📖 Black Cake

👤 Author: Charmaine Wilkerson
📚 Genre: Literary Fiction • Contemporary Fiction • Family Drama
🏢 Publisher: Ballantine Books
📅 Publication Date: February 1, 2022
📄 Pages: 400
⭐ Rating: 3 Stars

I liked Black Cake. The story had depth and heart, and there were parts of it that I really appreciated, but for some reason it never completely clicked with me.

I did find myself getting a little confused with some of the characters, especially while Covey was telling her story and the book moved between different people and different parts of the past. There were moments when I had to stop and remind myself who was who, which made it harder for me to stay completely connected to the story.

Covey’s story was definitely the part that stood out to me the most. There was so much sadness in what she went through, what she had to leave behind, and the life she ultimately created for herself. I was glad to see where her journey took her, even though getting there involved so much loss.

This is definitely a story that has the ability to pull at your heartstrings. For me personally, though, it just didn’t quite get there. I could recognize the emotion and understand why the story could deeply affect another reader, but I didn’t personally feel that same emotional connection.

In the end, I liked it enough that I wanted to finish it, and I’m glad that I did. There was plenty about the story that I appreciated; it just didn’t leave the impact on me that I wanted it to.

🌙 Julie’s Final Verdict

Black Cake is a heartfelt story about family, identity, secrets, loss, and the pieces of ourselves that we leave behind. Covey’s story gave the book its heart for me, and I appreciated the depth of her journey. While I can absolutely see this being an emotional read for many people, it didn’t tug at my heartstrings in quite the same way. I enjoyed it, I’m glad I finished it, but ultimately it was a solid three-star read for me.

⭐⭐⭐ 3 Stars