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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-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
A character driven story of three Nigerian women living and working in Singapore. I loved how well flashed out the characters were; they were not perfect which gave them a realistic feel. Dara is a successful lawyer working hard for partner position. Her friend Amaka has a great job and a wonderful boyfriend. The third woman is Lillian, trying very hard to have a baby. Their lives and friendship was challenged and tested by an arrival of a new man, Lani.
Each of the woman can be a main character in their own book. Their stories are so compelling, and I wish I had more of that. I did not care how they all were “obsessing” (all for different reasons) over one man.
Best part: they have a book club and a lot of wonderful books were read and mentioned which reminded me that I have to read Purple Hibiscus.
Each of the woman can be a main character in their own book. Their stories are so compelling, and I wish I had more of that. I did not care how they all were “obsessing” (all for different reasons) over one man.
Best part: they have a book club and a lot of wonderful books were read and mentioned which reminded me that I have to read Purple Hibiscus.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Sun Sets in Singapore was highly recommended by author Nenia Campbell, who I follow on Threads and who happens to share my love for messy, often unlikable female characters. With a comp to Crazy Rich Asians, due to the setting, but following Black (primarily Nigerian) expats, I was further sold. It’s just the sort of soapy drama I adore, along with the picturesque, well-drawn setting of Singapore, and I was sucked in from page one, with it not letting me go until I was done.
To call these characters messy is somewhat of an understatement. Some of their drama is a bit over-the-top and ridiculous, but each of them stand out in their own ways. Dara is a corporate lawyer hoping to make partner at her firm but is in competition for the position, Lillian is a former pianist dealing with problems in her marriage, and Amaka is a banker reckoning with the scandal of her birth out of wedlock. All of them had their wild moments, but they all felt grounded within the realm of the narrative, even if some of their actions seem rather heightened at times. And in spite of crossing the line, I did find each of them endearing and they all grew and evolved over the course of the story through their processes of self-discovery. Having a man be at the center of each of their arcs, and the same man at that, was a bit cliche, but I did like how this added another layer of connectivity to them beyond what had already been established.
This was a lot of fun, and I’m open to reading more from Kehinde Fadipe in the future. I’d recommend it if you enjoy soapy contemporary dramas following Black women in international settings.
Wasted hours and hours on this book.
First read it week ago, got halfway through- tossed it aside and was very unmotivated to finish. Forced myself again last night and tonight and got through 75 pages.
Decided to DNF and that’s it—I won’t be reading all of Read with Jenna’s picks anymore, there were multiple ones this year that were so so bad.
First read it week ago, got halfway through- tossed it aside and was very unmotivated to finish. Forced myself again last night and tonight and got through 75 pages.
Decided to DNF and that’s it—I won’t be reading all of Read with Jenna’s picks anymore, there were multiple ones this year that were so so bad.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5 rounded to 3. A group of Nigerian women living and working in Singapore get together for a book club and get involved in each other’s lives. And of course, since it’s a group of women, there will be gossip and discord.
One Nigerian single male comes into the picture and what a coinkydink, they all either: know him/want to date him/want to sabotage his career/have sex with him. Author overdid it on the whole ‘I’m living in Singapore while I write part of this book so I’ll include a lot of Singapore nuances….multiple times.’ Also, publishing date on the book was Oct 2022. Why isn’t ‘Black’ capitalized like it should be? For that, for making it seem like everyone living in Singapore is filthy rich, and for rushing the ending, I’ll give it a 2.5…bumped to 3.
One Nigerian single male comes into the picture and what a coinkydink, they all either: know him/want to date him/want to sabotage his career/have sex with him. Author overdid it on the whole ‘I’m living in Singapore while I write part of this book so I’ll include a lot of Singapore nuances….multiple times.’ Also, publishing date on the book was Oct 2022. Why isn’t ‘Black’ capitalized like it should be? For that, for making it seem like everyone living in Singapore is filthy rich, and for rushing the ending, I’ll give it a 2.5…bumped to 3.
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for a digital copy of this debut novel for my honest opinion.
I enjoyed the ex-pat storyline of three Nigerian women living and working in Singapore. I really love traveling through books and the Singapore storyline did not disappoint. This book contains themes of women's friendship, diverse characters, and the vibe of a soap opera.
This is the November selection for the Read With Jenna book club.
I enjoyed the ex-pat storyline of three Nigerian women living and working in Singapore. I really love traveling through books and the Singapore storyline did not disappoint. This book contains themes of women's friendship, diverse characters, and the vibe of a soap opera.
This is the November selection for the Read With Jenna book club.