Scan barcode
rjskitt's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.25
edshara's review against another edition
4.0
Stay With Me wasn’t anything that I was expecting, but it was so much fun to read. The first chapter immediately draws you in being both a little mysterious and intriguing. The characters are messy, dysfunctional and realistic.
This book really represents just how easily it is to be influenced by cultural and familial pressures and how those pressures can cause you to make choices that only consider your own interests, while ignoring the feelings of others. It was also interesting to see and explore how these particular characters reacted to stressful and painful situations.
Stay With Me was heartbreaking, thought provoking and well written. I enjoyed the journey we went on with Akin and Yejide, seeing how they struggled to survive and hold on. As always I really enjoyed reading about customs and traditions different from my own. Overall this was a surprisingly good read and I’m glad I finally got my hands on it.
This book really represents just how easily it is to be influenced by cultural and familial pressures and how those pressures can cause you to make choices that only consider your own interests, while ignoring the feelings of others. It was also interesting to see and explore how these particular characters reacted to stressful and painful situations.
Stay With Me was heartbreaking, thought provoking and well written. I enjoyed the journey we went on with Akin and Yejide, seeing how they struggled to survive and hold on. As always I really enjoyed reading about customs and traditions different from my own. Overall this was a surprisingly good read and I’m glad I finally got my hands on it.
murakami96's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
readwithdiana's review against another edition
hopeful
sad
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
suvata's review against another edition
5.0
I don’t know why but I never expected to like this book as much as I did. I’m giving this novel about the desperate attempts of a couple try to conceive a 5-star rating. I just couldn’t put it down and I was brought to tears more than a few times.
bobeetle's review against another edition
3.0
It started well but too much plotwists and subjects to focus on. Despite the drama and trauma throughout the story, I felt no connection with any of the characters.
bettylooksatbooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
nneka23's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility and Miscarriage
lynda_ohhh's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved this! It was an emotional rollercoaster for me. The ending actually broke me
simplymegy's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The blurb at the back of this book tells a story of a married couple in 1980s Nigeria. Akin and Yejide are unable to have a child. In a society where a childless marriage is unacceptable and polygamy is not, Akin is forced to take on a second wife. And so begins the saga of their married life..
I wanted desperately to rate this higher. I loved Adebayo’s prose. I loved how the Nigerian culture and politics came alive and I was able to draw some parallels to my own culture so I found it interesting and relatable. I admire the courage to tackle sensitive topics such as infertility and the tribulations of marriage.
What I didn’t love was the characters and the depressing plot. It baffles me how this married couple could be soulmates, and yet 99% of their problems would not exist if only THEY TALKED TO EACH OTHER. The events in their life were lows after lows that after some time, it just didn’t seem realistic anymore. The blurb is also a bit misleading in the sense that it makes you think it is a tale of a husband with two wives, like a Thousand Splendid Suns kind of thing. It’s not.
Thankfully, it was still a good ending.