Reviews with content warning for Racism - Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband?

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? is a fun light hearted read that will be perfect to enjoy sitting by the beach or in your garden with a glass of wine. There are a multitude of reviews which compare the book to a Nigerian Bridget Jones's Diary and I can totally see the similarity. The characters are vibrant and it was great to see the snippets of traditional Nigerian culture mixed with everyday London life. For me it felt a little bit like read a YA novel rather than a book about someone in their thirties, so while I did enjoy it I didn't love it as much as I was expecting to.

Nevertheless I'd definitely recommend it for someone looking for an enjoyable easy summer read.

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haileybones's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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.

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lizlikesfrogs's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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hkburke2's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

What a well done audiobook! The narrator and sound effects were great. I have a hard time with stories where you can see the train wreck coming, but the characters and deftly handled relationship issues (family and friends) carried me through. Tough subjects but a lovely listen.

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jessgreads's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⬜

Title: Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband?

Author: Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Author Info: WOC

Setting: Peckham (South London, England

Month Read: January, 2022

Book Type: Hardcover

Publication: 2022

Pages: 384

*January BotM pick

TRIGGER WARNING-

Depression / Colorism / Grief /

"I need to get in touch with who I really am," I say. "Not try to be the person the world wants me to be"

No Spoiler Summary:

Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? is part contemporary fiction, part romance? You follow our lead, Yinka, as she navigates her early thirties void of the passion she is so longing for (and everyone else is embarrassingly longing for for her.) Imagine having a room full of people praying that you find a 'huzband' ---and fast!

Yinka is stuck at a job she doesn't love, mourning a relationship ended years before, and wondering when it will be her turn to get married, have kids, and enjoy the life everyone around her seems to be living. (Well, not everyone --- but most.) The novel is mostly centered around Yinka trying to find a date for her cousin's wedding thats 6 months away, but while we watch her try to achieve her goal, we watch missteps, embarassment, hilarity, sadness, and more within the 384 pages.

Will Yinka find a date to her cousin's wedding? Will she find a huzband? Will people stop publicly praying over her dating life? Well, to get answers you'll have to read and find out.

Review:

I'm really surprised how much I liked this novel, having just read a slightly similar book (Queenie) that I didn't really enjoy. Both books follow Black daughters-or-granddaughters- of immigrants through the London Metropolitan area- but the books tonally couldn't be more different. I think Yinka has such a fresh voice, and despite her failures, you really want to see her succeed by the end of the novel. I love that even at her most pessimistic moments, she still has faith, and she is never bogged down in how sorry she feels for herself. There were so many moments that I think any early something-year-old could see themselves in, especially parts that had nothing to do with the romance aspect of the novel.

The absolute BEST part of Yinka is the supporting characters. There are too many to list, but you know who each and every one of them is throughout the novel-- you never rack your brain trying to remember Auntie Blessing or Big Momma, Donovan or Femi, Nana or Ola-- everyone has such a clear voice, such a clear persona, and you feel like you know each and every one of them-- like you're there. I'd really love a book following Nana, who was probably my favorite throughout the entire novel- she had some of the best lines, and toed the line between being comic relief and a very serious, worried friend perfectly.

Last, but certainly not least- this book really focuses on the power of loving yourself, and I think that especially now this is such a poignant message. I know that postpartum I went through a lot and worked really hard to get back to a place where I felt comfortable in my body-- and a lot of Yinka's inner monologue just really hit me in ways I didn't expect. If anyone reads this book and doesn't have a therapist, they sure will by the end. It's such an important message to send, and furthermore sending the message how counseling and therapy are okay, and great, even- is wonderful. I'm so glad so many characters found what they needed through talking to someone.

Overall, if you like contemporary fiction mixed with a tiny bit of romance- I think this is a book for you. It feels like books I've read before and loved, but gave new life to this specific genre. I'd love to read anything Lizzie Damilola Blackburn writes next and I'm so grateful this was picked up by Book of the Month after all the hype I had been hearing about this. :)

Recommendation:

For books about finding your self worth & also stories of second/third generation immigrants-

Yolk - Mary H.K Choi

Queenie - Candice Carty-Williams

Sankofa - Chibundu Onuzo

For non-white romances:

The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang

Instructions for Dancing - Nicola Yoon

Loveboat, Taipei - Abigail Hing-Wen

The Henna Artist - Alka Joshi

"I realize how freeing it is to say what I think. To stand up for myself."

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lexa's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A fun story of finding (and loving) yourself first, woven with heavier topics such as mental health, colourism, and faith. Audiobook narration was great.

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cozylifewithabby's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book was great. Just the right amount of family dynamics, relationships, self-love and second hand embarrassment. Parts of the structure reminded me of Bridget Jones, but with more cultural and philosophical layers. Highly recommend.

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kirstym25's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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