A story about Yinka, who goes on a journey to find herself while remaining true to her Nigerian heritage. I loved this book so much and it 100% lived up to the hype. It was laugh out loud funny while intertwining more serious topics. Her dating adventures, her relationship with an overbearing mom (and aunties), and her job challenges were all so entertaining. One of my favorite things about this book was the creative ways it told the story with screenshots of text conversation or google searches and such. This story format was unexpected and a welcome change of pace from the “love story” and “finding herself” templates you see so much. At some point I’d like to read the audiobook. It’s supposed to be really good. 

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.