Welcome to Litsy!

This was an intriguing read. I loved learning more about Nigerian culture and the dynamics between the women. It was a good thriller, too, but I was a little disappointed by the end. Overall ✴️✴️✴️1/2.

I initially bought this months ago based on the cover and a comparison to SATC. It is so much more authentic and lived in than that superficial mess. A group of Anglo-Nigerian women and their partners and families, navigating love and careers and parenting (or not) and above all, friendship. #TOB23Longlist #TOB2023

I enjoyed this debut novel. Wahala means trouble and this group of friends found just that! LOL A fun read for me.

My book buddy. So far we are enjoying the audiobook Wahala.

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView ☺️

#Two4Tuesday

1. I read a lot of good books this month, so I will arbitrarily pick Wahala by Nikki May.

2. It was a good mix of plot and interesting (if sometimes unlikable) characters. This was May‘s debut and I‘m excited and curious to read what she comes up with next.

This was a fun, gossipy , “oh no! She didn‘t!” kind of read about three British-Nigerian women living in London whose close friendship is severely tested by the arrival of Isobel, also mixed race, but as one character put it, “the worst kind of Nigerian - entitled, pretentious, vulgar…” The end took me by surprise 😳! Nigerian cuisine is often featured and because there are three recipes at the end, I‘m using it for #Booked2022 - contains recipes.

Thanks for the tag @Cinfhen 😊

#Two4Tuesday

1. To never tire of rereading them might be too much to ask for, but I find certain classics well worth re-reading: Jane Eyre, Pride & Prejudice, Bleak House, The Hobbit…

2. All About Eve Nigerian style!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Three friends‘ lives are upended when an old friend of one of them joins the group and exploits their weaknesses and insecurities. Sort of an Anglo-Nigerian Gossip Girl/Sex and the City. The narration in the audiobook was great. Strong pick!

I really enjoyed this. The audio was great and I love it when a book can incorporate food. Nigerian food made it even more interesting as it's not something I've been exposed to before. The character dynamics were well done even.if I was slightly disappointed by how easily the relationships fell apart. This would make a great book club selection. Lots to discuss with this one. Stunning cover!

OMG this was so good. So. Good. It'd be great if it were JUST about the delicious Nigerian food. Luckily, it's also a great and crazy story that gets really wild at the end. I had to switch to audiobook as quick as I could because I was on the move and had to keep reading

Finally getting to this one

Easy, enjoyable read. Some elements were not totally believable but overall it was a good journey.

Really need an un-put- down-able!

Fantastic! Fun, warm, modern and unapologetic. I raced through this book, so invested in seeing how it would end up. And the writing is impeccable! This book casts an unblinking eye on all the ways women can muck up their lives and the damage secrets can cause. The exploration of prejudice, class and culture make this book an important one as well as a barn burner of a read! #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Perfect poolside read!

I really loved this story about three British Nigerian women and how their friendship is really tested by the arrival of an old friend.

I was on vacation so wrap-up is coming a bit late.

I had some serious hits and horrible misses in April.
4.5 ⭐
Caste
The Prophets
Heartstopper
4 ⭐
The Bread The Devil Knead
Wahala
Creatures of Passage
Blacktop Wasteland
3.5 ⭐
While Justice Sleeps
The Lost Book of Saints
3 ⭐
Just Like Home
American Prison
What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker
2 ⭐
The Silent Patient
The Female Persuasion

My hubby drew me a surprise bath! It was exactly what I needed. 🛁📚🥰

You are going to need a drink for this ride!
The drama, the suspense, the friendships they made and bridges they burned along the way!
This was so good I was riveted, you know someone is a terrible person right off the bat, and then the other 3 start doing terrible things and it becomes like an incredibly well written train wreck that you cannot stop reading.

This was pure camp - a soap opera-y Sex & the City meets Big Little Lies featuring four Anglo-Nigerian friends. I can picture it as a television series. Loved the background on Nigerian culture and the characters are imperfect and flawed in a human way. The inciting action is a little ridiculous but it‘s a page-turner for the pure froth of it all. 🇳🇬

I really enjoyed that this was a story about women in their thirties with grownup problems, but a close friendship. I also loved learning more about Nigerian culture and food.
I think the manipulative Isobel angle was unnecessary and that believing her over their oldest friends was out of character. Would have much preferred a story about women making bad choices but their solid friendship getting them through.

My partner invented Cafe Puzzles, where our dining table turns into a cafe on Saturday mornings and everyone reads. The toddler loves it. Genius!

I started this one today and so far really enjoying it.

This book is pretty problematic. No only the fat shaming I shared before but also the flimsy plot. It is about a woman who comes between a group of three friends and their partners. Normally, I don‘t care whether characters are likable, but the interloper has no inner life that made her evilness interesting. In the end, her motives were ridiculous and juvenile.

However, Ronke (the “fat” friend) is a gem! Otherwise 👎🏻

3.5 out of 5

Such drama! A soap opera about three flawed and judgmental friends being terrible to each other. Well, except Ronke, she didn't deserve any of this ❤️
It was between a Pick and a So-So for me. I think I'm not super into the domestic thriller genre, and miscommunication plotlines that drag on and on annoy me.
But it was very engaging. And it made me hungry, lol

I‘m only halfway through, and it feels like the relative size of the main characters and their eating habits is in EVERY CHAPTER. Seriously considering skipping to the end and bailing.

