Reviews

I didn't like the back and forth of timeliness over and over again. But overall a wonderfully compelling story.

After reading Black Cake, I feel like this story VH was trying to accomplish the same feeling, but it didn't quite land. Secrets, struggle, family.

brennakaye's review against another edition

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3.0

2.5⭐️ This was a very meh book for me. It was well written and I enjoyed reading it but just felt the storyline was disjointed and not as well done as it could be. Maybe this was the author’s intention but the end felt like there wasn’t much resolution and was just kind of unsatisfying.

kiwikahuna's review against another edition

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3.0

Fair skinned twins, Stella and Desiree, escape their childhood town. Stella decides to live her own life pretending to be a white woman and marries rich. Desiree unfortunately marries a black man who abused her so she runs back to her hometown with her daughter Jude. Stella’s own daughter,Kennedy, and Jude eventually meet up in life and their paths cross. Kennedy is an aspiring actress and rebels in her relationship with her mom as she feels like her mom has always held something back from her. Stella finally travels back home and finds that her mom has Alzheimer’s. She leaves behind her wedding ring to help Desiree who has been taking care of their mother, The twins’ mother dies. Jude comes home for the funeral. The ending felt too tidy and didn’t really reconcile Stella’s plot line.

lixard's review against another edition

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reflective sad slow-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

versa's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

ellereads1's review against another edition

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5.0

SO good. Great exploration of family, gender, race, and identity. I wish I had this in a class or book club or something because there's alot to talk about. Loved how character-driven it was.

readingwithhippos's review against another edition

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4.0

This is possibly the most hyped book of 2020, and I just had to read it before the end of the year. Brit Bennett is a powerhouse. Twins Stella and Desiree are born in a tiny Louisiana town where Black people have intermarried for years to produce lighter and lighter skinned children. When they run away to the big city as teenagers, their paths diverge: Stella passes as white to get a secretarial job, a choice that irreversibly changes the trajectory of both their lives. The story stretches to include their children and how the choices they each make flow down through the generations. A highly thought-provoking page turner.

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