Scan barcode
jtpgdavey's review against another edition
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
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Classism, Fatphobia, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Murder, and Death of parent
Minor: Police brutality, Pregnancy, Car accident, Blood, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, and Stalking
ashyyy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The writing was easily digestible and I loved the three main friends' dynamic. Although the ending was incredible and made me want to yell at the characters for their choices, I found the beginning a little slower than I'd have liked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Grief, Violence, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
peachani's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Death, Blood, Infidelity, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Grief
Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Alcohol, Stalking, and Gaslighting
Minor: Bullying, Abandonment, Fatphobia, Abortion, Body shaming, and Pregnancy
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
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
natxnovels's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Abortion and Grief
Minor: Murder
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
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: Abortion, Alcohol, Body shaming, Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Suicide, Rape, Racism, Murder, and Infidelity
Minor: Stalking, Violence, and Infertility
travelseatsreads's review
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I requested Wahala as I was immediately drawn to the cover which is so striking and colourful and I honestly feel that this translated through to the book itself. Wahala is a bright vibrant story of 3 Anglo- Nigerian friends and their everyday lives in London. The book bring us through the trials and tribulations of the lives of Ronke, Boo and Simi and we see how they deal with the everyday dramas of relationships, motherhood, family drama and of course friendship.
The first 85% of the book is an enjoyable slow burning but drama filled women's fiction style story so I can kind of see the comparisons to Sex and the City in the marketing. These 3 girls are out living their best lives while negotiating their home lives in what seems to be a perfect balance. Until....
Cut to the last 15% of the book and hold on to your seats this ride is going to get bumpy. While throughout the book there was a simmering tension and you could certainly feel things weren't quite right, the twist and turns that come in the last section of the book are absolutely gripping.
The characters within the book are each 3 very clear individuals and it's great to see that shown from the classic married with kids to the girl who isn't too sure if she even wants kids. The book oozes with personality and vibrancy in every way. I especially loved the insight and glimpses it gave to traditional Nigerian culture but also to how these have adapted over time as people have moved about. The constant mentions of the food had my tummy rumbling throughout. I think it would have been amazing if there was a little glossary of the Nigerian terms at the back to save putting the book down and googling each time a new one popped up.
Overall I really enjoyed this book, I probably would have preferred a little bit more action earlier on but that's just me. A must read think, Big Little Lies with a seasoning of My Sister, The Serial Killer.
The first 85% of the book is an enjoyable slow burning but drama filled women's fiction style story so I can kind of see the comparisons to Sex and the City in the marketing. These 3 girls are out living their best lives while negotiating their home lives in what seems to be a perfect balance. Until....
Cut to the last 15% of the book and hold on to your seats this ride is going to get bumpy. While throughout the book there was a simmering tension and you could certainly feel things weren't quite right, the twist and turns that come in the last section of the book are absolutely gripping.
The characters within the book are each 3 very clear individuals and it's great to see that shown from the classic married with kids to the girl who isn't too sure if she even wants kids. The book oozes with personality and vibrancy in every way. I especially loved the insight and glimpses it gave to traditional Nigerian culture but also to how these have adapted over time as people have moved about. The constant mentions of the food had my tummy rumbling throughout. I think it would have been amazing if there was a little glossary of the Nigerian terms at the back to save putting the book down and googling each time a new one popped up.
Overall I really enjoyed this book, I probably would have preferred a little bit more action earlier on but that's just me. A must read think, Big Little Lies with a seasoning of My Sister, The Serial Killer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death of parent and Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion, Body shaming, Grief, and Stalking