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Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'
Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
31 reviews
matmatmatty's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
This is the story of Yinka who at 31, finds herself single while her sister and cousins are all married or engaged.
With a lot of pressure to get married, Yinka decides to start a plan to get a date for her cousin's wedding, which kicks off the story.
This is a romance but it isn't so much about finding love but feeling worthy of love. Yinka is someone who has certain views about the world that work in her disfavour - she sees other women's curves and immediately compared them to her own, she talks about how light others are in comparison to herself.
Yinka does a lot of things that I don't agree with (she lies to friends and family, she decides to change herself entirely, and drinks when she has always been a light drinker) but this is all to show her characterisation and her spiral (like I think it's clear that you're not meant to be rooting for her while she does this)
Overall, I enjoyed this book, but the final quarter was extremely emotional for me and really pushed this over the edge.
With a lot of pressure to get married, Yinka decides to start a plan to get a date for her cousin's wedding, which kicks off the story.
This is a romance but it isn't so much about finding love but feeling worthy of love. Yinka is someone who has certain views about the world that work in her disfavour - she sees other women's curves and immediately compared them to her own, she talks about how light others are in comparison to herself.
Yinka does a lot of things that I don't agree with (she lies to friends and family, she decides to change herself entirely, and drinks when she has always been a light drinker) but this is all to show her characterisation and her spiral (like I think it's clear that you're not meant to be rooting for her while she does this)
Overall, I enjoyed this book, but the final quarter was extremely emotional for me and really pushed this over the edge.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Body shaming
Moderate: Alcohol and Death
sandysmith's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.5
I enjoyed this book so much. It was a journey to self-love, about family, church, religion, and friendship pressures. It's not just the main character that grows, so do the people around her. Her Nigerian background was written in a way that I understood, and key themes of self-awareness, racism, and skin tone were explored. I don't like comparing books, but it was a black Bridget Jones more modern with teeth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Body shaming
Moderate: Death of parent and Alcohol
laurataylor's review
funny
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Sexual content
mariamsaidwhat's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Yinka is immature and seems younger than her thirty-something years. It also feels like I was tricked into thinking this would be a rom-com so I would pick it up. Somehow, I still don’t (totally) mind. It was refreshing to read about someone in her 30s dealing with her insecurities and not being forced into the perfect HEA by the end of the book. I would’ve loved an HEA, but the possibility of something felt more real than any other ending would have.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Grief, and Death of parent
There is a good amount dealing with the negative toll of colorism on her emotional state by the main character who is a dark-skinned Black woman.lgoconno's review
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming and Grief
adrienne_rennie's review
funny
hopeful
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Death of parent, Outing, and Alcohol
dr_aimz's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming
theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A well written story about self love, sisterly love, motherly love, and a quest for true love.
I both loved and hated Yinka. It was a real rollercoaster. LoL. I loved her at the start of the book as the reader is getting to know her. I felt a lot of sympathy for her—the struggles she was faced with and how she was treated by family.
But then I hated her as she became completely self absorbed and obsessed with dating. Her lying/omissions spun out of control and she became a disgusting person. I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to be her friend and she’s lucky she didn’t alienate everyone who cared for her.
After some tough love and hard truths from her friends and family, Yinka worked on herself with the help of a therapist and she stepped into her true self. She gained the self confidence she needed to become the woman she was meant to be.
I both loved and hated Yinka. It was a real rollercoaster. LoL. I loved her at the start of the book as the reader is getting to know her. I felt a lot of sympathy for her—the struggles she was faced with and how she was treated by family.
But then I hated her as she became completely self absorbed and obsessed with dating. Her lying/omissions spun out of control and she became a disgusting person. I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to be her friend and she’s lucky she didn’t alienate everyone who cared for her.
After some tough love and hard truths from her friends and family, Yinka worked on herself with the help of a therapist and she stepped into her true self. She gained the self confidence she needed to become the woman she was meant to be.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Racism
Minor: Death of parent
katsmedialibrary's review
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming
Moderate: Racism and Fatphobia
thenovelmaura's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
I enjoyed this one and thought it was especially delightful to listen to! Maybe this is because I got to experience all of the narrator's lovely accents; it made me feel more immersed in the story. Overall, I liked the focus on remaining true to your values and refusing to acquiesce to societal, familial, and peer pressures. This book was at times hilarious but often poignant, particularly when Yinka's insecurities about her appearance came up. Colorism is a thing, y'all!
Although Yinka's goal is romance, the true outcome of the book is her character growth and the relationships she builds along the way. I'm only docking a star because it was a bit too long and I could feel myself growing impatient in some of the middle sections. Overall, this is a solid debut novel and I hope Damilola Blackburn is already working on her next one!
Although Yinka's goal is romance, the true outcome of the book is her character growth and the relationships she builds along the way. I'm only docking a star because it was a bit too long and I could feel myself growing impatient in some of the middle sections. Overall, this is a solid debut novel and I hope Damilola Blackburn is already working on her next one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Body shaming
Moderate: Death of parent
Colorism