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soundlysmitten's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-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
3.0
Wahala spills the tea on three longtime friends and the secrets they keep. None of them are quite satisfied with their thirty-something lives, but while Simi is loath to admit it, Boo cannot seem to get enough commiseration, and the two have nothing but negativity for Ronke. So when an old friend of Simi’s arrives in London, all ears and bottles of Cristal and f*ck everyone advice, they seem mostly appreciative of the way she starts to shake things up. Little do they know, Isobel’s endgame involves turning drama into destruction.
I would agree that Wahala has a bit of Sex and the City charm in that it’s fiercely transparent and largely entertaining—personally, I found Boo’s catty little daughter most hilarious—but it does better than the ‘white women in their all-white circle’ premise, for sure. Coming from more than one background myself, I was intrigued by the way these women identify and connect with their heritage. Although my ancestry is different, I found I could relate to certain experiences, especially where issues of identity and family are concerned. I learned a lot about Nigerian culture, too, and I can’t wait to try Ronke’s Jollof Rice & Aunty K’s Moin-Moin recipe cause this book had me craving.
Alternating between Simi, Boo, and Ronke’s point of view, I found each section (narrated in third person limited, if you’d like to know) interesting but easy enough to digest. Still, I took my time with it. It wasn’t a book where I felt a dire need to know what happens next, but when I did have free time I’d often find myself thinking about Ronke, specifically, and feeling compelled to pick the story back up.
However, the biggest draw for me was that I didn’t actually love what lies beneath Simi, Boo, and Ronke’s friendship. It’s clear that the three women are closer to each other than any other friends they may have, but they seem judgmental and guarded from the start. And of course, all the talking smack and breaking trust gets worse as things progress. Makes sense for the story, and probably mirrors a common real life dynamic, but it’s not the type of friendship I like to read about. The best thing about friends is knowing they have your back and you don’t have to go through the messy stuff alone, no?
As for individual character development… Boo is clearly miserable and it’s sad, but it’s also frustrating because she jumps at every opportunity to bring her loved ones down, even as they’re genuinely trying to be there for her. And while Simi surely experiences some debilitating emotions, the way she treats her friends is still disappointing. Even though Ronke isn’t perfect, I ended up caring for her the most, which is surprising considering I thought she was standoffish in the beginning. But truthfully, even she does some things that aren’t cool. Ironically, I also ended up liking Didi despite the fact that I initially found him annoying and thought he was super out of line at one point, too. But Martin inexcusably loses his temper in one instance, as well. And Kayode…he really was a sh*tty boyfriend—I wanted Ronke to break up with him for acting like she owed him sex, and a bunch of other things—but I didn’t want him to die!
I can deal with flawed characters—there’s no story without them—but obviously I like to see them track growth. And most of the time, I grow to care for them more deeply because of it. The opposite happened here, though. I felt for Boo & Simi in the beginning, but ended up caring much less by the end because of all the ugly things they say and the narcissistic way they tend to act. It seemed to me like neither of them feel a real need to change until about 80% in and they barely have their heads on straight by the end. That may be realistic, though. And it may be foolish to pick up a book called Wahala and expect it to be idyllic, anyway.
But speaking of trouble, even though I knew Isobel was no good and plenty of instances triggered that awareness, there’s so much every day frustration in this book that I completely forgot how the beginning foretells such a gruesome end.I thought for sure Ronke was recording their final confrontation, and that Isobel would be arrested. How can she just go free?? I would’ve liked more content from Isobel’s perspective on that front because we only get a vague idea of what sorts of things go on in her mind.
Ultimately, while this wasn’t my absolute favorite read, I’m still glad I picked it up and would recommend others do the same!
Thank you NetGalley & Nikki May for providing me an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
I would agree that Wahala has a bit of Sex and the City charm in that it’s fiercely transparent and largely entertaining—personally, I found Boo’s catty little daughter most hilarious—but it does better than the ‘white women in their all-white circle’ premise, for sure. Coming from more than one background myself, I was intrigued by the way these women identify and connect with their heritage. Although my ancestry is different, I found I could relate to certain experiences, especially where issues of identity and family are concerned. I learned a lot about Nigerian culture, too, and I can’t wait to try Ronke’s Jollof Rice & Aunty K’s Moin-Moin recipe cause this book had me craving.
Alternating between Simi, Boo, and Ronke’s point of view, I found each section (narrated in third person limited, if you’d like to know) interesting but easy enough to digest. Still, I took my time with it. It wasn’t a book where I felt a dire need to know what happens next, but when I did have free time I’d often find myself thinking about Ronke, specifically, and feeling compelled to pick the story back up.
