Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Wahala by Nikki May

54 reviews

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! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault

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

runlaurarun's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Stalking, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Death of parent

Minor: Murder

ellawhen's review against another edition

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

Graphic: Murder, Infidelity, Death, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death of parent

bookishkellyn's review against another edition

• 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

3.0

Simi daftly reconnects with her former childhood best friend–her alobam–and brings her into the fold. It was obvious from the beginning that Isobel was a weirdo and that a friend group established from being mixed race was already a shaky foundation, so the chaos she cooked up was light work. The way Boo & Simi downrated Ronke was infuriating, because she was truly the most likeable character. She was the only one satisfied with her life but suffered the most. I liked the first half of the book, but the plot got more unbelievable as it went on. I didn’t like the ending at all.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Murder

Moderate: Classism, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Racism, and Body shaming

Minor: Pregnancy, Abandonment, Abortion, Bullying, Violence, Stalking, Domestic abuse, and Infertility

mariana27's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

Wahala was a great read. Incisive look into female friendships. Very frustrating at times though, be warned. Extremely well-written characters.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder and Violence

mayahill22's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

OMG i looked this book. Usually I don’t go for a slow paced book but once it picked up it was riveting. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, and Murder

Moderate: Violence and Pregnancy

Minor: Suicide

edhyndman's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad fast-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Domestic abuse

laurataylor's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Police brutality, Sexual content, Body shaming, Death, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Murder, and Toxic friendship

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.5

 Wahala is the story of Boo, Ronke and Simi, three Anglo-Nigerian best friends and the changes that occur to their friendship and in their individual lives when Isobel, a childhood friend of Simi’s from Nigeria, reconnects with her and befriends Ronke and Boo as well. Don’t let the cute cover fool you - this is a dark tale. The pacing was good and the author did a great job of slowly dropping clues that all was not as it seemed and thus ramping up the stress and tension. I enjoyed watching Ronke, Boo and Simi navigate the issues in their personal lives even when they made choices I would not have. I also appreciated seeing them navigate the realities of their dual heritage (all have white mothers and Nigerian fathers) and the role which Nigerian culture plays in their life. I’ve got mixed feelings about the ending - one aspect I liked, the other infuriated me. A quick entertaining read. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Toxic friendship