Reviews with content warning for Stalking - Wahala

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Wahala by Nikki May

33 reviews

christinabijou's review against another edition

challenging slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book took quite a lot of time to build up, but the twist at the end was good! I wish the author had spent a little less time building up the plot/drama, and paid more attention to the ending. The ending felt rushed and abrupt.

Most of the main characters are unlikeable, oblivious, and childish. I can appreciate when authors develop a few unlikeable characters because—hey, that’s life. You won’t like everyone and not everyone is good intentioned—but good God. These women were insufferable at some points. At times, I was left wondering whether any of them were actually friends with one another considering how they talked to and treated each other (and their other family/friends). Oddly, the most redeemable character seemed to get the shortest stick at the end.

However, I will credit the author for placing so much attention on the characters’ flaws. I was too busy ranting and raving over them to see the twist at the end coming. Maybe that was her plan all along, who knows. But +1 for the surprise.

One final note—throughout the book, the women made a number of colorist, racist, and xenophobic comments that I wish the author would have addressed. The anti-Blackness was teeming from them in almost every chapter.

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thereaderfriend's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

Liked it but felt the ending was rushed :/ was very predictable too

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kirstenlikestoread's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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peachani's review against another edition

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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

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dominiquediane's review against another edition

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tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book starts with the aftermath of Wahala — a storm of stress and trouble — that has swept through the lives of three biracial British-Nigerian friends in the form of the beautiful and glamorous newcomer, Isobel. There is a feeling that something awful has happened, that a crime has been committed, but before anything is revealed, we are taken back to the beginning when Ronke, Simi, and Boo are approaching almost twenty years of friendship.

At its core, this book is very much about these three women navigating their friendship, but it’s also about them navigating their separate relationships with other friends, partners, family, and more. All three are at very different places in their lives, providing for some very diverse storylines. Ronke, a successful dentist and even better cook, is in search of the love of her life - and she believes she might have finally found him. Boo has a beautiful family, but is more focused on her career and is secretly unhappy with her life and tired of not being taken seriously. Simi is lying to her husband about their attempts at conceiving while she’s secretly still on birth control. While these women aren’t always entirely honest with each other, they’ve still always relied on each other for support. However, despite their struggles and the secrets brewing beneath the surface, it isn’t until Isobel infiltrates their friend group that the titular wahala arrives.

While all the characters are compelling in their own way, they are definitely not all likeable. They each have their demons, insecurities, and flaws that make them susceptible to Isobel’s influence. But it’s that very thing that allows the author to expose the insidious nature of toxic friendships in a real way. Each of the women’s stories was compelling and dynamic, contributing a lot to the incredible pacing. Instead of reading a book, it felt more like overhearing the characters gossiping one table over while you enjoy some jollof rice at their favorite Nigerian restaurant. Typically, one character’s story is more interesting than another’s in books with multiple perspectives, but that was not my experience with Wahala. Ronke, Boo, Simi, and even Isobel all had strong personalities and unique voices. The author’s ability to keep the POVs of every character interesting was impressive for a debut author.

If you’re reading this book because it was marketed to you as a thriller, be prepared for a slow burn. Many of the thriller aspects of the book take a back seat to the exploration of these women’s lives and friendships. This is more of a drama or a soap with social thriller elements. There’s gossip, backstabbing, cheating, lying, revenge, and miscommunication - constant twists and turns to keep propelling things forward. For that reason, the book is never boring and I always had a reason to keep reading. For those who were told this book had Sex and the City vibes, beyond the basic premise of four women friends this book is very much its own unique thing and I think the comparison, while great for marketing, is in poor taste and actually rather sells the book short in the end.

I loved how this book exposed a lot of the barriers to success that women — and especially women of color — face and also how that success looks different to different people. And just because you would be happy or unhappy in someone else’s life, it doesn’t mean that they should feel the same about it.

I gave this book 4.5 stars, but decided to round down because I still think the author has a lot of promise and her next book will be even better. I would have loved to see higher, darker stakes for the characters. Despite their motivations being clear and believable, I was more invested for the drama than anything. While there’s nothing wrong with that, I got the sense that the author wanted things to be darker and deeper, but simply didn’t quite take her skill far enough. Ronke, Boo, and Simi could have been driven over the edge and pushed to rock bottom by Isobel and forced to reconcile with that before the story resolved, but it felt as if things just were never taken as far as the really could have been. Also, one of my least favorite of all tropes did very briefly rear its head - miscommunication. Thankfully, the miscommunication did last for long, but the writer could have developed a more creative to move the plot along.

In summary, I will definitely read Nikki May’s next book. I hope she takes advantage of her ability to write such compelling characters and really show us what she can do with them. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a lighter thriller featuring heavily on toxic friendship drama.

Also, not enough reviewers mention this, but Nigerian cuisine features very heavily in the book, and the food is described so well you almost want to lick the pages. There are recipes at the end as an added bonus!

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yolie's review against another edition

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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.

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