Black Husband White Wife

by Octavia Grant

Black women are too confrontational
Black women argue too much
Black women ain’t s***

Truer words have never been spoken, according to Sidney Collier. Sidney co-signs all negative statements in regard to black women, even though he’s married to one. After a bet to approach Tamika leads to five years in a loveless marriage, Sidney files for divorce and marries his longtime mistress Shelby. What he assumed would be a blissful union between him and his long-time flame, turns out to be hell on earth. When Sidney's world begins to crumble under his feet he learns three very important 1) skin color does not define character 2) what goes around comes around and 3) the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Genres: Adult

102 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 8, 2019

About the author

Octavia Grant discovered her passion for creative writing in 2002 during her junior year at Georgetown High School in Georgetown, South Carolina. She began writing professionally in 2016 and, two years later, took full ownership of her literary career by becoming an independent author. A bestselling black thriller author and the bestselling author of Cutthroat, Octavia has penned more than 30 novels known for their psychological depth and gripping suspense.
Her work and voice have earned national recognition, including speaking on the Thrilling Tales Author Panel at ESSENCE Fest, Thriller Panelist at National Book Club Conference (NBCC), interview with Narrator iiKane, literary reviewer and film commentator Tamara Walker of Tam Telling Tales, and features in WYB Lifestyle, VoyageJacksonville, Canvas Rebel, and Bold Journey. She has also been honored as one of 160 Black Women in Horror and received multiple accolades for her psychological thriller novella Dear Vicky, including the Black Girls Who Write It’s Lit Award for Best Black Mystery/Suspense, the Audio in Black North Star Award, and the AAMBC Award for Mystery/Thriller Book of the Year.
In addition to these achievements, Octavia has been named Best Thriller/Suspense Horror Author by the Literary Gem Awards and Best Female Author by the Get Caught Up Podcast. Her storytelling continues to push boundaries within the thriller genre, centering bold narratives that captivate, challenge, and resonate with readers worldwide.

Reviews

[Jahda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chile Sidney … I’m glad karma came around because yes you can have your preference but don’t be nasty about it. The fact he thinks he even has a chance with his ex wife is comical.

[adoseof.adri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg talk about KARMA. This was wild and Sidney deserved even worse

[Pat Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good premise

The storyline started off strong, but I felt like it missed the mark. Seems like the author turned the concentration on to the sex instead of the race issue. Sidney had issues with black women, putting them all in the same ghetto/ratchet/hood box. He preferred white women and messed over his black wife to marry his 'ideal' white wife. Turns out she had all the attributes from the box he had put black women in. I felt like he didn't deserve his karma, though - his so called friends could have told him about Tamika instead of speaking in riddles. And why did Shelby talk to and apologize to Tamika; Shelby had no scruples whatsoever to apologize on anyone's behalf. Sidney finally learned that you can't judge a person by color, but he paid a high price for that lesson.

[Shoda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read

I honestly think Sid didn’t deserve what all happened to him... I mean for his friends to sit and plot for that long is crazy, like how did Jeremy and his brother didn’t think to say something about Sid with Tomeeka? He didn’t even know that that was yo girl, he glanced a one picture and some how Jeremy thought he suppose to remembered? That was Tomika fault, I’m sure she met the friends, she suppose to had said something but some how you were mad a Sid for that long? Like he deserved a little karma but not for his friends to do him like that. I did get satisfactory out of him going to jail and the baby not ending it his because he wanna go hard for the other team but his friends were petty for what they did to him.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

spoilers

Wow! This MF#%!?
I don’t know why Tamika let his behind in her house to talk to her, I would have let him talk to me on the phone or talk to me outside my door, but no way would your spirit enter my domain after the way he treated her. I am glad she crushed his face when he tried it.
I don’t know how he was married to Tamika for five years and Sydney didn’t know that she was his best friend, Jeremy ex girlfriend. I understand Jeremy’s story of how he didn’t know, but how Tamika and Sydney didn’t talk about it?

[Sigrid Boggan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this may be Octavia’s best book so far

['The Book Queen' · Rating 3 out of 5]

His karma was served very cold. I did not expect the husband's friends to be grimy too... You'll see what I mean. I did not like any of those characters except the black wife. That man was childish.

[Linette King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part 2 me please!!!

I always like to try and guess things while I’m reading a book and even though I was able to guess who Tamika was with before sidney, I never would have guessed that his ‘prized wife’ was doing all of that!!! I literally read this whole book waiting on him to get his and I was so happy that he finally did!!!!

