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bonnie9595's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
This is a really fab book, but it isn't the book it is marketed as - unless you have a very different interpretation of SATC from me. The characters feel very real; sometimes, when an author writes in multiple voices, they can start to feel samey, but I thought each of the 3 girls was consistent and convincing. I also really enjoyed the unfolding of the drama! I was raised on crime so I look for twists where there often aren't any, but there is plenty to unravel here. The multiple narratives also help to create suspense, and it is quite gratifying to be able to see different perspectives on the same event.
What I didn't like:
The end feels almost abrupt - I could have used another 100 pages to flesh it out. The main characters arcs are wrapped up, but it feels a bit superficial; you don't get the satisfaction of seeing their conflicts resolve, and so it feels a bit unsatisfying. Some of the characters get more than they deserve, and others less, which is a bit frustrating as a reader, but I do think if given longer to digest the events of the climax and the ensuing carnage it would have been more palatable. Also, the fatphobia towards Ronke, who I think at one point is said to be a size 14 was a bit off-putting - the way her friends talked about her was so unkind in a way that made me really dislike them.
Very excited to see the TV adaptation and to see if they expand on anything!
What I didn't like:
The end feels almost abrupt - I could have used another 100 pages to flesh it out. The main characters arcs are wrapped up, but it feels a bit superficial; you don't get the satisfaction of seeing their conflicts resolve, and so it feels a bit unsatisfying. Some of the characters get more than they deserve, and others less, which is a bit frustrating as a reader, but I do think if given longer to digest the events of the climax and the ensuing carnage it would have been more palatable. Also, the fatphobia towards Ronke, who I think at one point is said to be a size 14 was a bit off-putting - the way her friends talked about her was so unkind in a way that made me really dislike them.
Very excited to see the TV adaptation and to see if they expand on anything!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault
graceev's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Car accident, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Stalking and Abortion
Abusive relationshipcaseythereader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.25
Thanks to Libro FM for the free copy of this book.
- WAHALA is pitched as an Anglo-Nigerian Sex and the City, which, sure, in the sense that it's about a group of girlfriends and their relationships. But it's also more than that, of course.
- The story builds slowly as we learn about each woman and her life, regrets, annoyances, and sense of belonging in London's Nigerian community. At first it seems like just a standard literary fiction novel peeking into their lives, but about 3/4 of the way through things take A TURN and suddenly you're on a rollercoaster with them, rushing to turn the pages and figure out what the heck is happening.
- I won't give anything away, but give this one a try if you're in the mood for something with both depth and action.
- WAHALA is pitched as an Anglo-Nigerian Sex and the City, which, sure, in the sense that it's about a group of girlfriends and their relationships. But it's also more than that, of course.
- The story builds slowly as we learn about each woman and her life, regrets, annoyances, and sense of belonging in London's Nigerian community. At first it seems like just a standard literary fiction novel peeking into their lives, but about 3/4 of the way through things take A TURN and suddenly you're on a rollercoaster with them, rushing to turn the pages and figure out what the heck is happening.
- I won't give anything away, but give this one a try if you're in the mood for something with both depth and action.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Grief, Infidelity, Murder, Racism, Sexual assault, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt
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: Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Grief, Murder, Racism, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Abortion, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
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