However, the biggest draw for me was that I didn’t actually love what lies beneath Simi, Boo, and Ronke’s friendship. It’s clear that the three women are closer to each other than any other friends they may have, but they seem judgmental and guarded from the start. And of course, all the talking smack and breaking trust gets worse as things progress. Makes sense for the story, and probably mirrors a common real life dynamic, but it’s not the type of friendship I like to read about. The best thing about friends is knowing they have your back and you don’t have to go through the messy stuff alone, no?
As for individual character development… Boo is clearly miserable and it’s sad, but it’s also frustrating because she jumps at every opportunity to bring her loved ones down, even as they’re genuinely trying to be there for her. And while Simi surely experiences some debilitating emotions, the way she treats her friends is still disappointing. Even though Ronke isn’t perfect, I ended up caring for her the most, which is surprising considering I thought she was standoffish in the beginning. But truthfully, even she does some things that aren’t cool. Ironically, I also ended up liking Didi despite the fact that I initially found him annoying and thought he was super out of line at one point, too. But Martin inexcusably loses his temper in one instance, as well. And Kayode…
I can deal with flawed characters—there’s no story without them—but obviously I like to see them track growth. And most of the time, I grow to care for them more deeply because of it. The opposite happened here, though. I felt for Boo & Simi in the beginning, but ended up caring much less by the end because of all the ugly things they say and the narcissistic way they tend to act. It seemed to me like neither of them feel a real need to change until about 80% in and they barely have their heads on straight by the end. That may be realistic, though. And it may be foolish to pick up a book called Wahala and expect it to be idyllic, anyway.
But speaking of trouble, even though I knew Isobel was no good and plenty of instances triggered that awareness, there’s so much every day frustration in this book that I completely forgot how the beginning foretells such a gruesome end.
Ultimately, while this wasn’t my absolute favorite read, I’m still glad I picked it up and would recommend others do the same!
Thank you NetGalley & Nikki May for providing me an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, and Murder
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Abortion, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
lianne_rooney's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Ronke, Simi and Boo are Nigerian-English friends in their mid 30's living in London. Isobel, a childhood friend of Simi's abruptly reappears in her life and has soon inserted herself into their lives and begins to exploit the tensions in their relationships leading to all kinds of drama and heartache.
This was a fairly quick, easy read and I was invested enough in the relationships to want to keep reading on. I particularly liked Ronke and her assistant Rafa but I felt frustrated with most of the other characters. I wasn't convinced they could be so easily influenced by Isobel and that it would take them so long to work out what was going on. From the description of the book I was expecting a thriller and that's not really what this is. I enjoyed the depiction of the Nigerian community in London - the food, the clothing, the family dynamics - and it was refreshing to read a book focused on three smart, capable mixed-race women in their 30's but this didn't really meet my expectations.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced review copy.
This was a fairly quick, easy read and I was invested enough in the relationships to want to keep reading on. I particularly liked Ronke and her assistant Rafa but I felt frustrated with most of the other characters. I wasn't convinced they could be so easily influenced by Isobel and that it would take them so long to work out what was going on. From the description of the book I was expecting a thriller and that's not really what this is. I enjoyed the depiction of the Nigerian community in London - the food, the clothing, the family dynamics - and it was refreshing to read a book focused on three smart, capable mixed-race women in their 30's but this didn't really meet my expectations.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced review copy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Infertility, Violence, and Stalking
cerilouisereads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Violence, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Grief, Stalking, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
kateflood's review against another edition
medium-paced
5.0
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely devoured this book. The three main characters of Ronke, Simi and Boo are feel so incredibly real and well-developed, which makes the cracks in their friendship once Isobel is introduced even more heartbreaking. All three women are flawed and make mistakes, which makes it all the more interesting to read from each of their perspectives.
I wasn’t able to predict where the plot was going which is a gripe I often have with thrillers, and the book touched on dark topics without making me want to put it down. On the contrary, I was enthralled the entire time, and I can totally see why it’s going to be made into a TV serial.
I adored the way that this book dealt with dual nationality, race, class, and identity. It felt like especially through the character of Ronke, May was writing a love-letter to British-Nigerian culture, which was incredible for me to read as a total outsider to that culture.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Racism, Abortion, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Infertility and Suicide
cookreadrepeat's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Review to come.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Chronic illness, Death, Stalking, Abortion, Murder, and Pregnancy