[Whit · Rating 2 out of 5]

DOWN! DIRTY! RAW!!!
There are no words for the people in this book. Jealousy, selfishness, adultery, arrogance, betrayal and self-destructive racism is what this cray-cray crew is all about. No self-respect at all!
I know there is a target audience for this type of story, unfortunately it is not me! SMH!

[Mattie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matter how?

Karma ain't no joke. Sly and Jeremy got they best so call friend good. This book had me rolling. Dumb dumb got played, while he played his wife. Good for Tamika. She was a strong black woman.

[Fatimah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way Sidney pissed me off as soon as I started reading this book is unmatched!! I was ready to hop in every inbox Ms Octavia Grant had to tell her about my feelings with this one here. Crazy how things can happen mistakenly but Sidney had no damn reason to treat Tamika like that despite what he went through & if ya good friend tell u it’s off limits then guess what…..

[Sherri Burrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

🫣😂😂😂😂

WTF did I just read! Octavia girl you okay??? I am shook I can’t believe you write this!! Just Wow!!

[reading mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I will say is that husband deserved EVERY single thing thrown his way! That karma didn’t miss one bit and I’m so glad it didn’t!

[JazzReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

wild one

This book is my favorite one by her. This book was wild and crazy. The MMC in this book was so delusional.

[TheVanityDoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

He got exactly what he deserved🤷🏽‍♀️

[Kevia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing first book by this author. Who don't hear must feel !

[aisha ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow

Sidney was very wrong for how he treated Tamika and how he viewed black women. He got what he deserved in that case. But the stuff his friends did was wrong some old bitch shit. They went against the grain. Dude should have been upfront about tamika.

[Lourdes · Rating 5 out of 5]

OCTAVIA!!!! Come to the front because what was this hahah. I love you down.You literally right the craziest stories but there is alot of reality to them. So are they really that crazy?

This story came out the gate swinging and never let up. At its core it is a story of how deadly karma and grudges can be. Sydney is a black man who is married to his black wife Tamika(race matters heavily in this story). Sydney is a black man who prefers white women and is almost disgusted by black women. So how does Sydney end up marrying Tamika you ask…because of a “bet”. Needless to say Sydney treats Tamika horribly and cheats on her with a white woman for 3 of the 5 years they are married. They divorce and what Sydney thinks is the best decision he has made, he will soon come to realize the grass isn’t always greener on the other side and not everyone means well. The twist in this book left my jaw on the floor. Also the way Sydney spoke about black and white women infuriated me, but I recognized early on Octavia wanted the reader to invoke feelings of rage in order for the story to be successful. This is an amazing novella to read but dont take anything personal.

[Bunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s the AUDACITY FOR ME! Not him saying a woman who got a 2/$20 at Applebees was beneath him. Yet, He couldn’t afford $700 in rent by himself. AND had his homeboy give him money to eat! 🥷 what!???

Sad thing is Sid’s mindset is a real thing in today’s society. When A black man can’t handle a black woman he decides to make her out to be a villain in his story because he can’t play games with her. Also, when that trauma ain’t healed??? It ALWAYS shows up later on in life. This whole sorry was representation of that.

He deserved everything that happened to him with his LAME ASS! And his friends???? They were HORRIBLE! They need to seek counseling, immediately! The biggest hoes in the history! Not just his ex wife, but his current one too?? They are MESSSYYYYY!

The lies told in this book are CARAAAZYYY!

I loved how his ex wife stood on business and kept it classy after the divorce. She showed and proved how outdated, wrong he was about black women and how all the things he said about them can apply to women of ALL weaves.

It says to be continued at the end.. sooo??? Octavia, where’s part 2 ??? ? 👀😂

We need it! 💳💢💳💢💳💢💳💢💳💢

[lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

sidney co-signs every negative stereotype about black women, even though he’s married to one, but in the same breath; doesn’t think she falls under those stereotypes?! when he divorces tamika to marry his longtime mistress shelby, he swears it’ll be bliss until he learns the hard way that the grass isn’t greener on the other side.

sidney got EXACTLY what he deserved, and the sad thing is men really do think like this. it pains my heart that the biggest enemy of a black woman can sometimes be a black man.

after everything he put tamika through he had the audacity to want her back? nigga PLEASE. i knew as soon as sly said she was off limits all those years ago, that she belonged to him or someone else in the circle, and i was RIGHT.

the only thing that threw me was how long they waited to get their get back on sidney. five years of planning is wild. but he was so obsessed with shelby that he couldn’t see the setup happening right under his nose.

