennans.

Thank you to @netgalley and Ballentine Books for the Asvanced Readers Copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

What an incredible book! The generational unfolding of mother to siblings and how their perspectives laced together was just stunning. The use of black cake and how it grounded the family back to common ground even in the hardest times: again, simply stunning! Absolutely loved the writing, the construction and the air of mystery throughout. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher!

The main thing I want to tell you about this book is add it to your TBR! What a fantastic story about family, choices, consequences, love, grief, and food. This multigenerational story about gender/immigration/race/family has beautiful writing and complex issues but it a book you won't want to put down. An amazing book about love, sacrifice, and family. Well done Charmaine Wilkerson!

Sibling rivalry here comes with more layers than the CAKE. Enjoyed the way she incorporates the modern with the old.

Wow. This. Book.

What a master telling of the human experience and the devastating repercussions secrets can have on families. Charmaine Wilkerson, @charmspen1 , really had me glued to every page throughout this novel. Not only was the imagery rich, but the descriptions were vivid enough to activate all my senses.

I'm only disappointed that it took me this long to read! Complex and illuminating, this novel will have you thinking about family and the choices you make with regard to all the relationships in your life. I won't even discuss the characters in depth for fear of giving too much away.

Many thanks to @NetGalley and Ballantine Books for gifting me with this incredible E-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Please see more of my reviews on my blog at www.mamasgottaread.blogspot.com or follow me on Instagram at www.instagram.com/mamasgottaread .

Matriarch Eleanor Bennett has succumbed to her disease and left some of her famous black cake in the freezer and a video recording for her children Byron and Benny.

Eleanor was a great mother, but often a little vague about her and her husband’s origins, simply maintaining that they were orphans from the West Indies. When her lawyer Mitch stays to show the siblings the video, they quickly realize that their mother’s childhood and adolescence was not at all what they expected, and that there was a reason she was so drawn to her special dessert.

Filled with so many interesting characters we, along with Byron and Benny, flash back to Eleanor née Covey’s upbringing in the Caribbean and subsequent move to Britain. We learn about the challenges she herself faced being raised mostly without a mother, and her motivations for fleeing her home. Learning more of their true heritage, Byron and Benny begin to have a better understanding of themselves and their relationships with not only their parents, but also the world around them.

It’s difficult to say much more about this book without giving away too much of the plot, but I will say it was raw and authentic. Eleanor’s video confessional was endearing and gut wrenching at times. Experiencing the new discoveries about their mother with Byron and Benny was difficult at times as they were fraught with all kinds of emotions. Black Cake is definitely worth the read, just be aware of the back and forth in Eleanor’s past and present along with all the people she introduces can be a little tricky to keep track of.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and of course Charmaine Wilkerson for the advanced copy. Black Cake is out now. All opinions are my own.

Benny and Byron, estranged siblings for years, fulfill their mother’s last wishes by meeting to listen to an audio recording of their mother telling her life story, full of secrets she has not shared. It is quite a story, spanning decades and continents leaving Benny and Byron thinking they did not know their mother at all.

A decent read with well defined characters BUT I felt there was a lot of proselytizing in this book. Not necessarily a bad thing but there were too many issues often clouding the story. I would definitely read another book by Charlemaine Wilkerson, I enjoyed the writing and visualizations.

Black Cake was a great title for this book. It symbolized the link between the Caribbean, England, and California. All the characters had a connection to the cake. The book lived up to my expectations. It goes back and forth between the different times and locales very smoothly. All of the characters confront their issues in different ways. Covey became Eleanor and left the tape that explains it all.
I’ve already recommended this book to others.

Byron and Benny's mother has died, bringing them together for the first time since Benny told their family that she was bisexual and it didn't go well. When Benny didn't come back for their father's funeral, Byron hasn't been able to forgive her. Part of their mother's will is for them to listen to her story, hoping it will bring them back together, which thrusts the book back in time to tell the story of a young swimmer who has to escape her home on an island.

This book was a beautiful story with beautiful characters that you pull for but that are VERY human. It also opened a window to the world of the Caribbean and black cakes, which I did not know anything about beforehand. If you love family drama with characters you feel like you know already, this is for you.

Wow! This incredibly powerful story absolutely blew me away. Alternating between different character perspectives and different times in history, this novel packed quite the emotional punch. I loved the exploration into generational secrets, forgiveness and healing, family ties, cultural heritage and what makes a legacy last. With elements of history, romance, and mystery, this novel will have something for everyone. I would highly recommend it as a perfect book club pick- rife with possibilities for discussion and connection. Can't wait for more from this author!

Thank you so much to Random House Ballentine and Netgalley for my copy.

Note: I DNFed this book at 37%.

I found it hard to get invested in the characters, mainly because of the writing. It felt distant during both the happy and depressing scenes, and the characters seemed half-drawn, with the reader having to fill in the blanks by using the characters' descriptions, mostly stereotypes, as a basis. As a character-driven reader, this didn't sit well with me because these decisions made the story feel well-trodden and unoriginal.

