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yolie's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The book spends a lot of time building up the tension to this “tragic event” forboded in the synopsis and introduced early on into the book. However, when the incident occurs it is dealt with rather swiftly and makes the ending seem rushed and unsatisfactory.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Toxic friendship, Violence, Fatphobia, Racism, Gaslighting, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Car accident, Death, Abortion, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Police brutality, and Toxic relationship
jeniwarren's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Wahala
By Nikki May
Three friends close since college, an interloper comes into the close circle. Mayhem erupts.
That’s the gist of it. The big reveal left me wishing for more.
3 stars ⭐️ on Goodreads
3.5 stars ⭐️ on Storygraph
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, and Grief
Moderate: Abortion and Violence
saraheli's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Alcohol, Body shaming, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Grief, Violence, Stalking, Racism, Infidelity, Fatphobia, and Murder
Moderate: Abortion, Bullying, Alcoholism, Police brutality, and Sexual content
bookish_wanderer's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Racism
mysterymom40's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Racism, Body shaming, and Gaslighting
Minor: Stalking and Abortion
simpleexplorations's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Death of parent, Violence, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Car accident, Infidelity, and Abortion
evavstheworld's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship and Infidelity
Moderate: Abortion, Violence, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Bullying
Minor: Death of parent
caseythereader'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
thebookblondie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
Wahala by Nikki May (#1 in 2022)
Simi, Boo, and Ronke are three Anglo-Nigerian best friends who are inseparable despite their very different personal lives. When Isobel, a glamorous woman from Simi's past, joins the group, relationships start to strain and things take a turn towards trouble, and “wahala” means trouble.
If I could describe this book in comparisons to film, I would say it's: the character vibes from Sex and the City combined with the small-town drama of Big Little Lies and transition from lighthearted to the dark side from The Flight Attendant. This is one of those books that initially starts out as gossipy and fun but gradually turns dramatic and dark.
The characters are relatable as each has her own insecurities, and the anxiety as their feelings and secrets come to the surface is palpable.
This is a fantastic debut, and Nikki May is officially on my auto-buy list!
Let me just say that I am SO GLAD this was my first read of 2022! I started off the new year with a five star read, and I'm going to take that as an auspicious start to my year of reading!
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Thank you to @libro.fm for my advanced listening copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
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