I liked a ton of things about this book -- great characterization, cultural diversity, good dialogue, positive representations of Black people, ace/aro people, and therapy... Yinka's journey to self love was relatable to me on a human level and I enjoyed learning a little about British-Nigerian experiences along the way. Comparisons to Bridget Jones are earned. That said, Yinka's lows are pretty low and she toed the line of "unlikable" for me a couple times. Her community relationships and

work in therapy

helped make her apologies and growth feel believable, and she felt totally redeemed by the end of the novel. It's a testament to the good writing.

A couple petty details brought down my rating. It was a little slow in the middle and I think

Marcus

could have easily been cut to the benefit of the whole story. Quite a few references by name to brands and celebrities that broke my immersion -- personal preference against. It's also pretty obvious in hindsight that the author is Christian and wanted to represent good experiences with the church. This only seems relevant to this review because

Yinka's final love interest ends the book reconsidering his atheism, seemingly after a single conversation with her about her faith. When her whole arc is discovering she needs to be her authentic self to find love, it felt strange to see Donovan begin to morph to fit Yinka's ideals. It felt like a Christian fantasy rather than something the character as written would have done.

I was sent this book by Penguin Random House as an ARC for a review…For starters this book is a super easy read, and it can be finished in one day - the language is easy and the writing is simple and straightforward. 

I am a little torn about this book because I hated it and loved it at the same time. I hated the main character and even at the end with her “redemption” it was not a character I enjoyed. It felt to me like she was very shallow and even if her friends and family kept saying she was kind or so “unlike” her - it did not seem that way to me. 

The rest of the book tho - it’s a win. I saw my life and my family in this book. I am from Central America and if I could tell you how many times I’ve been embarrassed and talked down to by relatives because I am in my thirties, childless and single I would be rich. I really enjoyed the portrayal of the native Nigerians and the first generation English born children who struggled with culture, language and fitting in….  but to me the most meaningful message from this book was the spotlight it brought to therapy (which was something I was not expecting) 


*** Minor  Spoilers ahead***

Having the main character confront her fears, demons and self-hatred in therapy was just beautiful, sweet and humbling. There were so many “aha” moments during those last 100 pages that I wish the book  had focus more on this area, and/or maybe show that therapy takes more time. I know for the sake of wrapping up the book - this was condensed into a few pages and by the end of the book everything just seem to be “magically fixed” after a few visits to the therapist, and the most unrealistic part was her family somehow completely changing their mindset (I am talking generational trauma, mindsets and baggage here) being magically fixed overnight with a simple conversation.

Aside from this - I would recommend this book to anyone, specially those trying to expand their cultural knowledge. I give props to the writer as this is her first book and she wrote a beautiful strong book.