However, since this is a subjective criticism, I would recommend this book to fans of Tayari Jones, Brit Bennett, and Nicole Dennis-Ben because of the similar feelings they evoke, their approach to situations that move the story forward, and the way the characters make decisions. I can see the merit in Black Cake, but this book was just not for me.

I put off reading "Black Cake" because I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction and I thought that's what this was. Wow was I wrong. I LOVED the story of the Bennetts and all the twists and turns in their family history. Don't be like me and ignore this one - it was marvelous!

Compulsively readable, this debut transports us to another time and place and back to the here and now. I was entranced with this captivating story of so much--choices, family, love, anger, and of course, Black Cake.

There are a lot of characters and points of view and, in retrospect, it seems the author wanted to talk about every issue facing us today, but besides some repetitive writing, I'm not complaining because I want to read it again already.

I was not caught up in this book from the start. As I continued to read though, I found myself more interested in continuing to read it. The older characters were well developed and you do start to feel empathy for their past. troubles. The adult children were not as well developed and needed more character buildup. I was drawn into the story to see the final connections of the characters at the end. I would recommend this book to be discussed at a book club meeting . It has a lot of different story lines that would be good for discussion

Black Cake was such a unique story - I loved the family connections, drama, and dynamics. The book was a bit long, but pacing was great and kept me interested. I thought it was a clever way to tell the story and there were enough surprises throughout that I found the book very engaging. And now I have to try black cake!!

It's hard to believe that "Black Cake" is Charmaine Wilkerson's first novel. The story is sprawling and masterfully interwoven across several times and places. The characters are well developed, and their lives are captivatingly tragic. The voices for each character are unique and independent of one another in an alternating POV narrative. But most importantly, the story is engaging. I read this book quickly, pulled along by the allure of Eleanor's story and how her life wound up the way it did. Wilkerson's choice to have the story unfold as told by a deceased mother explaining her life, which she kept secret until the very end, also helped me remained rooted in this narrative. If you're a fan of books like "Girl, Woman, Other" or "The Vanishing Half", you'll really like this book too!

The writing for this book was so beautiful and I really enjoyed the journey it took me on. Told from two different timelines, one present day with siblings Benny and Byron, and one from their mother's childhood into adulthood, we start the book with the siblings meeting with their mother's attorney after her death. What unfolds is a beautiful story uncovering the mother's history and the two timelines were woven together flawlessly. I really enjoyed the friendships and relationships and how complicated they can be, especially familial ones. I also really enjoyed the short chapters. Despite all of the beautiful elements of the story, it fell a little short for me from 5 stars. I almost feel like the mother's story was developed so well that Benny and Byron's didn't seem as perfect. Still, it was a beautiful debut and I think this book will stick with me for quite a while.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

A multi-generational story that starts with two adult siblings meeting together after their mom's passing. They are instructed by the family lawyer to listen to a recording their mom (Eleanor) left for them now that she and their father (Bert) have both passed away. As they come to terms with events in their own lives, Byron and Benny are stunned to hear about the lives of their parents, Bert and Eleanor. Throughout the recording, Eleanor's history and ties to the Caribbean Islands and the traditions of Black Cake come to the forefront within the plot and character development. I loved reading about cultural traditions and diversity within the characters as well as the historical context of the Caribbean Islands. I was immediately drawn into this novel and enjoyed reading about the people in Eleanor's life, especially Covey and Bunny.

As the story progressed, I found it more difficult to continue reading. The introduction of other characters really made the storyline dense and I felt as though I was slogging through the chapters. That being said, the ending was worth the struggle because it really completed the connection between all the characters, both past and present. A recommended read for fans of historical fiction and multi-generational family sagas. I'd rate this as 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Charmaine Wilkerson, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing Group for an advanced eBook in exchange for my honest review.

With certitude, this beautiful book touched my heart in numerous ways. Wilkerson crafted an impressive read, I enjoyed Black Cake beyond words. Superlative at the least.

I loved the plot, so much going on but it was weaved wonderfully and masterfully with the characters. I was taken aback by the ending which was orchestrated with precision. I felt such a bond with all the characters, their intensity and authenticity captivated me.

“And when people didn’t understand something, they often felt threatened. And when people felt threatened, they often turned to violence.”

I highly recommended Black Cake. You will find yourself reflecting on life, your family, and issues Wilkerson presented with skill. Arranged with flair and quickness it’s difficult to comprehend this book as Wilkerson’s debut. I look forward to Wilkerson’s next venture with great anticipation. Extraordinary.

Though a bit slow a d hard to follow at first, Black Cake picks up steam and delivers by the end. A tale about love, loss, and life altering decisions, the reader is swept along with all the different characters and their individual stories. The writing is choppy at times, so the relaxer needs to be adaptable to different styles. Wilkerson takes multiple storylines and weaves a complex story, finishing with all plot lines wrapped up neatly by the end. Great book for a book club too, with so many ethical dilemmas and choices to discuss.

I received a copy from NetGalley have written an objective review.