[AB · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm speechless!!!
This was the biggest plot twist in any book that I've read this year. I usually figure everything out in advance, but this one got me. I had my suspicions, but nothing prepared me for that bombshell. I knew sh*t was going to hit the fan when Tamika said he was gonna need luck with Shelby, but luck was an understatement. Some parts didn't make sense, like why would his best friends allow everything that happened, happen knowing what they knew. Sidney had a severely messed up view of black women because of his childhood trauma. which he let fuel his hatred for all black women. He treated Tamika worse than poor. and she stayed. That was weird on her part because she didn't need him. It's hard leaving a review without leaving spoilers, so I'll just say READ THIS NOW!!!

[liyah · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️— Frustrating, chaotic, and weirdly unputdownable

I just finished Black Husband, White Wife, and honestly… the whole book felt like rage bait. Every single character lacked self-respect, and I didn’t genuinely like anyone. The men were especially disgusting, and half the time I was just sitting there shaking my head.

That said — as frustrating as it was, I could not stop reading. I had to see it through to the end. It was one of those books that’s so messy and unhinged that all you can do is laugh by the end.

And let’s talk about the 2-for-$20 Applebee’s menu part because why did that feel like a personal attack 😭. I definitely order from that menu, so I felt dragged.

Overall, it was annoying, ridiculous, and chaotic — but somehow still entertaining enough to finish. A solid 3 stars for me.

[La'Crima · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really enjoyed this book. Ms. Octavia did her thang wit this one. She really did us a solid. I will write what I think of and collected from the MMC, Sidney:

1. He is an example of an self-hating n!gcel(n*gga incel), misogynistic butthole who views and deems women, (especially black women 'beneath him'.

2. He also doesn't believe in a true partnership. I believe both people have a say in the relationship. I also don't like that women are expected to lead from the back and uphold men as rightful leaders just because.

3. He constantly complains about how Tamika and other black women are [nsert white-supremacist-born caricature here]. And the funny thing is he knows he is wrong.

[Tamara D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is the Grass greener. Perhaps. Perhaps not.

This book explores the black man’s psyche as it pertains to his respect for black women and white women. We are reminded that your preference for one does not have to mean you hate the other. But, in the case of Sidney Collier, there seemed to be a lot of misdirected hatred effecting his judgment when it pertains to matters of the heart. He realizes the error of his ways, but did he realize them too late?

[Shon F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good read

That darn Sidney didn't see that coming! WHEW! Honey Karma is always best when served cold. This was a good read about a topic that definitely needs to be broached more often.

Takeaway: love who you love. The majority of us could care less. But there's absolutely no reason to group an entire population of people into your justification of what's ultimately your own deeply rooted internal issues.

[Michelle Rawls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow

I certainly wasn’t expecting this book to be so good, let alone interesting. I enjoyed this storyline and it was a selection from my bookclub. I got to say Sydney was messed up in the head and I wasn’t expecting to get what he got but Karma truly is a bitch.

Happy Reading,


The Official Dcbookreviewer

[Gemini Rule · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black fool

You left a black queen for a whore ass white chick only to find out she was fucking both your best friends the twins and the brother she claimed was really her ex and her real baby daddy. Your ex wife was really one of the twins ex’s and they got back together. After you beat the white chick you got 3 years in prison. Good for yo ass.

[BlkLv Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Verrrrrry Good❗❗

First read from this Author ❤

The only thing I was hoping was to have the point of view change from character to character. The entire book is written from the Main Male Characters standpoint. Other than that, it was great!

It ended with a "to be continued". This came out in 2019, it's now 2024 (lol). I assume that part 2 is on hold 🤷🏾‍♀️

[TellsOfABibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

KARMA‼️‼️

KARMA. That girl is dangerous. I honestly wasn’t suprised how this turned out because I already put 2 and 2 together from the beginning but this was a good read. Just to see Sidney get his karma was sweet revenge. I feel like he deserved more tbh but the hurt & bridges he burnt I know he feeling the pain.

[Tierney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Character Always Wins!!!

This man got everything he deserved. I forget how many books of hers I’ve read but now I see that if you like revenge her books are definitely your cup of tea!!! Good book even though I kind of predicted the twist. I enjoy her writing! Great Entertainment!!!