This is the “fat” character, who is a UK 12/US 8-10. What a heifer! 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

Perfect picks @TheAromaofBooks !!

#bookspin is the shiny new book I‘m getting in the mail today as a present to myself 😁😁

#doublespin is my #LMPBC #GroupB book that I was definitely going to read: Valentine. It has been on my TBR too long, and I‘m excited to dive in with my group!

It‘s been a rough day, and I didn‘t want to wait for BOTM to have a new book! #BookTherapy

We don‘t have a bookstore in town anymore, so Amazon is the fastest, but if we did have one, I‘d 💯 want to be browsing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

All of the wahala (trouble) in this book was certainly entertaining! I loved the parts that included Nigerian culture (especially the food descriptions - I want to try making jollof rice ASAP!) Isobel was toxic, but they can‘t blame her for all of their awful decisions and cattiness. Boo was particularly unlikeable. There were also some troubling colorism comments. It‘s a lower pick for me, but the audiobook narrator was wonderful! 🎧

Nope.

#Netgalley

I saw this advertised as a Nigerian Sex in the City and a psychological thriller mix and it delivered. I really enjoyed this and while it wasn‘t an entirely hard plot to decipher or too thriller-y, the characters kept it moving and dramatic!

Things are shaken up in a major way amongst three Anglo-Nigerian friends when a woman known to one in childhood pops up. While I didn‘t anticipate how dark this would get, I really enjoyed the characters, the writing, and the story. Highly recommend!

Wow, the long lost friend in this one is the most toxic person I‘ve heard about maybe ever. I couldn‘t stop listening!

1. Wahala by Nikki May (contenporary fiction), River of Shadows by Karina Halle (fantasy romance), Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (scifi)
2. Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? by Kathleen Collins (short story collection)
3. Reading!
@rachelsbrittain

#wondrouswednesday @Eggs
Thanks for the tag @DarkMina

1. Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, really trying to get to it this month.

2. (Tagged) my only new release so far. It was really good! A thriller about an Anglo Nigerian friend group who are tied together by their secrets.

3. The Next Wife, Blade So Black, Atomic Habits

Drop everything and read this book.

This book stressed me out. Compelling and realistically flawed women in their 30s making decisions that often made me go “nooooo.” I will say it lagged a bit in the middle and Isabel always kind of felt on the outside in a way for me in that I wasn‘t going back and forth with her as a character (though idk the narrative wanted me to as she didn‘t have a POV). Still, a compelling character study with a thriller tinge.

I am afraid this was too chick lit for me. Whilst it was entertaining and I enjoyed the passion for food I found the characters two dimensional and parts of the plot were unbelievable.

Oddly compelling story of three best friends that bring a fourth friend in to their circle. While I wasn‘t a fan of most of the characters, I could not stop reading. #wahala #NetGalley

The positioning of this as an "Anglo-Nigerian Sex and the City" is a disservice to this book. Sure, there are 4 women that go out for lunch & drinks but that's literally it - there's so much more depth and kept secrets here and an element of "Single White Female" that I don't think compares to SATC at all. I'm not quite sure this is a thriller, but there's definitely a more than just a hint of it. An enjoyable listen.

Audio 2/3 for #JoyousJanuary

A trio of friends, Ronke, Boo & Simi, with varied goals and personalities are upended when a friend from Simi‘s past gets added to the mix. They are enjoying the glamour that Isobel brings but it becomes clear that she likes to stir the pot. She is a pot stirrer. As the group becomes divided, they find themselves entwined in unexpected ways.

Super addictive. Unique story with a rich Anglo-Nigerian backdrop. & it will be adapted for TV this year.

I‘m really enjoying that everyone is not 25.

My 37 year old, child free & childish self is LOVING these interactions.

The weather forecast says West Virginia could be hit with a bomb cyclone weather event. Thankfully my book mail arrived today to see me through the storm.

Which one should I start with??

I chose this thinking it was going to be a thriller but its a little lacking in that area. However the actual story itself is really engaging. There are times when you know as a reader what is going on and want to shout at the girls for not seeing it. The plot is a real slow burn but it builds steadily. I have to admit I love a good showdown so I wanted a little more but for the story, it actually works well. #Netgalley 4*

Fantastic read to start the year off.A close group of friends a newcomer arrives let the drama and fun begin.

Read the first chapter in bed while the smush watched Doctor Who. #happypubday

Also first book on the kindle I got for Christmas.

This is a story of female friendship between three Anglo-Nigerian women. It has a chick lit with a touch of thriller feel, complete with wonderful characters. This is a debut novel from the author and I look forward to more from her, as I really liked it. It is already being adapted by the BBC, something else to look forward to. I gave it 4/5 stars.

I really enjoyed this debut novel. I received an #ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The story of 3 English-Nigerian friends living in London. I've read reviews that compares this to Sex & the City & it does have elements of that but this group of friends has been together since college days. Now in their thirties, some are married, some have careers, when a 4th friend from the past enters the group & starts to shake things up.