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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
To steal a quote, this is - "A book written by a woman, for women, with women’s experience in mind."
This is an extremely relatable and hilarious short story collection. While centered on Lagos and the dating and relationship misadventures of its locals, the stories resonate with anyone familair with the trials and tribulations of the modern dating world or modern relationships in general
Just from the first line of the first story,
“One night, you will calmly put a knife to your husband's penis and promise to cut it off...,"
the anthology pulls you in and commands your attention.This sets the tone for a collection filled with wit, candor, and a healthy dose of girl talk. The stories read like gist and give you the feeling of being in a juicy gossip session with friends. It's a fun time and phrases like:
“...and no, I can't twerk on your d*ck I've got weak knees - sex should be jeje, easy,” will have you on the floor snorting with laughter.
On the macro level, in my opinion, the strength of the book lay in the stories that felt outstandingly outrageous yet still rooted in reality and hence relatable and easy to imagine. The author, however, fell short in some of the stories that veered too far into the fantastical, feeling disconnected from genuine experiences. I wanted to feel like I'm listening to an actual person sharing their escapades and not like I'm listening to made up stories. Stories like "Beard Gang" and those featuring sudden encounters with billionaires/millionaires, for example, felt implausible, detracting from the authenticity that made the other stories compelling and disrupting the flow of the narrative, pulling me out of the relatable space Kuku so expertly crafted in other stories.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the conversational and casual writing style used in the book, which is simply perfect for the dramatic tone and mood of the book and made it feel lighthearted, funny, witty and saucy all at once. The author also added the perfect amount of pidgin english that made the book feel wonderfully authentic to its setting and its characters, without making it inaccessible to non-pidgin speakers like myself.
Overall, It's the perfect read for anyone looking for some laughs on the lighthearted everyday misadventures "encountered" in the dating and marriage world. It's the perfect reminder for everyone who's gone through such misfortunes that they are not alone in their troubles. Perhaps as best exemplified in the fourth story, 'International Relations,' it's not just the Lagos men that are mad, it's all of them. Therefore, while locally set, the stories are universally experienced.
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
funny and quick read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Infidelity, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content
funny
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
⚠️ CW: Please do check if you like to know these in advance of reading
I honestly didn't know how to review these short stories initially, guys. What a wild ride 😆 ..but in a great way! I'd been in a reading slump prior to picking this up but the way that I really didn't want to put this down! The perfect book choice to overcome the slump.
This collection was hilarious and scandalous from the get go, and I legit spent most of the time cracking all the way up. Its characters are wild and audacious, and I found the chaos of it all thoroughly entertaining. Whilst the emphasis is on the men of Lagos, I can't lie, some of the women in the collection also displayed some very questionable behaviour 👀
Despite the fact that the collection is full of laugh out loud moments, that's not to say that it doesn't deal with some serious and more complex issues too, and Kuku strikes this balance so so well. One of the latter stories in particular has a slightly different tone and I loved its poignancy where we're brought into the exploration of loss and male vulnerability. I'd also say to approach the last story with caution as it really hones in on its own serious and triggering topic.
I've usually preferred short stories that are interconnected, so am surprised that this flowed for me as well as it did. I don't think there was one story that I didn't enjoy, and I really loved Kuku's writing style and characterisation (even when the characters were shocking and annoying the heck out of me lol). I slyly wish I'd done a buddy read for this 😆 but what a fun and engaging read this was.
I honestly didn't know how to review these short stories initially, guys. What a wild ride 😆 ..but in a great way! I'd been in a reading slump prior to picking this up but the way that I really didn't want to put this down! The perfect book choice to overcome the slump.
This collection was hilarious and scandalous from the get go, and I legit spent most of the time cracking all the way up. Its characters are wild and audacious, and I found the chaos of it all thoroughly entertaining. Whilst the emphasis is on the men of Lagos, I can't lie, some of the women in the collection also displayed some very questionable behaviour 👀
Despite the fact that the collection is full of laugh out loud moments, that's not to say that it doesn't deal with some serious and more complex issues too, and Kuku strikes this balance so so well. One of the latter stories in particular has a slightly different tone and I loved its poignancy where we're brought into the exploration of loss and male vulnerability. I'd also say to approach the last story with caution as it really hones in on its own serious and triggering topic.
I've usually preferred short stories that are interconnected, so am surprised that this flowed for me as well as it did. I don't think there was one story that I didn't enjoy, and I really loved Kuku's writing style and characterisation (even when the characters were shocking and annoying the heck out of me lol). I slyly wish I'd done a buddy read for this 😆 but what a fun and engaging read this was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A