Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Stay with Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

34 reviews

bookishkellyn's review against another edition

sad tense

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

5.0

I thought this was just going to be a dual POV novel about an infertile couple (Akin & Yejide) and the second wife (Funmi) forced upon them in the tradition of polygamy. But the book’s synopsis barely touches on the real drama that unfolds in the rest of the story–lies, deception, infidelity, murder, death. Akin was THE most duplicitous character in the book. He reminds me of a quote: “Imagine the messiest person you know. It’s a man, isn’t it?” The plot twists were an A+.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Infertility, Child death, Abandonment, and Grief

Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Mental illness

Minor: Gun violence, Excrement, and Murder

kellyofcali's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.5

A very tough story - not for those who cannot deal with a series of crushing blows - but well written and I did feel it paints a picture of a certain place and experience. I don't know if I can say I enjoyed it, per se, given the heaviness, but I am glad I read it. I will say it is "pitched" mush differently than it reads - it's more about being in a marriage, relationships, and being a parent than about a second wife. I also found it ended a bit suddenly for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Grief, Child death, Dysphoria, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Infertility, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Abandonment, and Physical abuse

Minor: War

plantedjess's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infertility, Child death, Grief, and Pregnancy

sakisreads's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

3.5

✨ Thrifted ✨

This was a weird read for me. I kept putting it down and picking it back up, so I definitely didn’t process all of it fully. 

I was SHOCKED at the twist (I’ll put the spoilers in below) but I ate it up 😳

The fact that Akin knew he was impotent and then asked Dotun to SEDUCE Yejide… It was WILD. I gasped so much when I read that part 😂

The content warnings will also be included in this review.

Akin and Yejide were so human and that always interests me in books; I’ve often seen too many ‘perfect’ characters that don’t feel real to me.

There were definitely peaks and troughs in this story, so I’m giving it 3.5 stars out of 5. Thank you ✨

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Child death, Medical trauma, Blood, and Death

spkme_44292's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Infertility, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Infidelity

mikebond's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Meraviglioso romanzo sul legame tra genitori e figli che nemmeno le tragedie della vita possono rompere completamente.
Bella  'impostazione con due voci narranti che si alternano e raccontano i fatti dalla propria prospettiva.
Un romanzo che fa piangere, arrabbiarsi, ma anche sperare. Lo consiglio!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Medical content, and Grief

Moderate: Infidelity and Pregnancy

Minor: Police brutality, Violence, and Sexual content

pranjuli's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Child death, Terminal illness, Infertility, and Grief

welpidk's review against another edition

emotional sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Grief

katiejohns's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Child death, and Infidelity

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Body shaming, and Death of parent

annreadsabook's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Late to the party with this one, but I finally read Stay With Me and it is so good! It’s got heart, it’s got drama, it’s got social commentary. This book had me GASPING.

I loved that Adébáyọ̀ uses this book to consider the pressures that people face to become parents, and the lengths some might go to both have and protect their families. Yejide gets into some extremely difficult situations because of both external and internal pressures to have a child with the man she loves, who has taken a second wife at the behest of his family. Meanwhile, Yejide, whose own mother died giving birth to her, continues to navigate her own struggles with ideas of motherhood and family.

Through Yejide and her husband Akin, Adébáyọ̀ highlights the unique ways in which unfulfilled (and fulfilled) desires to have children can shape a marriage. And behind all of these complicated dynamics is the tumultuous political landscape of ‘80s-‘90s Nigeria. I loved seeing the development of both Yejide and Akin, and how they both worked through their desires for children (and justified their choices). Sometimes dual-POV books are tough to pull off, but I think this one was quite well done.

This is a great book for those looking for a domestic fiction that makes you think and keeps you on your toes. It’s an intimate glimpse into the battles we fight to keep the ones we love close.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Pregnancy, Infertility, Child death, Chronic illness, and Death